Greet one another
1 Cor. 16:19-21
“The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss. I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand” 1 Corinthians 16:19-21
Sometime ago, a book I read on church growth, suggested that it wasn't a good idea to have a "meet and greet" time during a church service. According to somebodies research, apparently visitors may be turned off by this and not return. I also heard this topic being discussed on a Christian radio program where a few Christians called in to express how much they disdained the meet and greet time. Some suggested that it felt forced. One person expressed their disdain by saying that it may put them in an uncomfortable position of having to shake hands with someone that they were at odds with. To these two responses I would ask, why should it feel forced? If you're greeted by somebody you were not expecting to run into at a store, would you feel that you were being forced into exchanging pleasantries? And if you were at odds with someone in the church, should the Christian response be to avoid that person. Doesn't the bible say, “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24).
Why would a Christian view the meet and greet time as something that is being forced upon them, instead of an opportunity to express unity and love? Perhaps an unsaved person, who is anti-social may be uncomfortable with being welcomed and greeted by a stranger? However, the culture of the church, which should be welcoming to all, should not be hijacked by someone who doesn't like being around people. In fact, even businesses teach their employees to be courteous and welcoming to customers.
It is true that we live in a world, where people are self absorbed, rude, and standoffish. On my block, very few neighbors take the time and initiative to get to know each other. And if you never say hi to them, they wouldn't lose any sleep. I have a neighbor or two, that seem to avoid making eye contact so that they don't have to say hi. As a Christian, should I allow the culture to influence me, or do I seek to be a godly influence on the culture? As Christians, we should look for ways to get to know our neighbors and build relationships with them, not only because it's the right thing to do, but with the hope of sharing Christ with them. And often times, if we don't take the initiative, if we don't look for ways to break the ice, it's not going to happen.
A Pastor friend (Jon Hoekema) recently shared these honest thoughts on Facebook:
Sometimes God annoys me. Not in the way that traffic annoys me, where I just get frustrated, but in the way a child annoys a parent by asking the same question over and over and over again.
Over the last year, God has really been telling me to really get to know my neighbors. I know who they are, at least most of them. After all, we've been living on this street for 12 1/2 years. Our kids play with their kids. We know a bit about them, but don't really know them. So, God has been saying to me, "invite them over."
So, for the past 4 weeks, we've invited our neighbors over twice - for a fire in the fire pit on a summer Sunday evening, and a BBQ before our towns end of summer fireworks, and in a few weeks, we're going to invite them over for another fire in the fire pit, just to hang out.
After the first gathering, our neighbors all said, "Why haven't we done this before?" and "We need to do this again!"
After hearing stories and getting to know them, I'm beginning to call our street "the United Nations of Bluebird Drive" since we have immigrants from Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Poland, and Mexico.
It really has been fun to get to know them. Within 4 weeks, I have people on our street waving to me that would otherwise pass me by. People stop by and talk with one another that haven't talked with each other before.
Jesus calls us to love our neighbor. How could I love them if I didn't even know them? How could I be Jesus in the flesh without being in relationship with them?
I am looking forward to what Gods' annoying me over the last year will lead to!"
We all will have times for various reasons when we don't feel very sociable. We all have are moments, but this should not be the norm, and if it is, we need to check our hearts. In addition, a Christian should seek times of solitude. The Psalmist wrote, ““Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalms 46:10). But there's a difference between solitude and isolation. “Solitude is a chosen separation for refining your soul. Isolation is what you crave when you neglect the first...Solitude is a healthy and prescriptive discipline; isolation is a symptom of emotional depletion” (Wayne Cordeiro). We should be serving the Lord, not on empty, but from the overflow of are dynamic love relationship with Jesus.
So if your craving isolation, this may be a sign that something is not right within. Examine your heart. It can be unconfessed sin, shame, bitterness or, as Wayne suggested, it could be that you are depleted emotionally. Wherever you are, the first step to coming out of isolation is to be deeply rooted in Christ and the gospel. Jesus died so that we can find forgiveness, and acceptance in a loving relationship with the Father. You may also need to seek the help of a friend, Pastor or counsellor that can assist you with other factors for why you're isolating yourself, like being emotionally depleted. Resist your feelings and the lies of the enemy that you are alone in this world. God loves us and he ordained that we grow in Christ in community.
We are called to minister to others, but we also need to be ministered to. And we may need it the most when we don't feel like we do. We also need to keep in mind that often the person that you notice isolating themselves, that is avoiding others, is the one that may need your sincere greeting and caring attention the most.
On that same radio program I mentioned earlier, one professing Christian said that they intentionally go to church late in order to avoid the meet and greet time. I don't think that this is just a matter of preference, but an issue of the heart. If we do not welcome the opportunity to welcome and greet others in church, I wonder if we are looking for opportunities to welcome and greet unbelievers outside of the church. If we can't muster up enough energy to say hello to our neighbor, I doubt if we would ever be a strong witness for Christ. “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God" (Romans 15:5-7).
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Monday, August 29, 2016
Uncompromising Neglect
Uncompromising Neglect
Numbers 11:11-20
“Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.”
Exodus 10:9-11
Moses had a call from God upon his life, namely to lead the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, which was ruled by Pharaoh. Pharaoh's refusal and Moses' obedience brought much confusion and chaos. And yet God would work through it all to show His power and glory, as He used Moses to bring the people out from under Egyptian rule unto the promise land. Moses stayed the course in the face of many pressures to compromise what God called him to do.
He obviously did not have the support of Pharaoh, but there were times when he did not have the support and cooperation of his own people. Although he stayed the course, he did have moments when he felt exasperated, overwhelmed, and even wanted to quit. He doubted if he was fit for the job in the first place. When the people complained about food, we read, “Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.” Numbers 11:11-15
It's important for Pastors to know that the demands of ministry and the expectations of others will always exceed our capacity. And like Moses, we will have moments where we will feel so inept that we want to give up and quit. Moses said, "I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me" (Num. 11:14). Moses felt that he couldn't handle it anymore. He was at the point of wanting God to take him out. This was partly due to not only feeling overwhelmed, but feeling that he was letting God down and his people. He was sick of seeing his own wretchedness (Num. 11:15).
When we feel weighed down by the pressures of life, work or ministry, we can end up making wrong decisions. We may feel like quitting or we may be tempted to compromise. While dealing with Pharaoh in Egypt, Moses was asked to compromise. At one point, Pharaoh tried to get Moses and the men to agree to leave Egypt without their families. He said, "Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking." (Exodus 10:11). Under pressure to get the job done, many men have neglected and even forsaken their families. We move forward thinking we are doing what God wants us to do, but in the process, we leave our families behind. And that is certainly something we can't afford to do.
In his book Leading on Empty, Wayne Cordeiro wrote, “Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them—work, family, health, friends, and spirit—and you are keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls—family, health, friends, and spirit—are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same."
So how do we juggle it all? We need to first of all accept the fact that we may be juggling more than God intends. There's some balls that we may need to temporarily or even permanently drop to focus on certain priorities that we cannot afford to compromise. Some have called it, intentional neglect. I'm calling it, uncompromising neglect.
There are somethings that we can delegate, but there are others thing we must do ourselves. No one can rest for you. No one can exercise for you. No one can spend time at the feet of Jesus for you. And although a Pastor seems to always be in demand, there are others that can help. However, when it comes to the needs of the family, there's only one father and one husband.
What did Moses do when he felt like he was being crushed under the weight of it all? He cried out to God. He told God exactly how he felt. And God didn't fire him. Instead, God told him to gather seventy men to bear the burden of the people with him (Numbers 11:16). And that some of the anointing of the Spirit, the giftedness that he had, he was going to give to them. God said, “And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone” (Numbers 11:17). In addition, God said, that he would provide more food for the people to eat (Numbers 11:19-20).
Interestingly, God didn't give more anointing to Moses so that he could work harder. He gave what Moses had, to others. As Pastors, we are not suppose to do ministry as if it all depends on us. We should be working ourselves out of a job, so to speak. We are suppose to be making disciples that make disciples and that know how to seek God's provision to feed themselves. Moses would eventually be succeeded by Joshua, who would be the one to lead the people into the promise land.
What makes us think even for a second that it all depends on us? Sometimes it's pride. We want to be in control. Sometimes it's the fear of man. It can also be that the pressures of ministry are leading us to feel like we're alone. Moses said to God, "I am not able to carry all this people alone" (Number 11:14). But he wasn't alone. God was with him and he also had others around him that could help him and be used by God.
When we think it all depends on us, we fail to develop leaders and give others the opportunity to experience God working in their lives. We begin to neglect things that we can't afford to neglect, like our health and our families. And we will eventually hit a wall and feel like we just can't do it anymore.
I found myself there. I hit that wall. I started to think that I'm not able to bear the responsibility of being a Pastor anymore. But, I cried out to God. And he has reminded me once again that I'm not alone. And that it doesn't depend on me. He called me and anointed me for the task that he assigned to me, namely to present others mature in Christ. And he has not only anointed me, but he has anointed others to bear the burdens with me.
God has shown me that it's okay to drop the ball sometimes, or to give it to someone else, especially when other things of greater priority are at stake. To finish the race strong, we will need to go in for pit stops to rest and refuel. Staying the course and finishing strong requires uncompromising neglect.
Numbers 11:11-20
“Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.”
Exodus 10:9-11
Moses had a call from God upon his life, namely to lead the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, which was ruled by Pharaoh. Pharaoh's refusal and Moses' obedience brought much confusion and chaos. And yet God would work through it all to show His power and glory, as He used Moses to bring the people out from under Egyptian rule unto the promise land. Moses stayed the course in the face of many pressures to compromise what God called him to do.
He obviously did not have the support of Pharaoh, but there were times when he did not have the support and cooperation of his own people. Although he stayed the course, he did have moments when he felt exasperated, overwhelmed, and even wanted to quit. He doubted if he was fit for the job in the first place. When the people complained about food, we read, “Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.” Numbers 11:11-15
It's important for Pastors to know that the demands of ministry and the expectations of others will always exceed our capacity. And like Moses, we will have moments where we will feel so inept that we want to give up and quit. Moses said, "I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me" (Num. 11:14). Moses felt that he couldn't handle it anymore. He was at the point of wanting God to take him out. This was partly due to not only feeling overwhelmed, but feeling that he was letting God down and his people. He was sick of seeing his own wretchedness (Num. 11:15).
When we feel weighed down by the pressures of life, work or ministry, we can end up making wrong decisions. We may feel like quitting or we may be tempted to compromise. While dealing with Pharaoh in Egypt, Moses was asked to compromise. At one point, Pharaoh tried to get Moses and the men to agree to leave Egypt without their families. He said, "Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking." (Exodus 10:11). Under pressure to get the job done, many men have neglected and even forsaken their families. We move forward thinking we are doing what God wants us to do, but in the process, we leave our families behind. And that is certainly something we can't afford to do.
In his book Leading on Empty, Wayne Cordeiro wrote, “Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them—work, family, health, friends, and spirit—and you are keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls—family, health, friends, and spirit—are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same."
So how do we juggle it all? We need to first of all accept the fact that we may be juggling more than God intends. There's some balls that we may need to temporarily or even permanently drop to focus on certain priorities that we cannot afford to compromise. Some have called it, intentional neglect. I'm calling it, uncompromising neglect.
There are somethings that we can delegate, but there are others thing we must do ourselves. No one can rest for you. No one can exercise for you. No one can spend time at the feet of Jesus for you. And although a Pastor seems to always be in demand, there are others that can help. However, when it comes to the needs of the family, there's only one father and one husband.
What did Moses do when he felt like he was being crushed under the weight of it all? He cried out to God. He told God exactly how he felt. And God didn't fire him. Instead, God told him to gather seventy men to bear the burden of the people with him (Numbers 11:16). And that some of the anointing of the Spirit, the giftedness that he had, he was going to give to them. God said, “And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone” (Numbers 11:17). In addition, God said, that he would provide more food for the people to eat (Numbers 11:19-20).
Interestingly, God didn't give more anointing to Moses so that he could work harder. He gave what Moses had, to others. As Pastors, we are not suppose to do ministry as if it all depends on us. We should be working ourselves out of a job, so to speak. We are suppose to be making disciples that make disciples and that know how to seek God's provision to feed themselves. Moses would eventually be succeeded by Joshua, who would be the one to lead the people into the promise land.
What makes us think even for a second that it all depends on us? Sometimes it's pride. We want to be in control. Sometimes it's the fear of man. It can also be that the pressures of ministry are leading us to feel like we're alone. Moses said to God, "I am not able to carry all this people alone" (Number 11:14). But he wasn't alone. God was with him and he also had others around him that could help him and be used by God.
When we think it all depends on us, we fail to develop leaders and give others the opportunity to experience God working in their lives. We begin to neglect things that we can't afford to neglect, like our health and our families. And we will eventually hit a wall and feel like we just can't do it anymore.
I found myself there. I hit that wall. I started to think that I'm not able to bear the responsibility of being a Pastor anymore. But, I cried out to God. And he has reminded me once again that I'm not alone. And that it doesn't depend on me. He called me and anointed me for the task that he assigned to me, namely to present others mature in Christ. And he has not only anointed me, but he has anointed others to bear the burdens with me.
God has shown me that it's okay to drop the ball sometimes, or to give it to someone else, especially when other things of greater priority are at stake. To finish the race strong, we will need to go in for pit stops to rest and refuel. Staying the course and finishing strong requires uncompromising neglect.
