ROACHES & FLIES
Ecclesiastes 10:1-41 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. 3 Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is. 4 If a ruler's anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great errors to rest.
Ma Lihua had a problem with a capital "C": Cockroaches.
For 6 weeks Ma had single handedly set up over 200,000 dominoes with a goal of breaking the world-record 281,581 dominoes set up and toppled by German Klaus Friedrich in 1984.
Each day, Lihua worked for 13 hours to set up some 10,000 tiles. Each night the roaches would come out and topple tens of thousands. The dominologist would cry as she surveyed the daily damage. In response to the insect infestation, organizers of the record-breaking effort laid hundreds of traps for the creatures, striving to rid the Singapore facility of them.
In the end, the dominoes toppled to the tune of 303,000 on August 18, 2003. Ma had set a new world record and she had persevered the destructive ways of some reckless roaches. Her next goal? To team up and break the group domino toppling record which stands at 3.8 million tiles. Let's hope there are no nocturnal pests at the venue her team selects!
King Solomon recognized what bugs can do to a good thing. In Ecclesiastes 10:1 he wrote: "As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor." His point? You can possess a long line of impressive accomplishments made possible by wise choices, but if you choose to make a foolish decision the whole thing topples. For "a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor" (v.1).
The wise king continues this thought in verse 2: "The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool is to the left." It's interesting that the Latin word sinister means "left." But it has the additional negative meaning--bad and evil--as its English counterpart.
What "bugs" are threatening to topple your testimony for Jesus? Are you entertaining thoughts of turning "left," when you know "right"is God's way? Bring your small sins and unwise choices to God today, or you may soon be faced with a big spiritual collapse. --Tom Felten
DESTINATION POINTS
* What unwise choices have I been entertaining?
* How does turning to the "left" affect my relationship with God?
LINKS
New World Record For Domino Topple http://cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/08/18/singapore.dominoes.ap/
bottom line: Foolish choices lead to dishonor and demise.
soul journey
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
A Web Of Relationships
Read: John 15:1-14
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. —Mark 12:30
Bible In One Year: Isaiah 7-8; Ephesians 2
A Harvard Business School professor wrote an open letter to the nation's graduates. He told them that in one sense they needed to forget what they had learned in school. He said that schools tend to put too much emphasis on the idea that success comes as a result of passing tests. The professor pointed out that in the workplace doing well depends largely on learning to succeed in what he called a "web of relationships"—the ability to cooperate with others and function as an effective team.
This truth also applies to living the Christian life. We often think that spiritual maturity and success result from how much we know about biblical facts and principles.
Jesus showed us, however, that real success comes from something else—from loving one another in the same way He loved us. He made it clear that we can do this only if we "abide" in Him (John 15:7). This means that we must stay close to Him through prayer and willingly obey His commands (v.10). Our web of relationships must extend first to God and then to others.
The secret of spiritual success is not just in acquiring individual knowledge—it's in combining that knowledge with love in all our relationships. —Mart De Haan
Lord, help us learn from what You did
When You lived on this earth;
You spread Your love to all You met—
You gave each one true worth. —Branon
As Christians draw close to Christ, they draw closer to one another.
daily bread
Read: John 15:1-14
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. —Mark 12:30
Bible In One Year: Isaiah 7-8; Ephesians 2
A Harvard Business School professor wrote an open letter to the nation's graduates. He told them that in one sense they needed to forget what they had learned in school. He said that schools tend to put too much emphasis on the idea that success comes as a result of passing tests. The professor pointed out that in the workplace doing well depends largely on learning to succeed in what he called a "web of relationships"—the ability to cooperate with others and function as an effective team.
This truth also applies to living the Christian life. We often think that spiritual maturity and success result from how much we know about biblical facts and principles.
Jesus showed us, however, that real success comes from something else—from loving one another in the same way He loved us. He made it clear that we can do this only if we "abide" in Him (John 15:7). This means that we must stay close to Him through prayer and willingly obey His commands (v.10). Our web of relationships must extend first to God and then to others.
The secret of spiritual success is not just in acquiring individual knowledge—it's in combining that knowledge with love in all our relationships. —Mart De Haan
Lord, help us learn from what You did
When You lived on this earth;
You spread Your love to all You met—
You gave each one true worth. —Branon
As Christians draw close to Christ, they draw closer to one another.
daily bread
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
The "Go" of Unconditional Identification
Jesus . . . said to him, ’One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor . . . and come, take up the cross, and follow Me’ —Mark 10:21
The rich young ruler had the controlling passion to be perfect. When he saw Jesus Christ, he wanted to be like Him. Our Lord never places anyone’s personal holiness above everything else when He calls a disciple. Jesus’ primary consideration is my absolute annihilation of my right to myself and my identification with Him, which means having a relationship with Him in which there are no other relationships. Luke 14:26 has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification, but deals solely with unconditional identification with Jesus Christ. Very few of us truly know what is meant by the absolute "go" of unconditional identification with, and abandonment and surrender to, Jesus.
"Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him . . ." ( Mark 10:21 ). This look of Jesus will require breaking your heart away forever from allegiance to any other person or thing. Has Jesus ever looked in this way at you? This look of Jesus transforms, penetrates, and captivates. Where you are soft and pliable with God is where the Lord has looked at you. If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on having your own way, and always certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, then there are whole areas of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze.
"One thing you lack . . . ." From Jesus Christ’s perspective, oneness with Him, with nothing between, is the only good thing.
". . . sell whatever you have . . . ." I must humble myself until I am merely a living person. I must essentially renounce possessions of all kinds, not for salvation (for only one thing saves a person and that is absolute reliance in faith upon Jesus Christ), but to follow Jesus. ". . . come. . . and follow Me." And the road is the way He went.
my utmost for His highest
Jesus . . . said to him, ’One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor . . . and come, take up the cross, and follow Me’ —Mark 10:21
The rich young ruler had the controlling passion to be perfect. When he saw Jesus Christ, he wanted to be like Him. Our Lord never places anyone’s personal holiness above everything else when He calls a disciple. Jesus’ primary consideration is my absolute annihilation of my right to myself and my identification with Him, which means having a relationship with Him in which there are no other relationships. Luke 14:26 has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification, but deals solely with unconditional identification with Jesus Christ. Very few of us truly know what is meant by the absolute "go" of unconditional identification with, and abandonment and surrender to, Jesus.
"Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him . . ." ( Mark 10:21 ). This look of Jesus will require breaking your heart away forever from allegiance to any other person or thing. Has Jesus ever looked in this way at you? This look of Jesus transforms, penetrates, and captivates. Where you are soft and pliable with God is where the Lord has looked at you. If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on having your own way, and always certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, then there are whole areas of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze.
"One thing you lack . . . ." From Jesus Christ’s perspective, oneness with Him, with nothing between, is the only good thing.
". . . sell whatever you have . . . ." I must humble myself until I am merely a living person. I must essentially renounce possessions of all kinds, not for salvation (for only one thing saves a person and that is absolute reliance in faith upon Jesus Christ), but to follow Jesus. ". . . come. . . and follow Me." And the road is the way He went.
my utmost for His highest
Monday, September 27, 2004
Why Worship?
John Fischer
I will worship God today because it is good and right to do so.
I will worship God today, not because of what it will do for me, or because it is popular, or because it is Sunday, or because I like the worship music, but for the simple reason that I was made to do this. To worship God is what I am here for.
Worship is not an asset. It is not an added benefit to my life like working out or taking vitamins. Nor is it a secret formula that will add a deeper dimension to my life. Worship is the air I breathe. It is the blood pumping through my veins. It is the cells in my body that reproduce and keep me alive for this. Everything else I do is extemporaneous. To worship God is the root of my being.
Remember the pet rock craze? Or canned air? Or rain in a jar? Or anything else so basic that someone tries to make a buck off of packaging, in a clever way, what everyone already has for the taking? Certain aspects of worship today have become so popular that it sometimes seems like it’s being packaged and sold. That’s not worship. Worshiping God is a state of mind that is accessible to all of us all the time. It is not a means to an end; it is the end itself.
The Westminster Catechism says that the “chief end” of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That’s another way of saying it is the most important thing we were created to do. And if it’s that important, then it is accessible to everybody, all the time.
The Lord our God is one God, and we will love him and worship him because of who he is and who we are. It is good and right to do so. It is arrogant not to do so. We are his creatures; he is the creator. We are the sheep of his pastures; he is the shepherd. We are mere people; he is God. To do anything but worship him is to inadvertently put us in His place, and I don’t think anyone really wants to be there.
By the way, we are not the only ones worshiping. The Psalmist says that the trees of the field clap their hands, the mountains break forth into singing, and the heavens are constantly declaring the glory of God.
That’s a heck of a lot of noise going on out there, if we could just hear it.
PDL
John Fischer
I will worship God today because it is good and right to do so.
I will worship God today, not because of what it will do for me, or because it is popular, or because it is Sunday, or because I like the worship music, but for the simple reason that I was made to do this. To worship God is what I am here for.
Worship is not an asset. It is not an added benefit to my life like working out or taking vitamins. Nor is it a secret formula that will add a deeper dimension to my life. Worship is the air I breathe. It is the blood pumping through my veins. It is the cells in my body that reproduce and keep me alive for this. Everything else I do is extemporaneous. To worship God is the root of my being.
Remember the pet rock craze? Or canned air? Or rain in a jar? Or anything else so basic that someone tries to make a buck off of packaging, in a clever way, what everyone already has for the taking? Certain aspects of worship today have become so popular that it sometimes seems like it’s being packaged and sold. That’s not worship. Worshiping God is a state of mind that is accessible to all of us all the time. It is not a means to an end; it is the end itself.
The Westminster Catechism says that the “chief end” of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That’s another way of saying it is the most important thing we were created to do. And if it’s that important, then it is accessible to everybody, all the time.
The Lord our God is one God, and we will love him and worship him because of who he is and who we are. It is good and right to do so. It is arrogant not to do so. We are his creatures; he is the creator. We are the sheep of his pastures; he is the shepherd. We are mere people; he is God. To do anything but worship him is to inadvertently put us in His place, and I don’t think anyone really wants to be there.
By the way, we are not the only ones worshiping. The Psalmist says that the trees of the field clap their hands, the mountains break forth into singing, and the heavens are constantly declaring the glory of God.
That’s a heck of a lot of noise going on out there, if we could just hear it.
PDL
Sunday, September 26, 2004
"THAT IRRITATES ME!"
Acts 15:36-4036 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
Hebrews 10:24-2524 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching
Have you ever gotten angry with someone over an attitude, habit, orspeech pattern that was driving you nuts?
What annoys you? Someone humming while you're trying to study? Loud music blaring when you need peace and quiet? There's another kind ofirritation that the Bible talks about: "irritating one another tolove and good works.
"How does this work? The New Testament word for "irritate" isparoxusmos and means "to irritate, to cause contention, to spur on,to stimulate." It appears only twice in the Bible. In Acts 15:36-40 we read how Paul and Barnabas had a "sharp disagreement" (irritation) over whether or not to allow John Mark to accompany them on their second missionary journey. He had deserted them on their first one.
The word irritate also appears in Hebrews 10:24, "Let us considerhow we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
"Here the word for irritation is translated "spur on" with theintended outcome of producing love and good deeds. Irritations arepart of life. The challenge is to use them positively. The next timeyou feel annoyed, develop a battle plan to respond positively:
* Resist the urge to bully others to conform to your will.
* Give it time. Pray that the annoyance will go away.
