How To Clean Anything
Read: 1 John 1:5-10
The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. —1 John 1:7
Bible In One Year: Ezekiel 35-36; 2 Peter 1
Consumer Reports published a booklet with the intriguing title How To Clean Practically Anything. It offers advice on what solvent to use to remove a wide assortment of stains. Living as I do with drips and drops, that is my kind of book.
Did you know that glycerin will remove stains made by a ball-point pen? Boiling water can remove berry stains. Parents of small children should keep a gallon of vinegar handy to get rid of crayon marks. Bleach works well for mildew. Lemon juice performs minor miracles on rust stains.
I haven't tried them all, but I assume that scientists have put these common cleansing agents to the test.
What you will not find in this little book is how to deal with the most serious stain of all—the stain made on your life by sin. Deep, ugly stains made by hostile words and shame-filled actions. Tears won't touch them. Zeal can't erase them. At times we are convinced that we have gotten on with our lives and the sins are gone, but in an unguarded moment we notice the stain seeping through.
The Bible tells us just what we need: "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). That's the only remedy that works. —Haddon Robinson
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain—
He washed it white as snow. —Hall
We may whitewash sin, but only Jesus' blood can truly wash it white.
daily bread
Monday, November 29, 2004
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Large-Hearted Living
Leviticus 19:30-37
30 Observe My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the Lord. 31 Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. 32 Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord. 33 When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. 35 Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. 37 Keep all My decrees and all My laws and follow them. I am the Lord.
In the book Rumors of Another World, Philip Yancey told the story of Jesse Jackson’s visit to the University of Southern Mississippi.
On a tour of the campus with the university president, Jackson saw a tall male student, 6-feet, 8-inches in height, holding hands with a young woman who was barely 3-feet tall. The young man tenderly picked her up and kissed her as she left for her next class. The president explained that the student was a star basketball player. Both of his parents had died in his youth and he made a vow to look after his sister. Many scholarship offers had come his way but only Southern Mississippi had offered one to his sister too.
Jackson went over to the basketball star, introduced himself, and said he appreciated that he was looking out for his sister. The athlete shrugged and said, “Those of us who God makes 6' 8" have to look out for those He makes 3' 3".”
This basketball player spoke kingdom words. It has always been God’s plan for those with power to watch over those who are weak, those with resources to care for those who have none. It has always been God’s way for His people to rise above the cultural consensus that allows people to squash anyone smaller and crush anyone less capable.
In God’s instructions to Israel, He prodded them to treat a foreigner who was most likely estranged from his homeland due to slavery or calamity, as one of their own. Aliens in a strange land were usually destitute. Removed from family support and any standing within the social structure, they were often cast into dire poverty and social exile.
Amid other grave commandments dealing with heavy issues like idol worship and witchcraft, we might be tempted to pay more attention to far more weighty commands. But God says, “Take care of the ones no one else cares for.”
To Israel, a people still wincing from Egyptian bondage, He spoke a reminder one might think they wouldn’t need. “Show mercy,” He said. “Live with a large heart.” —Winn Collier
bottom line: God-size love requires a large heart.
soul journey
Leviticus 19:30-37
30 Observe My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the Lord. 31 Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God. 32 Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord. 33 When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. 35 Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. 37 Keep all My decrees and all My laws and follow them. I am the Lord.
In the book Rumors of Another World, Philip Yancey told the story of Jesse Jackson’s visit to the University of Southern Mississippi.
On a tour of the campus with the university president, Jackson saw a tall male student, 6-feet, 8-inches in height, holding hands with a young woman who was barely 3-feet tall. The young man tenderly picked her up and kissed her as she left for her next class. The president explained that the student was a star basketball player. Both of his parents had died in his youth and he made a vow to look after his sister. Many scholarship offers had come his way but only Southern Mississippi had offered one to his sister too.
Jackson went over to the basketball star, introduced himself, and said he appreciated that he was looking out for his sister. The athlete shrugged and said, “Those of us who God makes 6' 8" have to look out for those He makes 3' 3".”
This basketball player spoke kingdom words. It has always been God’s plan for those with power to watch over those who are weak, those with resources to care for those who have none. It has always been God’s way for His people to rise above the cultural consensus that allows people to squash anyone smaller and crush anyone less capable.
In God’s instructions to Israel, He prodded them to treat a foreigner who was most likely estranged from his homeland due to slavery or calamity, as one of their own. Aliens in a strange land were usually destitute. Removed from family support and any standing within the social structure, they were often cast into dire poverty and social exile.
Amid other grave commandments dealing with heavy issues like idol worship and witchcraft, we might be tempted to pay more attention to far more weighty commands. But God says, “Take care of the ones no one else cares for.”
To Israel, a people still wincing from Egyptian bondage, He spoke a reminder one might think they wouldn’t need. “Show mercy,” He said. “Live with a large heart.” —Winn Collier
bottom line: God-size love requires a large heart.
soul journey
Friday, November 26, 2004
DISCERNMENT 101
Proverbs 1:1-71
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-- 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-- 6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Recently, ABC's Charlie Gibson reported a growing high-tech cheating trend in high schools and colleges. In a 6-month investigation, he discovered students using cell-phone cameras, text-messaging, and PDAs to cheat more efficiently. And plagiarizing from the Internet with the cut-and-paste method has now replaced typing long passages from an encyclopedia as students did a generation ago.
A disturbing aspect of this trend is that few students seemed to experience much guilt about what they were doing. Some of them cynically argued that cheating in school was good preparation for a business career where they would have to do whatever was necessary to get ahead.
"Sooner or later, it's going to catch up to them," one teacher cautioned. "They haven't learned a lesson at this level and it's going to create problems for them later in life."
That seems key to me. True, after I got out of school, I didn't use a lot of the stuff I had learned. (For instance, I never again needed to know what an "isosceles triangle" was.) But besides the obvious benefits of a wide education, gaining knowledge is one ofthe most important components of developing good discernment.
The words wisdom and knowledge are often linked with discernment in Proverbs: "Let the discerning get guidance" (3:21)." "Knowledge comes easily to the discerning" (14:33). "Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning" (15:14), and "the discerning heart seeks knowledge" (16:21).
Mickey Imber, a Kansas University professor, says, "If you acquire a broad knowledge base . . . you can then reason your way to sensibly held convictions." Solomon wrote, "Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding" (4:5).
Taking shortcuts in school can lead to taking shortcuts for the rest of your life. And that will handicap you from developing the kind of discernment you'll need to make good decisions, explain your convictions, and to be a person who is "wise in heart" (Proverbs 16:21). --Cindy Kasper
DESTINATION POINTS
* How important is it to me to develop good discernment?
* In whatways do I have good discernment? Where do I think I need help?
LINKS:
Cheaters Amok
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/Primetime/US/cheating_040429-1.html
bottom line: Got a choice to make? Get knowledge first!
soul journey
Proverbs 1:1-71
The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young-- 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance-- 6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Recently, ABC's Charlie Gibson reported a growing high-tech cheating trend in high schools and colleges. In a 6-month investigation, he discovered students using cell-phone cameras, text-messaging, and PDAs to cheat more efficiently. And plagiarizing from the Internet with the cut-and-paste method has now replaced typing long passages from an encyclopedia as students did a generation ago.
A disturbing aspect of this trend is that few students seemed to experience much guilt about what they were doing. Some of them cynically argued that cheating in school was good preparation for a business career where they would have to do whatever was necessary to get ahead.
"Sooner or later, it's going to catch up to them," one teacher cautioned. "They haven't learned a lesson at this level and it's going to create problems for them later in life."
That seems key to me. True, after I got out of school, I didn't use a lot of the stuff I had learned. (For instance, I never again needed to know what an "isosceles triangle" was.) But besides the obvious benefits of a wide education, gaining knowledge is one ofthe most important components of developing good discernment.
The words wisdom and knowledge are often linked with discernment in Proverbs: "Let the discerning get guidance" (3:21)." "Knowledge comes easily to the discerning" (14:33). "Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning" (15:14), and "the discerning heart seeks knowledge" (16:21).
Mickey Imber, a Kansas University professor, says, "If you acquire a broad knowledge base . . . you can then reason your way to sensibly held convictions." Solomon wrote, "Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding" (4:5).
Taking shortcuts in school can lead to taking shortcuts for the rest of your life. And that will handicap you from developing the kind of discernment you'll need to make good decisions, explain your convictions, and to be a person who is "wise in heart" (Proverbs 16:21). --Cindy Kasper
DESTINATION POINTS
* How important is it to me to develop good discernment?
* In whatways do I have good discernment? Where do I think I need help?
LINKS:
Cheaters Amok
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/Primetime/US/cheating_040429-1.html
bottom line: Got a choice to make? Get knowledge first!
soul journey
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Stepping Out
John Fischer
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Harrison Ford goes after the Holy Grail, there is a final test where he has to take a step of faith to get to the Grail. He has to cross a chasm over what appears to be a bottomless pit in order to claim the cup so he can use it to heal his father (Sean Connery) from a fatal wound. The riddle he and his father have figured out has convinced him he must take a step out into the abyss—has to put his full weight into it—and as he does, sure enough, a bridge appears out of nowhere and his step lands on something solid that was not visible until the instant his foot came down on it in mid-air. All issues of faith are like this. It’s not enough to believe, you have to put your whole weight into it. And when you do, you risk falling, but you find something solid.