Friday, August 26, 2016
When you're overwhelmed
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13
Should a believer pray for the Holy Spirit? This is a hot topic in the evangelical world. Many Christians divide over how they answer this question. I don't want to get into all the controversies over the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. But I do recognize that there are many that seem to overemphasize the work of the Spirit in ways that lead to abuses. And then there are those who seem to deemphasize the work of the Spirit, which I believe can lead to an absence of the work of the Spirit. Personally, I have increasingly sensed my need for the work of the Spirit in my life and have been a beneficiary of that work. I've experienced, among other things, the conviction, comfort, and controlling power of the Spirit in my life. I've known his enablement to perform specific task. Although I believe that it's vital for a Christian to sense their need for the Spirit's work in their lives, I have also discovered that we must be aware of certain limitations. The Holy Spirit Himself is unlimited in His abilities, but He does not give believers unlimited abilities to serve the kingdom of God anywhere and at anytime. The Holy Spirit is measured in how He operates in our lives. The bible teaches that believers are given a variety of gifts, for variety of service. Paul wrote:
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
So we do not all have the same gifts, or the same degree of empowerment or the same capacity to serve God. It all varies in each one and in every opportunity to serve. Now, if we fail to understand how the Spirit operates in our lives, we can become overwhelmed by the many needs in our world. God's grace is sufficient (unlimited) for every work, but He's not asking us to do every work, or meet every need. And if we attempt to do so, we will burnout. God gives us special grace in a measured way for the assignments that he ordains for our lives.
Now, Jesus indeed promised that He would not fail to give good things to those who persistently seek Him in prayer (Matthew 7:7). And in Luke 11:13, we learn that the good things/gifts come through the Holy Spirit that He gives to those who ask. But why should we ask for the Spirit, if the bible teaches that believers are already in dwelt by Him (Rom 8:9-11). Because although He resides in the believer, there are a variety of ways that He can empower believers and be manifested in their lives (1 Cor. 12: 6-7). So when we pray for the Holy Spirit, we are praying for Him to be manifested in our lives, not only for our good, but for the common good of others (1 Cor. 12:7; Philip 4:13;).
God is pleased to grant us the strength, abilities and endurance that we need to accomplish all that He ordains for our lives. But here's the danger. He has not ordained for us to do all things. Yes, Paul did say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philip 4:13). But this does not me that we are to do all things. Once again, it means that we can do all the things that He has ordained.
We live in a day where there are many needs. And because of the technologies available to us, like the internet, smart phones and social media, we are finger tips away from accessing an abundance of information. We can get up to the minute news about terrorism attacks, earthquake and tornadoes that are taking place thousands of miles away. We also live in a time where people have the ability to reach us via cell phone anywhere at anytime and vice versa. People assume today that when they text someone that they need to respond immediately. Therefore some people receiving text messages feel the need to respond immediately so as not to offend. This kind of instant access has added stress and pressures upon people's lives that did not exists 20 or 30 years ago. An article posted by the Stress management society on the Most common stressors of modern life, states the following:
"With the growing pressures of modern technology, few of us ever really ‘switch off’. Everywhere you look, someone is on a mobile device, some checking their work emails. The problem that we face is that we are constantly connected. Just because we physically leave the workplace this doesn’t mean we leave our workload, demand and pressure behind nor does it mean that we divert our mind from work.
Many people will get home and the first thing they do is go to check is their work emails, to see if anything urgent has come up. We don’t give ourselves time to disconnect from the real world, and this is making us feel stressed and overwhelmed...People are feeling more and more anxious when they are without their mobile phone as it takes away the sense of security they feel when they are accessible to other people. This in turn creates a distance between them and their loved ones and they can often feel a sense of loneliness or isolation.
Although people seemed to manage fine before the invention of mobile phones, people have now become psychologically attached to their phones and fear they may miss something of urgency without it. So much so it can now be seen as one of the causes of stress in modern day life."
When you consider the needs of our world, coupled with the extraordinary means we have to be in the know, if we are not callous, we can easily become overwhelmed.
So how do we as Christians, who are called to care about the needs of the world, deal with this modern phenomenon? On an ask Pastor John episode, a concern believer asked a similar question: “In our overly digital and connected age, I often feel so overwhelmed with how much global and local suffering I feel both a desire and a Christian obligation to stay informed on, pray for, and be involved in. Sex trafficking, Syrian refugees, homeless people in my city, the Black Lives and Blue Lives Matter movements, abortion activism, suffering members of my church, reaching the unreached, and on and on it goes. I want to pray, but I find it so overwhelming because the prayer list is so long, and I want to act but I am paralyzed by how much there is to do. I truly believe this stems from a lack of deep heart conviction of God’s sovereignty. Could you maybe share how you stay balanced and aware in praying and acting for the pain and suffering around the world? And specifically how does your belief in God’s sovereignty in the midst of this suffering effect the way you live and pray?”
You can find the entire transcript here: www.desiringgod.org/interviews/tragedy-overload-in-the-digital-age-how-do-we-handle-all-the-bad-news
In one of the points that John made to answer this critical question, he stated. "Trust God for the grace to do the good he expects you — not others — to do, and then do the good in your path, like the Good Samaritan did. Second Corinthians 9:8, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound” — now, how you interpret this next phrase is the difference between despair and joyful hope — “you may abound in every good work.” Does that mean God gives you the grace and the sufficiency at all times in every way in every place to do the good work that a Christian in China is expected to do this afternoon? No. No. No. “Every good work” there means, every one appointed for you — which is a wonderfully liberating thing. You will never be asked to do a good work for which this verse is not true. Every grace will be there for you to do it. God doesn’t intend for you to look at thirty good works, know you can only do five today, and feel guilty about twenty-five. He absolutely does not want that to be the case. That is why this verse is in the Bible. And so, yes, there will be grace for every good work."
Only God can bare the burdens of the world on his shoulders. And although God graces us to bare the burdens of others, we are by God's decree limited in what we can do. In addition, we have spiritual and physical needs of our own that we must attend too and our own families to care for. There's also the principle of rest that God has decreed so that our bodies can be replenished in which the Spirit of God works.
So to keep from being overwhelmed by the insanity, we must regularly disconnect from this instant access world. We must trust that our Sovereign God rules in the affairs of men even when we are offline. We must give ourselves time to rest, spend time with God, and be present with our families. Our God, who neither slumbers or sleeps, (Psalm 121:4), has it all under control.
Should a believer pray for the Holy Spirit? This is a hot topic in the evangelical world. Many Christians divide over how they answer this question. I don't want to get into all the controversies over the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. But I do recognize that there are many that seem to overemphasize the work of the Spirit in ways that lead to abuses. And then there are those who seem to deemphasize the work of the Spirit, which I believe can lead to an absence of the work of the Spirit. Personally, I have increasingly sensed my need for the work of the Spirit in my life and have been a beneficiary of that work. I've experienced, among other things, the conviction, comfort, and controlling power of the Spirit in my life. I've known his enablement to perform specific task. Although I believe that it's vital for a Christian to sense their need for the Spirit's work in their lives, I have also discovered that we must be aware of certain limitations. The Holy Spirit Himself is unlimited in His abilities, but He does not give believers unlimited abilities to serve the kingdom of God anywhere and at anytime. The Holy Spirit is measured in how He operates in our lives. The bible teaches that believers are given a variety of gifts, for variety of service. Paul wrote:
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
So we do not all have the same gifts, or the same degree of empowerment or the same capacity to serve God. It all varies in each one and in every opportunity to serve. Now, if we fail to understand how the Spirit operates in our lives, we can become overwhelmed by the many needs in our world. God's grace is sufficient (unlimited) for every work, but He's not asking us to do every work, or meet every need. And if we attempt to do so, we will burnout. God gives us special grace in a measured way for the assignments that he ordains for our lives.
Now, Jesus indeed promised that He would not fail to give good things to those who persistently seek Him in prayer (Matthew 7:7). And in Luke 11:13, we learn that the good things/gifts come through the Holy Spirit that He gives to those who ask. But why should we ask for the Spirit, if the bible teaches that believers are already in dwelt by Him (Rom 8:9-11). Because although He resides in the believer, there are a variety of ways that He can empower believers and be manifested in their lives (1 Cor. 12: 6-7). So when we pray for the Holy Spirit, we are praying for Him to be manifested in our lives, not only for our good, but for the common good of others (1 Cor. 12:7; Philip 4:13;).
God is pleased to grant us the strength, abilities and endurance that we need to accomplish all that He ordains for our lives. But here's the danger. He has not ordained for us to do all things. Yes, Paul did say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philip 4:13). But this does not me that we are to do all things. Once again, it means that we can do all the things that He has ordained.
We live in a day where there are many needs. And because of the technologies available to us, like the internet, smart phones and social media, we are finger tips away from accessing an abundance of information. We can get up to the minute news about terrorism attacks, earthquake and tornadoes that are taking place thousands of miles away. We also live in a time where people have the ability to reach us via cell phone anywhere at anytime and vice versa. People assume today that when they text someone that they need to respond immediately. Therefore some people receiving text messages feel the need to respond immediately so as not to offend. This kind of instant access has added stress and pressures upon people's lives that did not exists 20 or 30 years ago. An article posted by the Stress management society on the Most common stressors of modern life, states the following:
"With the growing pressures of modern technology, few of us ever really ‘switch off’. Everywhere you look, someone is on a mobile device, some checking their work emails. The problem that we face is that we are constantly connected. Just because we physically leave the workplace this doesn’t mean we leave our workload, demand and pressure behind nor does it mean that we divert our mind from work.
Many people will get home and the first thing they do is go to check is their work emails, to see if anything urgent has come up. We don’t give ourselves time to disconnect from the real world, and this is making us feel stressed and overwhelmed...People are feeling more and more anxious when they are without their mobile phone as it takes away the sense of security they feel when they are accessible to other people. This in turn creates a distance between them and their loved ones and they can often feel a sense of loneliness or isolation.
Although people seemed to manage fine before the invention of mobile phones, people have now become psychologically attached to their phones and fear they may miss something of urgency without it. So much so it can now be seen as one of the causes of stress in modern day life."
When you consider the needs of our world, coupled with the extraordinary means we have to be in the know, if we are not callous, we can easily become overwhelmed.
So how do we as Christians, who are called to care about the needs of the world, deal with this modern phenomenon? On an ask Pastor John episode, a concern believer asked a similar question: “In our overly digital and connected age, I often feel so overwhelmed with how much global and local suffering I feel both a desire and a Christian obligation to stay informed on, pray for, and be involved in. Sex trafficking, Syrian refugees, homeless people in my city, the Black Lives and Blue Lives Matter movements, abortion activism, suffering members of my church, reaching the unreached, and on and on it goes. I want to pray, but I find it so overwhelming because the prayer list is so long, and I want to act but I am paralyzed by how much there is to do. I truly believe this stems from a lack of deep heart conviction of God’s sovereignty. Could you maybe share how you stay balanced and aware in praying and acting for the pain and suffering around the world? And specifically how does your belief in God’s sovereignty in the midst of this suffering effect the way you live and pray?”
You can find the entire transcript here: www.desiringgod.org/interviews/tragedy-overload-in-the-digital-age-how-do-we-handle-all-the-bad-news
In one of the points that John made to answer this critical question, he stated. "Trust God for the grace to do the good he expects you — not others — to do, and then do the good in your path, like the Good Samaritan did. Second Corinthians 9:8, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound” — now, how you interpret this next phrase is the difference between despair and joyful hope — “you may abound in every good work.” Does that mean God gives you the grace and the sufficiency at all times in every way in every place to do the good work that a Christian in China is expected to do this afternoon? No. No. No. “Every good work” there means, every one appointed for you — which is a wonderfully liberating thing. You will never be asked to do a good work for which this verse is not true. Every grace will be there for you to do it. God doesn’t intend for you to look at thirty good works, know you can only do five today, and feel guilty about twenty-five. He absolutely does not want that to be the case. That is why this verse is in the Bible. And so, yes, there will be grace for every good work."
Only God can bare the burdens of the world on his shoulders. And although God graces us to bare the burdens of others, we are by God's decree limited in what we can do. In addition, we have spiritual and physical needs of our own that we must attend too and our own families to care for. There's also the principle of rest that God has decreed so that our bodies can be replenished in which the Spirit of God works.
So to keep from being overwhelmed by the insanity, we must regularly disconnect from this instant access world. We must trust that our Sovereign God rules in the affairs of men even when we are offline. We must give ourselves time to rest, spend time with God, and be present with our families. Our God, who neither slumbers or sleeps, (Psalm 121:4), has it all under control.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Dark nights of the soul and rejoicing in the Holy Spirit
"Dark nights of the soul and rejoicing in the Holy Spirit" (Luke 10:17-21)
“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” Luke 10:17-21
There are many things that people find joy in and rejoice over. But what one person rejoices over may not mean much to someone else. Also, what a person rejoices over today, may not bring joy to them tomorrow. Life has many twist and turns. Things change and people change. But there is a joy that comes through the Spirit of God, who reveals to us the truths found in God's unchanging word. Peter wrote, “for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:24-25).
When Jesus was born, the Angel of the Lord said to the shepherds abiding in the field, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). What is the good news of great joy? The good news is that Jesus came into the world to save sinners through His sacrifice on the cross. The good news is that He rose again from the dead, demonstrating His power over death and the grave. The good news is that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but receive the free gift of eternal life (1 Cor. 15:1-4; John 3:16).
In Luke 10:17, the disciple were rejoicing over the fact that they had authority over demons in the name of Jesus. However, Jesus pointed out that there was something much greater that they should be rejoicing over, namely that their names were written in Heaven. Jesus wasn't saying that it was a sin to rejoice over the authority they had over demons, any more than it would be wrong to rejoice over getting a promotion at work or buying a house. What Jesus is saying is that these things pale in comparison to the promise of Heaven. The blessings and sufferings of this life will fade away in the light of the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Therefore what Jesus was getting at was that He didn't want the ultimate source of their happiness to be in lesser things. Lesser things will eventually fail us and disappoint us. But when the well of our joy is in Christ and the hope that we have in Him, we will be able to rejoice in all circumstances.
