.
“And Jesus said unto them, ‘Come and see.’” (John 1:39).
The disciples who had heard John speak and then followed Jesus, were surprisingly faced with a question put to them by the Lord Himself – “What do you want?” They simply replied, “Master, where do you live; where are you staying?”
Jesus answered them, “Come and see.”
Notice that He did not give directions. “Yeah, well, you go four blocks down Seekers Road until you come to The Way of Truth. Turn right and follow it to Conviction Blvd, and then turn right on Repentance Road. There you will come upon a light, a very bright light at the corner of Repentance and Revelation. Turn right on Revelation and then follow it as it turns into Conversion Street. Tarry awhile on Conversion until you come to Pentecost Avenue, and right after that cruise on down Hallelujah Highway to a City called Glory. I’ll be waiting to see you there.”
No, He didn’t say that. He simply said, “Come and see.”
True Christianity is about following a Friend, not a set of directions. The Destination is but the result of a Journey that we take together.
“Come and see.”
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Following Jesus
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“And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:37).
When I was but a tender sapling just called into the ministry -- long, long ago; in a galaxy far, far away -- this particular verse of Scripture became a personal inspiration to me, insuring that my aspirations in preaching to others would always hold the highest and truest of motives: “The disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.”
Even to this day, that is my deepest longing in all the ways God has blessed me to communicate with others – including you. These RYLISMS, as the header states, are but “a growing collection of brief devotional thoughts to encourage a deeper love of Truth and a closer walk with Jesus....”
For the record, I have not always held true to this noble motive.
There have been stretches of time when I preached for what I could get from it -- the praise of others, the admiration of peers, the sense of self-worth that comes from doing well, and the acclaim that gifting from God can cause in the midst of men. I’m not proud about that; and I am grateful that lighting did not strike during those stretches of vanity.
Still, in it all, it is a great joy to know that many are following Jesus as a result.
Wouldn’t it be a good thing if each of us had a measure of grace to effect similar results in our own service? That we, like John, would speak and act in such a manner that others, as a result, would follow Jesus….and become more and more like Jesus in their character and conduct.
Perhaps you won’t mind me asking a personal question. If others around you decide to follow you -- your example, your advice, your opinions, your mannerisms – will they become more and more like Jesus, or will they become merely a clone of yourself?
Whose Kingdom are you building?
.
“And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:37).
When I was but a tender sapling just called into the ministry -- long, long ago; in a galaxy far, far away -- this particular verse of Scripture became a personal inspiration to me, insuring that my aspirations in preaching to others would always hold the highest and truest of motives: “The disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.”
Even to this day, that is my deepest longing in all the ways God has blessed me to communicate with others – including you. These RYLISMS, as the header states, are but “a growing collection of brief devotional thoughts to encourage a deeper love of Truth and a closer walk with Jesus....”
For the record, I have not always held true to this noble motive.
There have been stretches of time when I preached for what I could get from it -- the praise of others, the admiration of peers, the sense of self-worth that comes from doing well, and the acclaim that gifting from God can cause in the midst of men. I’m not proud about that; and I am grateful that lighting did not strike during those stretches of vanity.
Still, in it all, it is a great joy to know that many are following Jesus as a result.
Wouldn’t it be a good thing if each of us had a measure of grace to effect similar results in our own service? That we, like John, would speak and act in such a manner that others, as a result, would follow Jesus….and become more and more like Jesus in their character and conduct.
Perhaps you won’t mind me asking a personal question. If others around you decide to follow you -- your example, your advice, your opinions, your mannerisms – will they become more and more like Jesus, or will they become merely a clone of yourself?
Whose Kingdom are you building?
.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
What Do You Want? (Part 2)
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“Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’” (John 1:38 NIV).
Here is a remarkable poem by John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams and sixth President of the United States. His words are a masterpiece of thought, humor, patriotism, love, devotion, and humility.
What would it be like to have this sort of person back in the exalted Halls of Political Power and Influence?!
Read, and enjoy....
“Man wants but little here below, nor wants that little long.”
'Tis not with me exactly so; but 'tis so in the song.
My wants are many and, if told, would muster many a score;
And were each wish a mint of gold, I still should long for more.
What first I want is daily bread, and canvas-backs, and wine.
And all the realms of nature spread before me, when I dine.
Four courses scarcely can provide my appetite to quell;
With four choice cooks from France beside, to dress my dinner well.
What next I want, at princely cost, is elegant attire:
Black sable furs for winter's frost, and silks for summer's fire,
And Cashmere shawls, and Brussels lace my bosom's front to deck,
And diamond rings my hands to grace, and rubies for my neck.
I want (who does not want?) a wife, -- affectionate and fair;
To solace all the woes of life, and all its joys to share.
Of temper sweet, of yielding will, of firm, yet placid mind,
--With all my faults to love me still with sentiment refined.
And as Time's car incessant runs, and Fortune fills my store,
I want of daughters and of sons from eight to half a score.
I want (alas! can mortal dare such bliss on earth to crave?)
That all the girls be chaste and fair, the boys all wise and brave.
I want a warm and faithful friend, to cheer the adverse hour,
Who ne'er to flatter will descend, nor bend the knee to power;
A friend to chide me when I'm wrong, my inmost soul to see;
And that my friendship prove as strong for him as his for me.
I want the seals of power and place, the ensigns of command;
Charged by the People's unbought grace to rule my native land.
Nor crown nor scepter would I ask but from my country's will,
By day, by night, to ply the task Her cup of bliss to fill.
I want the voice of honest praise to follow me behind,
And to be thought in future days the friend of human-kind,
That after ages, as they rise, exulting may proclaim
In choral union to the skies their blessings on my name.
These are the Wants of mortal Man, -- I cannot want them long,
For life itself is but a span, and earthly bliss -- a song.
My last great Want -- absorbing all -- is, when beneath the sod,
And summoned to my final call, The Mercy of my God.
.
“Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’” (John 1:38 NIV).
Here is a remarkable poem by John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams and sixth President of the United States. His words are a masterpiece of thought, humor, patriotism, love, devotion, and humility.
What would it be like to have this sort of person back in the exalted Halls of Political Power and Influence?!
Read, and enjoy....
“Man wants but little here below, nor wants that little long.”
'Tis not with me exactly so; but 'tis so in the song.
My wants are many and, if told, would muster many a score;
And were each wish a mint of gold, I still should long for more.
What first I want is daily bread, and canvas-backs, and wine.
And all the realms of nature spread before me, when I dine.
Four courses scarcely can provide my appetite to quell;
With four choice cooks from France beside, to dress my dinner well.
What next I want, at princely cost, is elegant attire:
Black sable furs for winter's frost, and silks for summer's fire,
And Cashmere shawls, and Brussels lace my bosom's front to deck,
And diamond rings my hands to grace, and rubies for my neck.
I want (who does not want?) a wife, -- affectionate and fair;
To solace all the woes of life, and all its joys to share.
Of temper sweet, of yielding will, of firm, yet placid mind,
--With all my faults to love me still with sentiment refined.
And as Time's car incessant runs, and Fortune fills my store,
I want of daughters and of sons from eight to half a score.
I want (alas! can mortal dare such bliss on earth to crave?)
That all the girls be chaste and fair, the boys all wise and brave.
I want a warm and faithful friend, to cheer the adverse hour,
Who ne'er to flatter will descend, nor bend the knee to power;
A friend to chide me when I'm wrong, my inmost soul to see;
And that my friendship prove as strong for him as his for me.
I want the seals of power and place, the ensigns of command;
Charged by the People's unbought grace to rule my native land.
Nor crown nor scepter would I ask but from my country's will,
By day, by night, to ply the task Her cup of bliss to fill.
I want the voice of honest praise to follow me behind,
And to be thought in future days the friend of human-kind,
That after ages, as they rise, exulting may proclaim
In choral union to the skies their blessings on my name.
These are the Wants of mortal Man, -- I cannot want them long,
For life itself is but a span, and earthly bliss -- a song.
My last great Want -- absorbing all -- is, when beneath the sod,
And summoned to my final call, The Mercy of my God.