* Look for opportunities to do a kind favor for the person annoying you.
* If the irritation continues, take the initiative to speak the truth in love. Share how you feel and suggest ways of dealing with the problem.
* Work toward the person's highest good. Make a way for both of you to win in the situation.
* Strike a compromise when you can't reach agreement on who should change.
Next time you're ready to "punch someone's lights out" over an irritation, think about this verse and yield your heart to the Lord.Ask Him to bring love and good deeds out of it. --Dennis Fisher
DESTINATION POINTS
* Who irritates me? How should I pray for them?
* What action shouldI take to address it?
LINKS
When Words Hurt
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb011/
When Anger Burns
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb942/
When Forgiveness Seems Impossible
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb941/
bottom line: Irritation can lead to positive change.
soul journey
Acts 15:36-4036 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
Hebrews 10:24-2524 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching
Have you ever gotten angry with someone over an attitude, habit, orspeech pattern that was driving you nuts?
What annoys you? Someone humming while you're trying to study? Loud music blaring when you need peace and quiet? There's another kind ofirritation that the Bible talks about: "irritating one another tolove and good works.
"How does this work? The New Testament word for "irritate" isparoxusmos and means "to irritate, to cause contention, to spur on,to stimulate." It appears only twice in the Bible. In Acts 15:36-40 we read how Paul and Barnabas had a "sharp disagreement" (irritation) over whether or not to allow John Mark to accompany them on their second missionary journey. He had deserted them on their first one.
The word irritate also appears in Hebrews 10:24, "Let us considerhow we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
"Here the word for irritation is translated "spur on" with theintended outcome of producing love and good deeds. Irritations arepart of life. The challenge is to use them positively. The next timeyou feel annoyed, develop a battle plan to respond positively:
* Resist the urge to bully others to conform to your will.
* Give it time. Pray that the annoyance will go away.
* Look for opportunities to do a kind favor for the person annoying you.
* If the irritation continues, take the initiative to speak the truth in love. Share how you feel and suggest ways of dealing with the problem.
* Work toward the person's highest good. Make a way for both of you to win in the situation.
* Strike a compromise when you can't reach agreement on who should change.
Next time you're ready to "punch someone's lights out" over an irritation, think about this verse and yield your heart to the Lord.Ask Him to bring love and good deeds out of it. --Dennis Fisher
DESTINATION POINTS
* Who irritates me? How should I pray for them?
* What action shouldI take to address it?
LINKS
When Words Hurt
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb011/
When Anger Burns
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb942/
When Forgiveness Seems Impossible
http://www.discoveryseries.org/cb941/
bottom line: Irritation can lead to positive change.
soul journey
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Heaven's Supreme Court
Missey Butler
Have you ever given much thought to how you are going to score on the most important test of your life? I'm of course referring to the time we all stand before the living God to give an account of our lives. All right now, before you start shifting uncomfortably in your chair, or try to clear that spiritual lump in your throat, be assured that God has already provided the answers to our test even before we have to take it.
I used to display a bumper sticker on the back of my car that read "As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in school!" A rather funny thought to an age-old dilemma that we all seem to struggle with. So why all the uneasiness in regard to accountability?
As I began to research my topic, I became aware of my own feelings of trepidation--a kind of uncertain agitation that arises at the mention of "That Day" or what is sometimes referred to as "The Judgement."
It is appointed unto man, once to die, but after this, the judgement. (Hebrews 9:27)
The whole thing really began to puzzle me because of the obvious distinction since I am a born-again believer! That's right, one of those blood- washed, fire- baptized, redeemed- by- the- lamb, counted among "ones" whose life is supposed to be so grounded in the Word that nothing shakes or quakes me.
I decided to take the bull by the horns (or should I say devil by the horns). I wanted to settle any looming doubt that had mercilessly harassed me. I found myself shrinking back at the very thought of just how I would fare on that day.
I knew I had to take my case to the Supreme Court of Heaven. I could pose my questions directly to the honorable judge of the universe Himself. But I wisely confessed a hesitancy to step into His hallowed chambers without adequate counsel. I knew I was in need of an advocate.
If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (1 John 2:1)
I proceeded to seek the advice of the Clerk of Courts, The Holy Spirit, who reassured me that the decision had already been made. In my absence the case had been thoroughly deliberated by a well-known Attorney whose name is Jesus Christ. The outcome of that hearing was NOT GUILTY by reason of forgiveness! Hallelujah!
For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13,14)
The good news is that when we stand before God, WE WILL BE COMPLETE IN HIM! This means any sin we have ever committed will already be covered under his blood, long forgotten, and never to be brought up again. Instead, only the good things in our lives will be brought to light. Our Lord will be looking to recognize every prayer, every heart cry, every tear, and every groan of the Spirit. He will call to mind the cup of cold water given to the thirsty and the morsel of bread given to the hungry. He is going to bring every good deed out in the open.
God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. (Romans 2:6-7)
You may still ask, "How can we be sure that our bad works won't be held against us?" We have to keep in mind there will be two groups at the Judgement--sheep and goats. Each will appear separately. One group will be on the right (sheep) and one on the left (goats). This scene is described in Matthew 25:32-33. The bad deeds are to be accounted for by the unbelievers on the day of Judgement. This would probably be a good time to make sure you are recorded among the correct column of divine contrasts. For example:
A Believer - an Unbeliever
A Wheat - a Tare
A Wise Virgin - an Unwise Virgin
Walking the Narrow Path - Walking the Wide Path
As a child of ten, I was a gangly tomboy, who like clockwork, would drop whatever I was doing and race home at 4 p.m. to flop down in front of the black and white Zenith T.V. With my chin cradled by palms, I would gaze almost hypnotically at the popular series Dragnet, anxiously awaiting Detective Joe Friday to say with his famous stern voice, "Just the facts, ma'am." Even as an adult I'm still one who wants to know the facts, the bottom line, and the truth is, we will all be summoned before a Holy God one day to answer the charges.
My prayer is that we understand that our final plea will be "Innocent" of all charges because the precious atoning blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us of our sins! This message of truth is a wonderful anchor for my soul, and I pray it will be for you as well. As you stand before the great "I AM" on that awesome day, recognizing His eyes of love for you, then in front of the entire human race, He will reach out to embrace you as His bride.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)
God's "Summons to our Soul" is His calling us to a life of complete surrender to His Lordship! So when we stand on that grand and glorious day of reckoning, we will joyfully hear the words we longed for from our Master:
Well done, Thou good and faithful servant… (Matthew 25 :21a)
cbn
Missey Butler
Have you ever given much thought to how you are going to score on the most important test of your life? I'm of course referring to the time we all stand before the living God to give an account of our lives. All right now, before you start shifting uncomfortably in your chair, or try to clear that spiritual lump in your throat, be assured that God has already provided the answers to our test even before we have to take it.
I used to display a bumper sticker on the back of my car that read "As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in school!" A rather funny thought to an age-old dilemma that we all seem to struggle with. So why all the uneasiness in regard to accountability?
As I began to research my topic, I became aware of my own feelings of trepidation--a kind of uncertain agitation that arises at the mention of "That Day" or what is sometimes referred to as "The Judgement."
It is appointed unto man, once to die, but after this, the judgement. (Hebrews 9:27)
The whole thing really began to puzzle me because of the obvious distinction since I am a born-again believer! That's right, one of those blood- washed, fire- baptized, redeemed- by- the- lamb, counted among "ones" whose life is supposed to be so grounded in the Word that nothing shakes or quakes me.
I decided to take the bull by the horns (or should I say devil by the horns). I wanted to settle any looming doubt that had mercilessly harassed me. I found myself shrinking back at the very thought of just how I would fare on that day.
I knew I had to take my case to the Supreme Court of Heaven. I could pose my questions directly to the honorable judge of the universe Himself. But I wisely confessed a hesitancy to step into His hallowed chambers without adequate counsel. I knew I was in need of an advocate.
If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. (1 John 2:1)
I proceeded to seek the advice of the Clerk of Courts, The Holy Spirit, who reassured me that the decision had already been made. In my absence the case had been thoroughly deliberated by a well-known Attorney whose name is Jesus Christ. The outcome of that hearing was NOT GUILTY by reason of forgiveness! Hallelujah!
For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13,14)
The good news is that when we stand before God, WE WILL BE COMPLETE IN HIM! This means any sin we have ever committed will already be covered under his blood, long forgotten, and never to be brought up again. Instead, only the good things in our lives will be brought to light. Our Lord will be looking to recognize every prayer, every heart cry, every tear, and every groan of the Spirit. He will call to mind the cup of cold water given to the thirsty and the morsel of bread given to the hungry. He is going to bring every good deed out in the open.
God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. (Romans 2:6-7)
You may still ask, "How can we be sure that our bad works won't be held against us?" We have to keep in mind there will be two groups at the Judgement--sheep and goats. Each will appear separately. One group will be on the right (sheep) and one on the left (goats). This scene is described in Matthew 25:32-33. The bad deeds are to be accounted for by the unbelievers on the day of Judgement. This would probably be a good time to make sure you are recorded among the correct column of divine contrasts. For example:
A Believer - an Unbeliever
A Wheat - a Tare
A Wise Virgin - an Unwise Virgin
Walking the Narrow Path - Walking the Wide Path
As a child of ten, I was a gangly tomboy, who like clockwork, would drop whatever I was doing and race home at 4 p.m. to flop down in front of the black and white Zenith T.V. With my chin cradled by palms, I would gaze almost hypnotically at the popular series Dragnet, anxiously awaiting Detective Joe Friday to say with his famous stern voice, "Just the facts, ma'am." Even as an adult I'm still one who wants to know the facts, the bottom line, and the truth is, we will all be summoned before a Holy God one day to answer the charges.
My prayer is that we understand that our final plea will be "Innocent" of all charges because the precious atoning blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed us of our sins! This message of truth is a wonderful anchor for my soul, and I pray it will be for you as well. As you stand before the great "I AM" on that awesome day, recognizing His eyes of love for you, then in front of the entire human race, He will reach out to embrace you as His bride.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)
God's "Summons to our Soul" is His calling us to a life of complete surrender to His Lordship! So when we stand on that grand and glorious day of reckoning, we will joyfully hear the words we longed for from our Master:
Well done, Thou good and faithful servant… (Matthew 25 :21a)
cbn
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Purpose-Driven Heaven
John Fischer
How could it possibly be that God would give us a purpose driven life on earth only to get us into a purposeless life in heaven? And yet, if you’re training is anything like mine, this is the way heaven is often presented. What if we took the five great purposes for the church and looked at them in terms of our life together in eternity? What could we learn? A lot, I think.
For starters, worship is a no-brainer. Of course we will be doing that! Most of the biblical pictures of heaven have the saints and angels gathered around the throne worshiping God. In the same way, fellowship will be sweet. This is, in fact, the main reason we were created: we were an idea in the mind of God and we were made in His image so He could relate to us and us to Him, and then us to each other. And this fellowship will be enhanced by the removal of the barrier of sin. There will be nothing to hide; everything will be out in the open. We will know and be known.
But what about growth? How will we grow spiritually in heaven? Of course some of this is speculation, but I would imagine growth would come in the form of experiences and adventure in God’s vast universe. And I would venture to guess that universe wouldn’t be static, either.
And why not think that we will still be serving one another? Are we going to get to heaven so we can be served? Will we each have our own personal valet? Will the angels wait on us hand and foot? I would guess that we would just keep right on serving each other, only doing it perfectly and working together with the same gifts and the same interrelatedness we found on earth.