In recent months, I have been battling with severe fatigue that seems to come in waves. Along with feelings of mental and physical exhaustion, which makes it hard to concentrate, I feel anxious and downcast. The normal pressures of life and work, which I could find joy in, now often overwhelm me. I have trouble sleeping through the night and when I wake up, a feeling of panic seems to come over me. I'm bombarded with thoughts that make mountains out of molehills. The saints of old would call experiences like these, Dark nights of the soul.
As I've examined my heart before the Lord, and I don't believe that God is disciplining me because of sin in my life, but I do believe that He is fashioning me and purifying me. I believe he wants my roots to go deeper into Christ, the fountain of joy. He's wants to bring me to a place where my identity is clearly found in who I am in Christ, not in what I do for others in the name of Christ, or the approval of man.
I believe that much of what I'm going through is related to some physical deficiencies in my body that must be replenished. This is important because although our ultimate source of Joy is Christ, the condition of our bodies can affect our ability to grasp spiritual realities. How to treat the physical causes of what I'm going through is often debated in the church. Should I go the natural route or should take medication that is recommended by my doctor, are things that I'm seeking God's wisdom about. But understanding that what I going through is not necessarily a spiritual problem alone, is helping me to seek the right solutions in dependence upon God. I appreciate what John Piper had to say about these Dark nights of the soul:
"What we should be clear about, though, is that the condition of our bodies makes a difference in the capacity of our minds to think clearly and of our souls to see the beauty of hope-giving truth. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great preacher at Westminster Chapel in London in the midtwentieth century, began his helpful book Spiritual Depression by waving the flag of warning that we not overlook the physical. It is significant that Lloyd-Jones was a medical doctor before he was called to the ministry of preaching. Quoting MLJ Piper continues,
Does someone hold the view that as long as you are a Christian it does not matter what the condition of your “body is? Well, you will soon be disillusioned if you believe that. Physical conditions play their part in all this. . . . There are certain physical ailments which tend to promote depression. . . . [T]ake that great preacher who preached in London for nearly forty years in the last century—Charles Haddon Spurgeon—one of the truly great preachers of all time. That great man was subject to spiritual depression, and the main explanation in his case was undoubtedly the fact that he suffered from a gouty condition which finally killed him. He had to face this problem of spiritual depression often in a most acute form. A tendency to acute depression is an unfailing accompaniment of the gout which he inherited from his forebears. And there are many, I find, who come to talk to me about these matters, in whose case it seems quite clear to me that the cause of the trouble is mainly physical. Into this group, speaking generally, you can put tiredness, overstrain, illness, any form of illness. You cannot isolate the spiritual from the physical for we are body, mind and spirit. The greatest and the best Christians when they are physically weak are more prone to an attack of spiritual depression than at any other time and there are great illustrations of “this in the scriptures” (Excerpt From: Piper, John. “When the Darkness Will not Lift.” Crossway Books).
Although I'm seeking to replenish my physical body, my aim is to gain more strength to fight for the joy of Jesus that comes through His Spirit. And I'm not waiting to feel better physically before seeking the Lord. It's the whispers of God, and the glimpses of His glory that I see in His word, as I struggle to set my mind on things above, that keep me going, that bring me hope. I'm not rejoicing right now in the blessings of serving in the ministry. That day I believe is coming again soon. But I can rejoice that my name is written in heaven. I rejoice in the Holy Spirit, knowing that when I'm having a hard time holding on to Jesus, He's still holding on to me. Blessed be His Holy name.
“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” Luke 10:17-21
There are many things that people find joy in and rejoice over. But what one person rejoices over may not mean much to someone else. Also, what a person rejoices over today, may not bring joy to them tomorrow. Life has many twist and turns. Things change and people change. But there is a joy that comes through the Spirit of God, who reveals to us the truths found in God's unchanging word. Peter wrote, “for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you” (1 Peter 1:24-25).
When Jesus was born, the Angel of the Lord said to the shepherds abiding in the field, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). What is the good news of great joy? The good news is that Jesus came into the world to save sinners through His sacrifice on the cross. The good news is that He rose again from the dead, demonstrating His power over death and the grave. The good news is that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but receive the free gift of eternal life (1 Cor. 15:1-4; John 3:16).
In Luke 10:17, the disciple were rejoicing over the fact that they had authority over demons in the name of Jesus. However, Jesus pointed out that there was something much greater that they should be rejoicing over, namely that their names were written in Heaven. Jesus wasn't saying that it was a sin to rejoice over the authority they had over demons, any more than it would be wrong to rejoice over getting a promotion at work or buying a house. What Jesus is saying is that these things pale in comparison to the promise of Heaven. The blessings and sufferings of this life will fade away in the light of the glory that is to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Therefore what Jesus was getting at was that He didn't want the ultimate source of their happiness to be in lesser things. Lesser things will eventually fail us and disappoint us. But when the well of our joy is in Christ and the hope that we have in Him, we will be able to rejoice in all circumstances.
In recent months, I have been battling with severe fatigue that seems to come in waves. Along with feelings of mental and physical exhaustion, which makes it hard to concentrate, I feel anxious and downcast. The normal pressures of life and work, which I could find joy in, now often overwhelm me. I have trouble sleeping through the night and when I wake up, a feeling of panic seems to come over me. I'm bombarded with thoughts that make mountains out of molehills. The saints of old would call experiences like these, Dark nights of the soul.
As I've examined my heart before the Lord, and I don't believe that God is disciplining me because of sin in my life, but I do believe that He is fashioning me and purifying me. I believe he wants my roots to go deeper into Christ, the fountain of joy. He's wants to bring me to a place where my identity is clearly found in who I am in Christ, not in what I do for others in the name of Christ, or the approval of man.
I believe that much of what I'm going through is related to some physical deficiencies in my body that must be replenished. This is important because although our ultimate source of Joy is Christ, the condition of our bodies can affect our ability to grasp spiritual realities. How to treat the physical causes of what I'm going through is often debated in the church. Should I go the natural route or should take medication that is recommended by my doctor, are things that I'm seeking God's wisdom about. But understanding that what I going through is not necessarily a spiritual problem alone, is helping me to seek the right solutions in dependence upon God. I appreciate what John Piper had to say about these Dark nights of the soul:
"What we should be clear about, though, is that the condition of our bodies makes a difference in the capacity of our minds to think clearly and of our souls to see the beauty of hope-giving truth. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great preacher at Westminster Chapel in London in the midtwentieth century, began his helpful book Spiritual Depression by waving the flag of warning that we not overlook the physical. It is significant that Lloyd-Jones was a medical doctor before he was called to the ministry of preaching. Quoting MLJ Piper continues,
Does someone hold the view that as long as you are a Christian it does not matter what the condition of your “body is? Well, you will soon be disillusioned if you believe that. Physical conditions play their part in all this. . . . There are certain physical ailments which tend to promote depression. . . . [T]ake that great preacher who preached in London for nearly forty years in the last century—Charles Haddon Spurgeon—one of the truly great preachers of all time. That great man was subject to spiritual depression, and the main explanation in his case was undoubtedly the fact that he suffered from a gouty condition which finally killed him. He had to face this problem of spiritual depression often in a most acute form. A tendency to acute depression is an unfailing accompaniment of the gout which he inherited from his forebears. And there are many, I find, who come to talk to me about these matters, in whose case it seems quite clear to me that the cause of the trouble is mainly physical. Into this group, speaking generally, you can put tiredness, overstrain, illness, any form of illness. You cannot isolate the spiritual from the physical for we are body, mind and spirit. The greatest and the best Christians when they are physically weak are more prone to an attack of spiritual depression than at any other time and there are great illustrations of “this in the scriptures” (Excerpt From: Piper, John. “When the Darkness Will not Lift.” Crossway Books).
Although I'm seeking to replenish my physical body, my aim is to gain more strength to fight for the joy of Jesus that comes through His Spirit. And I'm not waiting to feel better physically before seeking the Lord. It's the whispers of God, and the glimpses of His glory that I see in His word, as I struggle to set my mind on things above, that keep me going, that bring me hope. I'm not rejoicing right now in the blessings of serving in the ministry. That day I believe is coming again soon. But I can rejoice that my name is written in heaven. I rejoice in the Holy Spirit, knowing that when I'm having a hard time holding on to Jesus, He's still holding on to me. Blessed be His Holy name.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
"When the Hurt in our Heart makes it Hard to Hear from Heaven"
“Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.” Exodus 6:9
When Moses sought to bring the people of God out of Egypt, who were in bondage, things seem to go from bad to worse. The work load that he imposed on them was more than they could bare. Moses tried to assured them with the promises of God's word that things would get better, that God would soon deliver them, but his words fell on death ears. The bible says that the reason they didn't listen to Moses was because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. To have a broken spirit means to be so overwhelmed with sorrow that you feel like you can't go on. You have no joy, you have lost your will to keep going, your dejected and feel like there's no way out. What broke the spirit of the Hebrews? It was the physical stress that they were under, as a result of the brutal work load.
You may not be working like a literal Hebrew slave, but there may be other forms of extreme stress that can so break your spirit, that can cause you to feel so despondent that you find it hard to receive words of encouragement from God's word. However, as was the case with the children of Israel, God is patient with us and continues to work in our lives to restore our hope and joy in him. God didn't tell Moses to forsake the people because they, in their broken spirit, were not listening to him. Instead, he told Moses to continue to do what he was called to do, namely to lead His people out of Egypt, and to speak to them and their oppressor, whether they listened or not.
You may be in a position of trying to bring encouragement to someone with a broken spirit, but don't seem to be getting anywhere. Don't give up. God is working, whether you see it or not. It's important to know also that people may first need your presence, a shoulder to cry on, or a ride to the hospital, before your words of exhortation. Job's three friends were too quick to preach to Job in his season of brokenness, and as a result, did more harm then good. But even they wept with Job for seven days before speaking a word. Concerning Job's three friends the bible says, “And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great" (Job 2:13).
God's word is the medicine that people need who are hurting. However, it's important that we understand that when people are hurting, they may be hard of hearing. Be patient, be present and pray for wisdom to speak truth in love and for their hearts to be open to receive.
If you are the person who is in a season of disillusionment or despondency, because of physical problems or external circumstances, you need more than ever to hear from God. The external stressors of life, and the toll that it takes on our mental, physical and emotional life, can effect our soul. "Our souls and our bodies live so close together that sometimes they catch each others diseases" (David Jeremiah). There may be times of deep hurt when it's hard to hear the voice of God, to receive words of assurance from his word. We may not feel like reading the bible. It may be hard to focus and concentrate. However we must not go by our feelings. We must turn to God and his word even when we don't feel like. Read it out loud, if you have trouble concentrating. Use a journal and a pen to write out scriptures and thoughts about what God is saying in the text. You must do what you need to do even when you don't feel like it. As I heard Dr. David Jeremiah say, "Don't let the depression get between you and God. Allow it to drive you to Him.
There may be stressors in our lives, like a busy schedule, poor eating habits, unhealthy sleeping patterns and lack of exercise that can effect the body in such a way that leads to anxiety and depression. Our bodies and brains are made up of complex systems that can be depleted, and must be replenished. Remember, "Our souls and our bodies live so close together that sometimes they catch each others diseases." For example, a lack of sleep can effect the minds ability to concentrate. And the Holy Spirit works through our minds to enable us to understand the word of God. Therefore getting spiritually healthy may require for us to make some changes that will improve the health of our physical bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus purchased with His own blood.
Often Christian ask, "Is it sin for a Christian to take antidepressants to treat severe cases of depression and anxiety? I appreciate what John Piper had to say when asked this question:
"God had something to teach Job—who didn't have Prozac—through his pain, and he might have something to teach us too...Therefore, I encourage slowness to use anti-depressants. God may have a way forward for someone before they start altering their mind with physical substances.
However, on the other side, it seems clear to me that the brain is a physical organ with electrical impulses and chemicals, and that mental illness is therefore not merely spiritual. No man could persuade me that all mental derangement is owing to a spiritual cause that has a purely spiritual solution.
One way medicine can be helpful is if it gets people to a point where they have enough stability to read the Bible. Then, through being able to read the Scriptures, people are able to be refreshed in the Lord and, in time, come off of the medicine. In that case medicine is a means to an end, and that seems perfectly natural to me." John Piper.
You may be in a season of hurt that makes it hard to hear from God. During these times, don't neglect the care of your physical body and mind. Eliminate stressors in your life, if you can. Rest. Learn to eat healthy and exercise. But most of all, do not neglect time in prayer and the word of God. In God's time, He will restore your soul.
When Moses sought to bring the people of God out of Egypt, who were in bondage, things seem to go from bad to worse. The work load that he imposed on them was more than they could bare. Moses tried to assured them with the promises of God's word that things would get better, that God would soon deliver them, but his words fell on death ears. The bible says that the reason they didn't listen to Moses was because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. To have a broken spirit means to be so overwhelmed with sorrow that you feel like you can't go on. You have no joy, you have lost your will to keep going, your dejected and feel like there's no way out. What broke the spirit of the Hebrews? It was the physical stress that they were under, as a result of the brutal work load.
You may not be working like a literal Hebrew slave, but there may be other forms of extreme stress that can so break your spirit, that can cause you to feel so despondent that you find it hard to receive words of encouragement from God's word. However, as was the case with the children of Israel, God is patient with us and continues to work in our lives to restore our hope and joy in him. God didn't tell Moses to forsake the people because they, in their broken spirit, were not listening to him. Instead, he told Moses to continue to do what he was called to do, namely to lead His people out of Egypt, and to speak to them and their oppressor, whether they listened or not.