So there is a risk involved. The risk is always around what will happen if God doesn’t do His part. The Bible says that faith “is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 It’s the bridge that we step out onto even if we cannot see it. Maybe that bridge is love for someone unlovely. Maybe it is the words we don’t think we have until we put open our mouths in front of the person we need to address. Maybe it is courage to face a responsibility that seems impossible. Maybe it is the power to overcome a bad habit. But it’s there—the bridge of faith is there—even though we can’t see it.
Hebrews 11 goes on to mention eighteen individuals by name, plus all the prophets, the children of Israel, and the early martyrs who accomplished impossible things by faith. All ordinary people—all with their own flaws, fears, and excuses to overcome. And the conclusion for us is to realize that these people and their examples are a huge crowd of witnesses surrounding us and telling us to “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run the race that God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 What a cheering section!
What is it in your life that you need to address by faith? What is the invisible bridge God is asking you to cross? I’m thinking about what’s on my plate. With this kind of encouragement, I think we can step out.
PDL
John Fischer
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Harrison Ford goes after the Holy Grail, there is a final test where he has to take a step of faith to get to the Grail. He has to cross a chasm over what appears to be a bottomless pit in order to claim the cup so he can use it to heal his father (Sean Connery) from a fatal wound. The riddle he and his father have figured out has convinced him he must take a step out into the abyss—has to put his full weight into it—and as he does, sure enough, a bridge appears out of nowhere and his step lands on something solid that was not visible until the instant his foot came down on it in mid-air. All issues of faith are like this. It’s not enough to believe, you have to put your whole weight into it. And when you do, you risk falling, but you find something solid.
So there is a risk involved. The risk is always around what will happen if God doesn’t do His part. The Bible says that faith “is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1 It’s the bridge that we step out onto even if we cannot see it. Maybe that bridge is love for someone unlovely. Maybe it is the words we don’t think we have until we put open our mouths in front of the person we need to address. Maybe it is courage to face a responsibility that seems impossible. Maybe it is the power to overcome a bad habit. But it’s there—the bridge of faith is there—even though we can’t see it.
Hebrews 11 goes on to mention eighteen individuals by name, plus all the prophets, the children of Israel, and the early martyrs who accomplished impossible things by faith. All ordinary people—all with their own flaws, fears, and excuses to overcome. And the conclusion for us is to realize that these people and their examples are a huge crowd of witnesses surrounding us and telling us to “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run the race that God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 What a cheering section!
What is it in your life that you need to address by faith? What is the invisible bridge God is asking you to cross? I’m thinking about what’s on my plate. With this kind of encouragement, I think we can step out.
PDL
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
TIRED, BUT WORTH RENEWAL
Psalm 51:7-127
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
As the months dragged on and we continued to scrape and paint and clean and rip out and replace everything in sight in our new house, my daughter finally said in a bit of exasperation, "Tell me again why you wanted this house."
After living in the same house for 27 years, we decided to move. Butthe house we purchased was, as I like to say, tired. It had 22 years of wear and tear, and it needed to be refreshed. Faucets were worn out. Carpet needed to be replaced. Walls needed a new covering. Out-of-date lights and other fixtures needed to be sent into retirement. It was simply tired.
So we spent countless hours urging it back to its original condition--or even better. As tired as it may have been, we knew that its location, its features, and its layout would make it aspecial place to live once we had finished the makeover. And now that we have completed the task, it has emerged fresh and livable.
Spiritually, we can grow a bit like our new family home. We can grow tired. We can have layers of old stuff coating our lives and needing a good scrape job. Perhaps we're still trying to live with spiritual commitments we made in 1996 and haven't renewed since. Maybe we've been trying to get by on a relationship with God that we really haven't nurtured or enhanced in a long time.
The foundation for a strong relationship with God is there and the building stands solidly on Jesus, but neglect has let things grow alittle tired. If that's the case, seek renewal. Begin remodeling what you have, restoring the former shine to your life of faith.
Your Christian life may be a bit tired, but restoring it to freshness and newness is worth the effort and the cost. Dust off your Bible. Refurbish your prayer life. Ask God to renew you (Psalm 51:7-12). Get reacquainted with the Father. Make your Christian life look as fresh and vibrant as the day you first trusted Jesus. --Dave Branon
DESTINATION POINTS
* What about my Christian life is most like a tired, begging-for-redecorating house? How can I best restore that portion of it?
* When was the last time I had a good heart-to-heart talk with God? Do I need to reintroduce myself to Him again?
LINKS:
The Way Back
http://www.discoveryseries.org/rd901
bottom line: Fall in love with Jesus all over again.
soul journey
Psalm 51:7-127
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
As the months dragged on and we continued to scrape and paint and clean and rip out and replace everything in sight in our new house, my daughter finally said in a bit of exasperation, "Tell me again why you wanted this house."
After living in the same house for 27 years, we decided to move. Butthe house we purchased was, as I like to say, tired. It had 22 years of wear and tear, and it needed to be refreshed. Faucets were worn out. Carpet needed to be replaced. Walls needed a new covering. Out-of-date lights and other fixtures needed to be sent into retirement. It was simply tired.
So we spent countless hours urging it back to its original condition--or even better. As tired as it may have been, we knew that its location, its features, and its layout would make it aspecial place to live once we had finished the makeover. And now that we have completed the task, it has emerged fresh and livable.
Spiritually, we can grow a bit like our new family home. We can grow tired. We can have layers of old stuff coating our lives and needing a good scrape job. Perhaps we're still trying to live with spiritual commitments we made in 1996 and haven't renewed since. Maybe we've been trying to get by on a relationship with God that we really haven't nurtured or enhanced in a long time.
The foundation for a strong relationship with God is there and the building stands solidly on Jesus, but neglect has let things grow alittle tired. If that's the case, seek renewal. Begin remodeling what you have, restoring the former shine to your life of faith.
Your Christian life may be a bit tired, but restoring it to freshness and newness is worth the effort and the cost. Dust off your Bible. Refurbish your prayer life. Ask God to renew you (Psalm 51:7-12). Get reacquainted with the Father. Make your Christian life look as fresh and vibrant as the day you first trusted Jesus. --Dave Branon
DESTINATION POINTS
* What about my Christian life is most like a tired, begging-for-redecorating house? How can I best restore that portion of it?
* When was the last time I had a good heart-to-heart talk with God? Do I need to reintroduce myself to Him again?
LINKS:
The Way Back
http://www.discoveryseries.org/rd901
bottom line: Fall in love with Jesus all over again.
soul journey
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Gifted for a Reason
John Fischer
God made us to fit into His family and gave each of us gifts that will help define our place in that family. That gift is a special ability to meet other people’s needs. It’s what helps us serve better. Serving other people is not an added little project for us to take on so we can be purpose-driven; it is an integral part of our identities. You were made to serve, and you were given gifts to help you serve better.
Your gift is by nature just that: a gift, so it is not hard to do. Sometimes it may take effort to get yourself into a place where you can exercise your spiritual gift, but once you start serving, the gift comes naturally. If you’re not sure what your gift is, ask somebody.
What I mean is: we are not very good judges of our own gifts. Our gifts are for others, and for this reason, those who receive the benefits of our gifts are the best qualified to tell us what they are. For instance, if people naturally come to you for advice because you always speak practically into their lives, then they are probably telling you that you have the gift of wisdom. If people call you when they need something done because you always get things done on time and with limited effort, they may be telling you that you have the gift of service or administration. If people confide in you because they know that whatever they say, you will not turn them away, they may be counting on your gift of mercy. If whenever you teach a Bible study or a small group, people come up to you and tell you what they learned, then they may be telling you that you have the gift of teaching. Ask the people around you to tell you specifically how you affect their lives.
Of course you have to exercise your gift before anyone can benefit from it and tell you what it is. Knowledge of these things doesn’t come out of a vacuum. How do you start serving if you aren’t sure what your gift is? Best to simply get involved with a small group or in some capacity in your church or community. As you reach out to people in general, a certain expertise will take shape. It will be hard to miss. It’s a blend of what you like to do, what comes easily, and what those around you confirm.
Having a role to play in the family of God can be the difference between wondering why we are here and knowing why. And that can make all the difference in the world.
For more study on spiritual gifts, read Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; Ephesians 4:4-13.
PDL
John Fischer
God made us to fit into His family and gave each of us gifts that will help define our place in that family. That gift is a special ability to meet other people’s needs. It’s what helps us serve better. Serving other people is not an added little project for us to take on so we can be purpose-driven; it is an integral part of our identities. You were made to serve, and you were given gifts to help you serve better.
Your gift is by nature just that: a gift, so it is not hard to do. Sometimes it may take effort to get yourself into a place where you can exercise your spiritual gift, but once you start serving, the gift comes naturally. If you’re not sure what your gift is, ask somebody.
What I mean is: we are not very good judges of our own gifts. Our gifts are for others, and for this reason, those who receive the benefits of our gifts are the best qualified to tell us what they are. For instance, if people naturally come to you for advice because you always speak practically into their lives, then they are probably telling you that you have the gift of wisdom. If people call you when they need something done because you always get things done on time and with limited effort, they may be telling you that you have the gift of service or administration. If people confide in you because they know that whatever they say, you will not turn them away, they may be counting on your gift of mercy. If whenever you teach a Bible study or a small group, people come up to you and tell you what they learned, then they may be telling you that you have the gift of teaching. Ask the people around you to tell you specifically how you affect their lives.
