The Reaction - 1/8/2008

I posted earlier about feeling led to give a copy of Max Lucado's Traveling Light to a coworker, even though I would risk the offense of proselytizing in a secular work environment.

I did it anyway, and boy am I glad I did. God was so clearly trying to speak to and comfort this woman through this book! How many times have I let Him down by not following through with a request? How many people haven't been touched by His love because I resisted being His hands and feet? I shudder to think about it...

As I went to check my mailbox today, the woman to whom I had given the book shouted, "Stop! I want to talk to you." My first reaction was to think that this could just as easily be very good as it could be very bad. She got up and walked toward me, beginning to thank me for the gift and then gave me the tightest hug while saying, "You have no idea how much that meant to me." I tried telling her that it wasn't my idea, but God's - but I didn't get that far. And I didn't need to say so, God's actions speak for themselves. She reiterated, "Really, you have no idea what that meant."

She explained to me that she and her family are all believers, and that as her mother lay dying in the hospital, they took turns reading to her from her favorite books by her favorite author - Max Lucado. Though, she had never heard of this particular book. Then, at the funeral, her son got up to read his grandmother's favorite verse for her one last time, Psalm 23.

The full title of the book I gave her is: Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Meant To Bear (The Promise of Psalm 23) by Max Lucado. She was overcome, I think from knowing that God's presence was with her, and knowing that her mom was in God's presence. She's going to have her son read the book as soon as she's finished with it...

How could I have known this author and this Psalm meant so much to this woman and her family? There's no way! How could I have known that this was the perfect thing to give her during her time of mourning? I couldn't have!
Who else but God could have orchestrated this?
Who else but God? Seriously think about it.
Who else but God!

You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
You are God alone

And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on your throne
You are God alone

Unchangeable
Unshakable
Unstoppable
That's what you are

He loves us dearly and is constantly reaching out to us. The way His law works in this age, though, is to enact His will through men and not against their will. How many more people could we touch and reach for Him if we were always obedient? Since He wishes that nobody would perish but that all would experience eternal life, I'm guessing all of them ...

I praise you, Father, for your mercy and comfort in a fallen, imperfect world. Thank you for working with us, for your patience, and your grace during our subbornness. Thank you for your love and for your sacrifice, so that the sting of death will only be a temporary pinprick before the eternal glory of your holy presence.

Step By Step - 7/17/06

Galatians 5:25, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

It still blows my mind to think of all God has given me; all He has done in the lives of my friends and my family. He has done so much to heal the hearts of those who were close to my mother. And, He's done so much to bless our lives in every way.

And now Melissa and I are moving to Belize. Such an incredible opportunity to serve Him, and in doing so we are blessed with an adventure unlike anybody's I know of. Still, the reality of good-byes puts into sharp focus what it can mean to step out on faith to follow whatever you believe God has called you to do.

I have no doubt in my mind or my heart that this is God's will, from the very beginning. Everything has come together so perfectly, it has to have been orchestrated by God Himself. I can see things He'd done years in the past that paved the way and prepared for this very event.

But, I've been dwelling on my present family situation and what a difficult time it is to leave them. On the way to work this morning, these lyrics caught my ear and spoke to this situation:

There was so much work left to do...

But so much You've already done!
Oh God, you are my God
And I will ever praise you...

I will seek you in the morning
And I will learn to walk in your way

And Step by Step you'll lead me
And I will follow you all of my days...

Like the scripture above in Galatians, God will lead Melissa and me, step by step. We still don't know so many details about where we are going to live. But, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is God's will and our needs have been met. We have housing, furniture, income, and an assigned ministry where we can serve Him.

These two priveleged Americans can learn to do without everything outside of that assignment. For now, we must take baby steps in the direction God has pointed us. As the Holy Spirit leads us, step by step, we will continue to honor and praise Him.

God, YOU are my God. There is no other. I will ever praise you. Thank you for taking care of me and my family. I love you for alll that you've done, and because you first loved me. Lord Jesus, I praise your Holy name. May your will be done, and I thank you for mending my heart and my family's. Amen.

Receive Rewards - 6/28/06

2 JOHN 8, "Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully."

Following Jesus Christ is hard work. The pull of our sinful nature is always fighting against our salvation. Our bodies want what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against the flesh.