You may be in a position of trying to bring encouragement to someone with a broken spirit, but don't seem to be getting anywhere. Don't give up. God is working, whether you see it or not. It's important to know also that people may first need your presence, a shoulder to cry on, or a ride to the hospital, before your words of exhortation. Job's three friends were too quick to preach to Job in his season of brokenness, and as a result, did more harm then good. But even they wept with Job for seven days before speaking a word. Concerning Job's three friends the bible says, “And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great" (Job 2:13).
God's word is the medicine that people need who are hurting. However, it's important that we understand that when people are hurting, they may be hard of hearing. Be patient, be present and pray for wisdom to speak truth in love and for their hearts to be open to receive.
If you are the person who is in a season of disillusionment or despondency, because of physical problems or external circumstances, you need more than ever to hear from God. The external stressors of life, and the toll that it takes on our mental, physical and emotional life, can effect our soul. "Our souls and our bodies live so close together that sometimes they catch each others diseases" (David Jeremiah). There may be times of deep hurt when it's hard to hear the voice of God, to receive words of assurance from his word. We may not feel like reading the bible. It may be hard to focus and concentrate. However we must not go by our feelings. We must turn to God and his word even when we don't feel like. Read it out loud, if you have trouble concentrating. Use a journal and a pen to write out scriptures and thoughts about what God is saying in the text. You must do what you need to do even when you don't feel like it. As I heard Dr. David Jeremiah say, "Don't let the depression get between you and God. Allow it to drive you to Him.
There may be stressors in our lives, like a busy schedule, poor eating habits, unhealthy sleeping patterns and lack of exercise that can effect the body in such a way that leads to anxiety and depression. Our bodies and brains are made up of complex systems that can be depleted, and must be replenished. Remember, "Our souls and our bodies live so close together that sometimes they catch each others diseases." For example, a lack of sleep can effect the minds ability to concentrate. And the Holy Spirit works through our minds to enable us to understand the word of God. Therefore getting spiritually healthy may require for us to make some changes that will improve the health of our physical bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus purchased with His own blood.
Often Christian ask, "Is it sin for a Christian to take antidepressants to treat severe cases of depression and anxiety? I appreciate what John Piper had to say when asked this question:
"God had something to teach Job—who didn't have Prozac—through his pain, and he might have something to teach us too...Therefore, I encourage slowness to use anti-depressants. God may have a way forward for someone before they start altering their mind with physical substances.
However, on the other side, it seems clear to me that the brain is a physical organ with electrical impulses and chemicals, and that mental illness is therefore not merely spiritual. No man could persuade me that all mental derangement is owing to a spiritual cause that has a purely spiritual solution.
One way medicine can be helpful is if it gets people to a point where they have enough stability to read the Bible. Then, through being able to read the Scriptures, people are able to be refreshed in the Lord and, in time, come off of the medicine. In that case medicine is a means to an end, and that seems perfectly natural to me." John Piper.
You may be in a season of hurt that makes it hard to hear from God. During these times, don't neglect the care of your physical body and mind. Eliminate stressors in your life, if you can. Rest. Learn to eat healthy and exercise. But most of all, do not neglect time in prayer and the word of God. In God's time, He will restore your soul.
Monday, August 22, 2016
Forged by Fire
Forged by Fire
Exodus 5:22-23
"Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.” Exodus 5:22-23
On Moses first and subsequent attempts to tell Pharaoh to let God's people go, things didn't go well. Instead of letting the people go, Pharaoh made things much more difficult. And Moses gets blamed for it all. What did Moses do? He turned to the Lord and told Him exactly what was going on. In fact, he blamed God. And he questioned God for ever sending him in the first place. But of course none of this caught God by surprise. All that was taking place would be for the good of the people and the glory of God. Moses, who doubted his calling from the beginning, would become one of the greatest leaders in all of history. And the people of God would leave Egypt with great provisions and having witnessed the power of God.
Just because the things you are doing for God don't seem to be working out, does not mean God is not in it. Like a sword that is forged by fire, which shapes it and sharpens it, so too God forges His finest leaders. Obstacles can be like the tools of a blacksmith that he uses to bring about a desired end.
So if you know God called you, but it's hard right now, don't allow the enemy to make you think God is leaving you hanging out to dry. He's with you each step of the way. Like Moses, turn to God in prayer. Don't be afraid to tell Him your doubts and fears. He knows them already. He can handle it. And He is able, through prayer, through communion with Him, and through time in His word, to encourage and strengthen you.
In a very dark period in Job's life, he said, “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold" (Job 23:8-10). It's been said, "don't doubt in the dark what God has revealed to you in the light." Although that is a very good exhortation that we should apply, the truth is, sometimes we do doubt. But even in our doubts, the Lord is still at work, He still hears our cries, He understands, He sympathizes and He's been there. Jesus prayed, "Father, let this cup pass from me." But in the end, He trusted His Father's good will. What was His will? To save us, through His sacrifice on the cross, from our sin and give us eternal access to the Father. He knows where you are. He hasn't forsaken you.
Great leaders are forged in the fire where they learn to pray, love, sympathize, live and trust like Jesus. You didn't hear wrong. He did send you. He did call you and He will accomplish His good will in and through your life. You will come forth as gold.
Exodus 5:22-23
"Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.” Exodus 5:22-23
On Moses first and subsequent attempts to tell Pharaoh to let God's people go, things didn't go well. Instead of letting the people go, Pharaoh made things much more difficult. And Moses gets blamed for it all. What did Moses do? He turned to the Lord and told Him exactly what was going on. In fact, he blamed God. And he questioned God for ever sending him in the first place. But of course none of this caught God by surprise. All that was taking place would be for the good of the people and the glory of God. Moses, who doubted his calling from the beginning, would become one of the greatest leaders in all of history. And the people of God would leave Egypt with great provisions and having witnessed the power of God.
Just because the things you are doing for God don't seem to be working out, does not mean God is not in it. Like a sword that is forged by fire, which shapes it and sharpens it, so too God forges His finest leaders. Obstacles can be like the tools of a blacksmith that he uses to bring about a desired end.
So if you know God called you, but it's hard right now, don't allow the enemy to make you think God is leaving you hanging out to dry. He's with you each step of the way. Like Moses, turn to God in prayer. Don't be afraid to tell Him your doubts and fears. He knows them already. He can handle it. And He is able, through prayer, through communion with Him, and through time in His word, to encourage and strengthen you.
In a very dark period in Job's life, he said, “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him; on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him; he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold" (Job 23:8-10). It's been said, "don't doubt in the dark what God has revealed to you in the light." Although that is a very good exhortation that we should apply, the truth is, sometimes we do doubt. But even in our doubts, the Lord is still at work, He still hears our cries, He understands, He sympathizes and He's been there. Jesus prayed, "Father, let this cup pass from me." But in the end, He trusted His Father's good will. What was His will? To save us, through His sacrifice on the cross, from our sin and give us eternal access to the Father. He knows where you are. He hasn't forsaken you.
Great leaders are forged in the fire where they learn to pray, love, sympathize, live and trust like Jesus. You didn't hear wrong. He did send you. He did call you and He will accomplish His good will in and through your life. You will come forth as gold.
Friday, August 19, 2016
Strength of Soul
Strength of Soul
Psalm 138:3
“On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased” (Psalms 138:3)
Do you realize that more than God answering your Christmas list of prayer request, what you need above all else is a strength of soul? You see in spite of what the name it and claim preachers teach, God never promised that the Christian life will be free of difficulties of all kinds.
Therefore in order for your life to bear up under the pressures of this life, you must possess an inner strength that keeps you from falling apart--that enables you to persevere in challenging times.
Where does that inner strength come from? It comes from God Himself as we seek Him in prayer and in the word. More specifically, it comes from knowing the person of God, standing on the promises of God, and living for the purposes of God.
It's important that we understand that God strengthens us inwardly, not simply to keep us from being crushed by the pressures of life, but to live for God's purpose.
And if we are truly living for the purposes of God, there's going to be added obstacles and opposition that Satan wants to use to makes us bitter, but that God uses to make us better--to make us stronger inwardly as we rely more upon Him.
The inner strength that God wants to give us through prayer will lead to actions that Hallow the name of God, and those actions, which will be met with challenges, will also lead us back to prayer.
Martin Luther King was a man of incredible strength of soul. Somewhere I read:
"King’s leadership in the fight for racial justice was more than mere human activism; he understood it to be his destiny that history and God himself had thrust upon him. His actions were an out-pouring out of God’s heart through the life of an individual who was willing to step up and step into the powerful flow of God’s purposes. And that action, which was met with severe disagreement and violent opposition, drove him to sink his roots deeper into the ground of his being which was God himself.
King knew that God and God alone gives us the interior resources to bear the burdens and tribulations of life, especially those that come as we fulfill our call to serve others and to stand for what is right in this world. Had he not known how to move from action back into prayer—how to tap into a deeper Source than mere human activism—we would have lost him to fear and discouragement; the forces of this particular evil would have prevailed, at least for a little while longer. In a sermon entitled “Our God is Able”, King tells a very personal story of how an intimate encounter with God sustained him in the darkest hour of his fight for freedom and equality. When he began receiving death threats just before the Montgomery bus protest, he came to the end of his own inner resources and almost gave into fear. But it was an encounter with God at his kitchen table that empowered him to continue saying yes to his calling. “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced him. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice, saying, ‘Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth. God will be at your side forever.’ Almost at once my fears passed from me. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything. The outer situation remained the same, but God had given me inner calm.” [v]
King’s choice to orient himself towards God in the midst of the resistance that his action had stirred up became a pivotal moment in his life as a leader. It solidified his calling, transformed his fear into a deep sense of calm, and gave him the strength to go on. Were it not for his full engagement in the fight for justice and his grounded-ness in the life of prayer, he might never have had the kind of encounter with God that transformed him in the deepest level of his being.
“Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. 6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. 7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.” Psalms 86:4-7
Reverence:
Prayer focus: Praise God for the inner strength that comes from being in communion with Him and living for His purposes.
Father I praise you for the inner strength that comes from knowing your... (grace/love, mercy, presence), which has enabled me...
Father I praise you for the inner strength that comes from knowing that you are with me always, which has enabled me to fulfill my calling as a Pastor.
Response:
Prayer focus: With the Lord's help, identify what is causing distress to your soul, confess it to God and lay it before His throne of grace.
Father, forgive me for making _____________ bigger than you, which brings distress to my soul. I give it to you afresh and with your help I will___________.
Father, forgive me for making my martial struggles bigger than you, which brings weariness to my soul. I give it to you afresh and with your help I will be the wife/husband that you call me to be.
Father, forgive me for making the approval of others more important than your approval in Christ. I give you my life afresh and with your help I will stand firm knowing that you are with me.
Father, forgive me for allowing busyness, laziness, distractions to keep me from being renewed in prayer and in your word. With your help I will make time to meet with you to strengthen my soul in the knowledge of who you are.
Request:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” Ephesians 3:14-16
Prayer focus: We need more than an outward change in our circumstances. We need to be transformed in the deepest level of our being. Seek the Lord to do a deep work in your inner being to be all that God is calling you to be. Be specific.
Father, strengthen me through your Spirit to be more...(patient, kind, compassionate, etc.) in my...
Readiness:
Prayer focus: Seek the Lord for strength of soul to meet a specific challenge ahead of you.
Father, grant me the strength of soul that comes from knowing you when...
Reverence
You are my strength
Strength like no other
Strength like no other
Reaches to me.
In the fullness of you grace
In the power of your name
You lift me up
You lift me up.
William Murphy - You Are My Strength
Psalm 138:3
“On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased” (Psalms 138:3)
Do you realize that more than God answering your Christmas list of prayer request, what you need above all else is a strength of soul? You see in spite of what the name it and claim preachers teach, God never promised that the Christian life will be free of difficulties of all kinds.
Therefore in order for your life to bear up under the pressures of this life, you must possess an inner strength that keeps you from falling apart--that enables you to persevere in challenging times.
Where does that inner strength come from? It comes from God Himself as we seek Him in prayer and in the word. More specifically, it comes from knowing the person of God, standing on the promises of God, and living for the purposes of God.
It's important that we understand that God strengthens us inwardly, not simply to keep us from being crushed by the pressures of life, but to live for God's purpose.
And if we are truly living for the purposes of God, there's going to be added obstacles and opposition that Satan wants to use to makes us bitter, but that God uses to make us better--to make us stronger inwardly as we rely more upon Him.
The inner strength that God wants to give us through prayer will lead to actions that Hallow the name of God, and those actions, which will be met with challenges, will also lead us back to prayer.
Martin Luther King was a man of incredible strength of soul. Somewhere I read:
"King’s leadership in the fight for racial justice was more than mere human activism; he understood it to be his destiny that history and God himself had thrust upon him. His actions were an out-pouring out of God’s heart through the life of an individual who was willing to step up and step into the powerful flow of God’s purposes. And that action, which was met with severe disagreement and violent opposition, drove him to sink his roots deeper into the ground of his being which was God himself.
King knew that God and God alone gives us the interior resources to bear the burdens and tribulations of life, especially those that come as we fulfill our call to serve others and to stand for what is right in this world. Had he not known how to move from action back into prayer—how to tap into a deeper Source than mere human activism—we would have lost him to fear and discouragement; the forces of this particular evil would have prevailed, at least for a little while longer. In a sermon entitled “Our God is Able”, King tells a very personal story of how an intimate encounter with God sustained him in the darkest hour of his fight for freedom and equality. When he began receiving death threats just before the Montgomery bus protest, he came to the end of his own inner resources and almost gave into fear. But it was an encounter with God at his kitchen table that empowered him to continue saying yes to his calling. “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced him. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice, saying, ‘Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth. God will be at your side forever.’ Almost at once my fears passed from me. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything. The outer situation remained the same, but God had given me inner calm.” [v]
King’s choice to orient himself towards God in the midst of the resistance that his action had stirred up became a pivotal moment in his life as a leader. It solidified his calling, transformed his fear into a deep sense of calm, and gave him the strength to go on. Were it not for his full engagement in the fight for justice and his grounded-ness in the life of prayer, he might never have had the kind of encounter with God that transformed him in the deepest level of his being.
“Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. 6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. 7 In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.” Psalms 86:4-7
Reverence:
Prayer focus: Praise God for the inner strength that comes from being in communion with Him and living for His purposes.
Father I praise you for the inner strength that comes from knowing your... (grace/love, mercy, presence), which has enabled me...
Father I praise you for the inner strength that comes from knowing that you are with me always, which has enabled me to fulfill my calling as a Pastor.
Response:
Prayer focus: With the Lord's help, identify what is causing distress to your soul, confess it to God and lay it before His throne of grace.
Father, forgive me for making _____________ bigger than you, which brings distress to my soul. I give it to you afresh and with your help I will___________.
Father, forgive me for making my martial struggles bigger than you, which brings weariness to my soul. I give it to you afresh and with your help I will be the wife/husband that you call me to be.
Father, forgive me for making the approval of others more important than your approval in Christ. I give you my life afresh and with your help I will stand firm knowing that you are with me.
Father, forgive me for allowing busyness, laziness, distractions to keep me from being renewed in prayer and in your word. With your help I will make time to meet with you to strengthen my soul in the knowledge of who you are.
Request:
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,” Ephesians 3:14-16
Prayer focus: We need more than an outward change in our circumstances. We need to be transformed in the deepest level of our being. Seek the Lord to do a deep work in your inner being to be all that God is calling you to be. Be specific.
Father, strengthen me through your Spirit to be more...(patient, kind, compassionate, etc.) in my...
Readiness:
Prayer focus: Seek the Lord for strength of soul to meet a specific challenge ahead of you.
Father, grant me the strength of soul that comes from knowing you when...
Reverence
You are my strength
Strength like no other
Strength like no other
Reaches to me.
In the fullness of you grace
In the power of your name
You lift me up
You lift me up.
William Murphy - You Are My Strength
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Stewards not Stars
Stewards not Stars
1 Cor. 4:1-5
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
The greatness of the Apostle Paul, some of the keys to why he was so mightily used by God, was that he did what he did for God's eyes only, as a steward of Christ, not an owner or star of the show. His focus was on fulling the calling of God, namely to present others mature in Christ for the glory of Christ (Col. 1:28-29).
When I retired early from the Police Department to go into full time ministry, I did so, not only because I believed God led me. I also believed that I could be more effective by having more time to focus on the responsibilities of a Pastor. Being more effective as a Pastor doesn't necessarily mean taking on more responsibility. It means staying focused on biblical priorities, with the ultimate aim of making much of Jesus, and pleasing Him. Paul wrote, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
Although my aim for going into full time ministry was to focus more on biblical priorities, I've allowed myself to feel the pressure of what I perceived to be the expectations of others. Not that people were making demands of me. I serve an exceptionally supportive and understanding church. It was more my perceived expectations. In other words, I thought, "I should be able to do more, because I have more time." But these are not the thoughts that I should be preoccupied with. My focus should be on doing what God wants me to do in dependence upon His grace, and trusting Him for the outcome.
Looking for a specific quote today on effective ministry, I came across these words from John MacArthur, which really hit home. "Early in my first year or so at Grace Community Church, I had this little kind of motto that I used: “If you concentrate on the depth of your ministry, God will take care of the breadth of it.” My ministry hasn’t changed since that first year in that small, little church. For me, it’s all about getting into the depth of Scripture and my own personal walk with the Lord. Breadth is something that God does, and I think you’ve got to come to that, or you’re going to frustrate yourself when you compare yourself with all kinds of other people and other situations."
Being preoccupied with the breadth of ministry, rather than focusing on the depth, which starts in my own heart with God, led to, among other thing, neglecting to take the adequate time needed to rest and recover from serious health issues. Although God showed me the sufficiency of His grace during the time, there was a part of me that felt the pressure to get back to work. I thought, "The ministry needs you. Suck it up." Of course there are times when we need to suck it up, but there's a time for rest and recovery too. But that rest and recovery will only happen in my life when I remember that the ministry doesn't depend on me. As JM said, "If you concentrate on the depth of your ministry, God will take care of the breadth of it."
However, when I retired from the Police Department, it wasn't to rest more, but to focus more on the work of ministry. I had plans to take the church to the next level, but God had plans to take me to the next level. To get me there I need to, among other things, learn to rest in the Lord. I needed to be reminded, that I'm only a steward of the work of the church. I'm not the star of the show, working to please a crowd. I'm a servant of Christ, seeking to make much of Him. And if Christ be lifted up, He will be the draw, not me.
I'm on a sabbatical now seeking to be restored physically and spiritually. This extra time off has not only given me time to rest, it has brought to light some deep issues of the heart that need to be dealt with. I believe my good good father has slowed me down so I can learn some valuable lessons. He wants to make me a more effective Pastor in the long run. He's teaching me how much more I need to keep my eyes on Jesus and who I am in Him.
In a book I've been reading during my sabbatical that has been a great help to me, Lance Will writes, “A reporter once asked an insightful question when interviewing a woman from the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra: “How does it feel to get a standing ovation from the crowd at the end of your performance and then wake up in the morning to a negative review in the newspaper?” Her response was even more insightful. She said over time she has learned not to pay attention to the applause of the crowd or the disapproval of the critics. She was only after the approval of her conductor. After all, he was the only person who really knew how she was supposed to perform...God reminded me that my significance has nothing to do with the name of the church on my business card. God also drilled into my spirit that he’s the conductor of the symphony; my job was to play my part and look only for his approval. At the end of the day, he will evaluate my life not on the world’s definition of success but on his definition of faithfulness.” Witt, Lance. “Replenish.” Baker Publishing Group. iBooks.
God help me to remember that I'm just a steward in His Kingdom work. And if I focus on the depth, He will take care of the breadth. Father, do a deep work of restoring my soul for the greater fame of Jesus.
1 Cor. 4:1-5
“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
The greatness of the Apostle Paul, some of the keys to why he was so mightily used by God, was that he did what he did for God's eyes only, as a steward of Christ, not an owner or star of the show. His focus was on fulling the calling of God, namely to present others mature in Christ for the glory of Christ (Col. 1:28-29).
When I retired early from the Police Department to go into full time ministry, I did so, not only because I believed God led me. I also believed that I could be more effective by having more time to focus on the responsibilities of a Pastor. Being more effective as a Pastor doesn't necessarily mean taking on more responsibility. It means staying focused on biblical priorities, with the ultimate aim of making much of Jesus, and pleasing Him. Paul wrote, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).
Although my aim for going into full time ministry was to focus more on biblical priorities, I've allowed myself to feel the pressure of what I perceived to be the expectations of others. Not that people were making demands of me. I serve an exceptionally supportive and understanding church. It was more my perceived expectations. In other words, I thought, "I should be able to do more, because I have more time." But these are not the thoughts that I should be preoccupied with. My focus should be on doing what God wants me to do in dependence upon His grace, and trusting Him for the outcome.
Looking for a specific quote today on effective ministry, I came across these words from John MacArthur, which really hit home. "Early in my first year or so at Grace Community Church, I had this little kind of motto that I used: “If you concentrate on the depth of your ministry, God will take care of the breadth of it.” My ministry hasn’t changed since that first year in that small, little church. For me, it’s all about getting into the depth of Scripture and my own personal walk with the Lord. Breadth is something that God does, and I think you’ve got to come to that, or you’re going to frustrate yourself when you compare yourself with all kinds of other people and other situations."
Being preoccupied with the breadth of ministry, rather than focusing on the depth, which starts in my own heart with God, led to, among other thing, neglecting to take the adequate time needed to rest and recover from serious health issues. Although God showed me the sufficiency of His grace during the time, there was a part of me that felt the pressure to get back to work. I thought, "The ministry needs you. Suck it up." Of course there are times when we need to suck it up, but there's a time for rest and recovery too. But that rest and recovery will only happen in my life when I remember that the ministry doesn't depend on me. As JM said, "If you concentrate on the depth of your ministry, God will take care of the breadth of it."
However, when I retired from the Police Department, it wasn't to rest more, but to focus more on the work of ministry. I had plans to take the church to the next level, but God had plans to take me to the next level. To get me there I need to, among other things, learn to rest in the Lord. I needed to be reminded, that I'm only a steward of the work of the church. I'm not the star of the show, working to please a crowd. I'm a servant of Christ, seeking to make much of Him. And if Christ be lifted up, He will be the draw, not me.
I'm on a sabbatical now seeking to be restored physically and spiritually. This extra time off has not only given me time to rest, it has brought to light some deep issues of the heart that need to be dealt with. I believe my good good father has slowed me down so I can learn some valuable lessons. He wants to make me a more effective Pastor in the long run. He's teaching me how much more I need to keep my eyes on Jesus and who I am in Him.
In a book I've been reading during my sabbatical that has been a great help to me, Lance Will writes, “A reporter once asked an insightful question when interviewing a woman from the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra: “How does it feel to get a standing ovation from the crowd at the end of your performance and then wake up in the morning to a negative review in the newspaper?” Her response was even more insightful. She said over time she has learned not to pay attention to the applause of the crowd or the disapproval of the critics. She was only after the approval of her conductor. After all, he was the only person who really knew how she was supposed to perform...God reminded me that my significance has nothing to do with the name of the church on my business card. God also drilled into my spirit that he’s the conductor of the symphony; my job was to play my part and look only for his approval. At the end of the day, he will evaluate my life not on the world’s definition of success but on his definition of faithfulness.” Witt, Lance. “Replenish.” Baker Publishing Group. iBooks.
God help me to remember that I'm just a steward in His Kingdom work. And if I focus on the depth, He will take care of the breadth. Father, do a deep work of restoring my soul for the greater fame of Jesus.
Fresh Wineskins
Fresh wineskins
Luke 5:37-39
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’””
Luke 5:37-39
What was the point that Jesus was making when He said, "no one puts new wine into old wine skins?" This parable was given by Jesus in response to why His disciples did not fast like others did. Fasting is about renewal. But to the Pharisees, who were asking the question, fasting was a ritual. They didn't fast because they were hungering to know Jesus more. Often they fasted because they wanted others to know how spiritual they were. They fasted for the praise of men. Therefore the old wineskins represent the old and wrong mindset of the Pharisees.
The truths of Christ and the newness of life that He came to bring did not take with the religious crowd. It didn't take because they didn't really see their need for change and regeneration. The old wineskins of their self-righteous and hypocritical ways did not have the capacity for the new wine of the personand work of Jesus. If they had the right mind set, they wouldn't have been thinking about fasting, but about celebrating that the messiah, the bridegroom had come to save sinners.
Now once again the old wine skins represented the wrong mindset that could not retain the knowledge of God revealed through Jesus Christ. However, I would like to suggest that to know the blessing of Jesus we need a sound mind, which is most important, but also a sound body.
The capacity that His disciples had to receive revelations from God through Jesus was maximized because His disciples were of sound mind and body. While Jesus was present with them, He wanted them to be fully alert, awake and attentive to His teaching and modeling. Jesus was not against fasting. There would come a time when He would no longer be with them and they would fast and pray to the Father, in the Spirit. Fasting is a time when one abstains from fleshly appetites, like food, to seek God for a greater spiritual need. At times, one may not care to eat when gripped by the needs of the soul.
So Jesus wasn't against fasting. But at the same time He taught that there was a time not to fast. This is still true today. There's a time to fast and a time not to fast. When we sense the joy of our relationship with the bride groom waning and the desires of our flesh for the things of this life increasing, it's time to fast.
However, it can also be true that an unhealthy diet, (or others forms of physical neglect), which can lead to an unsound mind and body, can effect our spiritual lives. Although the Holy Spirit gives us understanding of the word of God, He works through our bodies, which is His temple.
There are things beyond our control that can contribute to poor physical health. And although God's grace helps us during these seasons of life, He has provided common means that we must avail ourselves of to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit.
We are not to make our bodies into an idol. But neglecting our physical bodies can limit our capacity (like old wineskins) to receive spiritual things and apply them to our lives. There's a time to make sacrifices in the work of ministry, but there's a time to rest and replenish so we can be fit for ministry. Sometimes this means a better diet and exercise. And it can also mean that we need to be selective about what ministries we should be engaging in. God didn't call us to do it all.
“Your ministry will take all you give it. Your church will take all you are willing to give it. Ministry demands will always exceed your capacity. I’m reminded of a great line from Jurassic Park. Jeff Goldblum, talking about the creation of these dinosaurs, says, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It’s a mistake to chase after every opportunity" (Excerpt From: Witt, Lance. “Replenish.”)
In recent months, I have felt like an old wineskin with holes in it. The practice of spiritual disciplines, like prayer and bible reading, have become more of a duty than a delight. I've had difficulties studying for sermons and delivery those sermons have also been much more challenging. I thought the answer was to push through, which was a wrong mind set. However, the more I tried, the harder it became. In addition, my other ministry responsibilities seemed to add more pressure and stress. When engaged in one ministry, like counseling, I was thinking about another, like the sermon that still needed to be finished. And I was wondering how I would do so when I felt totally spent physically, emotionally and mentally.
I've come to discover that the problem was not with the wine, but with the wineskin. In the past year, my body has been beat up by cancer, surgeries, bowel obstructions and chemo. There have been other family pressures at home, not to mention the care I have for the church. My people pleasing ways (wrong mindset) kept telling me to just try harder, when what I needed was to fully rest and recover physically, emotionally and mentally. Trying to force new wine into a beat up and dried up wine skin was not helping me, but hurting me. In addition, I was not where I needed to be to minister to those God has called me to serve. I was a leaky vessel that was not serving from the overflow of God's provisions for my life.