Of course you have to exercise your gift before anyone can benefit from it and tell you what it is. Knowledge of these things doesn’t come out of a vacuum. How do you start serving if you aren’t sure what your gift is? Best to simply get involved with a small group or in some capacity in your church or community. As you reach out to people in general, a certain expertise will take shape. It will be hard to miss. It’s a blend of what you like to do, what comes easily, and what those around you confirm.
Having a role to play in the family of God can be the difference between wondering why we are here and knowing why. And that can make all the difference in the world.
For more study on spiritual gifts, read Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; Ephesians 4:4-13.
PDL
Monday, November 22, 2004
Spiritually Full or Undernourished
Cathy Irvin
None of us are without spot or blemish, but if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, His Word tells us we shall be filled. This means doing our part to get spiritual nourishment during the week and then at our mid-week or Sunday services, we will come away satisfied.
Have you ever said, "I am not being spiritually fed"? Yet do we find ourselves not getting our own bible study time in by being alone with the Lord each day?. Are we satisfied in thinking that all we need is for the pastor to give us a full course meal on Sunday morning or shouldn't we find a Bible study, Sunday school class, or a Care group to attend?
It is time for us all to take responsibility for our Christian maturity. We can't blame the church for the emptiness we feel. We need to recognize that what we get out of the local church is what we put in. This would include our prayer life, our at-home worship to the Lord, and our daily studying of the Word of God. Then we will see real changes in our spiritual lives.
I am a firm believer that counseling is necessary for some people but not for every little thing. Many of the answers to life's problems are already in God's Word. I have seen pastors and church workers almost burned out from the constant counseling sessions. I pray for my pastor that he may not be overloaded. His job is to concentrate on his study time, not being pulled in and out of too many counseling appointments.
We are not to be unhealthy, undernourished Christians, but we find that this comes about when there is a lack of getting into the Word of God for ourselves. We need to do our part in nourishing our spiritual lives. The Pastors and guest speakers give messages and we are to have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. We are being fed the Word but perhaps the problem is that we are not "hearing" what is being said. If we do not spend quality time with the Lord in prayer, worshipping, and renewing our minds with the Word, then we will be weak Christians. It stands to reason that if we become sensitive to the voice of the Lord (fine-tuned in our spirit), then we will hear what the Lord is speaking to us as individuals and as a corporate body.
The Lord tells us to grow up "In Him." Read the scriptures in the book of Ephesians and Colossians 2:3. They are what some call "meaty" chapters. They can help you if you are looking to get fed.
You may say that you do all these things, but each Sunday you seem to be hearing a watered-down message. In that case, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as to which church you should be attending. If you are not planted in the right place, He will lead you to the best church that will meet your needs.
He says we are to drink from the fountain of living waters… that is Him. Get into the Word and you will be fed. Please know that there are no perfect churches. None of us are without spot or blemish, but if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, His Word tells us we shall be filled. This means doing our part to get spiritual nourishment during the week and then at our mid-week or Sunday services, we will come away satisfied.
When we find our place and spend time with the Lord, believe me, we will have more than enough on our spiritual plates to digest during the week. That is because we will have opened our hearts to the Lord and received what we need from God.
cbn
Cathy Irvin
None of us are without spot or blemish, but if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, His Word tells us we shall be filled. This means doing our part to get spiritual nourishment during the week and then at our mid-week or Sunday services, we will come away satisfied.
Have you ever said, "I am not being spiritually fed"? Yet do we find ourselves not getting our own bible study time in by being alone with the Lord each day?. Are we satisfied in thinking that all we need is for the pastor to give us a full course meal on Sunday morning or shouldn't we find a Bible study, Sunday school class, or a Care group to attend?
It is time for us all to take responsibility for our Christian maturity. We can't blame the church for the emptiness we feel. We need to recognize that what we get out of the local church is what we put in. This would include our prayer life, our at-home worship to the Lord, and our daily studying of the Word of God. Then we will see real changes in our spiritual lives.
I am a firm believer that counseling is necessary for some people but not for every little thing. Many of the answers to life's problems are already in God's Word. I have seen pastors and church workers almost burned out from the constant counseling sessions. I pray for my pastor that he may not be overloaded. His job is to concentrate on his study time, not being pulled in and out of too many counseling appointments.
We are not to be unhealthy, undernourished Christians, but we find that this comes about when there is a lack of getting into the Word of God for ourselves. We need to do our part in nourishing our spiritual lives. The Pastors and guest speakers give messages and we are to have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. We are being fed the Word but perhaps the problem is that we are not "hearing" what is being said. If we do not spend quality time with the Lord in prayer, worshipping, and renewing our minds with the Word, then we will be weak Christians. It stands to reason that if we become sensitive to the voice of the Lord (fine-tuned in our spirit), then we will hear what the Lord is speaking to us as individuals and as a corporate body.
The Lord tells us to grow up "In Him." Read the scriptures in the book of Ephesians and Colossians 2:3. They are what some call "meaty" chapters. They can help you if you are looking to get fed.
You may say that you do all these things, but each Sunday you seem to be hearing a watered-down message. In that case, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as to which church you should be attending. If you are not planted in the right place, He will lead you to the best church that will meet your needs.
He says we are to drink from the fountain of living waters… that is Him. Get into the Word and you will be fed. Please know that there are no perfect churches. None of us are without spot or blemish, but if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, His Word tells us we shall be filled. This means doing our part to get spiritual nourishment during the week and then at our mid-week or Sunday services, we will come away satisfied.
When we find our place and spend time with the Lord, believe me, we will have more than enough on our spiritual plates to digest during the week. That is because we will have opened our hearts to the Lord and received what we need from God.
cbn
Sunday, November 21, 2004
GUARD YOUR BEHAVIOR
1 Kings 8:22-2622
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23 and said: "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below--You who keep Your covenant of love withYour servants who continue whole heartedly in Your way. 24 You have kept Your promise to Your servant David my father; with Your mouthYou have promised and with Your hand You have fulfilled it--as it is today. 25 Now Lord, God of Israel, keep for Your servant David my father the promises You made to him when You said, 'You shall never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before Me as you have done.' 26 And now, O God of Israel, let Your word that You promised Your servant David my father come true."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German pastor who had the courage to oppose the Nazi party during the Second World War. His opposition cost him dearly--his very life.
Bonhoeffer is perhaps best remembered for his book The Cost of Discipleship. A phrase from this book you'll hear believers in Jesus use is "cheap grace." Here's how this modern-day martyr defined the concept:
"'Cheap grace' means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks'wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the church's inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing."
No one can earn life eternal and gain the privilege of being considered a child of God by being good, working hard, following prescribed rituals, or inflicting pain and hardship on ourselves. These are gifts of God's grace--meaning that we cannot do anything to merit them.
This fact is what often sets faith in Jesus apart from other faiths. But it can also lead us to feel that the heavenly Father has no behavioral expectations for us. As a result, some people who claim to be followers of Jesus believe they can live carelessly and sin deliberately and assume that God just winks at such actions. Solomon's prayer of dedication for the Temple ought to dispel that "cheap grace" idea. Solomon repeated in his prayer what God told his father David: The children of Israel were to be "careful" in behavior if they expected His continued blessing.
We can't expect God's blessing on us if we don't guard our behaviorand live in a way that Jesus is honored by what we do. Forgiveness for our sin cost Him His very life. Let's not cheapen that sacrifice by continuing to act sinfully and carelessly. --Dean Ohlman
DESTINATION POINTS
* How often have I deliberately done something wrong and just assumed that it's no big deal since God will forgive me anyway?
* How can a "cheap grace" attitude ruin my witness for Jesus and turn me into a spiritual weakling?
* How much am I willing to sacrifice for the One who gave His life for me?
LINKS:
http://www.dbonhoeffer.org
bottom line: Selling grace short keeps us from God's riches.
soul journey
1 Kings 8:22-2622
Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven 23 and said: "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below--You who keep Your covenant of love withYour servants who continue whole heartedly in Your way. 24 You have kept Your promise to Your servant David my father; with Your mouthYou have promised and with Your hand You have fulfilled it--as it is today. 25 Now Lord, God of Israel, keep for Your servant David my father the promises You made to him when You said, 'You shall never fail to have a man to sit before Me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons are careful in all they do to walk before Me as you have done.' 26 And now, O God of Israel, let Your word that You promised Your servant David my father come true."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young German pastor who had the courage to oppose the Nazi party during the Second World War. His opposition cost him dearly--his very life.
Bonhoeffer is perhaps best remembered for his book The Cost of Discipleship. A phrase from this book you'll hear believers in Jesus use is "cheap grace." Here's how this modern-day martyr defined the concept:
"'Cheap grace' means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks'wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the church's inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing."
No one can earn life eternal and gain the privilege of being considered a child of God by being good, working hard, following prescribed rituals, or inflicting pain and hardship on ourselves. These are gifts of God's grace--meaning that we cannot do anything to merit them.