.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
"What Do You Want?" (Part 1)
.
“Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’” (John 1:38 NIV).
Jesus knows how to ask a question that goes beneath the superficial issues of our lives, and taps into the deeper, more substantial matters of life itself. This one question, “What do you want?”, is a perfect example.
The Bible tells us that two men listened attentively to John the Baptist, and one day heard him say, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John was speaking about his cousin, Jesus of Nazareth. The two men immediately left John and started following Jesus along the road.
Imagine how stunned these two must have been when Jesus abruptly turned to them and point blank asked, “What do you want?” It had to take them back a step or two.
How would you reply to such a question if it were put directly to you by the Lord? Many of us are not honest enough with our own souls to even know how to answer such a question. We fumble about for words, and stumble over our secret fears, and end up sputtering in the face of Life’s fleeting and unexpected opportunities.
So, what do you want? No, what do you really want?
So many of our wants are trite and frivolous, while others are vainly ambitious. We want a bicycle, a car, and ticket to the show. A better hair-do. We want world peace, and animals living in harmony with man. We want all bad people to be good and behave themselves.
We want our toilets to flush without backing up. We want insect repellant, and a cure for dreaded diseases. We want free stuff. We want liberty. We want money. We want our candidate in the Oval office – not theirs.
We want entertainment, pleasure, fun, and we want it without guilt. We want answers. We want good weather. You see how the list can go on and on? Sooner or later we will actually land upon what it is we really, really want. That’s what Jesus is asking about.
“So, what do you really want?” Jesus says to you; “I know all the religious answers, all the ridiculous answers, and all the right answers – but, what I’m looking for is the real answer. What do you want?”
How would you answer that question today?
I love poetry. Recently I came across a real jewel written by John Quincy Adams. It is simply too good not to pass along to you, and I will do so tomorrow (for the sake of space). Perhaps you will find in his whimsical and probing words a voice for your own deep, unspoken longings.
.
“Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’” (John 1:38 NIV).
Jesus knows how to ask a question that goes beneath the superficial issues of our lives, and taps into the deeper, more substantial matters of life itself. This one question, “What do you want?”, is a perfect example.
The Bible tells us that two men listened attentively to John the Baptist, and one day heard him say, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John was speaking about his cousin, Jesus of Nazareth. The two men immediately left John and started following Jesus along the road.
Imagine how stunned these two must have been when Jesus abruptly turned to them and point blank asked, “What do you want?” It had to take them back a step or two.
How would you reply to such a question if it were put directly to you by the Lord? Many of us are not honest enough with our own souls to even know how to answer such a question. We fumble about for words, and stumble over our secret fears, and end up sputtering in the face of Life’s fleeting and unexpected opportunities.
So, what do you want? No, what do you really want?
So many of our wants are trite and frivolous, while others are vainly ambitious. We want a bicycle, a car, and ticket to the show. A better hair-do. We want world peace, and animals living in harmony with man. We want all bad people to be good and behave themselves.
We want our toilets to flush without backing up. We want insect repellant, and a cure for dreaded diseases. We want free stuff. We want liberty. We want money. We want our candidate in the Oval office – not theirs.
We want entertainment, pleasure, fun, and we want it without guilt. We want answers. We want good weather. You see how the list can go on and on? Sooner or later we will actually land upon what it is we really, really want. That’s what Jesus is asking about.
“So, what do you really want?” Jesus says to you; “I know all the religious answers, all the ridiculous answers, and all the right answers – but, what I’m looking for is the real answer. What do you want?”
How would you answer that question today?
I love poetry. Recently I came across a real jewel written by John Quincy Adams. It is simply too good not to pass along to you, and I will do so tomorrow (for the sake of space). Perhaps you will find in his whimsical and probing words a voice for your own deep, unspoken longings.
.
Friday, June 26, 2009
The Mixed Multitude
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“And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?” (Numbers 11:4).
And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting. From my earliest days as a follower of Jesus, this phrase from the Bible has held my interest. Why? Because it shows me in living color how certain things linger in our lives even though we are in the process of redemption; and that these things, if left unchecked (or dare I say uncrucified?), can and sometimes will rise up with such power that our feet are diverted from the Way.
The children of Israel were brought forth out of great anguish by the strong hand of the Lord, and set forth on their miraculous trek across the desert to a Promised Land with nothing less astounding than the parting of the impassable Red Sea.
The heat of the desert sun was shielded during their day travel by a cloud covering, and the chill of the desert night was warmed by the presence of that mysterious "pillar of fire." They had water aplenty, supplied by miraculous intervention, and fresh bread every morning sent from heaven above.
But there was this bunch in among them -- a group of Egyptians who sought refuge in Israel's deliverance, and had made the journey this far by traveling in their midst. This group gave voice to their true longings; they wanted to go back to the way it was. They remembered fondly the good times in Egypt, and all the abundance they had so lavishly enjoyed -- even though it was at the expense of the Israelites, who have been forced by them into slavery.
When God is calling you forward beware of those things that still live within you which always look fondly backwards. Don't let the things that mix you up work with such power that they take you down. Especially in those moments when the trek across the desert seems to be taking much longer than you expected!
Lord, take those things in me that are still alive to the past and silence them by your redeeming work on the Cross. Carry me through the grave into newness of life, and fill me with a vision that forgets those things which are behind and presses faithfully, passionately onward and upward to that which lays ahead!
Make me whole and complete, faithful and true!
.
“And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?” (Numbers 11:4).
And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting. From my earliest days as a follower of Jesus, this phrase from the Bible has held my interest. Why? Because it shows me in living color how certain things linger in our lives even though we are in the process of redemption; and that these things, if left unchecked (or dare I say uncrucified?), can and sometimes will rise up with such power that our feet are diverted from the Way.
The children of Israel were brought forth out of great anguish by the strong hand of the Lord, and set forth on their miraculous trek across the desert to a Promised Land with nothing less astounding than the parting of the impassable Red Sea.
The heat of the desert sun was shielded during their day travel by a cloud covering, and the chill of the desert night was warmed by the presence of that mysterious "pillar of fire." They had water aplenty, supplied by miraculous intervention, and fresh bread every morning sent from heaven above.
But there was this bunch in among them -- a group of Egyptians who sought refuge in Israel's deliverance, and had made the journey this far by traveling in their midst. This group gave voice to their true longings; they wanted to go back to the way it was. They remembered fondly the good times in Egypt, and all the abundance they had so lavishly enjoyed -- even though it was at the expense of the Israelites, who have been forced by them into slavery.
When God is calling you forward beware of those things that still live within you which always look fondly backwards. Don't let the things that mix you up work with such power that they take you down. Especially in those moments when the trek across the desert seems to be taking much longer than you expected!
Lord, take those things in me that are still alive to the past and silence them by your redeeming work on the Cross. Carry me through the grave into newness of life, and fill me with a vision that forgets those things which are behind and presses faithfully, passionately onward and upward to that which lays ahead!
Make me whole and complete, faithful and true!
.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
When the Lord Fights Fire with Fire
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"And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp." (Numbers 11:1).
In any community or company, complainers always move to the outer edge; especially once they decide to speak their mind. For it gives them an easy access to a quick departure. They can take their shot and get out of there before anybody has any chance to fire back. That's a cowardly thing to do.
And the Lord does not let such a thing go unanswered.
You've heard the old saying, "Fight fire with fire." It's how firefighters stop a raging fire from spreading. The Lord did the same thing in the wilderness journey of the Israelites.
A group of spineless cowards set themselves on the outer edge and began stirring up strife and inflaming people's fears. Their complaints, which tapped into the unspoken feelings of many who were genuinely perplexed by the way things were going on their journey, set off a fire that would surely rip through the whole mass of people if left unanswered. So the Lord answered.
He fought fire with fire. His fire won.
The moral of the story here is do not complain in a position of cowardice, but speak your mind with honor; being open to the possibility that you may be wrong, even though you suppose you are right.
The Lord has no problem with open and honest questions, nor is He put off by the genuine misgivings and concerns we feel when things do not seem to be working out as we hoped. But He does take issue with the undermining activity of those who sow discord among brothers, stir up strife in community, and cause rebellion against those in authority. Especially when the instigators, though posing as champions of truth and justice, are in fact cowards to the core.