When I finally came to terms with where I was, I shared this with the elders of the church. I'm now on a sabbatical seeking to be refreshed and replenished in the Lord. I'm trusting that my good good Father will restore me. Thank God for the gift of a sound mind that can receive spiritual truths. Let's avail ourselves of this gift and seek to be renewed in prayer and in the word day by day. And may God help us to be good stewards of the temple of the Holy Spirit (our bodies), which Jesus purchased with His blood. Old wineskins will burst. New wineskins overflow with the goodness of the Lord.
Luke 5:37-39
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’””
Luke 5:37-39
What was the point that Jesus was making when He said, "no one puts new wine into old wine skins?" This parable was given by Jesus in response to why His disciples did not fast like others did. Fasting is about renewal. But to the Pharisees, who were asking the question, fasting was a ritual. They didn't fast because they were hungering to know Jesus more. Often they fasted because they wanted others to know how spiritual they were. They fasted for the praise of men. Therefore the old wineskins represent the old and wrong mindset of the Pharisees.
The truths of Christ and the newness of life that He came to bring did not take with the religious crowd. It didn't take because they didn't really see their need for change and regeneration. The old wineskins of their self-righteous and hypocritical ways did not have the capacity for the new wine of the personand work of Jesus. If they had the right mind set, they wouldn't have been thinking about fasting, but about celebrating that the messiah, the bridegroom had come to save sinners.
Now once again the old wine skins represented the wrong mindset that could not retain the knowledge of God revealed through Jesus Christ. However, I would like to suggest that to know the blessing of Jesus we need a sound mind, which is most important, but also a sound body.
The capacity that His disciples had to receive revelations from God through Jesus was maximized because His disciples were of sound mind and body. While Jesus was present with them, He wanted them to be fully alert, awake and attentive to His teaching and modeling. Jesus was not against fasting. There would come a time when He would no longer be with them and they would fast and pray to the Father, in the Spirit. Fasting is a time when one abstains from fleshly appetites, like food, to seek God for a greater spiritual need. At times, one may not care to eat when gripped by the needs of the soul.
So Jesus wasn't against fasting. But at the same time He taught that there was a time not to fast. This is still true today. There's a time to fast and a time not to fast. When we sense the joy of our relationship with the bride groom waning and the desires of our flesh for the things of this life increasing, it's time to fast.
However, it can also be true that an unhealthy diet, (or others forms of physical neglect), which can lead to an unsound mind and body, can effect our spiritual lives. Although the Holy Spirit gives us understanding of the word of God, He works through our bodies, which is His temple.
There are things beyond our control that can contribute to poor physical health. And although God's grace helps us during these seasons of life, He has provided common means that we must avail ourselves of to take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit.
We are not to make our bodies into an idol. But neglecting our physical bodies can limit our capacity (like old wineskins) to receive spiritual things and apply them to our lives. There's a time to make sacrifices in the work of ministry, but there's a time to rest and replenish so we can be fit for ministry. Sometimes this means a better diet and exercise. And it can also mean that we need to be selective about what ministries we should be engaging in. God didn't call us to do it all.
“Your ministry will take all you give it. Your church will take all you are willing to give it. Ministry demands will always exceed your capacity. I’m reminded of a great line from Jurassic Park. Jeff Goldblum, talking about the creation of these dinosaurs, says, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It’s a mistake to chase after every opportunity" (Excerpt From: Witt, Lance. “Replenish.”)
In recent months, I have felt like an old wineskin with holes in it. The practice of spiritual disciplines, like prayer and bible reading, have become more of a duty than a delight. I've had difficulties studying for sermons and delivery those sermons have also been much more challenging. I thought the answer was to push through, which was a wrong mind set. However, the more I tried, the harder it became. In addition, my other ministry responsibilities seemed to add more pressure and stress. When engaged in one ministry, like counseling, I was thinking about another, like the sermon that still needed to be finished. And I was wondering how I would do so when I felt totally spent physically, emotionally and mentally.
I've come to discover that the problem was not with the wine, but with the wineskin. In the past year, my body has been beat up by cancer, surgeries, bowel obstructions and chemo. There have been other family pressures at home, not to mention the care I have for the church. My people pleasing ways (wrong mindset) kept telling me to just try harder, when what I needed was to fully rest and recover physically, emotionally and mentally. Trying to force new wine into a beat up and dried up wine skin was not helping me, but hurting me. In addition, I was not where I needed to be to minister to those God has called me to serve. I was a leaky vessel that was not serving from the overflow of God's provisions for my life.
When I finally came to terms with where I was, I shared this with the elders of the church. I'm now on a sabbatical seeking to be refreshed and replenished in the Lord. I'm trusting that my good good Father will restore me. Thank God for the gift of a sound mind that can receive spiritual truths. Let's avail ourselves of this gift and seek to be renewed in prayer and in the word day by day. And may God help us to be good stewards of the temple of the Holy Spirit (our bodies), which Jesus purchased with His blood. Old wineskins will burst. New wineskins overflow with the goodness of the Lord.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Working Hard or Hardly Working?
“Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.”
Romans 16:6
There's a common question that I've heard asked when someone is conversing with another person that perhaps they haven't seen in a while. The questions is, “Working hard or hardly working?" I've spoken those words, and now that I think about it, I'm not sure why? I think that at times we are just trying to make conversation. It also depends on the context. If your boss is asking that question, while you're at work, he may not be trying to make conversation. And there may only be one good answer, "Working hard, boss."
When I've been asked the question, Working hard or hardly working, it feels awkward to me. I think, "Is there something I'm not doing that I should be?" Responding, "hardly working", would not feel right to me. I want to make good use of my time by staying busy, and not doing so, is ungodly to me.
Hard work, on the other hand, is a virtue in my mind and in the minds of many. In both the business world and in church culture, hard work is commended. A busy Pastor is a good Pastor. You never hear a Pastor being commended for getting adequate rest. He's commended for going over and above. He's commended for making sacrifices. In Romans 16:6 the Apostles Paul commended other believers for their hard work. I want to have that reputation. I don't want to be known as being lazy. But I'm also aware of the dangers of burnout. I'm aware of this, not only because I know of others that have grown weary, but because I've have recently found myself feeling worn out.
So when I read Romans 16:6, I thought, how do I work hard without burning out? The answer is found a few verses after, in Romans 16:12. Paul writes, “Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord" (Romans 16:12). Twice in verse 12 Paul used the phrase "in the Lord" to refer to those who he commended for working for the cause of Christ. What does it mean to work "in the Lord?" To work in the Lord is to work for him, not for the approval of men, and in reliance upon His power (Col. 1:28-29; 2 Tim. 2:15). I'm to work hard at doing everything that He wants me to do in His power and leave the results to Him (Col. 3:23-24).
There's a difference between just working hard and working hard in the Lord. Simply working hard, because that's what you feel you must do, can lead to feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of life and the expectations of others. But working hard in the Lord will lead to being an overcomer, which is a believer who strives in the strength that God's supplies and for His glory.
In addition, a believer who wants to continue to work hard in the Lord, must rest well in the Lord. Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Recently, I read the following words from a Pastor, who found himself in a season of burn out: “No matter what our job or life phase, it’s hard to avoid being busy in our society. Wei all have things that keep us sprinting from one thing to the next. I once heard someone say, “If I were the devil, I would invent a device you could hold in your hands that would ensure you’d always have your schedule in front of you and give people access to you anytime they wanted.” Ouch!
Once this Pastor told a friend, who was advising him to slow down, "The devil never takes a day off! His friend replied, “I’m not sure the devil is supposed to be your example!” He went on to write, "During those busy years, I hated to hear the word rest. I didn’t even want to talk about it, although I had trouble avoiding the topic when I studied Scripture—specifically the Ten Commandments. It was hard to get past the fact that the one commandment God spent the most time explaining was the one on rest. Finally my counselor told me, “The Bible calls those who will not work lazy, but it calls those who will not rest disobedient.”
In both secular and church culture, where leaders are praised for their hard work, that statement hit me right between the eyes. No one has to tell me to work hard. It's a value that I learned from my Father, not from the First Lady's speech at the DNC. But it's very easy for me to neglect to rest and justify it and even feel good about it.
There are times when Pastors will have weeks were the unexpected happens and to make up for lost time, we stay up later and get up earlier. God gives grace for these times. But he also gives us wisdom to delegate. As I heard Pastor Lucas say recently, "Church ministry is not suppose to be a one man show." And as I heard my friend Daniel Henderson say, "No is a Christian word."
Therefore working hard in the Lord requires that we delegate, and say no to some good things, so we can priorities the best things, including rest. We can only do somethings well. If we do too many things, we won't do anything well. And to be our best, we must also get our rest. It's not an option. It's a biblical priority modeled by our creator from the beginning.
Physical rest and spiritual renewal are vital to the health and effectiveness of a Pastor. When we fail to do so, it may be that we are finding are identity in our work and not in the Lord. On the cross, where Jesus gave His life for our sin, He cried, "It is finished." Jesus is our rest and our redeemer. May we learn what it means to work hard in the Lord!
Romans 16:6
There's a common question that I've heard asked when someone is conversing with another person that perhaps they haven't seen in a while. The questions is, “Working hard or hardly working?" I've spoken those words, and now that I think about it, I'm not sure why? I think that at times we are just trying to make conversation. It also depends on the context. If your boss is asking that question, while you're at work, he may not be trying to make conversation. And there may only be one good answer, "Working hard, boss."
When I've been asked the question, Working hard or hardly working, it feels awkward to me. I think, "Is there something I'm not doing that I should be?" Responding, "hardly working", would not feel right to me. I want to make good use of my time by staying busy, and not doing so, is ungodly to me.
Hard work, on the other hand, is a virtue in my mind and in the minds of many. In both the business world and in church culture, hard work is commended. A busy Pastor is a good Pastor. You never hear a Pastor being commended for getting adequate rest. He's commended for going over and above. He's commended for making sacrifices. In Romans 16:6 the Apostles Paul commended other believers for their hard work. I want to have that reputation. I don't want to be known as being lazy. But I'm also aware of the dangers of burnout. I'm aware of this, not only because I know of others that have grown weary, but because I've have recently found myself feeling worn out.
So when I read Romans 16:6, I thought, how do I work hard without burning out? The answer is found a few verses after, in Romans 16:12. Paul writes, “Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord" (Romans 16:12). Twice in verse 12 Paul used the phrase "in the Lord" to refer to those who he commended for working for the cause of Christ. What does it mean to work "in the Lord?" To work in the Lord is to work for him, not for the approval of men, and in reliance upon His power (Col. 1:28-29; 2 Tim. 2:15). I'm to work hard at doing everything that He wants me to do in His power and leave the results to Him (Col. 3:23-24).
There's a difference between just working hard and working hard in the Lord. Simply working hard, because that's what you feel you must do, can lead to feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of life and the expectations of others. But working hard in the Lord will lead to being an overcomer, which is a believer who strives in the strength that God's supplies and for His glory.
In addition, a believer who wants to continue to work hard in the Lord, must rest well in the Lord. Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Recently, I read the following words from a Pastor, who found himself in a season of burn out: “No matter what our job or life phase, it’s hard to avoid being busy in our society. Wei all have things that keep us sprinting from one thing to the next. I once heard someone say, “If I were the devil, I would invent a device you could hold in your hands that would ensure you’d always have your schedule in front of you and give people access to you anytime they wanted.” Ouch!
Once this Pastor told a friend, who was advising him to slow down, "The devil never takes a day off! His friend replied, “I’m not sure the devil is supposed to be your example!” He went on to write, "During those busy years, I hated to hear the word rest. I didn’t even want to talk about it, although I had trouble avoiding the topic when I studied Scripture—specifically the Ten Commandments. It was hard to get past the fact that the one commandment God spent the most time explaining was the one on rest. Finally my counselor told me, “The Bible calls those who will not work lazy, but it calls those who will not rest disobedient.”
In both secular and church culture, where leaders are praised for their hard work, that statement hit me right between the eyes. No one has to tell me to work hard. It's a value that I learned from my Father, not from the First Lady's speech at the DNC. But it's very easy for me to neglect to rest and justify it and even feel good about it.
There are times when Pastors will have weeks were the unexpected happens and to make up for lost time, we stay up later and get up earlier. God gives grace for these times. But he also gives us wisdom to delegate. As I heard Pastor Lucas say recently, "Church ministry is not suppose to be a one man show." And as I heard my friend Daniel Henderson say, "No is a Christian word."
Therefore working hard in the Lord requires that we delegate, and say no to some good things, so we can priorities the best things, including rest. We can only do somethings well. If we do too many things, we won't do anything well. And to be our best, we must also get our rest. It's not an option. It's a biblical priority modeled by our creator from the beginning.
Physical rest and spiritual renewal are vital to the health and effectiveness of a Pastor. When we fail to do so, it may be that we are finding are identity in our work and not in the Lord. On the cross, where Jesus gave His life for our sin, He cried, "It is finished." Jesus is our rest and our redeemer. May we learn what it means to work hard in the Lord!
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Overwhelmed or Overcoming
"Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.” Genesis 46:3-4
Jacob was about to move with his whole family to Egypt, which was unfamiliar territory. But it appears that he became worried and reluctant to make the move. Why would he be worried when all appeared to be working to their advantage. Jacob's son, by God's providence was second in charge of all of Egypt. As humans, we don't always like change. The familiar, in view of coming change, seems safe and secure. When we have to move to unfamiliar territory, we feel less secure because we feel less in control. In familiar territory, we can almost predict was going to happen, but in unfamiliar territory things are less predictable, hence we feel less in control. And when we feel like we are losing control we can feel overwhelmed with a variety of emotions, like worry, stress and despondency.