This fact is what often sets faith in Jesus apart from other faiths. But it can also lead us to feel that the heavenly Father has no behavioral expectations for us. As a result, some people who claim to be followers of Jesus believe they can live carelessly and sin deliberately and assume that God just winks at such actions. Solomon's prayer of dedication for the Temple ought to dispel that "cheap grace" idea. Solomon repeated in his prayer what God told his father David: The children of Israel were to be "careful" in behavior if they expected His continued blessing.
We can't expect God's blessing on us if we don't guard our behaviorand live in a way that Jesus is honored by what we do. Forgiveness for our sin cost Him His very life. Let's not cheapen that sacrifice by continuing to act sinfully and carelessly. --Dean Ohlman
DESTINATION POINTS
* How often have I deliberately done something wrong and just assumed that it's no big deal since God will forgive me anyway?
* How can a "cheap grace" attitude ruin my witness for Jesus and turn me into a spiritual weakling?
* How much am I willing to sacrifice for the One who gave His life for me?
LINKS:
http://www.dbonhoeffer.org
bottom line: Selling grace short keeps us from God's riches.
soul journey
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Who Can Know What the Lord Is Thinking?
John Fischer
Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are His riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be His counselor? And who could ever give to Him so much that He would have to pay it back? For everything comes from Him; everything exists by His power and is intended for His glory. To Him be glory evermore. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)
I have loved these verses for a long time—ever since I did a detailed study of the book of Romans as a young man. When you come upon this statement of praise in context, you realize Paul wrote this after three chapters of trying to explain God’s plan for the salvation of all people—how God picked the Jews to be His chosen people, how the Jews rebelled and God turned to the Gentiles, and how the Jews will once again share in God’s mercy. Salted and peppered throughout are statements of God’s predestination and man’s responsibility that have baffled us ever since and eluded the theologians’ attempts to explain. In fact, our attempts to grasp contradictory concepts like free will and predestination have driven Christians into warring camps and divided the church for centuries. It is precisely why Paul blasts off into worship here, to show us that when our minds can’t go any farther, we need to stop acting like we know everything—admit we don’t know anything—and worship God.
“Oh, what a wonderful God we have!” exclaims Paul, and in essence goes on to say, He’s way past my being able to explain everything. This is as far as my little mind can take me. Don’t ask any more from it, because I’ve already taxed the poor thing too much already!
Sometimes you just have to throw up your hands and revel in the wisdom and glory of God. Sometimes you just have to humble yourself and admit what you don’t know—might never know. I’m not suggesting this is an excuse for being dumb. Nor does it condone poor scholarship. We need to study, and think, and research, and do the background work necessary to build our confidence in the word of God and what it says to us. God gave us a mind to use and not waste, but that mind can only go so far. Worship is what happens when the mind runs out of reasons.
Is there something you don’t understand, whether an intellectual question or a question about your life—what God is thinking? Go back to the verses at the top of this devotional and read them in light of your questions, and worship. Sometimes that’s all you can do.
PDL
John Fischer
Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are His riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be His counselor? And who could ever give to Him so much that He would have to pay it back? For everything comes from Him; everything exists by His power and is intended for His glory. To Him be glory evermore. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)
I have loved these verses for a long time—ever since I did a detailed study of the book of Romans as a young man. When you come upon this statement of praise in context, you realize Paul wrote this after three chapters of trying to explain God’s plan for the salvation of all people—how God picked the Jews to be His chosen people, how the Jews rebelled and God turned to the Gentiles, and how the Jews will once again share in God’s mercy. Salted and peppered throughout are statements of God’s predestination and man’s responsibility that have baffled us ever since and eluded the theologians’ attempts to explain. In fact, our attempts to grasp contradictory concepts like free will and predestination have driven Christians into warring camps and divided the church for centuries. It is precisely why Paul blasts off into worship here, to show us that when our minds can’t go any farther, we need to stop acting like we know everything—admit we don’t know anything—and worship God.
“Oh, what a wonderful God we have!” exclaims Paul, and in essence goes on to say, He’s way past my being able to explain everything. This is as far as my little mind can take me. Don’t ask any more from it, because I’ve already taxed the poor thing too much already!
Sometimes you just have to throw up your hands and revel in the wisdom and glory of God. Sometimes you just have to humble yourself and admit what you don’t know—might never know. I’m not suggesting this is an excuse for being dumb. Nor does it condone poor scholarship. We need to study, and think, and research, and do the background work necessary to build our confidence in the word of God and what it says to us. God gave us a mind to use and not waste, but that mind can only go so far. Worship is what happens when the mind runs out of reasons.
Is there something you don’t understand, whether an intellectual question or a question about your life—what God is thinking? Go back to the verses at the top of this devotional and read them in light of your questions, and worship. Sometimes that’s all you can do.
PDL
Thursday, November 18, 2004
True Fellowship
John Fischer
Here’s a special greeting for Andrea and the Women of Purpose from Bayview Glen Church. Andrea forwards these devotionals every day to the 65 women in her group.
Hi ladies: Greetings in the name of the Lord!
Isn’t it great to belong? To be somebody in a group? To be missed when you’re not there and welcomed when you are? And fellowship has the added dimension of the Lord in the center. It is friendship with a purpose.
In his first letter, John wrote about fellowship and what makes it special. “We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write these things so that our joy will be complete” (1 John 1:3,4).
He’s referring to the fact that he and the other disciples have personally “seen and heard” Jesus, the Christ, and because of the reality of their relationship with Him, they now have a relationship with God, and a special relationship with each other. The only thing that would make this any greater would be if those to whom they are writing were to believe and join with them in a faith relationship. This would just finish off their joy.
You see, in a true relationship in Christ we are not just friends, we are joined as one, and we cannot help but care for each other because the love is not coming from us. Christ generates it in us. We are consciously experiencing Christ's unconditional love for us when we know there is not a thing about us worth caring about, and that makes us accepting of others beyond sin, beyond pride, and beyond prejudice.
Fellowship is the tangible _expression of faith. The disciples, who had touched Jesus, then touched these new believers, who touched somebody, who touched somebody, who touched somebody, who touched somebody, and on it went, all the way down to us. And it’s the same Jesus who started it all who is now the center of our fellowship.
He’s the center of the Bayview Glen women’s Bible study. This is not just a seminar, or a club, or a therapy group, it is a living, throbbing organism, made alive by the blood of Jesus flowing out from the wounds on the cross that paid the price for all of us, and made us all acceptable to God and equal to each other. This is no small thing. People have died for this. In some parts of the world right now, people are secretly sharing in this very same fellowship because to do so openly would mean certain imprisonment and possible death. Forget MasterCard, this is priceless.
Hold on to what you’ve got, women of Bayview Glen. It’s a good thing.
PDL
John Fischer
Here’s a special greeting for Andrea and the Women of Purpose from Bayview Glen Church. Andrea forwards these devotionals every day to the 65 women in her group.
Hi ladies: Greetings in the name of the Lord!
Isn’t it great to belong? To be somebody in a group? To be missed when you’re not there and welcomed when you are? And fellowship has the added dimension of the Lord in the center. It is friendship with a purpose.
In his first letter, John wrote about fellowship and what makes it special. “We are telling you about what we ourselves have actually seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write these things so that our joy will be complete” (1 John 1:3,4).
He’s referring to the fact that he and the other disciples have personally “seen and heard” Jesus, the Christ, and because of the reality of their relationship with Him, they now have a relationship with God, and a special relationship with each other. The only thing that would make this any greater would be if those to whom they are writing were to believe and join with them in a faith relationship. This would just finish off their joy.
You see, in a true relationship in Christ we are not just friends, we are joined as one, and we cannot help but care for each other because the love is not coming from us. Christ generates it in us. We are consciously experiencing Christ's unconditional love for us when we know there is not a thing about us worth caring about, and that makes us accepting of others beyond sin, beyond pride, and beyond prejudice.
Fellowship is the tangible _expression of faith. The disciples, who had touched Jesus, then touched these new believers, who touched somebody, who touched somebody, who touched somebody, who touched somebody, and on it went, all the way down to us. And it’s the same Jesus who started it all who is now the center of our fellowship.
He’s the center of the Bayview Glen women’s Bible study. This is not just a seminar, or a club, or a therapy group, it is a living, throbbing organism, made alive by the blood of Jesus flowing out from the wounds on the cross that paid the price for all of us, and made us all acceptable to God and equal to each other. This is no small thing. People have died for this. In some parts of the world right now, people are secretly sharing in this very same fellowship because to do so openly would mean certain imprisonment and possible death. Forget MasterCard, this is priceless.
Hold on to what you’ve got, women of Bayview Glen. It’s a good thing.
PDL
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Different Parts and Different Hearts
John Fischer
Why do we all have different passions? So everything that’s supposed to get done will get done.
Sometimes we get overwhelmed because we are constantly exposed to people with various passions for service, and when they represent their cause, they are so committed to that which has captured them that we feel guilty for not sharing their zeal. We seem indifferent in comparison.
When I was in college, we had chapel every day and almost every day we heard a message from someone who had a passion for some particular ministry. They were usually in some ways recruiting us for service, whether it was in missions or in the church, or in society, or among the poor. It was overwhelming, and often frustrating, because everyone made every concern sound like the only thing any caring person would support.