This may be helpful to you in a day when opinions and complaints make up the bulk of our public discourse.
.
"And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp." (Numbers 11:1).
In any community or company, complainers always move to the outer edge; especially once they decide to speak their mind. For it gives them an easy access to a quick departure. They can take their shot and get out of there before anybody has any chance to fire back. That's a cowardly thing to do.
And the Lord does not let such a thing go unanswered.
You've heard the old saying, "Fight fire with fire." It's how firefighters stop a raging fire from spreading. The Lord did the same thing in the wilderness journey of the Israelites.
A group of spineless cowards set themselves on the outer edge and began stirring up strife and inflaming people's fears. Their complaints, which tapped into the unspoken feelings of many who were genuinely perplexed by the way things were going on their journey, set off a fire that would surely rip through the whole mass of people if left unanswered. So the Lord answered.
He fought fire with fire. His fire won.
The moral of the story here is do not complain in a position of cowardice, but speak your mind with honor; being open to the possibility that you may be wrong, even though you suppose you are right.
The Lord has no problem with open and honest questions, nor is He put off by the genuine misgivings and concerns we feel when things do not seem to be working out as we hoped. But He does take issue with the undermining activity of those who sow discord among brothers, stir up strife in community, and cause rebellion against those in authority. Especially when the instigators, though posing as champions of truth and justice, are in fact cowards to the core.
This may be helpful to you in a day when opinions and complaints make up the bulk of our public discourse.
.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
It's Time You Started Clowning Around
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"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." (Hebrews 6:12).
It would seem almost inevitable, I suppose, that our pace of life in a fast-track culture, which provides almost everything instantly, would ultimately bring us to a place where we naturally expected even God to work quickly in our lives — like, I mean right now.
But to the One for whom a day is as a thousand years, suddenly comes only once in a while.
Yet we run to and fro, here and there, high and low, looking everywhere for that Hallelujah Moment; that Mount of Transfiguration experience, where hopefully a zap from glory makes up for a life of sloth. But this is not how God works. He takes six weeks to make a measly squash; six decades to make a mighty oak. How long do you think He'll spend on you — seeing how fond of you He truly is?
Others have gone before us, and their lives each demonstrate that God is in no hurry; there are no shortcuts to Hallelujah.
It takes time, troubles, tenacity, truth, and togetherness with others who are also on the journey. There are no pat answers to our perplexing questions; no quick step to get us from here to there. It takes time in the Word, in prayer, in Fellowship, in Worship, in Service — it takes life lived each day in faith and obedience in order to experience the fullness of that for which we hunger and thirst. And, as we press on the upward way, the Lord will see to it that we have what we seek.
Then let us be done with slothfulness — that dullness of hearing that makes us slow of heart and slack of hand — and become followers of those who through faith and patience have inherited the promises.
Have you ever seen a mime perform? You know, one of those clowns that has a white face and black suit, and never utters a sound as they act out a scene with no props? That's the Greek word used in this passage when he calls us to be "followers." We are to pantomime (i.e., mimic) the lives of those who have gone on before us; we are to carry on by faith, living life with no props, and being a witness for others who will then follow in our steps — even if it means that we appear to be fools.
I guess what I saying is that it's time you started clowing around!
.
"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." (Hebrews 6:12).
It would seem almost inevitable, I suppose, that our pace of life in a fast-track culture, which provides almost everything instantly, would ultimately bring us to a place where we naturally expected even God to work quickly in our lives — like, I mean right now.
But to the One for whom a day is as a thousand years, suddenly comes only once in a while.
Yet we run to and fro, here and there, high and low, looking everywhere for that Hallelujah Moment; that Mount of Transfiguration experience, where hopefully a zap from glory makes up for a life of sloth. But this is not how God works. He takes six weeks to make a measly squash; six decades to make a mighty oak. How long do you think He'll spend on you — seeing how fond of you He truly is?
Others have gone before us, and their lives each demonstrate that God is in no hurry; there are no shortcuts to Hallelujah.
It takes time, troubles, tenacity, truth, and togetherness with others who are also on the journey. There are no pat answers to our perplexing questions; no quick step to get us from here to there. It takes time in the Word, in prayer, in Fellowship, in Worship, in Service — it takes life lived each day in faith and obedience in order to experience the fullness of that for which we hunger and thirst. And, as we press on the upward way, the Lord will see to it that we have what we seek.
Then let us be done with slothfulness — that dullness of hearing that makes us slow of heart and slack of hand — and become followers of those who through faith and patience have inherited the promises.
Have you ever seen a mime perform? You know, one of those clowns that has a white face and black suit, and never utters a sound as they act out a scene with no props? That's the Greek word used in this passage when he calls us to be "followers." We are to pantomime (i.e., mimic) the lives of those who have gone on before us; we are to carry on by faith, living life with no props, and being a witness for others who will then follow in our steps — even if it means that we appear to be fools.
I guess what I saying is that it's time you started clowing around!
.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Helping Others Experience God’s Presence
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“God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
We have just competed a series on the topic of “experiencing God’s Presence.” We discovered that there are three ways, each very practical and easy to do on a personal level, that will open our lives to an unmistakable, undeniable, and unforgettable encounter with God.
Now I must tell you that there is one thing you can do to help others around you to experience God’s Presence. And this one thing may, when all is said and done, be of such importance that apart from it you yourself may never fully know the nearness of the Lord in your own life!
In a single word it is Generosity. The previous three each provide a supply of God’s Presence to you; generosity provides for others a supply of God’s presence through you.
Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” (Luke 6:38).
I once heard it said, “You cannot give away what you do not have.” If you are not experiencing God’s presence in your life, it is not likely that you can help others do so either. However, if your ARE experiencing God’s presence, then everything in you is pre-set by God to insure that others will inevitably encounter the Lord when they are with you.
But you must commit yourself to an attitude, indeed, a lifestyle of generosity. Webster’s define this as “characterized by a noble and forbearing spirit, being open-hearted and open-handed in liberality.”
We are not merely talking about money here; this lifestyle of generosity covers everything about you. Others come to know you as a giver, rather than a taker; a man or woman who is always ready to help in ways that more than make a difference.
It’s only fitting that this be our grand aspiration. After all, when we consider all that the Lord Jesus has so freely given to us, how can we continue to live any other way but open and generous?
Try it today, and you will see that I am right.
Do something that is purposefully generous for someone else – and watch how their lives become filled with a sense of God’s presence. Then, ready yourself for an astounding backwash of blessing. For as you have given, so it will be given to you again in good and abundant measure!
.
“God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
We have just competed a series on the topic of “experiencing God’s Presence.” We discovered that there are three ways, each very practical and easy to do on a personal level, that will open our lives to an unmistakable, undeniable, and unforgettable encounter with God.
Now I must tell you that there is one thing you can do to help others around you to experience God’s Presence. And this one thing may, when all is said and done, be of such importance that apart from it you yourself may never fully know the nearness of the Lord in your own life!
In a single word it is Generosity. The previous three each provide a supply of God’s Presence to you; generosity provides for others a supply of God’s presence through you.
Jesus said, “Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” (Luke 6:38).
I once heard it said, “You cannot give away what you do not have.” If you are not experiencing God’s presence in your life, it is not likely that you can help others do so either. However, if your ARE experiencing God’s presence, then everything in you is pre-set by God to insure that others will inevitably encounter the Lord when they are with you.
But you must commit yourself to an attitude, indeed, a lifestyle of generosity. Webster’s define this as “characterized by a noble and forbearing spirit, being open-hearted and open-handed in liberality.”
We are not merely talking about money here; this lifestyle of generosity covers everything about you. Others come to know you as a giver, rather than a taker; a man or woman who is always ready to help in ways that more than make a difference.
It’s only fitting that this be our grand aspiration. After all, when we consider all that the Lord Jesus has so freely given to us, how can we continue to live any other way but open and generous?
Try it today, and you will see that I am right.