To avoid being overwhelmed, and move to being an overcomer, we must stay focused on the one who is always in control of all things, namely our Heavenly Father. And this is not just a one time deal where we tell ourselves, "God is in control" and move on. It is a daily "refocusing" on the attributes and character of God, like He is sovereign, and He is good. On more than one occasion, Jacob, along with the other Patriarchs and leaders of Israel, had to be encouraged by God to not be afraid, and reminded that He was with them.
Being an overcomer also requires daily "relinquishing" control of our lives and circumstances to God and "relying" on Him to accomplish His purposes through us. This doesn't mean we sit back and do nothing, but that although we should give our best to the Lord, we do so in dependence upon His grace and for His glory.
Before Jacob made the move into the unfamiliar, the Lord reminded Him, "I myself will go down with you to Egypt and I will also bring you up again." If you want to be an overcomer and not be overwhelmed by the changes of life, you must remember who is in control, namely Jesus. And like Joseph, who went down into Egypt ahead of His family to make a way for them, Jesus came down from heaven to make an eternal way for us. And He promises that He Himself with be with us through all of life's changes and challenges. We are secure in Him, we are overcomers through faith in Him.
Jacob was about to move with his whole family to Egypt, which was unfamiliar territory. But it appears that he became worried and reluctant to make the move. Why would he be worried when all appeared to be working to their advantage. Jacob's son, by God's providence was second in charge of all of Egypt. As humans, we don't always like change. The familiar, in view of coming change, seems safe and secure. When we have to move to unfamiliar territory, we feel less secure because we feel less in control. In familiar territory, we can almost predict was going to happen, but in unfamiliar territory things are less predictable, hence we feel less in control. And when we feel like we are losing control we can feel overwhelmed with a variety of emotions, like worry, stress and despondency.
To avoid being overwhelmed, and move to being an overcomer, we must stay focused on the one who is always in control of all things, namely our Heavenly Father. And this is not just a one time deal where we tell ourselves, "God is in control" and move on. It is a daily "refocusing" on the attributes and character of God, like He is sovereign, and He is good. On more than one occasion, Jacob, along with the other Patriarchs and leaders of Israel, had to be encouraged by God to not be afraid, and reminded that He was with them.
Being an overcomer also requires daily "relinquishing" control of our lives and circumstances to God and "relying" on Him to accomplish His purposes through us. This doesn't mean we sit back and do nothing, but that although we should give our best to the Lord, we do so in dependence upon His grace and for His glory.
Before Jacob made the move into the unfamiliar, the Lord reminded Him, "I myself will go down with you to Egypt and I will also bring you up again." If you want to be an overcomer and not be overwhelmed by the changes of life, you must remember who is in control, namely Jesus. And like Joseph, who went down into Egypt ahead of His family to make a way for them, Jesus came down from heaven to make an eternal way for us. And He promises that He Himself with be with us through all of life's changes and challenges. We are secure in Him, we are overcomers through faith in Him.
Sunday, August 7, 2016
When Jesus was greatly distressed and troubled
Jesus, greatly distressed and troubled
“And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:33-36
In a fallen world, there will be times when we may experience deep distress or physical, mental and emotional anguish. Some of the distress that we may experience may be avoidable. We must seek the wisdom of God so as not to place undue burdens upon our lives that God did not design for us. Moses was guilty of doing just that. And when his Father-in-law saw what he was doing by trying to lead a nation by himself, he said, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace." Exodus 18
What was Jethro's advice to Moses? Was it, "Suck it up Moses. This is the cross you must bear?" No! As Loren Pinilis puts it, "Jethro’s wise counsel was to delegate: to train up leaders who could take a portion of Moses’s authority and participate with him in caring for the nation. Moses could lead instead of holding everyone back. He could handle his workload. The people wouldn’t be frustrated. Leaders would be trained for greater things. And Justice would be administered."
The advice that Jethro gave to Moses was not just an Old Testament concept. We see it also in Acts 6 when the Apostles appointed others to take care of the needs of the widows so that they could give themselves to the priority of prayer and the word.
So there are times when the distress in our lives can be due to taking on more than we should and not allowing others to bear the burdens with us and for us . But there will be times when trouble will come that will cause deep distress that will be beyond our control. We will not be able to avoid it. Instead, we must seek God in prayer, not to deliver us from it, but, if it be His will, to give us the grace to go through. He promises that His grace will be enough. And it's during these times when God truly becomes our all and all. As someone said, "You'll never know that God is all you need, until He is all you have."
When facing the cross, Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem. And on the day He would be arrested, He began to be greatly distressed and troubled. What did Jesus do? He not only prayed, if it were possible to let the cup pass from Him, He surrendered His will to the Father, which required that He willingly endure the cross for my sin and your sin.
"We must never underestimate the emotional and spiritual challenges that Jesus faced as his rejection, desertion, and crucifixion approached. The battle for our souls takes place at Gethsemane as much as it does at the Cross. Here, Jesus will not just battle those who hate him and those who will crucify him; he also has to battle his own humanity and will. In Gethsemane, the path that Jesus will follow—the path to the humiliation of the Cross—is determined by the only one who can accept it. Jesus offers himself to the Father and to us knowing the dire consequences." (Heartlight)
There will be times when we must seek God's wisdom so as to not put unnecessary burdens upon our lives. But there will be other times when we will face challenges that, if we turn to God, and trust His great love, He will give us the grace to endure. We will also come to cross roads in our lives, when we can choose to take the easy road, or choose to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to do our Father's will. In view of the cross of Jesus and his great love for us, may we choose in love to take up our cross and follow Him to the glory of His name. His grace will see us through.
“And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:33-36
In a fallen world, there will be times when we may experience deep distress or physical, mental and emotional anguish. Some of the distress that we may experience may be avoidable. We must seek the wisdom of God so as not to place undue burdens upon our lives that God did not design for us. Moses was guilty of doing just that. And when his Father-in-law saw what he was doing by trying to lead a nation by himself, he said, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace." Exodus 18
What was Jethro's advice to Moses? Was it, "Suck it up Moses. This is the cross you must bear?" No! As Loren Pinilis puts it, "Jethro’s wise counsel was to delegate: to train up leaders who could take a portion of Moses’s authority and participate with him in caring for the nation. Moses could lead instead of holding everyone back. He could handle his workload. The people wouldn’t be frustrated. Leaders would be trained for greater things. And Justice would be administered."
The advice that Jethro gave to Moses was not just an Old Testament concept. We see it also in Acts 6 when the Apostles appointed others to take care of the needs of the widows so that they could give themselves to the priority of prayer and the word.
So there are times when the distress in our lives can be due to taking on more than we should and not allowing others to bear the burdens with us and for us . But there will be times when trouble will come that will cause deep distress that will be beyond our control. We will not be able to avoid it. Instead, we must seek God in prayer, not to deliver us from it, but, if it be His will, to give us the grace to go through. He promises that His grace will be enough. And it's during these times when God truly becomes our all and all. As someone said, "You'll never know that God is all you need, until He is all you have."
When facing the cross, Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem. And on the day He would be arrested, He began to be greatly distressed and troubled. What did Jesus do? He not only prayed, if it were possible to let the cup pass from Him, He surrendered His will to the Father, which required that He willingly endure the cross for my sin and your sin.
"We must never underestimate the emotional and spiritual challenges that Jesus faced as his rejection, desertion, and crucifixion approached. The battle for our souls takes place at Gethsemane as much as it does at the Cross. Here, Jesus will not just battle those who hate him and those who will crucify him; he also has to battle his own humanity and will. In Gethsemane, the path that Jesus will follow—the path to the humiliation of the Cross—is determined by the only one who can accept it. Jesus offers himself to the Father and to us knowing the dire consequences." (Heartlight)
There will be times when we must seek God's wisdom so as to not put unnecessary burdens upon our lives. But there will be other times when we will face challenges that, if we turn to God, and trust His great love, He will give us the grace to endure. We will also come to cross roads in our lives, when we can choose to take the easy road, or choose to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to do our Father's will. In view of the cross of Jesus and his great love for us, may we choose in love to take up our cross and follow Him to the glory of His name. His grace will see us through.
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Put on the armor of light
“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
Romans 13:11-14
Why does Paul exhort believers to wake from sleep? Because each day that passes puts us one step closer to seeing Jesus face to face. And knowing this should encourage us to live everyday as if it could be our last day to make a difference for Christ in this dark world. But if we are not careful, we can become spiritually lethargic by the corruption of this world. If we do not stay awake to the things of God, the darkness of this world will dampen our spiritual senses. Worse yet, we will become partakers of the darkness of this world that is filled with things like sensuality, drunkenness, and sexual immorality.
How do we keep ourselves from being corrupted by the darkness of this world? My wife sometimes wears patches on her eyes so she can sleep better, especially when she wants to sleep in. The patches keep the light out that prevents her from staying asleep. The patches keep her in the dark, they keep her from seeing the stimulating light.
If we want to stay awake spiritually, we must cast off the patches and works of darkness. In addition, we must put on the armor of light. What protects believers from the corrupting influences of the world is the light of Christ shinning on our lives. In fact, the light of the glory of Christ will not only keep us from becoming sleepy Christians with dulled spiritual senses, but will enable us to be an influence for Christ in the midst of darkness (2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Cor. 4:3-6).
As I write this, I'm on vacation in Mexico. I just left our room to have breakfast without my wife who wanted to sleep in. When I get back to the room I'm going to wake sleepy head up, as I did yesterday morning, by opening up the curtains of the glass doors that lead to the balcony. I'm going to flood the room with sunlight. When I did so yesterday morning, she responded, "Really Mark." It worked.
Similarly, if we are going to stay awake to the things of God, we must avoid the corrupting influences of this world. And most of all, we must flood our hearts and minds with the light of the glory of Christ revealed in His word. Let us put on the armor of light.
Romans 13:11-14
Why does Paul exhort believers to wake from sleep? Because each day that passes puts us one step closer to seeing Jesus face to face. And knowing this should encourage us to live everyday as if it could be our last day to make a difference for Christ in this dark world. But if we are not careful, we can become spiritually lethargic by the corruption of this world. If we do not stay awake to the things of God, the darkness of this world will dampen our spiritual senses. Worse yet, we will become partakers of the darkness of this world that is filled with things like sensuality, drunkenness, and sexual immorality.
How do we keep ourselves from being corrupted by the darkness of this world? My wife sometimes wears patches on her eyes so she can sleep better, especially when she wants to sleep in. The patches keep the light out that prevents her from staying asleep. The patches keep her in the dark, they keep her from seeing the stimulating light.
If we want to stay awake spiritually, we must cast off the patches and works of darkness. In addition, we must put on the armor of light. What protects believers from the corrupting influences of the world is the light of Christ shinning on our lives. In fact, the light of the glory of Christ will not only keep us from becoming sleepy Christians with dulled spiritual senses, but will enable us to be an influence for Christ in the midst of darkness (2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Cor. 4:3-6).
As I write this, I'm on vacation in Mexico. I just left our room to have breakfast without my wife who wanted to sleep in. When I get back to the room I'm going to wake sleepy head up, as I did yesterday morning, by opening up the curtains of the glass doors that lead to the balcony. I'm going to flood the room with sunlight. When I did so yesterday morning, she responded, "Really Mark." It worked.
Similarly, if we are going to stay awake to the things of God, we must avoid the corrupting influences of this world. And most of all, we must flood our hearts and minds with the light of the glory of Christ revealed in His word. Let us put on the armor of light.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Zombie Fears
Kinemortophobia
(Zombie Fears)
“For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13
This morning I woke up with anxious thoughts about random things. As I sought to set my mind on the Lord, I got this message from a teen: "Pastor Marco I am so sorry to bother you this early but please I really need help please. One of my biggest fears is zombies. Please, help me. I couldn't sleep and I'm shaking with fear because I saw a movie last night. Can you give me a scripture to read? Or a prayer to pray? Please. I'm sorry again."
My first thought when reading her message was that her fear was irrational. And as I thought about a scripture to send her to help calm her fears, I came across Isaiah 41:13, which reads, “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (Isaiah 41:13). As I prepared to send the young teen this verse, the thought came to me that, if the Lord my God is holding my right hand, if he is the one who is helping me, and He is, then anything that I fear or may feel anxious about, is irrational. I have no reason to be anxious anymore than a person has a reason to fear a Zombie that doesn't exist. God is holding my hand, (if I'm walking with Him), and any problem in front of me, real or imagined, is nothing to Him.
Sometimes we differentiate between little problems and big problems. I've heard it said that some people for some reason don't feel comfortable praying about little problems. They only bring their big problems to God. But the truth is that it's all little to God. This was the perspective that David had when he defeated Goliath. While every one else feared, because they saw how much bigger Goliath was than they were; David was filled with faith, because he saw how much bigger God was than Goliath. And like a zombie killer, he cut Goliath's head off. David was victorious for he went into that battle knowing that God was holding his hand.
They say that the way to kill a zombie is by crushing its head. Jesus really crushed the head of Satan. If we had something to fear, it would be the devil, especially if we were not walking with God. This would be the case, not because he's a threat to God, but because we would be outside of God's protection. When we stray from the Lord, we become easy prey for the enemy. We go astray, not because the devil is stronger than God. At the cross, Jesus crushed the head of Satan so that all who believe can know God and walk in the victory that is found in Him. We go astray when we believe the devil's lies, when we allow him to distract us and take our eyes off of Jesus.
If you're fearful, more than likely, you have taken your eyes of of Jesus, who through His death and resurrection, defeated all of man's greatest fears, namely death and the devil. Look unto Jesus, and praise your Heavenly Father, who declared, “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you" (Isaiah 41:13). The God, who holds the whole world in one hand, is holding you with His other hand. And He will never let you go.