And even mission plays a role, if you believe that God’s work in the world continues into eternity. The way I learned it in Sunday school, it seemed that once we get to heaven, everything will be over. Nothing more to do. Does that sound like God—the God who doesn’t waste any of our experiences here on earth but uses everything to mature and perfect us? Is this all so we can sit around on clouds reminiscing?
“If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job… [He] will put that servant in charge of all he owns.” Luke 12:43-44 NLT
Don’t lose sight of the fact that the little things you do now will turn into big opportunities in eternity.
PDL
John Fischer
How could it possibly be that God would give us a purpose driven life on earth only to get us into a purposeless life in heaven? And yet, if you’re training is anything like mine, this is the way heaven is often presented. What if we took the five great purposes for the church and looked at them in terms of our life together in eternity? What could we learn? A lot, I think.
For starters, worship is a no-brainer. Of course we will be doing that! Most of the biblical pictures of heaven have the saints and angels gathered around the throne worshiping God. In the same way, fellowship will be sweet. This is, in fact, the main reason we were created: we were an idea in the mind of God and we were made in His image so He could relate to us and us to Him, and then us to each other. And this fellowship will be enhanced by the removal of the barrier of sin. There will be nothing to hide; everything will be out in the open. We will know and be known.
But what about growth? How will we grow spiritually in heaven? Of course some of this is speculation, but I would imagine growth would come in the form of experiences and adventure in God’s vast universe. And I would venture to guess that universe wouldn’t be static, either.
And why not think that we will still be serving one another? Are we going to get to heaven so we can be served? Will we each have our own personal valet? Will the angels wait on us hand and foot? I would guess that we would just keep right on serving each other, only doing it perfectly and working together with the same gifts and the same interrelatedness we found on earth.
And even mission plays a role, if you believe that God’s work in the world continues into eternity. The way I learned it in Sunday school, it seemed that once we get to heaven, everything will be over. Nothing more to do. Does that sound like God—the God who doesn’t waste any of our experiences here on earth but uses everything to mature and perfect us? Is this all so we can sit around on clouds reminiscing?
“If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job… [He] will put that servant in charge of all he owns.” Luke 12:43-44 NLT
Don’t lose sight of the fact that the little things you do now will turn into big opportunities in eternity.
PDL
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
Significance
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17
Many of us begin our careers with the goal of achieving success. If we haven't entered our work as a result of God's calling, we will eventually face a chasm of deep frustration and emptiness. Success flatters but does not provide a lasting sense of purpose and fulfillment. So often we enter careers with wrong motives-money, prestige and even pressure from parents or peers. Failing to match our work with our giftedness and calling is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. If that happens over an extended period, a person crashes.
At this time, many make another mistake. Workplace believers think that beginning a new career in "full-time Christian work" will fill the emptiness they feel. However, this only exacerbates the problem because they are again trying to put another square peg into a round hole. The problem is not whether we should be in "Christian work" or "secular work," but rather what work is inspired by gifts and calling. If thereis one phrase I wish I could remove from the English language it is"full-time Christian work." If you are a Christian, you are in full-time Christian work, whether you are driving nails or preaching the gospel.The question must be, are you achieving the God-given calling for yourlife? God has called people into business to fulfill His purposes just as much as He has called people to be pastors or missionaries.
It is time for workplace believers to stop feeling like second-class citizens for being in business. It is time workplace believers stop working toward financial independence so that they can concentrate on their "true spiritual calling." This is the great deception for those called to business.
Significance comes from fulfilling the God-given purpose for which you were made. Ask Him to confirm this in your own life.
today GOD is first
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us- yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17
Many of us begin our careers with the goal of achieving success. If we haven't entered our work as a result of God's calling, we will eventually face a chasm of deep frustration and emptiness. Success flatters but does not provide a lasting sense of purpose and fulfillment. So often we enter careers with wrong motives-money, prestige and even pressure from parents or peers. Failing to match our work with our giftedness and calling is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. If that happens over an extended period, a person crashes.
At this time, many make another mistake. Workplace believers think that beginning a new career in "full-time Christian work" will fill the emptiness they feel. However, this only exacerbates the problem because they are again trying to put another square peg into a round hole. The problem is not whether we should be in "Christian work" or "secular work," but rather what work is inspired by gifts and calling. If thereis one phrase I wish I could remove from the English language it is"full-time Christian work." If you are a Christian, you are in full-time Christian work, whether you are driving nails or preaching the gospel.The question must be, are you achieving the God-given calling for yourlife? God has called people into business to fulfill His purposes just as much as He has called people to be pastors or missionaries.
It is time for workplace believers to stop feeling like second-class citizens for being in business. It is time workplace believers stop working toward financial independence so that they can concentrate on their "true spiritual calling." This is the great deception for those called to business.
Significance comes from fulfilling the God-given purpose for which you were made. Ask Him to confirm this in your own life.
today GOD is first
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Sent Down
Read: Philippians 2:5-11
Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. —1 Peter 5:6
Bible In One Year: Ecclesiastes 7-9; 2 Corinthians 13
A sportswriter described former major league baseball player and manager Don Baylor as a person who always remembered how it felt to be "sent down" to the minor leagues. When one of his players had to be demoted, he would always meet with him to explain the decision. A team owner said of Baylor, "He has been through a lot of life lessons he can share with the players." It makes a big difference when the manager knows how a player feels.
It's always humbling to be reduced in rank, privilege, or responsibility. But these things may come as part of God's training in our lives. The apostle Peter wrote, "'God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (1 Peter 5:5-6).
The apostle Paul described Jesus as our example of humble submission to God. He was sent down from heaven to become a man—a "bondservant" who was obedient to the point of dying on the cross for our sins (Philippians 2:6-8).
Humility and submission to God are not signs of weakness but evidence of Christlike power and character. We can receive courage and strength from Jesus Himself, who knows how it feels to be "sent down." —David McCasland
Teach me to do the humble task
The very best I can,
And not to look for greater calls,
Which may oppose Thy plan. —Bernheisel
The mighty Architect of the universe became the humble Carpenter of Nazareth.
daily bread
Read: Philippians 2:5-11
Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. —1 Peter 5:6
Bible In One Year: Ecclesiastes 7-9; 2 Corinthians 13
A sportswriter described former major league baseball player and manager Don Baylor as a person who always remembered how it felt to be "sent down" to the minor leagues. When one of his players had to be demoted, he would always meet with him to explain the decision. A team owner said of Baylor, "He has been through a lot of life lessons he can share with the players." It makes a big difference when the manager knows how a player feels.
It's always humbling to be reduced in rank, privilege, or responsibility. But these things may come as part of God's training in our lives. The apostle Peter wrote, "'God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (1 Peter 5:5-6).
The apostle Paul described Jesus as our example of humble submission to God. He was sent down from heaven to become a man—a "bondservant" who was obedient to the point of dying on the cross for our sins (Philippians 2:6-8).
Humility and submission to God are not signs of weakness but evidence of Christlike power and character. We can receive courage and strength from Jesus Himself, who knows how it feels to be "sent down." —David McCasland
Teach me to do the humble task
The very best I can,
And not to look for greater calls,
Which may oppose Thy plan. —Bernheisel
The mighty Architect of the universe became the humble Carpenter of Nazareth.
daily bread
Monday, September 20, 2004
MAKING OTHERS WHOLE
James 5:13-20
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he hassinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayerof a righteous man is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a manjust like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Last week I visited a woman from our church who is a constant prisoner of pain. The doctors have done all they can, but barring a miracle from heaven she knows she will die soon. I ached for theright phrase or action to make her whole. I had none.
Deep inside each of us is a desire to be whole and to help others to be whole. James gave us practical insight on how this can happen. In chapter 5 he recommended this immediate response to brokenness in our world: continual prayer for wholeness. Like Paul in Ephesians 6:18, James encouraged believers to pray at all times and in all circumstances. "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray" (5:13).
Trouble is any kind of suffering or affliction in the believer's life. Trouble can cause you to feel as if death has its hands around your throat; as if you're living in the depths of the pit; as if you're hanging on to the last fiber of the rope of life; as if you are living in the inner dungeon with your hands and feet clamped tight in stocks.
The answer to brokenness is continual prayer for deliverance and for endurance. God can provide supernatural and divine deliverance.Think of Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and Silas.
Does God rescue when we pray for deliverance? I wish the story always ended that way for the follower of Jesus. But it doesn't. Sometimes suffering, trouble, and affliction are our constant companions. When God doesn't supernaturally intervene, He has promised us His grace to endure (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). I believe God allows us to be broken so that He can make us whole by His grace.
So I kneeled down beside my friend from church and prayed to God for supernatural intervention and deliverance. God is sovereign and I know He can deliver her.
But I also prayed to God for divine grace so that she can endure until she makes it Home--the ultimate place of wholeness (Revelation 21:3-4). --Marvin Williams
DESTINATION POINTS
* What is my first response to trouble? Why?
* How important hasprayer been to me lately?
* In what area of my life do I need topray for endurance instead of deliverance?
bottom line: Broken by trouble? Pray for wholeness.
soul journey
James 5:13-20
13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he hassinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayerof a righteous man is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a manjust like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Last week I visited a woman from our church who is a constant prisoner of pain. The doctors have done all they can, but barring a miracle from heaven she knows she will die soon. I ached for theright phrase or action to make her whole. I had none.
Deep inside each of us is a desire to be whole and to help others to be whole. James gave us practical insight on how this can happen. In chapter 5 he recommended this immediate response to brokenness in our world: continual prayer for wholeness. Like Paul in Ephesians 6:18, James encouraged believers to pray at all times and in all circumstances. "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray" (5:13).
Trouble is any kind of suffering or affliction in the believer's life. Trouble can cause you to feel as if death has its hands around your throat; as if you're living in the depths of the pit; as if you're hanging on to the last fiber of the rope of life; as if you are living in the inner dungeon with your hands and feet clamped tight in stocks.
The answer to brokenness is continual prayer for deliverance and for endurance. God can provide supernatural and divine deliverance.Think of Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and Silas.
Does God rescue when we pray for deliverance? I wish the story always ended that way for the follower of Jesus. But it doesn't. Sometimes suffering, trouble, and affliction are our constant companions. When God doesn't supernaturally intervene, He has promised us His grace to endure (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). I believe God allows us to be broken so that He can make us whole by His grace.
So I kneeled down beside my friend from church and prayed to God for supernatural intervention and deliverance. God is sovereign and I know He can deliver her.
But I also prayed to God for divine grace so that she can endure until she makes it Home--the ultimate place of wholeness (Revelation 21:3-4). --Marvin Williams
DESTINATION POINTS
* What is my first response to trouble? Why?
* How important hasprayer been to me lately?
* In what area of my life do I need topray for endurance instead of deliverance?
bottom line: Broken by trouble? Pray for wholeness.
soul journey
Sunday, September 19, 2004
When Worship is a "10"
John Fischer
How many different ways are there to worship God? Probably as many ways as there are people who worship Him, because worship is primarily a relationship shaped by who we are. Worship is the shape of your life lived in awareness of God. It is uniquely yours—a reflection of your personality, your gifts, your needs and your passions. Your worship has your own stamp on it.
We are so used to thinking of worship as a corporate, unified thing, that we reduce it to a shared experience of songs, liturgies, and orderly services. This, of course, is a part of worship, but it is not the whole thing. It isn’t even the half of it.