The same thing happens in our churches. Sometimes we feel guilt because we don’t have the same passion as the last person who talked about missions, or abortion, or the homeless, or marriage, or singleness, or men’s ministry, or AIDS prevention, or prisons, or evangelism, or the military. What we forget is that there are so many needs because there are so many of us to meet them. We aren’t supposed to get our bell rung by every appeal that comes by. We are a body made up of different parts and different hearts; we don’t have to all be moved by the same issues and needs.
This is where the concept and the practical nature of spiritual gifts come in. There are a variety of gifts and there are a variety of ministries, but the same Lord working in all and through all. No one has to do everything; no one can. It is up to us to find out where we fit and what God put us here to do. Soon you will be just as passionate about something because it’s your thing. This is the way it’s supposed to be. We only get frustrated when we forget this and try and take on everything, or get so overwhelmed that we take on nothing at all.
All of this should just make us marvel at the wisdom of God even more. He’s designed us all with different abilities and different interests so that we are not only good at what we do, we do not have to be frustrated or depressed over what we aren’t good at. When we all do our part in the body of Christ, everyone gets a job, everyone gets honored and everyone’s important. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
PDL
John Fischer
Why do we all have different passions? So everything that’s supposed to get done will get done.
Sometimes we get overwhelmed because we are constantly exposed to people with various passions for service, and when they represent their cause, they are so committed to that which has captured them that we feel guilty for not sharing their zeal. We seem indifferent in comparison.
When I was in college, we had chapel every day and almost every day we heard a message from someone who had a passion for some particular ministry. They were usually in some ways recruiting us for service, whether it was in missions or in the church, or in society, or among the poor. It was overwhelming, and often frustrating, because everyone made every concern sound like the only thing any caring person would support.
The same thing happens in our churches. Sometimes we feel guilt because we don’t have the same passion as the last person who talked about missions, or abortion, or the homeless, or marriage, or singleness, or men’s ministry, or AIDS prevention, or prisons, or evangelism, or the military. What we forget is that there are so many needs because there are so many of us to meet them. We aren’t supposed to get our bell rung by every appeal that comes by. We are a body made up of different parts and different hearts; we don’t have to all be moved by the same issues and needs.
This is where the concept and the practical nature of spiritual gifts come in. There are a variety of gifts and there are a variety of ministries, but the same Lord working in all and through all. No one has to do everything; no one can. It is up to us to find out where we fit and what God put us here to do. Soon you will be just as passionate about something because it’s your thing. This is the way it’s supposed to be. We only get frustrated when we forget this and try and take on everything, or get so overwhelmed that we take on nothing at all.
All of this should just make us marvel at the wisdom of God even more. He’s designed us all with different abilities and different interests so that we are not only good at what we do, we do not have to be frustrated or depressed over what we aren’t good at. When we all do our part in the body of Christ, everyone gets a job, everyone gets honored and everyone’s important. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
PDL
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Secret Treasures for the Girl with the Servant’s Heart
Gail Casteen
It often takes a Bible story to remind me how God has surprised me with His blessings.
It often takes a Bible story to remind me how God has surprised me with His blessings in the most unusual ways. There were times in my past when I complained that when I chose to go the second mile, I did not get so much as a "thanks" pointed in my direction. Most of the time a simple thank-you would have been more than adequate payment.
Then the change came. God began to give me a love for people right where they were -- hurt, angry, hungry, dirty, stressed, in deep despair, on top of the world, silly with excitement, and arrogant (those were the tough ones). All it took was a look at my own plump, apple-cheeked infant son to feel love well up inside of me for an individual. No matter the position in life, God showed me that each person was once somebody’s baby.
Going the second mile became more of an act of love than one of making myself feel better. It became fun to extend a compliment to the harried grocery store check-out clerk, to hold the door open for someone who could have done it for themselves, or to tell a new mom how beautiful her baby was and how cool it is to have kids. God had poured His Son’s life into encouraging and loving me; it became the least I could do for others.
The Bible story that caused me to see the blessings I’d received is in Genesis 24. Abraham sent his servant to his home country to bring back a bride for Isaac. He wasn’t as confident as Abraham. "What if she’s not willing to come back, should I come get your son and take him back there?" In essence, Abraham said, "No way, you are not to take my son out of this land God promised me. If she refuses to return with you, I release you from your promise to bring her back."
When I was little, I remember wondering how God could get a young girl to stop what she was doing and water a bunch of thirsty camels. My chore list was pretty hefty and when I was asked to water a kennel full of big dogs, it was definitely a burden. But the dogs were always delighted to see me. They would just about push me over to get me to pet them, to say nothing of getting to fresh water.
Here is Abraham’s servant with ten thirsty camels. (Do you know a camel can drink about 21 gallons of water?) And he’s pretty thirsty himself. Being the faithful servant he is, he stops to ask the God of Abraham, Isaac (and Jacob someday), "Give me success, show kindness to Abraham and give me a sign that cannot be denied. When I ask for water for myself, if this is THE girl, let her say, ‘No problem, and I’ll get the camels, too." (Personal paraphrasing here.) Can God actually cause someone to say and do exactly what needs to be said and done to fulfill a sign? He must, because that is precisely what young Rebekah did.
She did not realize as she was hauling around those 200-plus gallons of water and risking having those beasts spit on her, that they were carrying treasure intended for her. Those very camels would soon carry her to the adventure of her life.
She had a willing spirit not only to give water to a thirsty stranger and his entire caravan, but she was willing to leave homeland, family and friends to go to a country far away to marry a man she’d never seen. That marvelous servant’s heart and her willing spirit placed her solidly in the lineage of our precious Jesus. We know her name and her history. We are directly tied to her life because she was part of perpetuating the family that gave us our Older Brother who introduced us to Our Father. Can it get any better than that?
My prayer is this: "God plant in me a ‘Rebekah spirit’ that sees a need and does all she can to be a servant and a blessing. Let my heart be free enough in You to remember that I already have received my Treasure and I need nothing more. Let me serve with joy, great love and deep compassion those you bring to me. Lord be honored so those in need may encounter the greatest Treasure of all."
Now, off to find camels to water!
cbn
Gail Casteen
It often takes a Bible story to remind me how God has surprised me with His blessings.
It often takes a Bible story to remind me how God has surprised me with His blessings in the most unusual ways. There were times in my past when I complained that when I chose to go the second mile, I did not get so much as a "thanks" pointed in my direction. Most of the time a simple thank-you would have been more than adequate payment.
Then the change came. God began to give me a love for people right where they were -- hurt, angry, hungry, dirty, stressed, in deep despair, on top of the world, silly with excitement, and arrogant (those were the tough ones). All it took was a look at my own plump, apple-cheeked infant son to feel love well up inside of me for an individual. No matter the position in life, God showed me that each person was once somebody’s baby.
Going the second mile became more of an act of love than one of making myself feel better. It became fun to extend a compliment to the harried grocery store check-out clerk, to hold the door open for someone who could have done it for themselves, or to tell a new mom how beautiful her baby was and how cool it is to have kids. God had poured His Son’s life into encouraging and loving me; it became the least I could do for others.
The Bible story that caused me to see the blessings I’d received is in Genesis 24. Abraham sent his servant to his home country to bring back a bride for Isaac. He wasn’t as confident as Abraham. "What if she’s not willing to come back, should I come get your son and take him back there?" In essence, Abraham said, "No way, you are not to take my son out of this land God promised me. If she refuses to return with you, I release you from your promise to bring her back."
When I was little, I remember wondering how God could get a young girl to stop what she was doing and water a bunch of thirsty camels. My chore list was pretty hefty and when I was asked to water a kennel full of big dogs, it was definitely a burden. But the dogs were always delighted to see me. They would just about push me over to get me to pet them, to say nothing of getting to fresh water.
Here is Abraham’s servant with ten thirsty camels. (Do you know a camel can drink about 21 gallons of water?) And he’s pretty thirsty himself. Being the faithful servant he is, he stops to ask the God of Abraham, Isaac (and Jacob someday), "Give me success, show kindness to Abraham and give me a sign that cannot be denied. When I ask for water for myself, if this is THE girl, let her say, ‘No problem, and I’ll get the camels, too." (Personal paraphrasing here.) Can God actually cause someone to say and do exactly what needs to be said and done to fulfill a sign? He must, because that is precisely what young Rebekah did.
She did not realize as she was hauling around those 200-plus gallons of water and risking having those beasts spit on her, that they were carrying treasure intended for her. Those very camels would soon carry her to the adventure of her life.
She had a willing spirit not only to give water to a thirsty stranger and his entire caravan, but she was willing to leave homeland, family and friends to go to a country far away to marry a man she’d never seen. That marvelous servant’s heart and her willing spirit placed her solidly in the lineage of our precious Jesus. We know her name and her history. We are directly tied to her life because she was part of perpetuating the family that gave us our Older Brother who introduced us to Our Father. Can it get any better than that?
My prayer is this: "God plant in me a ‘Rebekah spirit’ that sees a need and does all she can to be a servant and a blessing. Let my heart be free enough in You to remember that I already have received my Treasure and I need nothing more. Let me serve with joy, great love and deep compassion those you bring to me. Lord be honored so those in need may encounter the greatest Treasure of all."
Now, off to find camels to water!
cbn
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Fellowship in the Gospel
. . . fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ . . .
—1 Thessalonians 3:2
After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, "God has called me for this and for that," you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, "Lord, this causes me such heartache." To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy "world within the world," and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being "frost-bitten."
my utmost for His highest
. . . fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ . . .
—1 Thessalonians 3:2
After sanctification, it is difficult to state what your purpose in life is, because God has moved you into His purpose through the Holy Spirit. He is using you now for His purposes throughout the world as He used His Son for the purpose of our salvation. If you seek great things for yourself, thinking, "God has called me for this and for that," you barricade God from using you. As long as you maintain your own personal interests and ambitions, you cannot be completely aligned or identified with God’s interests. This can only be accomplished by giving up all of your personal plans once and for all, and by allowing God to take you directly into His purpose for the world. Your understanding of your ways must also be surrendered, because they are now the ways of the Lord.
I must learn that the purpose of my life belongs to God, not me. God is using me from His great personal perspective, and all He asks of me is that I trust Him. I should never say, "Lord, this causes me such heartache." To talk that way makes me a stumbling block. When I stop telling God what I want, He can freely work His will in me without any hindrance. He can crush me, exalt me, or do anything else He chooses. He simply asks me to have absolute faith in Him and His goodness. Self-pity is of the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used by God for His purpose in the world. Doing this creates for me my own cozy "world within the world," and God will not be allowed to move me from it because of my fear of being "frost-bitten."
my utmost for His highest
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
THE LESSONS OF CONTENTMENT
Hebrews 13:1-8
1 Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. 4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6 So we say with confidence,"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" 7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Feel like your cash stash isn't enough? Has your desire for more made for less peace in your heart? Here come three points on learning to be content.
* Keep money in its place. It's amazing the number of times the Bible links discontentment with money. John the Baptist told the tax collectors to stop ripping off the public and be content with their pay (Luke 3:14). Paul told Timothy, "Godliness with contentment is great gain. . . . For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:5,10).
We need money, but the dollar-focused life leads only to discontentment. Agur prayed to be kept from hunger-driven crime or prosperity-fueled godlessness (Proverbs 30:7-9). Not a bad prayer for us too.
* Value what you have. It isn't just money that we can be greedy for. I work as a radio announcer, and every week I interview Jesus-followers who are doing amazing things in the kingdom: The missionary who is witnessing a mighty evangelistic movement among Estonia's deaf community. The young adults who are hitting the backpacking circuit to reach hitchhikers. And those who are seeing prisoners set free, the homeless sheltered, and the rejected befriended.
Listening to stories like these, it's not uncommon for me to feel that I'd like to be "called" to a new ministry (hey, backpacking around the world for God--where do I sign up?). The problem is, the more I hear, the more ambitions I get. Yet, with the greater ambitions comes no more time. And that's when I feel discontent. Slowly but surely I'm learning to value the meaningful work andexperiences I have.
Now here comes the reason . . .
* Because God is with you. The bottom line of contentment is enjoying God's presence (Hebrews 13:5-6). God's greatest gift to us is not wealth, or abundance, or even miracles. It's His very self. --Sheridan Voysey
DESTINATION POINTS
* The apostle Paul learned how to be content (Philippians 4:10-14). How is my grade in Contentment 101?
* Reflect on Ecclesiastes 4:6.What can I let go of today to become more content?
* How can I rearrange my life to spend more intimate time with God, the Great Fulfiller?
LINKS:
The Secret That Will Change Your Life
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/8c6/8c6030.html
bottom line: In God alone we find all we need.
soul journey
Hebrews 13:1-8
1 Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. 4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." 6 So we say with confidence,"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" 7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Feel like your cash stash isn't enough? Has your desire for more made for less peace in your heart? Here come three points on learning to be content.
* Keep money in its place. It's amazing the number of times the Bible links discontentment with money. John the Baptist told the tax collectors to stop ripping off the public and be content with their pay (Luke 3:14). Paul told Timothy, "Godliness with contentment is great gain. . . . For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:5,10).
We need money, but the dollar-focused life leads only to discontentment. Agur prayed to be kept from hunger-driven crime or prosperity-fueled godlessness (Proverbs 30:7-9). Not a bad prayer for us too.
* Value what you have. It isn't just money that we can be greedy for. I work as a radio announcer, and every week I interview Jesus-followers who are doing amazing things in the kingdom: The missionary who is witnessing a mighty evangelistic movement among Estonia's deaf community. The young adults who are hitting the backpacking circuit to reach hitchhikers. And those who are seeing prisoners set free, the homeless sheltered, and the rejected befriended.
Listening to stories like these, it's not uncommon for me to feel that I'd like to be "called" to a new ministry (hey, backpacking around the world for God--where do I sign up?). The problem is, the more I hear, the more ambitions I get. Yet, with the greater ambitions comes no more time. And that's when I feel discontent. Slowly but surely I'm learning to value the meaningful work andexperiences I have.
Now here comes the reason . . .
* Because God is with you. The bottom line of contentment is enjoying God's presence (Hebrews 13:5-6). God's greatest gift to us is not wealth, or abundance, or even miracles. It's His very self. --Sheridan Voysey
DESTINATION POINTS
* The apostle Paul learned how to be content (Philippians 4:10-14). How is my grade in Contentment 101?
* Reflect on Ecclesiastes 4:6.What can I let go of today to become more content?
* How can I rearrange my life to spend more intimate time with God, the Great Fulfiller?
LINKS:
The Secret That Will Change Your Life
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/8c6/8c6030.html
bottom line: In God alone we find all we need.
soul journey
Monday, November 08, 2004
The Little Evangelist
Read: Mark 12:28-34
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: Jeremiah 43-45; Hebrews 5
My 6-year-old neighbor Michael and I were talking in my front yard when two new neighbor kids stopped by. After I asked them their names, Michael's first question to them was: "Do you love God?" Sugar, a 5-year-old boy, quickly responded, "No!" Michael gave him a look of disapproval and concern. When 4-year-old Nana noticed he wasn't pleased with that answer, she said, "Yes!"
Michael's "witnessing strategy" may not be the most effective, but he does have an important question for the people he meets (and I've heard him ask it of several others as well).
Jesus was asked, "Which is the first commandment of all?" (Mark 12:28). He answered, "The Lord is one. 'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength'" (vv.29-30).
Jesus was referring to Old Testament times, when God had told the Israelites to place Him as the one and only God in their lives and nation. The pagan nations around them had many gods they loved and worshiped, but God's people were to be different.
Loving God is to be our top priority too. So, Michael wants to know, "Do you love God?" —Anne Cetas
For Further Thought
Have you trusted in Jesus as your Savior?
What evidence is there in your life that you love God?
How are you showing God's love to others?
If you truly love the Lord, you'll want others to love Him too.
daily bread
Read: Mark 12:28-34
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: Jeremiah 43-45; Hebrews 5
My 6-year-old neighbor Michael and I were talking in my front yard when two new neighbor kids stopped by. After I asked them their names, Michael's first question to them was: "Do you love God?" Sugar, a 5-year-old boy, quickly responded, "No!" Michael gave him a look of disapproval and concern. When 4-year-old Nana noticed he wasn't pleased with that answer, she said, "Yes!"
Michael's "witnessing strategy" may not be the most effective, but he does have an important question for the people he meets (and I've heard him ask it of several others as well).
Jesus was asked, "Which is the first commandment of all?" (Mark 12:28). He answered, "The Lord is one. 'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength'" (vv.29-30).
Jesus was referring to Old Testament times, when God had told the Israelites to place Him as the one and only God in their lives and nation. The pagan nations around them had many gods they loved and worshiped, but God's people were to be different.
Loving God is to be our top priority too. So, Michael wants to know, "Do you love God?" —Anne Cetas
For Further Thought
Have you trusted in Jesus as your Savior?
What evidence is there in your life that you love God?
How are you showing God's love to others?
If you truly love the Lord, you'll want others to love Him too.
daily bread
Sunday, November 07, 2004
LIVING FROM THE ROOTS
Ecclesiastes 4:9-129
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
The Reader's Digest article "What Good Is a Tree?" explained that when the roots of trees touch, there is a substance present that reduces competition. In fact, this unknown fungus helps link roots of different trees--even of dissimilar species. A whole forest maybe linked together. If one tree has access to water, another to nutrients, and a third to sunlight, the trees have the means to share with one another.
Solomon understood the value of that kind of community among God's people. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 he outlined how mutual partnership is preferred over rugged individualism. When we live in community, we have greater productivity in times of labor. In verse 9, Solomon said, "They have a good return for their work.
"He continued his message about community in verse 10, "If one fallsdown, his friend can help him up." There is greater help in times of difficulty. We fall down for a variety of reasons, and it is good to have someone to help us get back up.
Solomon stated another advantage--comfort in times of pain: "If two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" (v.11). As Jesus-followers, we should find fresh ways to encourage people with our presence.
A final advantage of mutual partnership is greater protection in times of danger (v.12). The roads in Israel were dangerous to travel. The roads on which we travel through life are dangerous as well, and we need someone who will walk with us, cry with us, laugh with us, and grow with us. For there is great strength in community.
We were created for relationship. Like trees in a forest, Christiansin the church need and support one another. Let's start living fromthe roots. --Marvin Williams
DESTINATION POINTS
* To whom can I provide community this week?
* How can I begin tolive from the roots with my fellow brothers and sisters?