Do something that is purposefully generous for someone else – and watch how their lives become filled with a sense of God’s presence. Then, ready yourself for an astounding backwash of blessing. For as you have given, so it will be given to you again in good and abundant measure!
.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Three High Ways that Lead You to God
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“The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life” (Proverbs 16:17, English Standard Version).
For the past few days we have discovered and discussed what it means to experience God’s Presence, and how God has provided us with practical ways to do so. I want to conclude this series with an illustration I think will be helpful to you as you move forward.
Recall the many times you have driven along the highway. You travel at varying speeds, moving in and out of traffic, changing lanes at appropriate junctures, taking in the sights as you travel along.
From this day forward try approaching Bible Study, Christian Fellowship, and Prayer with the same perspective.
As you open the Bible to read or study, realize that you are a Traveler entering onto a highway. The same is true when you pass through the doors of a church filled with Christ-followers, or a home hosting a group of ardent believers. And, again, the same is true when you bow your head and lift your heart to heaven in Prayer. In each of these you are a Traveler entering onto a highway.
You begin slowly and deliberately. Then you pick up speed and begin to move with the flow of traffic. Perhaps you are heading somewhere specific, or just out for a drive. Either way, never forget that somewhere in your journey you are going to be met by God. He is on the highway, also. And He is coming up on you any minute now!
He may be coming from behind, and pull up alongside you. Or He may be coming from the opposite direction, and call you to turn around. He may even take the overpass, and lead you to places you never even thought of going.
The point is that you are GOING somewhere.
Never read the Bible as a static soul, unmoved by its words and power. Never attend a fellowship of Believers detached and uninvolved, for you will miss the movement of God if you do so. And never go to the place of prayer on auto-pilot; reciting religious phrases, chanting incantations and muttering monotone speeches.
Instead, live your life to the full by seeing yourself as a Traveler, and these three useful provisions -- Bible Study, Christians Fellowship, and Prayer -- as High Ways that will always lead to an unmistakable, undeniable, unforgettable encounter with God!
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“The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life” (Proverbs 16:17, English Standard Version).
For the past few days we have discovered and discussed what it means to experience God’s Presence, and how God has provided us with practical ways to do so. I want to conclude this series with an illustration I think will be helpful to you as you move forward.
Recall the many times you have driven along the highway. You travel at varying speeds, moving in and out of traffic, changing lanes at appropriate junctures, taking in the sights as you travel along.
From this day forward try approaching Bible Study, Christian Fellowship, and Prayer with the same perspective.
As you open the Bible to read or study, realize that you are a Traveler entering onto a highway. The same is true when you pass through the doors of a church filled with Christ-followers, or a home hosting a group of ardent believers. And, again, the same is true when you bow your head and lift your heart to heaven in Prayer. In each of these you are a Traveler entering onto a highway.
You begin slowly and deliberately. Then you pick up speed and begin to move with the flow of traffic. Perhaps you are heading somewhere specific, or just out for a drive. Either way, never forget that somewhere in your journey you are going to be met by God. He is on the highway, also. And He is coming up on you any minute now!
He may be coming from behind, and pull up alongside you. Or He may be coming from the opposite direction, and call you to turn around. He may even take the overpass, and lead you to places you never even thought of going.
The point is that you are GOING somewhere.
Never read the Bible as a static soul, unmoved by its words and power. Never attend a fellowship of Believers detached and uninvolved, for you will miss the movement of God if you do so. And never go to the place of prayer on auto-pilot; reciting religious phrases, chanting incantations and muttering monotone speeches.
Instead, live your life to the full by seeing yourself as a Traveler, and these three useful provisions -- Bible Study, Christians Fellowship, and Prayer -- as High Ways that will always lead to an unmistakable, undeniable, unforgettable encounter with God!
.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Experiencing God’s Presence (Part 5)
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“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
There is a place called Prayer. It is a place of Intimate Friendship with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit our Friend. Prayer is the communication center where this friendship finds its fullest benefits in our lives. I’m not talking about prayer as a daily devotional practice at the start of the day. Rather, I see it as an on-going interaction that occurs spontaneously throughout the day in every circumstance we encounter.
“I will talk to the Father,” Jesus said, “and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!" (John 14:16-17).
He then said that our Friend, the Holy Spirit, would “make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you” (John 14:26). And then He added, “He will confirm everything about me.” (John 15:26).
To summarize, Jesus promised that we would never be left alone; that we would have the Holy Spirit as our Friend, always with us – even inside us – making things plain, reminding us of all that Jesus said, and confirming His words as true.
Yet, it would be a safe bet to say that the majority of Christians know very little about the Holy Spirit. This is not unique to the day in which we live; it is a deficiency that has characterized church history for the past few centuries.
Thomas Goodwin wrote in 1660, “There is a general omission in the saints of God, in their not giving the Holy Spirit that glory that is due to His person and for His great work of salvation in us; inasmuch that we have in our hearts almost forgotten this Third Person.” A.W. Pink was far less tactful, “Wherever little honor is done to the Holy Spirit, there is grave cause to suspect the genuineness of any profession of Christianity.”
In 1880, just twenty years after Goodwin made his heartfelt appeal, the Rev. George Smeaton of Scotland wrote, “We may safely affirm that the doctrine of the Spirit is almost entirely ignored.” It seems Goodwin’s earlier words had fallen on stony ground.
Samuel Chadwick articulated the inestimable worth of the Holy Spirit when he said, “The gift of the Spirit is the crowing mercy of God in Christ Jesus. It was for this all the rest was. The Incarnation and Crucifixion, the Resurrection and Ascension were all preparatory to Pentecost. Without the gift of the Holy Spirit all the rest would be useless! The great thing in Christianity is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The essential, vital, central element in the life of the soul, and in the work of the Church -- is the Person of the Spirit.” (Joyful News, 1911).
Odd, don’t you think; at how generally unaware we are of His presence? It reminds me of the confession of Jacob when he awoke from his dream, “Surely God was in this place, and I knew it not!” Strange, indeed, that man can be in the presence of the Almighty – and know it not.
Why not make an intentional decision to meet, and get to know this Friend? He is even now awaiting your reply to an open invitation. Say YES, and you will never live another empty, uninhabited day!
.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
There is a place called Prayer. It is a place of Intimate Friendship with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit our Friend. Prayer is the communication center where this friendship finds its fullest benefits in our lives. I’m not talking about prayer as a daily devotional practice at the start of the day. Rather, I see it as an on-going interaction that occurs spontaneously throughout the day in every circumstance we encounter.
“I will talk to the Father,” Jesus said, “and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!" (John 14:16-17).
He then said that our Friend, the Holy Spirit, would “make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you” (John 14:26). And then He added, “He will confirm everything about me.” (John 15:26).
To summarize, Jesus promised that we would never be left alone; that we would have the Holy Spirit as our Friend, always with us – even inside us – making things plain, reminding us of all that Jesus said, and confirming His words as true.
Yet, it would be a safe bet to say that the majority of Christians know very little about the Holy Spirit. This is not unique to the day in which we live; it is a deficiency that has characterized church history for the past few centuries.
Thomas Goodwin wrote in 1660, “There is a general omission in the saints of God, in their not giving the Holy Spirit that glory that is due to His person and for His great work of salvation in us; inasmuch that we have in our hearts almost forgotten this Third Person.” A.W. Pink was far less tactful, “Wherever little honor is done to the Holy Spirit, there is grave cause to suspect the genuineness of any profession of Christianity.”
In 1880, just twenty years after Goodwin made his heartfelt appeal, the Rev. George Smeaton of Scotland wrote, “We may safely affirm that the doctrine of the Spirit is almost entirely ignored.” It seems Goodwin’s earlier words had fallen on stony ground.
Samuel Chadwick articulated the inestimable worth of the Holy Spirit when he said, “The gift of the Spirit is the crowing mercy of God in Christ Jesus. It was for this all the rest was. The Incarnation and Crucifixion, the Resurrection and Ascension were all preparatory to Pentecost. Without the gift of the Holy Spirit all the rest would be useless! The great thing in Christianity is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The essential, vital, central element in the life of the soul, and in the work of the Church -- is the Person of the Spirit.” (Joyful News, 1911).