Worship is ultimately a state of mind. In its broadest sense, it is the totality of our relationship with God. It involves talking to Him, listening for Him, looking for Him behind the scenes of things. It is being aware of His presence and acknowledging and evaluating His purposes in all we do. It is chatting with Him—reacting to the world around us, and imagining His reaction. It is getting familiar with Him through His word so that we begin to know how He thinks and feels about things. It is, in its simplest form, a God-consciousness that permeates everything we do.
In an interview recently, a pastor asked me to put my relationship with God on a scale of one to ten—ten being warm, close and in fellowship. I thought about the apparent arrogance of putting this at a ten, but then I realized ten was the right answer, not because I had arrived at some superior spiritual status that warrants it, but because I live a life of such quiet desperation that I am constantly in relationship with God out of necessity. I am conscious of God all the time because I have to be or I fly apart at the center. I have nothing to hold onto without Him. I know myself well enough to know that if I am not living my relationship with God at a “ten,” I am living in some form of lie or denial. My need for Him is the bedrock truth of the matter.
If some of you find this alarming, then read the Psalms, because I have just described the essence of David’s sentiment as expressed in his prayers and poems. Over and over again, his soul cries out to God, he is in a dry and thirsty land, he waits patiently for the Lord, and the Lord hears Him and brings Him comfort.
You don’t have to be perfect to be a “10” in your relationship with God, holding on for dear life will also do the trick.
PDL
John Fischer
How many different ways are there to worship God? Probably as many ways as there are people who worship Him, because worship is primarily a relationship shaped by who we are. Worship is the shape of your life lived in awareness of God. It is uniquely yours—a reflection of your personality, your gifts, your needs and your passions. Your worship has your own stamp on it.
We are so used to thinking of worship as a corporate, unified thing, that we reduce it to a shared experience of songs, liturgies, and orderly services. This, of course, is a part of worship, but it is not the whole thing. It isn’t even the half of it.
Worship is ultimately a state of mind. In its broadest sense, it is the totality of our relationship with God. It involves talking to Him, listening for Him, looking for Him behind the scenes of things. It is being aware of His presence and acknowledging and evaluating His purposes in all we do. It is chatting with Him—reacting to the world around us, and imagining His reaction. It is getting familiar with Him through His word so that we begin to know how He thinks and feels about things. It is, in its simplest form, a God-consciousness that permeates everything we do.
In an interview recently, a pastor asked me to put my relationship with God on a scale of one to ten—ten being warm, close and in fellowship. I thought about the apparent arrogance of putting this at a ten, but then I realized ten was the right answer, not because I had arrived at some superior spiritual status that warrants it, but because I live a life of such quiet desperation that I am constantly in relationship with God out of necessity. I am conscious of God all the time because I have to be or I fly apart at the center. I have nothing to hold onto without Him. I know myself well enough to know that if I am not living my relationship with God at a “ten,” I am living in some form of lie or denial. My need for Him is the bedrock truth of the matter.
If some of you find this alarming, then read the Psalms, because I have just described the essence of David’s sentiment as expressed in his prayers and poems. Over and over again, his soul cries out to God, he is in a dry and thirsty land, he waits patiently for the Lord, and the Lord hears Him and brings Him comfort.
You don’t have to be perfect to be a “10” in your relationship with God, holding on for dear life will also do the trick.
PDL
Saturday, September 18, 2004
ARE YOU IN STYLE?
2 Samuel 6:12-2112 David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those whowere carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificeda bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the soundof trumpets. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City ofDavid, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. . . . 20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said,"How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobingin the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" 21 David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when heappointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel--I will celebratebefore the Lord.
"What style of worship does your church have?"
I knew what the woman was asking, but I decided to play dumb. "Oh, the regular kind," I said, "the one where we love God and praise Him."
"No, no," she persisted. "I mean, is it contemporary or traditional?" "Yes," I replied.
Someone interrupted our conversation, and I was left wondering, When did worship style become such a big deal?
I don't remember anyone talking about styles of worship when I was growing up. We just worshiped. Sometimes the morning service wascalled the "worship" service and Sunday evening was the "praise"service, but they didn't seem that different to me. We sang songs in both services, we prayed, we had special music, the pastor spoke from the Bible. Maybe the songs in the evening were a little more upbeat, but otherwise both services focused on one thing--God.
In 2 Samuel 6, we read how David upset his wife because of his style of worship--and the way he was dressed. When the ark of the covenant was finally returned from the house of Obed-Edom, Davidrejoiced--big-time. He "danced before the Lord with all his might" (v.14).
Styles do vary in the church. My sister Kathy, who was a missionaryin Africa for many years, told me that when her family visited a newchurch it never mattered if they didn't know the language. Theycould feel the sense of worship among the people. Sometimes thesinging was very different from what they had experienced in theStates, and dancing was an integral part of the service. But it allcommunicated a love for God.
Our brothers and sisters around the world have cultures andbackgrounds that move them to celebrate their love for God invarious ways. Is another's style of worship less acceptable in God'seyes than our own church's style?
It's not about what we think. It never was. It is and always will beabout what God thinks. --Cindy Kasper
DESTINATION POINTS
* What is my attitude about different worship styles?
* What kind ofworship is God looking for?
LINKS
What Is Worship?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0902/
Sparring Over Worship
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/worship/articles/le-7l1-7l1037.html
bottom line: Worship is about God, not me.
cbn
2 Samuel 6:12-2112 David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those whowere carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificeda bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the soundof trumpets. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City ofDavid, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. . . . 20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said,"How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobingin the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" 21 David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when heappointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel--I will celebratebefore the Lord.
"What style of worship does your church have?"
I knew what the woman was asking, but I decided to play dumb. "Oh, the regular kind," I said, "the one where we love God and praise Him."
"No, no," she persisted. "I mean, is it contemporary or traditional?" "Yes," I replied.
Someone interrupted our conversation, and I was left wondering, When did worship style become such a big deal?
I don't remember anyone talking about styles of worship when I was growing up. We just worshiped. Sometimes the morning service wascalled the "worship" service and Sunday evening was the "praise"service, but they didn't seem that different to me. We sang songs in both services, we prayed, we had special music, the pastor spoke from the Bible. Maybe the songs in the evening were a little more upbeat, but otherwise both services focused on one thing--God.
In 2 Samuel 6, we read how David upset his wife because of his style of worship--and the way he was dressed. When the ark of the covenant was finally returned from the house of Obed-Edom, Davidrejoiced--big-time. He "danced before the Lord with all his might" (v.14).
Styles do vary in the church. My sister Kathy, who was a missionaryin Africa for many years, told me that when her family visited a newchurch it never mattered if they didn't know the language. Theycould feel the sense of worship among the people. Sometimes thesinging was very different from what they had experienced in theStates, and dancing was an integral part of the service. But it allcommunicated a love for God.
Our brothers and sisters around the world have cultures andbackgrounds that move them to celebrate their love for God invarious ways. Is another's style of worship less acceptable in God'seyes than our own church's style?
It's not about what we think. It never was. It is and always will beabout what God thinks. --Cindy Kasper
DESTINATION POINTS
* What is my attitude about different worship styles?
* What kind ofworship is God looking for?
LINKS
What Is Worship?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0902/
Sparring Over Worship
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bcl/areas/worship/articles/le-7l1-7l1037.html
bottom line: Worship is about God, not me.
cbn
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Grace in an Unusual Place
Cathy Irvin
Recently, I went into an imports store with my great-granddaughter Destiny, who is 2 ½ years old. I told her to sit in her stroller because there were pretty things that might break. Did I think she understood? Not really, but I thought I could keep my eyes on everything, including those little hands. At any moment they might reach out to touch the pretty colored, fragile items sitting on shelves near her eye level.
I stopped to check something up high. It was a bottle with a drinking glass used as the top. As I reached for it, the one beside it fell off the shelf and the glass top smashed to the floor. Destiny began to draw attention to me by repeatedly saying "Gi-Gi broke, Gi-Gi broke."
I decided that I should buy the bottle with the broken top. A saleslady came over and said, “You certainly do not have to pay for this. It was an accident.”
I was startled at her statement but I said, “Ok, but I will buy one anyway. Again she said, “That is not necessary. I am glad that neither of you were cut.” I smiled and asked her to take the bottle to the counter so I could continue to shop.
Destiny saw some small pink glass balls that were now at her eye level. She calls them "baws" so I showed her one from the package. I told her to hold out her hand. With my hands around hers, she could feel it was not a rubber ball but a glass ball that might break. I thought that I was smart by teaching her about the feel of glass. She handed it back carefully and I opened the package to place it inside.
She grabbed another one and it fell to the floor. She cupped her hand over her mouth and pointed to it and said, "Broke." I told her, “Yes, but this time "Destiny broke." I was going to get the lady and noticed no one came running to the rescue. I picked out three more items and went to the register with my purchases. I told the lady I needed to leave now before anything else happened.
The two sales girls smiled, waved their hands, and said, “Don't worry about this. It's nothing.” They told me how glad they were to see such a cute little girl and that she was just adorable. I felt good in spite of a disastrous shopping adventure.
I realized God was showing me that sometimes when we mess up and don't always do everything right that He just smiles and says, “Child, it's ok. I will just sprinkle a little grace on the situation this time.”
II Corinthians 12:9 says,
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Some stores have a motto, “You break it, you buy it," so I felt like I had really received God's grace in the department store. I was able to purchase what I wanted not what I had to buy. I will shop there again because of their kindness. Maybe next time I will go by myself and pray that I don't drop anything.
Can you picture heaven like a department store? It's full of mercy and grace, and it is free.
Ephesians 1:6 says, “to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
cbn
Cathy Irvin
Recently, I went into an imports store with my great-granddaughter Destiny, who is 2 ½ years old. I told her to sit in her stroller because there were pretty things that might break. Did I think she understood? Not really, but I thought I could keep my eyes on everything, including those little hands. At any moment they might reach out to touch the pretty colored, fragile items sitting on shelves near her eye level.
I stopped to check something up high. It was a bottle with a drinking glass used as the top. As I reached for it, the one beside it fell off the shelf and the glass top smashed to the floor. Destiny began to draw attention to me by repeatedly saying "Gi-Gi broke, Gi-Gi broke."
I decided that I should buy the bottle with the broken top. A saleslady came over and said, “You certainly do not have to pay for this. It was an accident.”
I was startled at her statement but I said, “Ok, but I will buy one anyway. Again she said, “That is not necessary. I am glad that neither of you were cut.” I smiled and asked her to take the bottle to the counter so I could continue to shop.
Destiny saw some small pink glass balls that were now at her eye level. She calls them "baws" so I showed her one from the package. I told her to hold out her hand. With my hands around hers, she could feel it was not a rubber ball but a glass ball that might break. I thought that I was smart by teaching her about the feel of glass. She handed it back carefully and I opened the package to place it inside.
She grabbed another one and it fell to the floor. She cupped her hand over her mouth and pointed to it and said, "Broke." I told her, “Yes, but this time "Destiny broke." I was going to get the lady and noticed no one came running to the rescue. I picked out three more items and went to the register with my purchases. I told the lady I needed to leave now before anything else happened.
The two sales girls smiled, waved their hands, and said, “Don't worry about this. It's nothing.” They told me how glad they were to see such a cute little girl and that she was just adorable. I felt good in spite of a disastrous shopping adventure.
I realized God was showing me that sometimes when we mess up and don't always do everything right that He just smiles and says, “Child, it's ok. I will just sprinkle a little grace on the situation this time.”