This goes beyond carnal desires. Arguing, bickering, persecuting, judging, attacking ... so many sins that divide the people God loves set us against the Spirit's leading. This stems from our sinful nature, and the people God loves who are affected by this includes Christians and non-Christians, because we all started from the same place. We just decied to follow the path of Christ Jesus, and that comes with many rewards. When you choose to live for God, life does not become easier - but the blessings become greater and this brings Him even more of the glory He deserves, and then you are blessed for bringing Him glory and the crazy love cycle begins!

The scripture above warns us, "watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for." Do not lose the faith! Do not get discouraged, the Lord wants to reward you for your faithfulness and for standing up for Him when nobody else would. But, the enemy wants you to focus on current trials and tempt you into walking away from your reward with lies.

For example, Jesus wanted to bless Jerusalem and reward its people, but they were not willing to receive it. Luke 13:34 exposes God's grief over stubborn Jerusalem; their refusal to let God bless them by their own choice to live against truth. Jesus laments to Jerusalem, "But YOU were not willing!" He wanted to bless them.

We make the same choice. We have all at some point embraced our sinful nature and become slaves to it. Luke 6:20-21, "When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time...?" I'll tell you the benefit. We got to proudly shout, "I'm in control! I DECIDE!"

And where did that lead? Nowhere. We can't see the whole picture, only HE CAN. And HE LOVES US! He will bless you, guide you, and bring you into eternal life, that there may be no more strife; no more separation.

So, do not lose what you have worked for! Let yourself be rewarded fully by keeping up with God and His leading. Galatians 5:25, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

Check in with God every day to make certain that you are doing so.

Shut The Door - 6/12/06

Matthew 6:6-7, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. "

I think God is reminding me here that my devotional time is just that - devotional. I must devote my time entirely to Him when I make a point to read His word and seek His guidance.

First of all, I haven't been regularly devoting time to God lately. Not that I'm not in prayer every day, but there is a special connection made when I step aside from my daily routine and responsibilities to check in with Him and just spend quality time together.

Lately too, when I do get to my devotions, I've been almost trying to multi-task. I may read the Bible in the living room while the T.V. is on or carrying on a conversation. I believe this is a reminder from God regarding the first entry I made in this journal based on the scripture Luke 5:16, "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray." I must completely detach myself from everything in the world ... to withdraw to a lonely place and pray. I have found that only when my attention is completely focused on God can I hear Him leading me through scripture or inspiration. If I'm focusing on what I hear from the TV or radio, I'm not focusing on Him and won't hear what He has to say.

We are supposed to model our lives after Christ's. That is a huge task because I am so self-centered naturally. But making sure I also model my prayer life after His, that tendency will naturally be kept in check. ...Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray...

I feel a bit like our cat (who I'm pretty sure has Attention Deficit Disorder) . Sometimes to get his attention, I'll have to snap my fingers or clap at him and shout his name. Then he'll look at me with his head cocked to the side and realize, "OH, you mean I'm not supposed to be on this countertop! My bad..."

I think maybe God may have clapped His hands at me to get my attention to remind me that I must not lose my focus or take my devotional time lightly. This is not an option; what I do in the rest of my day is.

April Showers...Elijah's Rain? Or God's Reign? - 4/5/06

Zechariah 10:1, “Ask the Lord for rain during the springtime rains. The Lord is the one who makes the clouds. He sends the showers and gives everyone green fields."

It has been rainy where I live the past few days. I keep thinking about the rhyme I learned as a kid, “April showers bring May flowers.” I can already see the results of that here – greenery returning to the rolling hills that surround this city.

When I read this verse in Zechariah, I felt the twinge that so often accompanies a verse that I feel God has led me to. Then I thought of the rain over the past few days. Wasn’t enough confirmation for me, though! I turned the page to look for a verse elsewhere. I soon turned back though, accidentally. That confirmed that God really wanted to speak to me through this verse tonight.

I thought about it, and I think this verse is awesome. “Ask the Lord for rain … the one who makes the clouds.” The One who makes the clouds! Go to the source! Right now it’s the season for springtime rains. If you’re not receiving what you need, if you are not experiencing blessings raining down in your life, then go directly to the One who made those things.

Let’s see … what else did God make? Oh, maybe … EVERYTHING? So, are we trying to make our own plans or provide for ourselves according to our own ability? Or, are we letting God truly reign in our lives, coming to Him with our petitions, cares, or concerns?