Odd, don’t you think; at how generally unaware we are of His presence? It reminds me of the confession of Jacob when he awoke from his dream, “Surely God was in this place, and I knew it not!” Strange, indeed, that man can be in the presence of the Almighty – and know it not.
Why not make an intentional decision to meet, and get to know this Friend? He is even now awaiting your reply to an open invitation. Say YES, and you will never live another empty, uninhabited day!
.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Experiencing God’s Presence (Part 4)
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“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Have you ever experienced the Extravagant Love of God?
Webster’s defines extravagant as “exceeding the limits of reason or necessity; lacking in moderation, balance, or restraint; profuse and lavish.” Have you ever encountered God’s Presence in such measure that He blew your doors off with just how much He loves you?
Zephaniah the prophet gave us a glimpse at this extraordinary, extravagant God. “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zep 3:17).
Did you know that God wants to overwhelm you with an outpouring of His extravagant love? He wants you to know that even now, despite what you think about yourself, He rejoices over you with joy? He rests in His love for you? He joys over you with singing?
And did you know that the surest way for you to truly experience this extravagance is to spend quality time with real Christians? Hear me carefully – I’m not talking about “church-goers” as much as I’m talking about “Christ-followers.” The two are not always the same.
When you are in the company of a gathering of mere “church-goers” you will be surrounded with legalism, opinion, criticism, judgment and debate. But when you are in the midst of true “Christ-followers” your life will be flooded with extraordinary expressions of God’s extravagant love. You will be supported, believed in, upheld, defended, empowered, and unleashed to pursue God’s highest and best purposes for your life.
In other words, you will experience God’s Presence – and never be the same. God fills our lives with boundless expressions of His extravagant love through the selfless service of fellow-believers who live to honor the name of Jesus, and do so by loving others as though they were Christ Himself.
So look for followers of Jesus where-ever you can find them -- in churches, on the job, in your neighborhood, at the park -- where ever. And when you find them, purposefully cultivate a meanigful friendship together. And you will begin to discover that where two or more are gathered together in His Name -- there He is in your midst!
Step Three tomorrow….
.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Have you ever experienced the Extravagant Love of God?
Webster’s defines extravagant as “exceeding the limits of reason or necessity; lacking in moderation, balance, or restraint; profuse and lavish.” Have you ever encountered God’s Presence in such measure that He blew your doors off with just how much He loves you?
Zephaniah the prophet gave us a glimpse at this extraordinary, extravagant God. “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zep 3:17).
Did you know that God wants to overwhelm you with an outpouring of His extravagant love? He wants you to know that even now, despite what you think about yourself, He rejoices over you with joy? He rests in His love for you? He joys over you with singing?
And did you know that the surest way for you to truly experience this extravagance is to spend quality time with real Christians? Hear me carefully – I’m not talking about “church-goers” as much as I’m talking about “Christ-followers.” The two are not always the same.
When you are in the company of a gathering of mere “church-goers” you will be surrounded with legalism, opinion, criticism, judgment and debate. But when you are in the midst of true “Christ-followers” your life will be flooded with extraordinary expressions of God’s extravagant love. You will be supported, believed in, upheld, defended, empowered, and unleashed to pursue God’s highest and best purposes for your life.
In other words, you will experience God’s Presence – and never be the same. God fills our lives with boundless expressions of His extravagant love through the selfless service of fellow-believers who live to honor the name of Jesus, and do so by loving others as though they were Christ Himself.
So look for followers of Jesus where-ever you can find them -- in churches, on the job, in your neighborhood, at the park -- where ever. And when you find them, purposefully cultivate a meanigful friendship together. And you will begin to discover that where two or more are gathered together in His Name -- there He is in your midst!
Step Three tomorrow….
.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Experiencing God’s Presence (Part 3)
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“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
The Message calls it, “Amazing Grace. Extravagant Love. Intimate Friendship.”
Practically speaking, and I know this firsthand from years of personal experience, you can enter into the fullness of this by 1) spending time in the Bible, 2) spending time hanging around real Christians, and 3) spending time in a place called Prayer.
Let me explain each one a bit more fully.
First, start spending quality time reading the Bible and thinking about the things you discover therein. It will not take very long before you are encountered by the undeniable, unmistakable, unforgettable Presence of the Lord.
And as you read more and more, you will discover deeper and deeper insights into the Amazing Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God will show you the many ways He has blessed you with extraordinary gifts and abilities provided through Jesus, as well as the power to do His will. You will experience His empowering Presence, helping you to be the person He has created you to be and leading you to do the things He has called you to do.
Your confession will be the same as the apostle Paul’s – “I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength!” It is true!
Paul elsewhere said it this way, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1Co. 15:10).
The more time you spend delving into the riches of the Word, the more the WORD will come to life I you. You will find yourself living in the “amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Perhaps the better way to say it is. “You will find the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ living in you, and expressing itself through you to others.”
That’s Step One. Tune in for Step Two tomorrow….
.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
The Message calls it, “Amazing Grace. Extravagant Love. Intimate Friendship.”
Practically speaking, and I know this firsthand from years of personal experience, you can enter into the fullness of this by 1) spending time in the Bible, 2) spending time hanging around real Christians, and 3) spending time in a place called Prayer.
Let me explain each one a bit more fully.
First, start spending quality time reading the Bible and thinking about the things you discover therein. It will not take very long before you are encountered by the undeniable, unmistakable, unforgettable Presence of the Lord.
And as you read more and more, you will discover deeper and deeper insights into the Amazing Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God will show you the many ways He has blessed you with extraordinary gifts and abilities provided through Jesus, as well as the power to do His will. You will experience His empowering Presence, helping you to be the person He has created you to be and leading you to do the things He has called you to do.
Your confession will be the same as the apostle Paul’s – “I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength!” It is true!
Paul elsewhere said it this way, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1Co. 15:10).
The more time you spend delving into the riches of the Word, the more the WORD will come to life I you. You will find yourself living in the “amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Perhaps the better way to say it is. “You will find the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ living in you, and expressing itself through you to others.”
That’s Step One. Tune in for Step Two tomorrow….
.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Experiencing God’s Presence (Part 2)
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“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
I love the way the Message Bible puts this – “The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.”
Amazing Grace. Extravagant Love. Intimate Friendship.
These are the three great gifts already provided to each and every one of us who long to be reconnected in a meaningful and lasting way with the Almighty. You already have been given the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God the Father, and the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit.
Now you simply need to experience these -- not as a one time event that happens in a church service, or a summer camp meeting -- but as an on-going and ever-growing part of your daily life.
So, rather than sit under a bush somewhere and call out to heaven for a down-pouring of these delightful things, let's start by realizing that God has already provided us with a very practical way that will insure our full experience of all He has for us.
Are you ready for this – it’s so simple.
In fact, it is so simple you may be inclined to dismiss it. But don’t! If you will trust what I am telling you and start purposefully practicing these three practical things, your heart will expand and God will approach you in His fullness.
Here is what I want you to do.
Dang! I just ran out of space; I guess I’ll have to tell you what they are tomorrow!
.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
I love the way the Message Bible puts this – “The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.”
Amazing Grace. Extravagant Love. Intimate Friendship.
These are the three great gifts already provided to each and every one of us who long to be reconnected in a meaningful and lasting way with the Almighty. You already have been given the amazing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God the Father, and the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit.
Now you simply need to experience these -- not as a one time event that happens in a church service, or a summer camp meeting -- but as an on-going and ever-growing part of your daily life.
So, rather than sit under a bush somewhere and call out to heaven for a down-pouring of these delightful things, let's start by realizing that God has already provided us with a very practical way that will insure our full experience of all He has for us.
Are you ready for this – it’s so simple.
In fact, it is so simple you may be inclined to dismiss it. But don’t! If you will trust what I am telling you and start purposefully practicing these three practical things, your heart will expand and God will approach you in His fullness.
Here is what I want you to do.
Dang! I just ran out of space; I guess I’ll have to tell you what they are tomorrow!