II Corinthians 12:9 says,
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Some stores have a motto, “You break it, you buy it," so I felt like I had really received God's grace in the department store. I was able to purchase what I wanted not what I had to buy. I will shop there again because of their kindness. Maybe next time I will go by myself and pray that I don't drop anything.
Can you picture heaven like a department store? It's full of mercy and grace, and it is free.
Ephesians 1:6 says, “to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
cbn
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Led By The Spirit
Read: Romans 8:5-17
As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. —Romans 8:14
Bible In One Year: Proverbs 22-24; 2 Corinthians 8
As a young pastor during the 1940s, Francis Schaeffer was known for his organizational skill. A summer Bible school at his St. Louis church drew 700 children from all over the city and sparked a full-page story in the local newspaper. But when he and his wife began L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland, Schaeffer intentionally set no organizational goals.
He described this unusual approach as God's specific leading for them and said it was the hardest thing he had ever done. But he wanted God's hand to be seen and not the success of well-organized programs.
Schaeffer said, "It's a very hard thing in our own generation, it seems to me, to find anything that can't be explained on the basis of public relations. We'll look to the personal God to see what He wants to do with this work."
Paul said, "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14). This may apply to specific decisions, but it also speaks of a general approach to life. God's children should not attempt anything without the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Being led by the Spirit and following His direction is a walk of faith that brings honor to God and leads to life and peace (vv.6,13). —David McCasland
Led by the Spirit means yielding to Him
In all of the facets of life;
Trying to do all the work on your own
Leads to disorder and strife. —Hess
A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9
daily bread
Read: Romans 8:5-17
As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. —Romans 8:14
Bible In One Year: Proverbs 22-24; 2 Corinthians 8
As a young pastor during the 1940s, Francis Schaeffer was known for his organizational skill. A summer Bible school at his St. Louis church drew 700 children from all over the city and sparked a full-page story in the local newspaper. But when he and his wife began L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland, Schaeffer intentionally set no organizational goals.
He described this unusual approach as God's specific leading for them and said it was the hardest thing he had ever done. But he wanted God's hand to be seen and not the success of well-organized programs.
Schaeffer said, "It's a very hard thing in our own generation, it seems to me, to find anything that can't be explained on the basis of public relations. We'll look to the personal God to see what He wants to do with this work."
Paul said, "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14). This may apply to specific decisions, but it also speaks of a general approach to life. God's children should not attempt anything without the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Being led by the Spirit and following His direction is a walk of faith that brings honor to God and leads to life and peace (vv.6,13). —David McCasland
Led by the Spirit means yielding to Him
In all of the facets of life;
Trying to do all the work on your own
Leads to disorder and strife. —Hess
A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9
daily bread
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Arguments or Obedience
. . . the simplicity that is in Christ —2 Corinthians 11:3
Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will only think yourself into further wandering thoughts and more confusion. If there is something in your life upon which God has put His pressure, then obey Him in that matter. Bring all your "arguments and . . . every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" regarding the matter, and everything will become as clear as daylight to you ( 2 Corinthians 10:5 ). Your reasoning capacity will come later, but reasoning is not how we see. We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing (see Matthew 11:25 ).
Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear. Spiritual confusion can only be conquered through obedience. As soon as we obey, we have discernment. This is humiliating, because when we are confused we know that the reason lies in the state of our mind. But when our natural power of sight is devoted and submitted in obedience to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the very power by which we perceive God’s will, and our entire life is kept in simplicity.
my utmost for His highest
. . . the simplicity that is in Christ —2 Corinthians 11:3
Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will only think yourself into further wandering thoughts and more confusion. If there is something in your life upon which God has put His pressure, then obey Him in that matter. Bring all your "arguments and . . . every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" regarding the matter, and everything will become as clear as daylight to you ( 2 Corinthians 10:5 ). Your reasoning capacity will come later, but reasoning is not how we see. We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing (see Matthew 11:25 ).
Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear. Spiritual confusion can only be conquered through obedience. As soon as we obey, we have discernment. This is humiliating, because when we are confused we know that the reason lies in the state of our mind. But when our natural power of sight is devoted and submitted in obedience to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the very power by which we perceive God’s will, and our entire life is kept in simplicity.
my utmost for His highest
Monday, September 13, 2004
God of No Accidents
John Fischer
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. 2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT
Tomorrow is a day in infamy that has now joined a handful of other days where you can ask the question, “Where were you when you first heard about…” Depending on your age, you could insert JFK’s or Martin Luther King’s assassination there, or Pearl Harbor, or perhaps the Challenger space shuttle disaster. But most of us can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing three years ago tomorrow, the day we know now simply as 9/11.
According to a message I received recently via E-mail, there are a number of people who are grateful for what they were doing that day that made them late for work. From stopping for donuts, or getting stuck in traffic, or having a car that wouldn’t start, to spending extra time with a son’s first day in kindergarten, or answering that last telephone call instead of going out the door, every one of these people had a split-second decision or an aggravation that kept them from being at work on time at the World Trade Center in New York, September 11, 2001.
One man apparently was late to work because he stopped in at a drug store to buy a Band-Aid for his foot, which was smarting over a new pair of shoes. That is why he is alive today.
So now when you are stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone—all the little things that annoy you—think about how this may be exactly where God wants you to be at this very moment. It may even mean your life.
God is infinitely meticulous. He is aware of every detail of our lives, and is even working out His will in the midst of them. From our perspective, our lives are full of “accidents” and “coincidences.” God has no use for either of these words in His vocabulary.
So the next time your morning seems to be going wrong—you can't find the car keys, or you hit every traffic light red—remember that God has a plan that takes into account all these things. Every little detail, every breath you take, is a part of God’s knowledge about you today. It’s all about knowing and believing that there are bigger things at work in our lives than what we can see. God’s plans continue to go forward in spite of the unthinkable. Someday we will discover all the events of our lives woven into an intricate tapestry that brings nothing but glory to God.
Who knows what life’s little aggravations (or even its big ones) might mean for you today?
PDL
John Fischer
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. 2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT
Tomorrow is a day in infamy that has now joined a handful of other days where you can ask the question, “Where were you when you first heard about…” Depending on your age, you could insert JFK’s or Martin Luther King’s assassination there, or Pearl Harbor, or perhaps the Challenger space shuttle disaster. But most of us can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing three years ago tomorrow, the day we know now simply as 9/11.
According to a message I received recently via E-mail, there are a number of people who are grateful for what they were doing that day that made them late for work. From stopping for donuts, or getting stuck in traffic, or having a car that wouldn’t start, to spending extra time with a son’s first day in kindergarten, or answering that last telephone call instead of going out the door, every one of these people had a split-second decision or an aggravation that kept them from being at work on time at the World Trade Center in New York, September 11, 2001.
One man apparently was late to work because he stopped in at a drug store to buy a Band-Aid for his foot, which was smarting over a new pair of shoes. That is why he is alive today.
So now when you are stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone—all the little things that annoy you—think about how this may be exactly where God wants you to be at this very moment. It may even mean your life.
God is infinitely meticulous. He is aware of every detail of our lives, and is even working out His will in the midst of them. From our perspective, our lives are full of “accidents” and “coincidences.” God has no use for either of these words in His vocabulary.
So the next time your morning seems to be going wrong—you can't find the car keys, or you hit every traffic light red—remember that God has a plan that takes into account all these things. Every little detail, every breath you take, is a part of God’s knowledge about you today. It’s all about knowing and believing that there are bigger things at work in our lives than what we can see. God’s plans continue to go forward in spite of the unthinkable. Someday we will discover all the events of our lives woven into an intricate tapestry that brings nothing but glory to God.
Who knows what life’s little aggravations (or even its big ones) might mean for you today?
PDL
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Temporary Insanity
Bob Noebel
What thoughts go through your mind when you hear the phrase "temporary insanity?" If you are like me, you will think of an episode of Law and Order where a defendant pleads not guilty due to being temporarily "not of sound mind." Whatever they did, they were not responsible in their mind. They acted out of an uncontrollable impulse.
As Christians, we have tasted God's mercy and goodness, and have experienced joy, peace, healing, and protection from a loving Savior. How is it then that we can have "temporary insanity?" How can we possibly go back to something far less than we now have? Jeremiah 2:11 says, "... my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols."
How can sin, in the many forms it takes (lust, greed, pride, etc.), still have an occasional hold on the born-again, blood-bought life of a believer? After accepting Jesus as my Savior 25 years ago, you would think that I would know better.
I could use the apostle Paul as an excuse. In Romans 7:15 he wrote,
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
Paul was referring to the sinful nature within us which is constantly at war with our spirit. Unfortunately, he later explains that the Holy Spirit can give us the power to live a Godly life if we so desire. There goes that excuse. James puts the matter to rest in James 1:14.
...but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
Our own will is a determining factor in whether or not we will glorify our Father in heaven or ourselves.
As the father of two teenagers, I really do want to be a Godly example in their lives. It will take sacrifice and commitment. It will mean staying in the Word, praying, being a part of a local body of believers who share the same desire, fulfilling the ministries He has given me, and using the gifts God has given me.
No one ever said that being a Christian would be easy, but God promised that He would never leave us or forsake us. He has always kept His Word and now it's time for me to keep mine.
Perhaps you will consider doing the same thing. God could use a mighty army of men and women moving out in the giftings and callings He has placed deep within us.
cbn
Bob Noebel
What thoughts go through your mind when you hear the phrase "temporary insanity?" If you are like me, you will think of an episode of Law and Order where a defendant pleads not guilty due to being temporarily "not of sound mind." Whatever they did, they were not responsible in their mind. They acted out of an uncontrollable impulse.
As Christians, we have tasted God's mercy and goodness, and have experienced joy, peace, healing, and protection from a loving Savior. How is it then that we can have "temporary insanity?" How can we possibly go back to something far less than we now have? Jeremiah 2:11 says, "... my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols."
How can sin, in the many forms it takes (lust, greed, pride, etc.), still have an occasional hold on the born-again, blood-bought life of a believer? After accepting Jesus as my Savior 25 years ago, you would think that I would know better.
I could use the apostle Paul as an excuse. In Romans 7:15 he wrote,
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
Paul was referring to the sinful nature within us which is constantly at war with our spirit. Unfortunately, he later explains that the Holy Spirit can give us the power to live a Godly life if we so desire. There goes that excuse. James puts the matter to rest in James 1:14.
...but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
Our own will is a determining factor in whether or not we will glorify our Father in heaven or ourselves.
As the father of two teenagers, I really do want to be a Godly example in their lives. It will take sacrifice and commitment. It will mean staying in the Word, praying, being a part of a local body of believers who share the same desire, fulfilling the ministries He has given me, and using the gifts God has given me.
No one ever said that being a Christian would be easy, but God promised that He would never leave us or forsake us. He has always kept His Word and now it's time for me to keep mine.
Perhaps you will consider doing the same thing. God could use a mighty army of men and women moving out in the giftings and callings He has placed deep within us.
cbn
Saturday, September 11, 2004
Limitless!
Gail Casteen
What if we lived life without limits? I don't mean without boundaries, but without LIMITS!
If we are living a life of confinement and limitation, we should ask ourselves, "how did it happen?" The Bible talks about what we CAN do, not what we CANNOT do! But haven't we (Christians) made it that way? We have misunderstood or misused His Word to create limits on our lives. It's as if we have restricted the very life Jesus lived, died, and lives again to provide!