If you need a quenching rain in your life, let God reign in it first. Pray to Him, sincerely with faith, and give Him the glory when He answers that prayer. There is so much power in prayer. Believe me, God hears us when we pray. Elijah prayed for rain, and against it. God heard him. James 5:17-18, “Elijah was a human being just like us. He prayed that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years! Then Elijah prayed again, and the rain came down from the sky, and the land produced crops again.”

Elijah wasn’t a powerful being with supernatural powers, it says plainly right here that he was a human being just like us. Every one of us can see the power of God moving in our lives like this if we aren’t praying selfishly and are willing to give God the glory. But first, we have to pray.

Think of the fig tree Jesus cursed. One of my favorite stories, actually. Jesus was hungry and approached a fig tree for food, finding none growing there. He cursed the tree and it immediately dried up. It seems even inanimate objects should be prepared to serve the son of God and are subject to His judgment. Plus, when I’m hungry, I get crabby. I can use this as justification for being short with people when I haven’t eaten… just kidding.

It’s what Jesus said after cursing the tree that is really powerful. Matthew 21:21-22, “… I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did to this tree and even more. If you believe, you will get anything you ask for in prayer.”

I wrote a scripture like that one (Mark 11:24) on the top of each page of my prayer journal. When I’d ask for something in prayer, I’d read that, believe I received it, and wrote the prayer down with the date that I asked for it. When Jesus answered my prayer, I’d write that date on the other side of it.

After a few pages of answered prayers, I was humbled to think I could have ever doubted God’s power or involvement in my life. He loves us SO much He’d give us whatever we ask for!

Anyway, it’s raining outside right now. Did you pray for this? Or do you need to so that it will rain in your life? Well then, let Him reign…

How do these scriptures apply to your life? Are you in a season of rain or draught? Let me know!

________________________________________________________________________

First, Fruits,Then Blessings - 4/2/06

Malachi 1:2, “The Lord said, ‘I have loved you.’”

… I have loved you … That’s what God said to me on Thursday. My wife suggested that this evening I look into the book of Malachi. I opened to it, and the second verse of Malachi basically read itself to me; it was so clearly the focus of the page. And, it reiterated Thursday's message.

I know that the Lord has loved me. I can look throughout my life and count my blessings. He has indeed loved me. More than any blessing He has ever given me though, He died for me. His blood paid off my great debt. He said the greatest love a man can give to his friend is to die for them. So, He has loved us.

Should we not honor the greatest love then with the highest honor? How do we do that? Maybe through sacrifice? You could you say that He has honored His love for us through His sacrifice. He said He loved us. Then, He proved it - honored His word - in the biggest possible way - He gave up His life for His friends.

This was his Father’s idea, to bring about reconciliation between Man and God. Jesus honored His father as we’ve all been commanded to do by fulfilling the request to lay down His life in place of ours. His sacrifice was honor. “The Lord All-Powerful says, ‘A child honors his father, and a servant honors his master. I am a father, so why don’t you honor me? I am a master, so why don’t you respect me?’” Malachi 1:6.

The Jewish people offered sacrifices to honor God and to atone for the sin debt. Our debt has been paid by His ultimate sacrifice so blood is no longer required. So, we are left to honor God in another way. What then? We can sacrifice our wallets and our purses. Do you believe and trust God enough to actually give Him your money?

He’s asked for ten percent of what we bring in to be returned to the storehouse. Malachi 3:10, “Bring to the storehouse a full tenth of what you earn so there will be food in my house. Test me in this.’” Here you will find the only plce in the Bible where God asks US to test HIM. Plus, we still get to keep most of it – a full ninety percent.

What do the results of this test look like? The Lord of All Creation will protect your assets. If you’re using them to help further the kingdom, then why wouldn’t He protect them? “I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need. I will stop the insects so they won’t eat your crops. The grapes won’t fall from your vine before they’re ready to pick,” Malachi 3:10-11.

Most of us don’t plant crops. But we all spend our days planting and harvesting something. The Lord will place His protective hand over what you’re working on, so that it may bear fruit.

When it does, we must remember to offer to Him our firstfruits. The best of the crop. By His power and protection, they’re His anyway. Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honor the Lord with your wealth and the firstfruits from all your crops. Then your barns will be full, and your wine barrels will overflow with new wine.”