.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Experiencing God’s Presence (Part 1)
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“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
You and I were made to experience God’s Presence. From the very beginning, when the Voice of God walked with Adam in the Garden in the cool of the day, we have the quintessential witness of why we were created -- companionship with God.
And from the instant the First Couple were driven out of the Garden into a world defiled by sin, mankind’s greatest longing has been for a real and lasting encounter with the Creator; a reconnection to the realization of God’s Presence.
Something deep inside us compels us to find a way to “break on through to the other side.” We know that we were meant for something more than we are presently experiencing; something heavenly. But we also know that something is wrong; that we somehow have been blocked from having access to all that we were created to experience.
Well, I am here to tell you that the breech of friendship, which happened on that day in the Garden when a dark choice was made to hide from God, now that breech has been healed! Full access has been granted, and God is available to any and all who will draw near to Him!
In fact, He has lavishly provided three avenues by which He Himself will draw near to us, and flood our lives with the fullness of His presence – and all the blessings therein.
Paul refers to these three avenues as “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost.” There is a practical dimension to these three extraordinary offers, and you can actually do something that will open your life up for God to draw near to you.
You can experience God’s Presence!
Tomorrow I will tell you how to do so.
.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen!” (2 Corinthians 13:14).
You and I were made to experience God’s Presence. From the very beginning, when the Voice of God walked with Adam in the Garden in the cool of the day, we have the quintessential witness of why we were created -- companionship with God.
And from the instant the First Couple were driven out of the Garden into a world defiled by sin, mankind’s greatest longing has been for a real and lasting encounter with the Creator; a reconnection to the realization of God’s Presence.
Something deep inside us compels us to find a way to “break on through to the other side.” We know that we were meant for something more than we are presently experiencing; something heavenly. But we also know that something is wrong; that we somehow have been blocked from having access to all that we were created to experience.
Well, I am here to tell you that the breech of friendship, which happened on that day in the Garden when a dark choice was made to hide from God, now that breech has been healed! Full access has been granted, and God is available to any and all who will draw near to Him!
In fact, He has lavishly provided three avenues by which He Himself will draw near to us, and flood our lives with the fullness of His presence – and all the blessings therein.
Paul refers to these three avenues as “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost.” There is a practical dimension to these three extraordinary offers, and you can actually do something that will open your life up for God to draw near to you.
You can experience God’s Presence!
Tomorrow I will tell you how to do so.
.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A Promise for Every Season
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
This passage of scripture has held our focus for the past few days. There is much to be found in its brief words, and I trust that our thoughts upon the matter have been more than helpful to you in your journey with Jesus.
One of may favorite things to do when studying a passage of scripture like this, is to delve deeply into the rich meaning of the Hebrew words (or Greek, for the New Testament), and then weave those definitions and insights into what I call a pastoral paraphrase.
I have done that with this verse, and here is what I now offer to you as “a promise for every season.”
“They will discover that their inabilities have been exchanged for an increased capacity to produce whatever is needed in any given situation, with results that are always significant and fulfilling. They shall ascend to a higher place, and be active in effective ways.
“They shall move with speed and determination, without gasping in exhaustion, or tiring of the toil. They shall move with steady resolve along a path of purpose, not being depleted of energy, nor void of hope.”
Monday, June 15, 2009
Meat in Due Season
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“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?” (Matthew 24:45).
Solomon said, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” And for every season, there is a supply given to us from God to sustain us and see that we make it through to the next season.
The secret of success in any season of life, is to find out what God is doing – and get in on it with Him. This is what Zechariah meant when he said, “Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain” (Zec.10:1).
So, find out what season you are in – waiting, flying, running, or walking – and then ask the Lord for “meat in due season.” Ask Him to supply you with whatever it is you need to be sustained through that season unto the next. He will answer that prayer.
Jesus said to His disciples on one occasion when he had not eaten anything for awhile – “I have meat to eat that you know nothing about.” (John 4:32). Then, to help them understand, He added, “My meat is to do the will of Him, and to finish His work”(vs.34).
The same is true for you and me. We will find “meat to eat” that others know nothing about, if we will give ourselves fully to doing God’s will, and staying the course until His work is finished.
Receive the meat which the Lord gives you for the season you are in right now.
If it is a waiting season, then fully intertwine your life with the Lord and exchange strength with Him. Only then will you be able to fly like an eagle, run with horses, and walk among giants.
.
“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?” (Matthew 24:45).
Solomon said, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” And for every season, there is a supply given to us from God to sustain us and see that we make it through to the next season.
The secret of success in any season of life, is to find out what God is doing – and get in on it with Him. This is what Zechariah meant when he said, “Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain” (Zec.10:1).
So, find out what season you are in – waiting, flying, running, or walking – and then ask the Lord for “meat in due season.” Ask Him to supply you with whatever it is you need to be sustained through that season unto the next. He will answer that prayer.
Jesus said to His disciples on one occasion when he had not eaten anything for awhile – “I have meat to eat that you know nothing about.” (John 4:32). Then, to help them understand, He added, “My meat is to do the will of Him, and to finish His work”(vs.34).
The same is true for you and me. We will find “meat to eat” that others know nothing about, if we will give ourselves fully to doing God’s will, and staying the course until His work is finished.
Receive the meat which the Lord gives you for the season you are in right now.
If it is a waiting season, then fully intertwine your life with the Lord and exchange strength with Him. Only then will you be able to fly like an eagle, run with horses, and walk among giants.
.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The Seasons of Life
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“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa 40:31).
It is notable that Isaiah puts the imagery of this verse in this particular, specific order -- wait, fly, run walk. Logically we would prefer that it say "wait, walk, run, and fly!" With the implication being that once we take flight, we never come back down.
That's how the imagination of man works; ever looking for that mystical "fountain of youth" on the endless quest for the gold in King Solomon's Mines, so we can relocate to the rediscovered Lost City of Atlantis, where we can swim with Dolphins and eat sugar-free cotton candy. Oh-blah-dee, Oh-blah-dah.
But this is not the way God works. His thoughts are not our thoughts, and our ways are not His ways. God's way is -- wait, fly, run, and walk. Which, of course, brings us right back to wait again. And so the cycle repeats -- over and over throughout the course of our lives.
Just like the seasons of the year, we each pass through these four seasons many times as we journey with Jesus.
Waiting is the winter season; long, dark and cold. Flying is the spring season, bursting with life and color. Running is the summer season, burning fuel and moving fast. Walking is the fall season, slowing down and easing into yet another winter.
The beauty in all of this is that "to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven" (Eccl.3:1). Each one has its purpose in our lives.
If you are waiting -- it will not be forever! Springtime is coming. If we would learn to recognize the season we are in, and let the Lord do His work for that season in our lives, we would always be centered in the will and purposes of God. Not running ahead, nor lagging far behind. And we have his own assurance that there will always be for us "meat in due season."
In other words, whatever we need to handle the particular season we are in at any given point in our lives -- the Lord will see to it that we have it.
.
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa 40:31).
It is notable that Isaiah puts the imagery of this verse in this particular, specific order -- wait, fly, run walk. Logically we would prefer that it say "wait, walk, run, and fly!" With the implication being that once we take flight, we never come back down.
That's how the imagination of man works; ever looking for that mystical "fountain of youth" on the endless quest for the gold in King Solomon's Mines, so we can relocate to the rediscovered Lost City of Atlantis, where we can swim with Dolphins and eat sugar-free cotton candy. Oh-blah-dee, Oh-blah-dah.
But this is not the way God works. His thoughts are not our thoughts, and our ways are not His ways. God's way is -- wait, fly, run, and walk. Which, of course, brings us right back to wait again. And so the cycle repeats -- over and over throughout the course of our lives.
Just like the seasons of the year, we each pass through these four seasons many times as we journey with Jesus.
Waiting is the winter season; long, dark and cold. Flying is the spring season, bursting with life and color. Running is the summer season, burning fuel and moving fast. Walking is the fall season, slowing down and easing into yet another winter.
The beauty in all of this is that "to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven" (Eccl.3:1). Each one has its purpose in our lives.