(Zombie Fears)
“For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13
This morning I woke up with anxious thoughts about random things. As I sought to set my mind on the Lord, I got this message from a teen: "Pastor Marco I am so sorry to bother you this early but please I really need help please. One of my biggest fears is zombies. Please, help me. I couldn't sleep and I'm shaking with fear because I saw a movie last night. Can you give me a scripture to read? Or a prayer to pray? Please. I'm sorry again."
My first thought when reading her message was that her fear was irrational. And as I thought about a scripture to send her to help calm her fears, I came across Isaiah 41:13, which reads, “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (Isaiah 41:13). As I prepared to send the young teen this verse, the thought came to me that, if the Lord my God is holding my right hand, if he is the one who is helping me, and He is, then anything that I fear or may feel anxious about, is irrational. I have no reason to be anxious anymore than a person has a reason to fear a Zombie that doesn't exist. God is holding my hand, (if I'm walking with Him), and any problem in front of me, real or imagined, is nothing to Him.
Sometimes we differentiate between little problems and big problems. I've heard it said that some people for some reason don't feel comfortable praying about little problems. They only bring their big problems to God. But the truth is that it's all little to God. This was the perspective that David had when he defeated Goliath. While every one else feared, because they saw how much bigger Goliath was than they were; David was filled with faith, because he saw how much bigger God was than Goliath. And like a zombie killer, he cut Goliath's head off. David was victorious for he went into that battle knowing that God was holding his hand.
They say that the way to kill a zombie is by crushing its head. Jesus really crushed the head of Satan. If we had something to fear, it would be the devil, especially if we were not walking with God. This would be the case, not because he's a threat to God, but because we would be outside of God's protection. When we stray from the Lord, we become easy prey for the enemy. We go astray, not because the devil is stronger than God. At the cross, Jesus crushed the head of Satan so that all who believe can know God and walk in the victory that is found in Him. We go astray when we believe the devil's lies, when we allow him to distract us and take our eyes off of Jesus.
If you're fearful, more than likely, you have taken your eyes of of Jesus, who through His death and resurrection, defeated all of man's greatest fears, namely death and the devil. Look unto Jesus, and praise your Heavenly Father, who declared, “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you" (Isaiah 41:13). The God, who holds the whole world in one hand, is holding you with His other hand. And He will never let you go.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Compassion
“Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen....” Genesis 42:21
The account of Joseph's brothers throwing him in a pit and leaving him there to die, is a very clear example of what "no compassion" looks like. One Pastor said, "Compassion is your hurt in my heart." Jesus, on the other hand, was filled with compassion during his earthly ministry. Matthew writes, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36
Sometimes we don't have compassion on others when they hurt because we are so quick to judge them and blame them for their hurts. In other words, we view their hurts as self inflicted. There are many examples I can give, but one I think is important to point out is the mental and emotional distress that others experience. For example, Christians sometimes have this idea that, if you are saved, you shouldn't ever be sorrowful. We forget that the bible says that Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
Instead of weeping with those who weep, we are sometimes quick to feel like others should just get over it. We especially feel this way when we can't see a reason why someone should feel sorrowful, anxious or depressed. Like Job friends, we are quick to throw verses at those who are hurting, when what they made need is for others to grieve with them, listen to them, and cry with them. There's a time to give godly council to hurting people, but often what people need is simply someone to show empathy, a shoulder to cry on, or to hear, "It's alright to cry."
Recently, I heard a Pastor share that in his church they've cultivated this understanding that, "It's ok not to be ok. It's not ok to stay that way." What this means is that, as human beings, living in a sinned cursed and hurt filled world, there will be times when we will feel overwhelmed, sad, and afraid. And we should have the confidence to share our hurts without being made to feel like we are horrible Christians. Instead, we should feel safe to share our hurts, believing that we will receive compassion and hear truth spoken with love.
When Joseph, as second in command of Egypt, had his opportunity to exact revenge on his brothers, who once left him to die, he demonstrated compassion. He provided for their needs and the needs of their families. This is what Jesus has done for us. Instead of giving us what we deserve, as wretched sinners, He laid His life down, so that we might be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. Let us therefore “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
The account of Joseph's brothers throwing him in a pit and leaving him there to die, is a very clear example of what "no compassion" looks like. One Pastor said, "Compassion is your hurt in my heart." Jesus, on the other hand, was filled with compassion during his earthly ministry. Matthew writes, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36
Sometimes we don't have compassion on others when they hurt because we are so quick to judge them and blame them for their hurts. In other words, we view their hurts as self inflicted. There are many examples I can give, but one I think is important to point out is the mental and emotional distress that others experience. For example, Christians sometimes have this idea that, if you are saved, you shouldn't ever be sorrowful. We forget that the bible says that Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
Instead of weeping with those who weep, we are sometimes quick to feel like others should just get over it. We especially feel this way when we can't see a reason why someone should feel sorrowful, anxious or depressed. Like Job friends, we are quick to throw verses at those who are hurting, when what they made need is for others to grieve with them, listen to them, and cry with them. There's a time to give godly council to hurting people, but often what people need is simply someone to show empathy, a shoulder to cry on, or to hear, "It's alright to cry."
Recently, I heard a Pastor share that in his church they've cultivated this understanding that, "It's ok not to be ok. It's not ok to stay that way." What this means is that, as human beings, living in a sinned cursed and hurt filled world, there will be times when we will feel overwhelmed, sad, and afraid. And we should have the confidence to share our hurts without being made to feel like we are horrible Christians. Instead, we should feel safe to share our hurts, believing that we will receive compassion and hear truth spoken with love.
When Joseph, as second in command of Egypt, had his opportunity to exact revenge on his brothers, who once left him to die, he demonstrated compassion. He provided for their needs and the needs of their families. This is what Jesus has done for us. Instead of giving us what we deserve, as wretched sinners, He laid His life down, so that we might be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. Let us therefore “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Can we find a man like this?
“And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
Genesis 41:38
Joseph, who was sold as a slave in a foreign land, stood out among those around him. Why? Because he knew God, because God was with Joseph and enabled him to do what others could not do. Pharaoh said of Joseph, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?" What enabled Joseph to do what others could not do? It was the Spirit of God that gifted him to interpret dreams, among other things. This supernatural giftedness led him to become second in command of all of Egypt.
Similarly, if we are saved, the Spirit of God is in us to do in our lives what we would not be able to do otherwise apart from Him. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he said to his disciple, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father”(John 14:12). Why are the greater works that Jesus said His disciples would do, connected to Him "going to the Father." The reason they are is because it was at that time that He sent the promised Holy Spirit. Notice that He also said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7).
Incredibly, Jesus is saying to his disciple that it would be to their greater advantage not having Him by their side. J.D. Greer puts it this way, "Having the Holy Spirit in them would be better than having Jesus beside them." How can this be? Among other things, having Jesus in us, we are enabled to be like Him and empowered to do His work to the glory of His name. Jesus is not only doing it for us, he's doing it in us and through us. And when this is the case, people around us can say, as Pharaoh said of Joseph, "Can we find a man (or woman) like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?"
If Jesus were besides us, and not in us, He would certainly not be limited by us, but we would be limited in being able to make much of Him. People could say, "He's glorious" by pointing to Him standing next to us, but through the Holy Spirit working in us, people can point to us and glorify His name (Matt. 5:16). Also, during the earthly ministry of Jesus, in His physical presence, He was only at one place at a time. But through the indwelling Holy Spirit, He can manifest Himself and work through every believer, anywhere and anytime. In this way, disciples of Jesus through the Spirit have done greater works is spreading the gospel in the world.
What about your life can be attributed to the work of the Spirit? Are His fruits being manifested in your life and are you serving Him with His power? This will be the case as we fellowship with Him through God's word, pray about what He reveals to us, and daily surrender to His leading. We can serve God with the peace and joy of the Spirit knowing that He will be our Helper, He will guide us to fulfill His purpose for the greater fame of Jesus!
Genesis 41:38
Joseph, who was sold as a slave in a foreign land, stood out among those around him. Why? Because he knew God, because God was with Joseph and enabled him to do what others could not do. Pharaoh said of Joseph, "Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?" What enabled Joseph to do what others could not do? It was the Spirit of God that gifted him to interpret dreams, among other things. This supernatural giftedness led him to become second in command of all of Egypt.
Similarly, if we are saved, the Spirit of God is in us to do in our lives what we would not be able to do otherwise apart from Him. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he said to his disciple, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father”(John 14:12). Why are the greater works that Jesus said His disciples would do, connected to Him "going to the Father." The reason they are is because it was at that time that He sent the promised Holy Spirit. Notice that He also said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7).
Incredibly, Jesus is saying to his disciple that it would be to their greater advantage not having Him by their side. J.D. Greer puts it this way, "Having the Holy Spirit in them would be better than having Jesus beside them." How can this be? Among other things, having Jesus in us, we are enabled to be like Him and empowered to do His work to the glory of His name. Jesus is not only doing it for us, he's doing it in us and through us. And when this is the case, people around us can say, as Pharaoh said of Joseph, "Can we find a man (or woman) like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?"
If Jesus were besides us, and not in us, He would certainly not be limited by us, but we would be limited in being able to make much of Him. People could say, "He's glorious" by pointing to Him standing next to us, but through the Holy Spirit working in us, people can point to us and glorify His name (Matt. 5:16). Also, during the earthly ministry of Jesus, in His physical presence, He was only at one place at a time. But through the indwelling Holy Spirit, He can manifest Himself and work through every believer, anywhere and anytime. In this way, disciples of Jesus through the Spirit have done greater works is spreading the gospel in the world.
What about your life can be attributed to the work of the Spirit? Are His fruits being manifested in your life and are you serving Him with His power? This will be the case as we fellowship with Him through God's word, pray about what He reveals to us, and daily surrender to His leading. We can serve God with the peace and joy of the Spirit knowing that He will be our Helper, He will guide us to fulfill His purpose for the greater fame of Jesus!
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Because you have prayed...
This blog was inspired by the September 1st devotional in Our Daily Bread upcoming issue.
“Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria," Isaiah 37:21
Because Hezekiah prayed, God moved to bring great deliverance. What has God done in my life because I prayed? God my Father has done many life changing things that are more than I can number. He's given me the grace to serve Him bi-vocationally for 20 years before retiring from the Police Department in 2015. I've seen the Lord provide opportunities for me to work days with weekends off for many years with the Police Department. He's protected me. I've seen the Lord transform lives that previously seemed to be hopeless cases. Freddie comes to my mind in how God, by His marvelous grace, delivered him from a life that was on a road to destruction, into a man of God raising a beautiful family.
Often, God has enabled me to prepare messages with insight from passages of scripture that at first seemed difficult to understand. God has delivered me from serious health issues. He has Installed me as senior Pastor of an historic church. Used me to bring others to Christ. Gifted me with four healthy sons, who know God, and have become police officers, following in their father's foot steps. Blessed me with a believing wife, who stands by me. He's also surrounded me with loving and supportive brothers and sisters in Christ, who encourage and pray for me.
What has God done in my life because I've prayed? I'm certain that He's not only done many things that I know of, but no doubt things I don't even realize or have taken for granted.
Now, in light of how God has clearly worked in our lives because we have prayed, what is He not doing in our life that He would do, if we'd persevered in prayer? This is a most profound question to ponder when we consider that nothing is impossible to the God who promises to work in our lives in answer to prayer.
What glories could I be missing out on? How much more would I know of God's transforming glory, if I would but wait more before God's presence in scripture fed, worshiped based and Spirit led prayer? Paul summed it up when he wrote, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
Hezekiah, instead of worrying, gave the specific threats of the enemy to God in prayer (spread them out before Him) and God answered. We must learn to do the same, if we are going to see God move and experience His abounding peace. Thank Him for what He's already done in your life, and continue to cast your cares upon the Lord for He cares for you.
“Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria," Isaiah 37:21
Because Hezekiah prayed, God moved to bring great deliverance. What has God done in my life because I prayed? God my Father has done many life changing things that are more than I can number. He's given me the grace to serve Him bi-vocationally for 20 years before retiring from the Police Department in 2015. I've seen the Lord provide opportunities for me to work days with weekends off for many years with the Police Department. He's protected me. I've seen the Lord transform lives that previously seemed to be hopeless cases. Freddie comes to my mind in how God, by His marvelous grace, delivered him from a life that was on a road to destruction, into a man of God raising a beautiful family.
Often, God has enabled me to prepare messages with insight from passages of scripture that at first seemed difficult to understand. God has delivered me from serious health issues. He has Installed me as senior Pastor of an historic church. Used me to bring others to Christ. Gifted me with four healthy sons, who know God, and have become police officers, following in their father's foot steps. Blessed me with a believing wife, who stands by me. He's also surrounded me with loving and supportive brothers and sisters in Christ, who encourage and pray for me.
What has God done in my life because I've prayed? I'm certain that He's not only done many things that I know of, but no doubt things I don't even realize or have taken for granted.
Now, in light of how God has clearly worked in our lives because we have prayed, what is He not doing in our life that He would do, if we'd persevered in prayer? This is a most profound question to ponder when we consider that nothing is impossible to the God who promises to work in our lives in answer to prayer.
What glories could I be missing out on? How much more would I know of God's transforming glory, if I would but wait more before God's presence in scripture fed, worshiped based and Spirit led prayer? Paul summed it up when he wrote, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21
Hezekiah, instead of worrying, gave the specific threats of the enemy to God in prayer (spread them out before Him) and God answered. We must learn to do the same, if we are going to see God move and experience His abounding peace. Thank Him for what He's already done in your life, and continue to cast your cares upon the Lord for He cares for you.
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