This is the heart of the message of the book of Malachi. The Lord took no honor in the half-hearted offerings, the second-rate sacrifices the people brought to Him. They weren’t firstfruits. They were leftovers. Blind sheep. Crippled calves. It was no sacrifice for the Israelites to sacrifice them. They saved the best for themselves. So, the Lord All Powerful said to them, “…You have robbed me in your offerings and the tenth of your crops. So a curse is on you…” Malachi 3:8-9. Don't steal from God! God! All-Powerful, remember?

All Powerful, and Loving. He has loved us with His sacrifice. We can return that love through action, demonstrate our faith in Him through works. He has told us to test him, and to honor Him. Why shouldn’t we show honor to the One who paid the greatest price? He alone is worthy of it. If we do, we’re blessed. If we don’t, we are stealing from the Lord God All Powerful. I wouldn’t steal from my wife, or a friend. Why should I consider stealing from the only one who has the ability to curse me for doing so?

Honor through our firstfruits - our tithe; a return on the Lord's investment of great love, and then blessings for us.

The choice is clear, so why not make it already? If you don’t believe it, test Him…

Longing, Love, & Loyalty - 3/22/06

James 4:2-5, 7 & 10, “You do not get what you want, because you do not ask God. Or when you ask, you do no receive because the reason you ask is wrong. You want things so you can use them for your own pleasures. So, you are not loyal to God! You should know that loving the world is the same as hating God. Do you think the scripture means nothing that says, ‘The Spirit that God made to live in us wants us for himself alone?’

So give yourselves completely to God. Stand against the devil, and the devil will run from you. Come near to God, and God will come near to you. Don’t be too proud in the Lord’s presence, and He will make you great.”

There is so much truth here. James 4 is a great chapter. Here, we are reminded that we need only to ask and we shall receive what we need from our loving God. It's possible though that if we have asked and did not receive it's because the reason we asked is wrong. Are we asking Him to provide something that would help us to better serve Him? Or are we asking for something that will serve our own will and our own desires - or for our own plan in our lives rather than His? MY GOD IS NOT MY GENIE. I've had to remind myself of that several times. I serve Him, not the other way around. Yes, he has the power to give me anything, but won’t do so if that thing will replace God in my life.

Read the next part of the above scripture — if you ask of something for your own pleasure, you are not loyal to God. In fact, loyalty to the world makes us God’s enemy. Hmmm...that’s not really a position I want to be in. At some point, every Christian has to face his or her longing for worldly things, and power — absolute control over every aspect of our lives. This is one of the hardest things to give to God; control of our will.

The scripture above also quotes a line from Exodus, reminding us that God wants us for Himself alone. This is from the original Ten Commandments where God admits to being a jealous God. In fact, the very first commandment is to have no other Gods except Him, followed by the commandment to worship no idols. We worship Him and Him alone.

Check, and, check. I’ve never made a Golden Calf or a statue of a man with the head of a jackal. You can come over and check for yourself. Definitely never worshiped either of them.
Except … we can idolize and worship less obvious replacements of God. Fame. Money. Power. Money. Control. Success. Money. Good looks. Talent. Money. Control. These are the true American Idols, Simon.

Read the book of Hosea. He was an Old Testament prophet, and God commanded him to marry a prostitute, Gomer. He made her promise to stop doing her business and devote her love and loyalty to him. So she did. For awhile, then she started to go back to her old ways. Grounds for divorce, right? Nope. God commanded Hosea to take her back and ask her to re-commit herself to him. Whoah! Why? Because the Israelites — and we — have done the exact same thing to God. There is no other human experience that can explain the emotions God has when we replace Him with other things except infidelity. He feels cheated, and rightfully so.

I have been Gomer. I’ve let the devil tempt me in the past to seek out my own will or chase sin; to make my own selfish plans for my life and I know that it hurt God. But He took me back and would a thousand times over. The scripture in James clearly states that if we resist the devil and his temptations, he will flee from us. The One whose Holy Spirit lives within us has already defeated the devil so we need only to declare our allegiance to Jesus and that will chase him away. And if we come near to God, He will come near to us. So we can easily prevent any future "Gomerisms" by making an effort to draw near to God every day.

His love will never fail us, never end, and never give up. We’re human and make mistakes, but we’re forgiven before we even ask for it. That’s living under grace. What’s more, living for Him rather than ourselves will bring about greater blessings than anything we would have chosen for ourselves anyway. “Don’t be too proud in the Lord’s presence, and He will make you great.” Humble yourself enough to serve His will instead of your own, and He will take great joy in elevating you so all can see God’s power in your life. You will have great success and blessings so that He may receive the glory. Then, our longing will not be for material things, but only for Him and His Love, and He will have our Loyalty until that day when we get to be with Him and His other servants for eternity in His love, His peace.