If you are waiting -- it will not be forever! Springtime is coming. If we would learn to recognize the season we are in, and let the Lord do His work for that season in our lives, we would always be centered in the will and purposes of God. Not running ahead, nor lagging far behind. And we have his own assurance that there will always be for us "meat in due season."
In other words, whatever we need to handle the particular season we are in at any given point in our lives -- the Lord will see to it that we have it.
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Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Great Exchange
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“they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).
When things seem at their lowest, God is often preparing us for that which is highest. When we feel the farthest away, that's when we are closer than we realize. When we think all is lost and there is no hope, we are actually on the verge of a great breakthrough to a bright and wondrous season.
That's the sentiment of this poetic passage of Scripture. By yielding our lives to the process of waiting, especially when everything else around us is on the move, a great exchange is taking place.
The Bible says, “they shall renew their strength.” The word renew means to exchange; to pass from one to another. In other words we are exchanging something with the Lord -- our strength, for His!
Where we once were weak, He gives us His strength. Where we once were faint, He makes us vigorous. Where we once were unstable, He makes us firm. Where we once were fruitless, He increases our capacity to produce -- even beyond what we thought possible.
The words of the old Gospel hymn, by William T. Sleeper, perhaps sum it up best --
Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
.
“they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).
When things seem at their lowest, God is often preparing us for that which is highest. When we feel the farthest away, that's when we are closer than we realize. When we think all is lost and there is no hope, we are actually on the verge of a great breakthrough to a bright and wondrous season.
That's the sentiment of this poetic passage of Scripture. By yielding our lives to the process of waiting, especially when everything else around us is on the move, a great exchange is taking place.
The Bible says, “they shall renew their strength.” The word renew means to exchange; to pass from one to another. In other words we are exchanging something with the Lord -- our strength, for His!
Where we once were weak, He gives us His strength. Where we once were faint, He makes us vigorous. Where we once were unstable, He makes us firm. Where we once were fruitless, He increases our capacity to produce -- even beyond what we thought possible.
The words of the old Gospel hymn, by William T. Sleeper, perhaps sum it up best --
Out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Out of my sickness into Thy health,
Out of my want and into Thy wealth,
Out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Out of earth’s sorrows into Thy balm,
Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,
Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Into Thy blessed will to abide,
Out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
Out of despair into raptures above,
Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Into the joy and light of Thy home,
Out of the depths of ruin untold,
Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
Ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, I come to Thee.
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Friday, June 12, 2009
Are You Waiting on the Lord?
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“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa 40:31).
The imagery of the language here is not only beautiful, it is astounding. For its unfolds to us the secret of a full and meaningful life. It shows us in the simplest of ways what it takes to be a man or woman who enjoys the bounty of a life well lived.
The secret is found in the Lord's presence -- as we wait upon Him.
How few there are who will wait! Especially in these days of hurry and worry. We now live in those days that the prophets of old foretold, when people "run to and fro throughout the earth."
Hustling about for the deal of a lifetime they boast too much, pray too little, act too soon, think too late, and change too slowly. Eventually they bowl over, burn out or blow up -- because they were built for life of a different kind; a life well-lived in the blessings of the Lord.
Did you know that there is a better way? You can experience a renewal that brings such a supply of God's blessings that you "fly like an eagle!"
Look at the verse again. "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
It all hinges on that one word: wait. The word means "to bind together" -- like the strands in a rope, intertwining together.
The picture is full of purpose and action, rather than passively waiting in silence as we might mistakenly suppose. There is power and purpose in this season of "intertwining" with the Lord. An awesome merge is occurring in which a great exchange is taking place.
We will look at that tomorrow.
.
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isa 40:31).
The imagery of the language here is not only beautiful, it is astounding. For its unfolds to us the secret of a full and meaningful life. It shows us in the simplest of ways what it takes to be a man or woman who enjoys the bounty of a life well lived.
The secret is found in the Lord's presence -- as we wait upon Him.
How few there are who will wait! Especially in these days of hurry and worry. We now live in those days that the prophets of old foretold, when people "run to and fro throughout the earth."
Hustling about for the deal of a lifetime they boast too much, pray too little, act too soon, think too late, and change too slowly. Eventually they bowl over, burn out or blow up -- because they were built for life of a different kind; a life well-lived in the blessings of the Lord.
Did you know that there is a better way? You can experience a renewal that brings such a supply of God's blessings that you "fly like an eagle!"
Look at the verse again. "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
It all hinges on that one word: wait. The word means "to bind together" -- like the strands in a rope, intertwining together.
The picture is full of purpose and action, rather than passively waiting in silence as we might mistakenly suppose. There is power and purpose in this season of "intertwining" with the Lord. An awesome merge is occurring in which a great exchange is taking place.
We will look at that tomorrow.
.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Give Us This Day Our Daily Chicken
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"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" (Proverbs 17:22).
OK, I thought now would be a good time for a little chuckle or two....
There was a rumor that Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-Fil-A, held a private meeting with the Pope during the last Papal visit to the US, and requested that Pope change the wording in the Lord's Prayer from "give us this day our daily bread" to "give us this day our daily chicken."
The Pope was aghast — "I cannot change these words, my son; these were give to us by the Lord Himself!"
"Look," Cathy replied with undaunted determination, "I'll donate $1,000,000 to Vatican City — if you will make this change."
The Pope answered, "My son, this prayer has been around for two thousand years; its not something that we can just change over night."
"OK, then I'll donate $10 millions dollars if you'll do it." Cathy replied.
"Let me meet with the Cardinals and Bishops, and I'll get back with you," the Pope said.
Upon his return to Rome, the Pope met with his leaders and said, "I've got some good news, and some bad news — which do you want first?"
"Tell us the good news," they all answered.
"Very well," he replied, "Chick-Fil-a has donated ten millions dollars to Vatican City!"
"That's marvelous!" the Cardinals and Bishops exclaimed — "What's the bad news?"
"We lost the Wonder Bread account." The Pope replied.
.
"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine" (Proverbs 17:22).
OK, I thought now would be a good time for a little chuckle or two....
There was a rumor that Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-Fil-A, held a private meeting with the Pope during the last Papal visit to the US, and requested that Pope change the wording in the Lord's Prayer from "give us this day our daily bread" to "give us this day our daily chicken."
The Pope was aghast — "I cannot change these words, my son; these were give to us by the Lord Himself!"
"Look," Cathy replied with undaunted determination, "I'll donate $1,000,000 to Vatican City — if you will make this change."
The Pope answered, "My son, this prayer has been around for two thousand years; its not something that we can just change over night."
"OK, then I'll donate $10 millions dollars if you'll do it." Cathy replied.
"Let me meet with the Cardinals and Bishops, and I'll get back with you," the Pope said.
Upon his return to Rome, the Pope met with his leaders and said, "I've got some good news, and some bad news — which do you want first?"
"Tell us the good news," they all answered.
"Very well," he replied, "Chick-Fil-a has donated ten millions dollars to Vatican City!"
"That's marvelous!" the Cardinals and Bishops exclaimed — "What's the bad news?"
"We lost the Wonder Bread account." The Pope replied.
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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
He Only Had Eyes for God
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"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed ~ he only had eyes for God!" Acts 7:55 (The Message).
It is one of the great, dramatic moments in Scripture -- Stephen giving his defense before the High Court of Israel. His presentation was masterful and respectful. His recall of history was exact and compelling. The case he presented was flawless and clear. But as he spoke he saw the smug indifference etched deep into the faces of his judges. Their hearts were hardened by pride, their eyes blinded by bigotry.
Stephen, realizing that nothing he could say was going to change their prejudice, shifted gears and got straight to the point. "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!” he cried. “You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!”
As any student of the pugilist arts knows, no champion ever relies on a single punch to knock out his opponent. No, he peppers him with jabs, rocks him with a one-two combination, and then drops the bomb -- a left hook and a blinding overhand right. BAM!
While the council was reeling from his stunning indictment, Stephen delivered the knockout blow – “Just as your fathers killed those who told us that the Messiah would come, now you, their sons, have betrayed and murdered the very Messiah Himself!”
The Bible says, "Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.” One translations puts it this way, “At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective." We are then told, “The Council Members covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.”