I used to watch my tiny son run and play. He knew his boundaries (stay in the yard) but he knew no limits. He was too young to understand why he had scars running from his throat down past his manmade 'belly button.' He was not even aware they existed … the scars were normal for him. He was not aware that he was born with an open heart and an open abdomen.
He knew he loved to run, and run he did! The fact that he had three abdominal surgeries, open-heart surgery, and four emergency hospitalizations in his first year of life did not stop him. In his mind, there were no limits.
How like God to create us that way. We ALL have scars of some sort. It is sad to say, but physical scars and emotional scars are part of life. On the up side of that, scars are stronger than the wounded area was originally.
That is why, for Christ's sake, we should delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
We do not have to be limited by our scars, nor do we have to be limited by what we THINK God is telling us that we cannot or should not do.
When I was a kid, I made up a game called 'What if?' It went something like this … What if I could fly? Then I could see the WHOLE world! What if I could run forever? Then I could visit every state in the contiguous 48! What if I didn't have to take the time to sleep or eat? Then I could get so many more things accomplished. When you take a good look at it, I was saying, "What if I did not have any limits?" My "then" side of the equation would be, I can life to the max!"
My question is this, "in what way has God limited us?"
He gave us His love. He gave us His Son to pay the way for us. And He gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to live out our lives doing His will. Where are the limits? We have the permission, the ticket, and the power to take the trip. So let's GO!
Let's live motivated purely by His Love. Let's walk the paths of our lives directed by His eye. Let's overrule fear, guilt, and doubt by heeding His voice. Let's allow Him to teach us how to conduct our lives on His terms. He has empowered us to accomplish what is good and right and lovely. Let's get His perspective and run with it.
It makes sense to live within the boundaries He sets for our safety and well being. But what if we took the limits off our love? What if we weren't so guarded in our relationships? What if we weren't afraid of failure or of success? What if we tapped into His wisdom? What if we were instantly obedient to His prompting? What if we shared an encouraging word with a hurting person? What if we dared pray for someone's healing even though we didn't feel like we had the faith? The list is endless isn't it?
With complete abandon, God has given us life beyond measure. Jesus said it. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36) He was anointed to "preach good news to the poor." He was sent to "proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19) If we live unlimited lives, wouldn't it stand to reason that others would be impacted and changed?
I clearly remember those days when my son ran to his heart's content. He is sixteen now, and he is my constant reminder that we serve a God who has given us limitless access to Him. He has empowered us with His Spirit to live life beyond limits.
cbn
Gail Casteen
What if we lived life without limits? I don't mean without boundaries, but without LIMITS!
If we are living a life of confinement and limitation, we should ask ourselves, "how did it happen?" The Bible talks about what we CAN do, not what we CANNOT do! But haven't we (Christians) made it that way? We have misunderstood or misused His Word to create limits on our lives. It's as if we have restricted the very life Jesus lived, died, and lives again to provide!
I used to watch my tiny son run and play. He knew his boundaries (stay in the yard) but he knew no limits. He was too young to understand why he had scars running from his throat down past his manmade 'belly button.' He was not even aware they existed … the scars were normal for him. He was not aware that he was born with an open heart and an open abdomen.
He knew he loved to run, and run he did! The fact that he had three abdominal surgeries, open-heart surgery, and four emergency hospitalizations in his first year of life did not stop him. In his mind, there were no limits.
How like God to create us that way. We ALL have scars of some sort. It is sad to say, but physical scars and emotional scars are part of life. On the up side of that, scars are stronger than the wounded area was originally.
That is why, for Christ's sake, we should delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
We do not have to be limited by our scars, nor do we have to be limited by what we THINK God is telling us that we cannot or should not do.
When I was a kid, I made up a game called 'What if?' It went something like this … What if I could fly? Then I could see the WHOLE world! What if I could run forever? Then I could visit every state in the contiguous 48! What if I didn't have to take the time to sleep or eat? Then I could get so many more things accomplished. When you take a good look at it, I was saying, "What if I did not have any limits?" My "then" side of the equation would be, I can life to the max!"
My question is this, "in what way has God limited us?"
He gave us His love. He gave us His Son to pay the way for us. And He gave us His Holy Spirit to empower us to live out our lives doing His will. Where are the limits? We have the permission, the ticket, and the power to take the trip. So let's GO!
Let's live motivated purely by His Love. Let's walk the paths of our lives directed by His eye. Let's overrule fear, guilt, and doubt by heeding His voice. Let's allow Him to teach us how to conduct our lives on His terms. He has empowered us to accomplish what is good and right and lovely. Let's get His perspective and run with it.
It makes sense to live within the boundaries He sets for our safety and well being. But what if we took the limits off our love? What if we weren't so guarded in our relationships? What if we weren't afraid of failure or of success? What if we tapped into His wisdom? What if we were instantly obedient to His prompting? What if we shared an encouraging word with a hurting person? What if we dared pray for someone's healing even though we didn't feel like we had the faith? The list is endless isn't it?
With complete abandon, God has given us life beyond measure. Jesus said it. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36) He was anointed to "preach good news to the poor." He was sent to "proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19) If we live unlimited lives, wouldn't it stand to reason that others would be impacted and changed?
I clearly remember those days when my son ran to his heart's content. He is sixteen now, and he is my constant reminder that we serve a God who has given us limitless access to Him. He has empowered us with His Spirit to live life beyond limits.
cbn
Thursday, September 09, 2004
Unfamiliar Roads
Read: Psalm 119:105-112
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path. —Psalm 27:11
Bible In One Year: Proverbs 6-7; 2 Corinthians 2
Trouble often lies ahead when we go down unfamiliar roads.
I know a teenager who decided to take a different way to work one morning. As he tried to navigate unfamiliar city streets, he went through an intersection without seeing the red octagonal sign that said Stop.
Within a few seconds, he did stop, but not for a stop sign. He was pulled over by a helpful gentleman in a police car, who reminded him that he should have stopped. It cost him $80 to learn about unfamiliar roads.
What would have happened if a guide had accompanied this young driver? What if someone had been next to him to tell him which way to go and to alert him to danger ahead? He wouldn't be out the $80, that's for sure.
In life, we often have to walk down unfamiliar paths—paths that may feel threatening. So how do we do that without making costly mistakes?
We take Someone along who knows the way. The psalmist recognized that Guide when he wrote, "Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness . . . make Your way straight before my face" (Psalm 5:8).
Does your path today seem unfamiliar? Ask your Father to travel the road with you. —Dave Branon
Take Jesus with you as your faithful guide,
You cannot fail when He is at your side;
You may encounter trouble on life's road,
But He will help to lift your heavy load. —Hess
The Spirit within us will faithfully guide us.
daily bread
Read: Psalm 119:105-112
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path. —Psalm 27:11
Bible In One Year: Proverbs 6-7; 2 Corinthians 2
Trouble often lies ahead when we go down unfamiliar roads.
I know a teenager who decided to take a different way to work one morning. As he tried to navigate unfamiliar city streets, he went through an intersection without seeing the red octagonal sign that said Stop.
Within a few seconds, he did stop, but not for a stop sign. He was pulled over by a helpful gentleman in a police car, who reminded him that he should have stopped. It cost him $80 to learn about unfamiliar roads.
What would have happened if a guide had accompanied this young driver? What if someone had been next to him to tell him which way to go and to alert him to danger ahead? He wouldn't be out the $80, that's for sure.
In life, we often have to walk down unfamiliar paths—paths that may feel threatening. So how do we do that without making costly mistakes?
We take Someone along who knows the way. The psalmist recognized that Guide when he wrote, "Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness . . . make Your way straight before my face" (Psalm 5:8).
Does your path today seem unfamiliar? Ask your Father to travel the road with you. —Dave Branon
Take Jesus with you as your faithful guide,
You cannot fail when He is at your side;
You may encounter trouble on life's road,
But He will help to lift your heavy load. —Hess
The Spirit within us will faithfully guide us.
daily bread
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Exodus 1:7-137 The Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and becameexceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor. . . . 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. . . . Exodus 2:23-2523 The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Exodus 1:7-137 The Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and becameexceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor. . . . 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. . . . Exodus 2:23-2523 The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.DOES GOD REALLY CARE? Have you ever felt that God had forgotten about you? I suppose His covenant people, Israel, felt that way when they didn't hear from Him.At the beginning of the book of Exodus, we see the Israelites bent over from the back-breaking servitude of Egyptian bondage. For the first two chapters, heaven is silent. The people were being severely mistreated, and their groans and cries went up to God. When we feel as if God has forgotten about us in our trouble, and our pain is too deep for words, we should remind ourselves of His faithfulness. His faithful character is communicated in several ways:God hears. Although He wasn't speaking during that time, He was there. God hears the deepest sigh and the unutterable sounds of agony in our heart right now. God remembers. When He heard Israel's groans, He remembered His covenant. Another way of saying this is that the time was right for Him to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham (Genesis 12; 15; 17). When God promises something, He will fulfill it in His own time. God sees. He sees obvious pain. I believe He also sees the painbehind the pain. He sees the private persecutions of your heart. He sees and He is ready to respond with compassion and redemption. God knows. His knowledge of the Israelites' plight was more thanintellectual assent. It was an intimate understanding. He knew it was time to raise up a deliverer (Moses) to redeem His people, and He knew it was time to disclose more of Himself to them (Exodus 34:6-7). God heard our groaning as well--underneath the servitude of sin. He remembered His love for us. He saw that we couldn't save ourselves. He knew it was time to send Someone who could enter this painful world, reveal to us the depth of His love, and deliver us from the bondage of sin (John 1:14; 3:16-17). He sent a Deliverer. He sent Jesus. --Marvin WilliamsDESTINATION POINTS* When do I feel as if God has forgotten about me? * How will Iremind myself of God's faithfulness this week? * I will spend a few moments today thanking God for Jesus. LINKSKnowing God Through Exodushttp://www.discoveryseries.org/sb112/bottom line: Jesus is the depth of God's love.
DOES GOD REALLY CARE?
Exodus 1:7-137
The Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor. . . . 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. . . .
Exodus 2:23-2523
The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Have you ever felt that God had forgotten about you? I suppose His covenant people, Israel, felt that way when they didn't hear from Him.
At the beginning of the book of Exodus, we see the Israelites bent over from the back-breaking servitude of Egyptian bondage. For the first two chapters, heaven is silent. The people were being severely mistreated, and their groans and cries went up to God.
When we feel as if God has forgotten about us in our trouble, and our pain is too deep for words, we should remind ourselves of His faithfulness. His faithful character is communicated in several ways:
God hears. Although He wasn't speaking during that time, He was there. God hears the deepest sigh and the unutterable sounds of agony in our heart right now.
God remembers. When He heard Israel's groans, He remembered His covenant. Another way of saying this is that the time was right for Him to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham (Genesis 12; 15; 17). When God promises something, He will fulfill it in His own time.
God sees. He sees obvious pain. I believe He also sees the painbehind the pain. He sees the private persecutions of your heart. He sees and He is ready to respond with compassion and redemption.
God knows. His knowledge of the Israelites' plight was more than intellectual assent. It was an intimate understanding. He knew it was time to raise up a deliverer (Moses) to redeem His people, and He knew it was time to disclose more of Himself to them (Exodus 34:6-7).
God heard our groaning as well--underneath the servitude of sin. He remembered His love for us. He saw that we couldn't save ourselves. He knew it was time to send Someone who could enter this painful world, reveal to us the depth of His love, and deliver us from the bondage of sin (John 1:14; 3:16-17).