Additives & Preservatives - 3/16/06

(Nutrition = Bible)
2 Peter 1:3, “Jesus has the power of God, by which He has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know Him. Jesus called us by His glory and goodness.”

Read that verse again, slowly.

By the power of God, given to Jesus, WE have been given EVERYTHING we need to live and to serve God. Remember Luke 12:22-31? Your God has taken care of you; He knows everything you need before you do. Think of these as preservatives. In one sense, He’s brought these things into your life to keep you fresh and healthy, so you can focus on more important things rather than seeking them out on your own. In another sense, they are pre-serve-atives. “Pre” meaning “before,” and “serve” referring to serving God. They are first given to you when He calls you so you can be free to go out and serve God without worrying where your next meal will come from.

Now read the second line of the scripture — we have all we need to live, and serve God, because we know Him. We have a relationship with the source of all things. God is our one true God, but also our father, our friend, our teacher, our love. He doesn’t want the relationship a donor has with a charity — He wants to be a part of our lives.

Look at the next line in the scripture to confirm that. HE called US. It’s not like He was playing intergalactic monopoly with angels and then we interrupted Him with a prayer or petition. He first chose us, our entering into His presence is the return of our heart to His call.

So if we don’t have to worry about the basics in life, then what? Read on! 2 Peter 1:5-9, “Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives:

To your faith, add goodness; to this add

Knowledge; to this add

Self Control; to this add

Patience; to this add

Service for God; to this add

Kindness for Brothers and Sisters in Christ; to this add

Love

…if all of these things are in you and growing, they will help you to be useful and productive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

These are the additives that follow Jesus’ pre-serve-atives. He’s taken care of you, and now you are free to respond to the call of His service. There are more blessings for you in doing so. God still has a lot of work to do in this world, and wants to use us as His hands and His feet to go out and do that work. But, we’re not puppets or robots. We have free will, and must make a conscious decision and honest effort to add this list to our lives and serve Him, always giving the credit, the glory, and honor for what we’ve achieved to our Lord.

Get To Work - 1/23/06

1 Corinthians 12:28,31 "In the church God has given a place first to Apostles, second to prophets, and third to teachers. Then God has given a place to those who do miracles, those who have gifts of healing, those who help others, those who are able to govern, and those who can speak in different languages...but you should truly want to have these greater gifts."

Okay, so this morning I opened up my Bible and didn't even turn a page, there was a message right there waiting for me. It turns out this is the third day in a row with a similar theme, so I'm starting a couple days back with the original journal entry to put it in context. This is what I wrote about the above passage on Monday:

The first thing that struck me about this passage is the use of the word "gifts," especially in the last sentence. It is honorable to be a teacher and useful to speak in other languages and powerful to heal, but none of this is of my own ability.

These abilities are GIFTS. I can boast of nothing. I can offer nothing to my God but a willing heart to be used according to His will, and even then I don't always give to Him what is asked of me. "...We are his hands, we are his feet, believers in Jesus, children of the king..."

But if I use my gifts well, I must maintain the perspective of a God-centered, not a Me-Centered life. I must give Him the glory and use this as a reminder to maintain humility -- to humble myself before a God whose eyes see all our righteous acts as filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6 But, His love for us conquered all and because of His sacrifice we can stand blameless before Him.

The second thing about this passage is the Corinthians' comparison between spiritual gifts and ministries. "If we are the body, why aren't His hands reaching, why aren't His words teaching..." The gifts and abilities I have represent the part of the body that I must function under.

The third connection is the "Inspiration" sidenote in my Bible which reads, "When one part of the body suffers, the other parts suffer...when one Christian fails we share his failure and care for his needs. When he is restored to fellowship, we rejoice with him."

Parts of the body - the church - work together. A failing part effects the whole. This tells me that:

1. We should regularly be involved in active fellowship - to join a body
2. We should examine our own abilities and minister to others according to our individual strengths.
3. When a brother or sister stumbles, we are called upon to help restore and edify that part of the body to restore His ultimate purpose, to further the Kingdom, and to thwart the enemy's attempt to neutralize an effective Christian.