LINKS:
Celebrating The Wonder Of A Tree
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q1113
The Church We Need
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0904
bottom line: God's way is interdependence--not independence.
soul journey
Ecclesiastes 4:9-129
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
The Reader's Digest article "What Good Is a Tree?" explained that when the roots of trees touch, there is a substance present that reduces competition. In fact, this unknown fungus helps link roots of different trees--even of dissimilar species. A whole forest maybe linked together. If one tree has access to water, another to nutrients, and a third to sunlight, the trees have the means to share with one another.
Solomon understood the value of that kind of community among God's people. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 he outlined how mutual partnership is preferred over rugged individualism. When we live in community, we have greater productivity in times of labor. In verse 9, Solomon said, "They have a good return for their work.
"He continued his message about community in verse 10, "If one fallsdown, his friend can help him up." There is greater help in times of difficulty. We fall down for a variety of reasons, and it is good to have someone to help us get back up.
Solomon stated another advantage--comfort in times of pain: "If two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?" (v.11). As Jesus-followers, we should find fresh ways to encourage people with our presence.
A final advantage of mutual partnership is greater protection in times of danger (v.12). The roads in Israel were dangerous to travel. The roads on which we travel through life are dangerous as well, and we need someone who will walk with us, cry with us, laugh with us, and grow with us. For there is great strength in community.
We were created for relationship. Like trees in a forest, Christiansin the church need and support one another. Let's start living fromthe roots. --Marvin Williams
DESTINATION POINTS
* To whom can I provide community this week?
* How can I begin tolive from the roots with my fellow brothers and sisters?
LINKS:
Celebrating The Wonder Of A Tree
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q1113
The Church We Need
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0904
bottom line: God's way is interdependence--not independence.
soul journey
Saturday, November 06, 2004
PICK ME!
Isaiah 41:8-108
But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend, 9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, "You are Myservant"; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
"No one ever picks me!" my 7-year-old cried. I listened as she described how every day in her class, they sat in a circle, and one special person of the week chose who would erase the white board and who would get to change the date on the calendar. Tears streamed down her face as she said, "I want to be chosen, Mom. No one picks me.
"In fact, come to find out, Aleigha has indeed been chosen, but she hadn't been picked by certain people she wanted to choose her. It's all very complicated and very serious stuff for a first-grader.
I gave her a hug and reassured her that she has a ton of friends and that sometimes we don't get picked for things, even by people who like us. I'm not too thrilled that I had to inform her of this harsh reality of life. I was hoping that somehow she could escape at least this one.
But no, none of us escapes the feeling of being left out, left behind, and overlooked at some point in our lives. I've even felt that as an adult--not being invited to a party, not being picked to sing the Easter solo at church, or not having my name mentioned forthe work I did on a project. These sound petty now, but at the time they really hurt because I felt as if I didn't matter. That's how my sweet little girl felt that day.
If you ever feel ignored or unnoticed, remember the lengths to which God went to choose you (Philippians 2:6-8). "He chose [you] in Him before the creation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). He paid the ultimate price for you. You matter that much to Him. He knew you were lost; He wanted you back.
And He has chosen you to be His own.
God picked you! --Allison Stevens
DESTINATION POINTS
* When was the last time I felt left out or ignored? How did I respond to that pain?
* How does it make me feel to know that God has picked me? Does this have any impact on the way I treat others?
* What will change in my life because He has chosen me?
LINKS:
God's Choice Or Ours?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0609
Knowing God Through Isaiah
http://www.discoveryseries.org/sb151
bottom line: God chose me for eternity!
soul journey
Isaiah 41:8-108
But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend, 9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, "You are Myservant"; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
"No one ever picks me!" my 7-year-old cried. I listened as she described how every day in her class, they sat in a circle, and one special person of the week chose who would erase the white board and who would get to change the date on the calendar. Tears streamed down her face as she said, "I want to be chosen, Mom. No one picks me.
"In fact, come to find out, Aleigha has indeed been chosen, but she hadn't been picked by certain people she wanted to choose her. It's all very complicated and very serious stuff for a first-grader.
I gave her a hug and reassured her that she has a ton of friends and that sometimes we don't get picked for things, even by people who like us. I'm not too thrilled that I had to inform her of this harsh reality of life. I was hoping that somehow she could escape at least this one.
But no, none of us escapes the feeling of being left out, left behind, and overlooked at some point in our lives. I've even felt that as an adult--not being invited to a party, not being picked to sing the Easter solo at church, or not having my name mentioned forthe work I did on a project. These sound petty now, but at the time they really hurt because I felt as if I didn't matter. That's how my sweet little girl felt that day.
If you ever feel ignored or unnoticed, remember the lengths to which God went to choose you (Philippians 2:6-8). "He chose [you] in Him before the creation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). He paid the ultimate price for you. You matter that much to Him. He knew you were lost; He wanted you back.
And He has chosen you to be His own.
God picked you! --Allison Stevens
DESTINATION POINTS
* When was the last time I felt left out or ignored? How did I respond to that pain?
* How does it make me feel to know that God has picked me? Does this have any impact on the way I treat others?
* What will change in my life because He has chosen me?
LINKS:
God's Choice Or Ours?
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0609
Knowing God Through Isaiah
http://www.discoveryseries.org/sb151
bottom line: God chose me for eternity!
soul journey
Thursday, November 04, 2004
The Heart of the Matter
John Fischer
I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter,
But my will gets weak and my thoughts seem to scatter—
But I think it's about forgiveness, forgiveness—
Even if—even if—you don't love me anymore.
- Don Henly
Yes, Don Henly was right: it’s all about forgiveness. It’s all about forgiveness, because we are all in such a mess—we are all in such need of it. Applying large doses of forgiveness is a necessary requirement for any relationship to flourish.
Authentic fellowship requires forgiveness or it is a phony, surface fellowship. It skips over the sins, disappointments and letdowns of our lives because these are too painful or too hard to face.
The only way it wouldn’t be about forgiveness would be if everyone were perfect and I checked myself in the mirror recently and concluded that my perfection doesn’t look like a possibility at least in my immediate future. I desperately need those around me to be forgiving if I am going to get anywhere near them because I have so much in me that will stand in the way of a real relationship if it’s not brought out into the open. And when something like that is brought out into the open something has to be done about it. It has to be the featured obstacle—the reason why we can’t get close—or it has to be forgiven.
I really don’t see this going any other way. Because we are all going to fail each other’s expectations so assuredly that I see only three possibilities here. Hate or fear each other and completely avoid any relationship. Carry on a superficial relationship where we hide most of our real feelings behind a mask of pretension. Or come out into the open and love each other applying forgiveness liberally to others and ourselves. Forgiveness is the only way to avoid resentment and anger. Fellowship is impossible without it.
“Above all, love each other deeply,” wrote Peter, “because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 Whose sins are being covered over here I wonder? Everyone’s. Love enables me to look past your sins and be in relationship with you. And love enables you to look past my sins and be in relationship with me. Not only that but it also allows us to have our own sins forgiven so we can have a sense of being worth something to someone else as a friend.
Fellowship is a great thing but don’t even try it without a commitment to forgiving each other. Otherwise, your fellow “ship” will never even get out of the harbor.
PDL
John Fischer
I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter,
But my will gets weak and my thoughts seem to scatter—
But I think it's about forgiveness, forgiveness—
Even if—even if—you don't love me anymore.
- Don Henly
Yes, Don Henly was right: it’s all about forgiveness. It’s all about forgiveness, because we are all in such a mess—we are all in such need of it. Applying large doses of forgiveness is a necessary requirement for any relationship to flourish.
Authentic fellowship requires forgiveness or it is a phony, surface fellowship. It skips over the sins, disappointments and letdowns of our lives because these are too painful or too hard to face.
The only way it wouldn’t be about forgiveness would be if everyone were perfect and I checked myself in the mirror recently and concluded that my perfection doesn’t look like a possibility at least in my immediate future. I desperately need those around me to be forgiving if I am going to get anywhere near them because I have so much in me that will stand in the way of a real relationship if it’s not brought out into the open. And when something like that is brought out into the open something has to be done about it. It has to be the featured obstacle—the reason why we can’t get close—or it has to be forgiven.
I really don’t see this going any other way. Because we are all going to fail each other’s expectations so assuredly that I see only three possibilities here. Hate or fear each other and completely avoid any relationship. Carry on a superficial relationship where we hide most of our real feelings behind a mask of pretension. Or come out into the open and love each other applying forgiveness liberally to others and ourselves. Forgiveness is the only way to avoid resentment and anger. Fellowship is impossible without it.
“Above all, love each other deeply,” wrote Peter, “because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 Whose sins are being covered over here I wonder? Everyone’s. Love enables me to look past your sins and be in relationship with you. And love enables you to look past my sins and be in relationship with me. Not only that but it also allows us to have our own sins forgiven so we can have a sense of being worth something to someone else as a friend.
Fellowship is a great thing but don’t even try it without a commitment to forgiving each other. Otherwise, your fellow “ship” will never even get out of the harbor.
PDL
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Another Chance
Read: Luke 22:24-34
Do you love Me? . . . Tend My sheep. —John 21:16
Bible In One Year: Jeremiah 30-31; Philemon
Jesus promised Peter something every repentant believer craves—another chance (Luke 22:31-34). After telling him Satan would sift him as wheat, Jesus reassured Peter that He had prayed that his faith would not fail. Although Peter had insisted he would never forsake Him, Jesus said he would deny Him three times before dawn. In expectation of Peter's restoration, Jesus recommissioned him for future ministry: "When you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren" (v.32).