He sent a Deliverer. He sent Jesus. --Marvin Williams
DESTINATION POINTS
* When do I feel as if God has forgotten about me?
* How will Iremind myself of God's faithfulness this week?
* I will spend a few moments today thanking God for Jesus.
LINKS
Knowing God Through Exodus
http://www.discoveryseries.org/sb112/
bottom line: Jesus is the depth of God's love.
soul journey
Exodus 1:7-137
The Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country." 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor. . . . 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. . . .
Exodus 2:23-2523
The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Have you ever felt that God had forgotten about you? I suppose His covenant people, Israel, felt that way when they didn't hear from Him.
At the beginning of the book of Exodus, we see the Israelites bent over from the back-breaking servitude of Egyptian bondage. For the first two chapters, heaven is silent. The people were being severely mistreated, and their groans and cries went up to God.
When we feel as if God has forgotten about us in our trouble, and our pain is too deep for words, we should remind ourselves of His faithfulness. His faithful character is communicated in several ways:
God hears. Although He wasn't speaking during that time, He was there. God hears the deepest sigh and the unutterable sounds of agony in our heart right now.
God remembers. When He heard Israel's groans, He remembered His covenant. Another way of saying this is that the time was right for Him to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham (Genesis 12; 15; 17). When God promises something, He will fulfill it in His own time.
God sees. He sees obvious pain. I believe He also sees the painbehind the pain. He sees the private persecutions of your heart. He sees and He is ready to respond with compassion and redemption.
God knows. His knowledge of the Israelites' plight was more than intellectual assent. It was an intimate understanding. He knew it was time to raise up a deliverer (Moses) to redeem His people, and He knew it was time to disclose more of Himself to them (Exodus 34:6-7).
God heard our groaning as well--underneath the servitude of sin. He remembered His love for us. He saw that we couldn't save ourselves. He knew it was time to send Someone who could enter this painful world, reveal to us the depth of His love, and deliver us from the bondage of sin (John 1:14; 3:16-17).
He sent a Deliverer. He sent Jesus. --Marvin Williams
DESTINATION POINTS
* When do I feel as if God has forgotten about me?
* How will Iremind myself of God's faithfulness this week?
* I will spend a few moments today thanking God for Jesus.
LINKS
Knowing God Through Exodus
http://www.discoveryseries.org/sb112/
bottom line: Jesus is the depth of God's love.
soul journey
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Yes. Yes! YES! IT DOES!
Today's scripture is 2 Corinthians 4:3-4"If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
Since God doesn't save anyone against their will, does it really do any good to pray for people who consciously refuse to receive Jesus as Lord?
You see, in spite of the fact that most all unbelievers who have purposely refused to receive Jesus as Lord think they've made that decision of their own free will, the truth is, they haven't. The Word of God says they've been blinded by Satan. He's blocking their perception of the truth. So their decision hasn't been freely made at all.
That's important for you to grasp. Because through the prayer of intercession, you can interfere with the satanic forces and help take those blinders off! You can also change circumstances with your prayers and help create situations that will bring them in contact with the Lord. You're well within your spiritual rights when you do that.
I prayed with a friend of mine once who'd been praying for his lost brother for years. Jesus said in Matthew 12:29 to first bind the strong man and then enter his house and spoil his goods. So we said, "You spirit blinding the eyes of ______________, you stop what you are doing to keep him out of the kingdom of God. In Jesus' Name, you stop NOW!"
Jesus also said in Matthew 9:38, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." So we prayed, "Lord, send someone to ____________ with the Word of God. You know who he will listen to. We claim _____________ for the kingdom of God. We believe we receive his salvation and deliverance. In faith we praise You for it."
In almost no time at all his brother called him. "What have you been doing up there?" he asked. "In the past few days, everybody I've come across has started preaching to me!"
Our prayers had interfered with the forces Satan had been using to blind this man to Jesus and created the circumstances to bring him into the kingdom. Sure enough, within a few days, he was born again.Use this same prayer for your loved ones and believe when you pray and you'll see the same results.
Don't sit by and let the devil take your friends and loved ones without a fight. Pray. Pray! PRAY! Come against the "god of this world." Take off the blinders and open their eyes to the glorious gospel of God.
bible shack
Today's scripture is 2 Corinthians 4:3-4"If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
Since God doesn't save anyone against their will, does it really do any good to pray for people who consciously refuse to receive Jesus as Lord?
You see, in spite of the fact that most all unbelievers who have purposely refused to receive Jesus as Lord think they've made that decision of their own free will, the truth is, they haven't. The Word of God says they've been blinded by Satan. He's blocking their perception of the truth. So their decision hasn't been freely made at all.
That's important for you to grasp. Because through the prayer of intercession, you can interfere with the satanic forces and help take those blinders off! You can also change circumstances with your prayers and help create situations that will bring them in contact with the Lord. You're well within your spiritual rights when you do that.
I prayed with a friend of mine once who'd been praying for his lost brother for years. Jesus said in Matthew 12:29 to first bind the strong man and then enter his house and spoil his goods. So we said, "You spirit blinding the eyes of ______________, you stop what you are doing to keep him out of the kingdom of God. In Jesus' Name, you stop NOW!"
Jesus also said in Matthew 9:38, "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." So we prayed, "Lord, send someone to ____________ with the Word of God. You know who he will listen to. We claim _____________ for the kingdom of God. We believe we receive his salvation and deliverance. In faith we praise You for it."
In almost no time at all his brother called him. "What have you been doing up there?" he asked. "In the past few days, everybody I've come across has started preaching to me!"
Our prayers had interfered with the forces Satan had been using to blind this man to Jesus and created the circumstances to bring him into the kingdom. Sure enough, within a few days, he was born again.Use this same prayer for your loved ones and believe when you pray and you'll see the same results.
Don't sit by and let the devil take your friends and loved ones without a fight. Pray. Pray! PRAY! Come against the "god of this world." Take off the blinders and open their eyes to the glorious gospel of God.
bible shack
Monday, September 06, 2004
HOW AM I DOING?
Psalm 139:1-241 O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. 2 You know when Is it and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 Youdiscern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. . . . 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. . . . 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Former mayor Ed Koch was known for asking this question of the citizens of New York City: "How am I doing?" People who voted for him may have told him: "Great job. I like what you're doing." Others may have said, "Whatta ya doin'? You must be crazy!"
It's a good question to ask--especially if you are a follower of Jesus. "How am I doing spiritually?" Evaluating our lives is always a helpful thing to do. After all, you have a physical checkup, a car checkup . . . how about a spiritual checkup?
Diagnosis: After studying your x-ray, I see some unconfessed sin in your life. Have you been exercising your spiritual gifts lately? You need to make that a part of your regular routine. You have are curring problem of envy. You have a slight case of gossip but I can see that's clearing up. I detect just a little node of lying. You'd better cut that out before it spreads. And, is it true that you are still experiencing that old nagging pain of doubt? Well, I believe further tests are called for. I'm afraid that they're not totally pain-free.
Friends can be helpful in evaluating how we're doing. "Consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24). As followers of Jesus, we want to help each other stay on track.
Of course, the most important key to having a spiritually healthy life is to know the One who knows me intimately. Pray as thepsalmist did, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).
A final step: "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord" (Lamentations 3:40). Mayor Koch wasn't just looking for kudos when he asked how he was doing. He wanted to know what he could or should change. And that kind of attitude is the first step toward becoming healthy in Jesus. --Cindy Kasper
DESTINATION POINTS
* Am I living a life worthy of Jesus every day? Is there anything inmy life that God finds offensive?
* What would I put on a personal spiritual checklist to regularly monitor how I'm doing in my walkwith Jesus?
LINKS
How Do You Live The Christian Life?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0702/
bottom line: A healthy spiritual life requires consistency.
soul journey
Psalm 139:1-241 O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. 2 You know when Is it and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 Youdiscern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. . . . 11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. . . . 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Former mayor Ed Koch was known for asking this question of the citizens of New York City: "How am I doing?" People who voted for him may have told him: "Great job. I like what you're doing." Others may have said, "Whatta ya doin'? You must be crazy!"
It's a good question to ask--especially if you are a follower of Jesus. "How am I doing spiritually?" Evaluating our lives is always a helpful thing to do. After all, you have a physical checkup, a car checkup . . . how about a spiritual checkup?
Diagnosis: After studying your x-ray, I see some unconfessed sin in your life. Have you been exercising your spiritual gifts lately? You need to make that a part of your regular routine. You have are curring problem of envy. You have a slight case of gossip but I can see that's clearing up. I detect just a little node of lying. You'd better cut that out before it spreads. And, is it true that you are still experiencing that old nagging pain of doubt? Well, I believe further tests are called for. I'm afraid that they're not totally pain-free.
Friends can be helpful in evaluating how we're doing. "Consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24). As followers of Jesus, we want to help each other stay on track.
Of course, the most important key to having a spiritually healthy life is to know the One who knows me intimately. Pray as thepsalmist did, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).
A final step: "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord" (Lamentations 3:40). Mayor Koch wasn't just looking for kudos when he asked how he was doing. He wanted to know what he could or should change. And that kind of attitude is the first step toward becoming healthy in Jesus. --Cindy Kasper
DESTINATION POINTS
* Am I living a life worthy of Jesus every day? Is there anything inmy life that God finds offensive?
* What would I put on a personal spiritual checklist to regularly monitor how I'm doing in my walkwith Jesus?
LINKS
How Do You Live The Christian Life?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0702/
bottom line: A healthy spiritual life requires consistency.
soul journey
Sunday, September 05, 2004
Guilty as Charged
John Fischer
Jesus once set a guilty woman free from her accusers by showing that the people who were judging her were just as guilty of sin as she was. “All right, stone her,” He said to the religious leaders who were ready with stones in hand, to deliver the judgment she indeed deserved. “But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!” John 8:7 NLT
This incident shows us something very important about our purpose as Christians living in a world of sinners. Our job is not to pass judgment on sinners, but to identify with them. The Pharisees and religious leaders were trying to separate themselves from this sinful woman they had found in the act of committing adultery. By judging her they were going to be able to feel much better about themselves. Jesus put a stop to their little charade by putting them in the same boat with the woman they were accusing. They were just as guilty.
It is so tempting to think, especially after being a Christian for a while and spending a lot of time around Christians, that you are better than other people. You start to separate yourself from sinners, forgetting it was your sin that brought you to Christ in the first place. I know this because I’m so good at it.
The gospel comes best from people who identify with the sins of others, because they have become so familiar with their own sins. It is noted in the account that as the self-righteous leaders were convicted by the presence of sin in their own lives, “they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest.” John 8:9 NLT That makes sense. The oldest should be the ones most aware of their own sinfulness. There comes a time in your life when you can’t fool yourself anymore. There were probably a few young, arrogant idealists who hung on as long as possible, but even they had to finally give in to the truth about their own guilt.
The proliferation of both spoken and unspoken judgment found primarily within us, the Church, has forced many into the world, unarmed and without knowing a Christian friend and mutual sinner. We are constantly trying to separate ourselves from a world that Jesus wants us in. Not only that, He wants us to see our own sin and not make such a big fuss over everyone else’s. Our sin is our connection with our neighbor, our salvation is our hope, and the good news of the gospel is our message.
People can spot a mile away the hypocrisy of the gospel of forgiveness of sin coming from someone who thinks he himself doesn’t need it.
PDL
John Fischer
Jesus once set a guilty woman free from her accusers by showing that the people who were judging her were just as guilty of sin as she was. “All right, stone her,” He said to the religious leaders who were ready with stones in hand, to deliver the judgment she indeed deserved. “But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!” John 8:7 NLT
This incident shows us something very important about our purpose as Christians living in a world of sinners. Our job is not to pass judgment on sinners, but to identify with them. The Pharisees and religious leaders were trying to separate themselves from this sinful woman they had found in the act of committing adultery. By judging her they were going to be able to feel much better about themselves. Jesus put a stop to their little charade by putting them in the same boat with the woman they were accusing. They were just as guilty.
It is so tempting to think, especially after being a Christian for a while and spending a lot of time around Christians, that you are better than other people. You start to separate yourself from sinners, forgetting it was your sin that brought you to Christ in the first place. I know this because I’m so good at it.
The gospel comes best from people who identify with the sins of others, because they have become so familiar with their own sins. It is noted in the account that as the self-righteous leaders were convicted by the presence of sin in their own lives, “they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest.” John 8:9 NLT That makes sense. The oldest should be the ones most aware of their own sinfulness. There comes a time in your life when you can’t fool yourself anymore. There were probably a few young, arrogant idealists who hung on as long as possible, but even they had to finally give in to the truth about their own guilt.
The proliferation of both spoken and unspoken judgment found primarily within us, the Church, has forced many into the world, unarmed and without knowing a Christian friend and mutual sinner. We are constantly trying to separate ourselves from a world that Jesus wants us in. Not only that, He wants us to see our own sin and not make such a big fuss over everyone else’s. Our sin is our connection with our neighbor, our salvation is our hope, and the good news of the gospel is our message.
People can spot a mile away the hypocrisy of the gospel of forgiveness of sin coming from someone who thinks he himself doesn’t need it.
PDL
Saturday, September 04, 2004
Servant Material
John Fischer
One of the prerequisites for being a servant of God is to think like a servant. This would be fine if it wasn’t so hard. We are all naturally wired to think only of ourselves.
Learning to give preference to others is one of the true marks of a Christian because it is so contrary to human nature. That’s why desiring it comes from God, and doing it comes through the Holy Spirit.
Paul said of Timothy: “I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares for your welfare. All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ.” Philippians 2:20, 21 NLT
Hidden in these verses is the secret to making an attitude of servanthood a part of your thinking. It starts with Jesus. When you fall in love with Jesus, you focus on Him and worship Him. As you do this, you find out about Him—you get to know Him as you would a friend—and soon you come to know what matters to Him, until finally, you start to realize that what matters to Him, matters to you. This is not just a factor of familiarity either. There is a supernatural element at work here as well. What matters to Jesus connects with the Holy Spirit in you, and the Spirit answers from deep inside you to the call of truth.
Other people mattered deeply to Jesus. He could read their hurt and pain. Scripture says He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Well where did that grief and sorrow come from if it didn’t come from the suffering of people around Him? In other words, He was carrying their grief. He was empathizing with their sorrow. Once a woman touched him in a desperate need to be healed, and He could feel the compassionate power go from Him even though He didn’t see who touched Him in the press of the crowd. He was that sensitive to the needs of those around Him.
Now truly, thinking like a servant doesn’t automatically make you one, but it goes a long way toward getting you there. If you are thinking like a servant, you are noticing others; and the more you are aware of others, the more the Holy Spirit can use you in reaching out to them. All this increases the opportunity for the gospel; people are simply not used to being served.
Take it from me, a guy who is not by any stretch servant material, it’s actually a relief to get off my most popular subject—me—and on to someone else. Ask God to help you think like a servant today, and who knows? Maybe you’ll get a chance to be one.
PDL
John Fischer
One of the prerequisites for being a servant of God is to think like a servant. This would be fine if it wasn’t so hard. We are all naturally wired to think only of ourselves.
Learning to give preference to others is one of the true marks of a Christian because it is so contrary to human nature. That’s why desiring it comes from God, and doing it comes through the Holy Spirit.
Paul said of Timothy: “I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares for your welfare. All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ.” Philippians 2:20, 21 NLT
Hidden in these verses is the secret to making an attitude of servanthood a part of your thinking. It starts with Jesus. When you fall in love with Jesus, you focus on Him and worship Him. As you do this, you find out about Him—you get to know Him as you would a friend—and soon you come to know what matters to Him, until finally, you start to realize that what matters to Him, matters to you. This is not just a factor of familiarity either. There is a supernatural element at work here as well. What matters to Jesus connects with the Holy Spirit in you, and the Spirit answers from deep inside you to the call of truth.
Other people mattered deeply to Jesus. He could read their hurt and pain. Scripture says He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Well where did that grief and sorrow come from if it didn’t come from the suffering of people around Him? In other words, He was carrying their grief. He was empathizing with their sorrow. Once a woman touched him in a desperate need to be healed, and He could feel the compassionate power go from Him even though He didn’t see who touched Him in the press of the crowd. He was that sensitive to the needs of those around Him.
Now truly, thinking like a servant doesn’t automatically make you one, but it goes a long way toward getting you there. If you are thinking like a servant, you are noticing others; and the more you are aware of others, the more the Holy Spirit can use you in reaching out to them. All this increases the opportunity for the gospel; people are simply not used to being served.
Take it from me, a guy who is not by any stretch servant material, it’s actually a relief to get off my most popular subject—me—and on to someone else. Ask God to help you think like a servant today, and who knows? Maybe you’ll get a chance to be one.
PDL
Thursday, September 02, 2004
The Ultimate Do-Over
John Fischer
God worked His way into your life by faith; now He wants to work His way out through your life by making you into the person He had in mind for you to be all along—a person who can be used for God and His purposes in the world. You don’t fully know who that person is, except that he or she is like you and like Christ—a Christ-like version of you.
God has a claim on your life. He wants to make you like Christ. Not a clone of Christ, but a person with all your capabilities and personality traits with Christ’s character coming through you. It’s a lengthy do-over (it takes a lifetime) but it’s worth it because it is a life filled with purpose and it prepares you for an eternity filled with the same.
There seems to be a version of Christianity out today that places little emphasis on how you live your life; it’s all about being saved, or going to church, or worshiping properly. Yes, we are saved, but saved to what? To keep living our lives like we always did the only difference being we go to heaven when we die? Saved to keep sinning—just forgiven this time? I don’t think so.
Paul addresses this very thing in Romans: “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it” (Romans 6:1-2)? This doesn’t mean we don’t sin anymore; it means we don’t live to sin.
Sin once was what gave our lives meaning. We lived to sin. We lived for the weekend, as it were, when we could get in as much sin as possible. Now Christ gives our life meaning and we live every day for Him. We want to know what He wants to accomplish in our lives and that’s what we live for.
Is sin something you fall into and regret, or is it what you live for? Do you make plans for sinning or not sinning? The mark of a new life is set in a new desire to do the right thing. Paul goes on to say, “We died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives” (Romans 6:4).
There it is: a new life. You are in the process of a total do-over—letting this new life in Christ dictate more and more of what you do and what you choose.
How about it? Are you living your old life or your new one?
PDL
John Fischer
God worked His way into your life by faith; now He wants to work His way out through your life by making you into the person He had in mind for you to be all along—a person who can be used for God and His purposes in the world. You don’t fully know who that person is, except that he or she is like you and like Christ—a Christ-like version of you.
God has a claim on your life. He wants to make you like Christ. Not a clone of Christ, but a person with all your capabilities and personality traits with Christ’s character coming through you. It’s a lengthy do-over (it takes a lifetime) but it’s worth it because it is a life filled with purpose and it prepares you for an eternity filled with the same.
There seems to be a version of Christianity out today that places little emphasis on how you live your life; it’s all about being saved, or going to church, or worshiping properly. Yes, we are saved, but saved to what? To keep living our lives like we always did the only difference being we go to heaven when we die? Saved to keep sinning—just forgiven this time? I don’t think so.
Paul addresses this very thing in Romans: “Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it” (Romans 6:1-2)? This doesn’t mean we don’t sin anymore; it means we don’t live to sin.
Sin once was what gave our lives meaning. We lived to sin. We lived for the weekend, as it were, when we could get in as much sin as possible. Now Christ gives our life meaning and we live every day for Him. We want to know what He wants to accomplish in our lives and that’s what we live for.
Is sin something you fall into and regret, or is it what you live for? Do you make plans for sinning or not sinning? The mark of a new life is set in a new desire to do the right thing. Paul goes on to say, “We died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives” (Romans 6:4).
There it is: a new life. You are in the process of a total do-over—letting this new life in Christ dictate more and more of what you do and what you choose.
How about it? Are you living your old life or your new one?
PDL
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
You're All I Want
Martha Noebel
Martha Noebel shares how God used an unfulfilled expectation to show His love.
One day, as I started my morning, I decided that I wanted a can of cold soda. I was hot and the air conditioning had not kicked in yet at the office, so I went to the drink machine to get one of my favorite drinks. You can imagine my facial expression as I reached for my cold can of refreshment only to find out it was as hot as I was. One hot can of soda should not have left me feeling greatly disappointed, but it did.
Then I began to softly sing "You're all I want. You're all I ever needed. You're all I want. Help me know You are here." My heart was reaching out to God and my words were calling on Him for just a moment of His presence. Physically, I wanted a can of drink, but my spirit took over. I wanted something much more, a moment with God.
Sometimes there is this sense of wanting to see God, wanting to know Him in a special way. I wanted to feel Him. When this song came from deep within me, I realized I needed a touch from my loving Father.
"The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust" (Psalm 103:13-14, NLT).
I went back to my office. A few minutes later, someone who had passed me in the hall and heard of my dilemma brought me a cup of ice for my drink. Can you believe it? That had never happened to me before. I was shocked.
Then the Lord reminded me of what I had really wanted. I wanted to know that God loved me and to have Him show me in a tangible way. Well, He certainly did just that.
"I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee"(Jeremiah 31:3, KJV).
God is ever present with us. We all know that. He desires to show Himself to us in practical, loving ways. You see, I love Him, too. He truly is all I want and all I'll ever need. He let me know He was here. What a special day!
cbn
Martha Noebel
Martha Noebel shares how God used an unfulfilled expectation to show His love.
One day, as I started my morning, I decided that I wanted a can of cold soda. I was hot and the air conditioning had not kicked in yet at the office, so I went to the drink machine to get one of my favorite drinks. You can imagine my facial expression as I reached for my cold can of refreshment only to find out it was as hot as I was. One hot can of soda should not have left me feeling greatly disappointed, but it did.
Then I began to softly sing "You're all I want. You're all I ever needed. You're all I want. Help me know You are here." My heart was reaching out to God and my words were calling on Him for just a moment of His presence. Physically, I wanted a can of drink, but my spirit took over. I wanted something much more, a moment with God.
Sometimes there is this sense of wanting to see God, wanting to know Him in a special way. I wanted to feel Him. When this song came from deep within me, I realized I needed a touch from my loving Father.
"The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust" (Psalm 103:13-14, NLT).
I went back to my office. A few minutes later, someone who had passed me in the hall and heard of my dilemma brought me a cup of ice for my drink. Can you believe it? That had never happened to me before. I was shocked.
Then the Lord reminded me of what I had really wanted. I wanted to know that God loved me and to have Him show me in a tangible way. Well, He certainly did just that.
"I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee"(Jeremiah 31:3, KJV).
God is ever present with us. We all know that. He desires to show Himself to us in practical, loving ways. You see, I love Him, too. He truly is all I want and all I'll ever need. He let me know He was here. What a special day!
cbn