Preacher George Duncan said, "I don't think many church-vacancy committees would have considered Peter a suitable candidate for a church!" Duncan pointed out that at Pentecost, however, God chose Peter to deliver the most vital sermon in church history. "It would seem," Duncan said, "that some Christians have a message of forgiveness for the unbeliever, but no message of forgiveness for the believer. I'm glad that God does!" Because of that forgiveness, a new day of service dawned for Peter.
Indeed, if you are a repentant believer like Peter, you too can trust the Lord to give you another chance. Confess your sin and experience His forgiveness, healing, and restoration (1 John 1:9). —Joanie Yoder
When we confess our sins to God,
We're washed as white as snow;
Then He will send us out again—
His love and grace to show. —Sper
God's forgiveness always comes with another chance.
daily bread
Read: Luke 22:24-34
Do you love Me? . . . Tend My sheep. —John 21:16
Bible In One Year: Jeremiah 30-31; Philemon
Jesus promised Peter something every repentant believer craves—another chance (Luke 22:31-34). After telling him Satan would sift him as wheat, Jesus reassured Peter that He had prayed that his faith would not fail. Although Peter had insisted he would never forsake Him, Jesus said he would deny Him three times before dawn. In expectation of Peter's restoration, Jesus recommissioned him for future ministry: "When you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren" (v.32).
Preacher George Duncan said, "I don't think many church-vacancy committees would have considered Peter a suitable candidate for a church!" Duncan pointed out that at Pentecost, however, God chose Peter to deliver the most vital sermon in church history. "It would seem," Duncan said, "that some Christians have a message of forgiveness for the unbeliever, but no message of forgiveness for the believer. I'm glad that God does!" Because of that forgiveness, a new day of service dawned for Peter.
Indeed, if you are a repentant believer like Peter, you too can trust the Lord to give you another chance. Confess your sin and experience His forgiveness, healing, and restoration (1 John 1:9). —Joanie Yoder
When we confess our sins to God,
We're washed as white as snow;
Then He will send us out again—
His love and grace to show. —Sper
God's forgiveness always comes with another chance.
daily bread
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Jesus' Blood Never Fails
John Fischer
There is a quirky piece of music written and recorded by the British composer Gavin Bryars that features a continuous running tape loop of a homeless man recorded on the streets of London singing an old gospel song, “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.” The old man’s voice is wistful and wobbly, with a Cockney accent that somehow carries with it a toothless grin you can almost see, and a confidence that stands in stark contrast to his situation.
Jesus blood never failed me yet, never failed me yet,
Jesus blood never failed me yet.
This one thing I know, for he loves me so.
A reporter who was a friend of the composer recorded this little song by accident while researching a story on London’s poor, and Bryars was captivated by its simple grandeur. He was haunted by the power of the old man’s sincerity and the boldness of his hope even though, by his own admission, he does not share his faith. That’s when he got the idea to immortalize the man’s testimony by writing an orchestral accompaniment that would weave intricately in and around the sinewy voice as it repeated, over and over again, its confidence in the never-failing love of Jesus. The end result is a 75-minute recording that gradually works its way through various musical shades and colors while the toothless voice grins on and on.
Little did he know it was going to turn into something of a phenomenon. The piece scored a pop hit in Britain and did fairly well in America. Though it is considered a classical recording, its unique composition appealed to a broad range of people, especially a younger audience that turned it into a sort of pop icon.
Think of it: a bum out on the streets in the lowest of states, carrying a hopeful message to hundreds of thousands of people about the reality of Christ’s love that defies his health, his circumstances and the physical conditions that are his daily reality. Hearing it always makes me see whatever I might be going through at the time in a different light.
“Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39 NLT Or, to put it another way, whatever happens to you or me, we can always say, “Jesus blood never failed me yet.”
PDL
John Fischer
There is a quirky piece of music written and recorded by the British composer Gavin Bryars that features a continuous running tape loop of a homeless man recorded on the streets of London singing an old gospel song, “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.” The old man’s voice is wistful and wobbly, with a Cockney accent that somehow carries with it a toothless grin you can almost see, and a confidence that stands in stark contrast to his situation.
Jesus blood never failed me yet, never failed me yet,
Jesus blood never failed me yet.
This one thing I know, for he loves me so.
A reporter who was a friend of the composer recorded this little song by accident while researching a story on London’s poor, and Bryars was captivated by its simple grandeur. He was haunted by the power of the old man’s sincerity and the boldness of his hope even though, by his own admission, he does not share his faith. That’s when he got the idea to immortalize the man’s testimony by writing an orchestral accompaniment that would weave intricately in and around the sinewy voice as it repeated, over and over again, its confidence in the never-failing love of Jesus. The end result is a 75-minute recording that gradually works its way through various musical shades and colors while the toothless voice grins on and on.
Little did he know it was going to turn into something of a phenomenon. The piece scored a pop hit in Britain and did fairly well in America. Though it is considered a classical recording, its unique composition appealed to a broad range of people, especially a younger audience that turned it into a sort of pop icon.
Think of it: a bum out on the streets in the lowest of states, carrying a hopeful message to hundreds of thousands of people about the reality of Christ’s love that defies his health, his circumstances and the physical conditions that are his daily reality. Hearing it always makes me see whatever I might be going through at the time in a different light.
“Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39 NLT Or, to put it another way, whatever happens to you or me, we can always say, “Jesus blood never failed me yet.”
PDL
Monday, November 01, 2004
But Lord...
John Fischer
“What do you have there in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2 NLT)
Anyone familiar with the calling of Moses by God to be the one to free his people from Egypt knows that calling took place amidst a long litany of excuses and objections on Moses’ part. It is such a human story full of insecurity, fear and trepidation.
“But who am I to appear before Pharaoh?” (3:11)
“How do you expect me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?” (3:11)
“They won’t believe me.” (3:13; 4:1)
“O Lord… I’m clumsy with my words.” (4:10)
“Lord, please! Send someone else.” (4:13)
Any of these sound familiar? It’s hard to believe that with this beginning, God turned Moses into one of his greatest leaders. It just goes to show that serving God doesn’t depend on great things from us; it depends on our availability to a great God.
This has been God’s strategy from the beginning—to pick ordinary, fallible people like you and me, and do great things through them by faith. I don’t know how we miss this so often, but we do. The Old Testament is riddled with people like this. We often make excuses for ourselves based on other people God is using mightily—that we could never be like them—without realizing they feel just as insecure as we do, the only difference being, they showed up. Greatness, in God’s book, is not a measure of our natural abilities as much as it is a measure of our faith.
Still, God will use what we offer of our natural abilities, but only after we give them over to Him. I believe that is what the shepherd’s staff Moses carried around represented. God asked him to throw it on the ground and when he did, it immediately turned into a serpent; then he told him to pick it up again (that would have been the hardest part!) and it turned back into a staff. (Later, God would use this little trick against Pharaoh and his magicians.)
When we give up what we have in our hand—the few things we do have that we have come to trust—then God can turn even these things into something greater. When we turn from reliance on our natural abilities to a reliance on God, He makes even more of our abilities.
What’s your staff? What have you been leaning on all these years? Is it a natural ability? Is it a drug? Is it something you’re good at? Or is it something that makes you think you’re good, but is really lying to you? Throw it down, and see what God can make of it.
PDL
John Fischer
“What do you have there in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2 NLT)
Anyone familiar with the calling of Moses by God to be the one to free his people from Egypt knows that calling took place amidst a long litany of excuses and objections on Moses’ part. It is such a human story full of insecurity, fear and trepidation.
“But who am I to appear before Pharaoh?” (3:11)
“How do you expect me to lead the Israelites out of Egypt?” (3:11)
“They won’t believe me.” (3:13; 4:1)
“O Lord… I’m clumsy with my words.” (4:10)
“Lord, please! Send someone else.” (4:13)
Any of these sound familiar? It’s hard to believe that with this beginning, God turned Moses into one of his greatest leaders. It just goes to show that serving God doesn’t depend on great things from us; it depends on our availability to a great God.
This has been God’s strategy from the beginning—to pick ordinary, fallible people like you and me, and do great things through them by faith. I don’t know how we miss this so often, but we do. The Old Testament is riddled with people like this. We often make excuses for ourselves based on other people God is using mightily—that we could never be like them—without realizing they feel just as insecure as we do, the only difference being, they showed up. Greatness, in God’s book, is not a measure of our natural abilities as much as it is a measure of our faith.
Still, God will use what we offer of our natural abilities, but only after we give them over to Him. I believe that is what the shepherd’s staff Moses carried around represented. God asked him to throw it on the ground and when he did, it immediately turned into a serpent; then he told him to pick it up again (that would have been the hardest part!) and it turned back into a staff. (Later, God would use this little trick against Pharaoh and his magicians.)
When we give up what we have in our hand—the few things we do have that we have come to trust—then God can turn even these things into something greater. When we turn from reliance on our natural abilities to a reliance on God, He makes even more of our abilities.
What’s your staff? What have you been leaning on all these years? Is it a natural ability? Is it a drug? Is it something you’re good at? Or is it something that makes you think you’re good, but is really lying to you? Throw it down, and see what God can make of it.
PDL