Oh how quickly the self-righteous turn in to nothing more than a band of alley thugs. Amazing, isn't it, the depth of evil that lurks in the hearts of self-righteous people? From the moment Cain murdered Abel, religion has found no other way but violence to force its claims against those with whom it disagrees.
But now, set in sharp relief against this dark backdrop, get the point of our opening text: "Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed -- he only had eyes for God!" How wonderful it must be to "hardly notice" the dumb, outrageous, banal, and vindictive attacks of the devil through people and circumstances around us. What is the key? How did Stephen manage to remain so above it all? The Word says, "he only had eyes for God!"
O Lord, give me eyes only for You!
.
"But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed ~ he only had eyes for God!" Acts 7:55 (The Message).
It is one of the great, dramatic moments in Scripture -- Stephen giving his defense before the High Court of Israel. His presentation was masterful and respectful. His recall of history was exact and compelling. The case he presented was flawless and clear. But as he spoke he saw the smug indifference etched deep into the faces of his judges. Their hearts were hardened by pride, their eyes blinded by bigotry.
Stephen, realizing that nothing he could say was going to change their prejudice, shifted gears and got straight to the point. "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears!” he cried. “You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!”
As any student of the pugilist arts knows, no champion ever relies on a single punch to knock out his opponent. No, he peppers him with jabs, rocks him with a one-two combination, and then drops the bomb -- a left hook and a blinding overhand right. BAM!
While the council was reeling from his stunning indictment, Stephen delivered the knockout blow – “Just as your fathers killed those who told us that the Messiah would come, now you, their sons, have betrayed and murdered the very Messiah Himself!”
The Bible says, "Now when they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.” One translations puts it this way, “At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective." We are then told, “The Council Members covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.”
Oh how quickly the self-righteous turn in to nothing more than a band of alley thugs. Amazing, isn't it, the depth of evil that lurks in the hearts of self-righteous people? From the moment Cain murdered Abel, religion has found no other way but violence to force its claims against those with whom it disagrees.
But now, set in sharp relief against this dark backdrop, get the point of our opening text: "Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed -- he only had eyes for God!" How wonderful it must be to "hardly notice" the dumb, outrageous, banal, and vindictive attacks of the devil through people and circumstances around us. What is the key? How did Stephen manage to remain so above it all? The Word says, "he only had eyes for God!"
O Lord, give me eyes only for You!
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Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Inspired to Do Our Best
.
"We're doing our best setting things right." (2 Co 6:7, The Message).
In 1907 Grant C. Tullar wrote, "Hear ye the Master's call, 'Give Me thy best!' For, be it great or small, that is His test. Do then the best you can, not for reward, not for the praise of man -- but for the Lord. Every work for Jesus will be blessed; but He asks from everyone his best. Our talents may be few, these may be small -- but unto Him is due our best, our all."
Are you giving your best? Or, like so many others, do you just cruise along merely doing only what is acceptable. Paul the Apostle said, "Whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him" (2 Co 5:9 CEV). Indeed, we are called to do our best at setting things right in a world gone wrong. Nothing more could be asked, and nothing less would be acceptable.
The story is told of how the great Leonardo Da Vinci had started work on a large canvas in his studio. A few of his students watched as he worked at it -- choosing the subject, planning the perspective, sketching the outline, and applying the colors; all with his own inimitable genius.
Then he unexpectedly paused, the painting still unfinished, and, summoning one of his students, invited him to step up and complete the work. The student protested that he was unworthy and unable to complete the great painting which his master had begun. But Da Vinci answered, "Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?"
Do you think that Jesus might be saying a similar thing to you? Your life can honor God greatly, and benefit some many others in positive and lasting ways. Everything you need for this has already been provided by Jesus. Believe it, take hold of it, press on with it, and give it your best shot. Surely you can do no less, seeing how much He has done already.
Finish the painting, my friend -- for Jesus believes in you!
.
"We're doing our best setting things right." (2 Co 6:7, The Message).
In 1907 Grant C. Tullar wrote, "Hear ye the Master's call, 'Give Me thy best!' For, be it great or small, that is His test. Do then the best you can, not for reward, not for the praise of man -- but for the Lord. Every work for Jesus will be blessed; but He asks from everyone his best. Our talents may be few, these may be small -- but unto Him is due our best, our all."
Are you giving your best? Or, like so many others, do you just cruise along merely doing only what is acceptable. Paul the Apostle said, "Whether we are at home with the Lord or away from him, we still try our best to please him" (2 Co 5:9 CEV). Indeed, we are called to do our best at setting things right in a world gone wrong. Nothing more could be asked, and nothing less would be acceptable.
The story is told of how the great Leonardo Da Vinci had started work on a large canvas in his studio. A few of his students watched as he worked at it -- choosing the subject, planning the perspective, sketching the outline, and applying the colors; all with his own inimitable genius.
Then he unexpectedly paused, the painting still unfinished, and, summoning one of his students, invited him to step up and complete the work. The student protested that he was unworthy and unable to complete the great painting which his master had begun. But Da Vinci answered, "Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?"
Do you think that Jesus might be saying a similar thing to you? Your life can honor God greatly, and benefit some many others in positive and lasting ways. Everything you need for this has already been provided by Jesus. Believe it, take hold of it, press on with it, and give it your best shot. Surely you can do no less, seeing how much He has done already.
Finish the painting, my friend -- for Jesus believes in you!
.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Staring at What Isn't There
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"Be anxious about nothing..." (Philippians 4:6, The Living Bible).
The word nothing means "something that does not exist." The word anxious means "to be troubled with care; to concentrate one's thoughts upon something in a fretful manner." Could anything be more incongruous than a person focusing all their fretful thoughts upon something that doesn't even exist? Yet people do it everyday, almost all day long.
Detached from the present, their eyes somewhat glazed with vacancy, they dismiss the obvious and become oblivious -- staring at something that's not even there. They are unable to appreciate what they actually do have, because they are so wrapped up with anxiety over what they do not have.
One of my favorite hymns that I learned as a boy encourages us to count our many blessings. "When upon Life's billows you are tempted, tossed; when you are discouraged thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will amaze you what the Lord has done!" (Justin Oatman, 1856).
It is true. A few thoughtful moments spent in thankfulness to God for the many blessings that undeniably are yours, will quell the whispering voices that beckon you to become upset by staring at nothing.
Next time anxiety begins to crowd your space, step back and start counting your many blessings -- not generally, but specifically. Name them, one by one. Let your mind dwell upon the massive benefits which the Lord has downloaded into your life. You'll find in no time that by looking at what is really there, your imagination will no longer drift into the darkness of what is not there.
Hey, you there! Stop staring; and start counting your many blessings!
.
"Be anxious about nothing..." (Philippians 4:6, The Living Bible).
The word nothing means "something that does not exist." The word anxious means "to be troubled with care; to concentrate one's thoughts upon something in a fretful manner." Could anything be more incongruous than a person focusing all their fretful thoughts upon something that doesn't even exist? Yet people do it everyday, almost all day long.
Detached from the present, their eyes somewhat glazed with vacancy, they dismiss the obvious and become oblivious -- staring at something that's not even there. They are unable to appreciate what they actually do have, because they are so wrapped up with anxiety over what they do not have.
One of my favorite hymns that I learned as a boy encourages us to count our many blessings. "When upon Life's billows you are tempted, tossed; when you are discouraged thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will amaze you what the Lord has done!" (Justin Oatman, 1856).
It is true. A few thoughtful moments spent in thankfulness to God for the many blessings that undeniably are yours, will quell the whispering voices that beckon you to become upset by staring at nothing.
Next time anxiety begins to crowd your space, step back and start counting your many blessings -- not generally, but specifically. Name them, one by one. Let your mind dwell upon the massive benefits which the Lord has downloaded into your life. You'll find in no time that by looking at what is really there, your imagination will no longer drift into the darkness of what is not there.
Hey, you there! Stop staring; and start counting your many blessings!
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Sunday, June 07, 2009
"What on Earth are You Doing....?"
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"David carried out God's purpose while he lived." Acts 13:36 (NIrV).
One memory I have from early childhood is that of my mother walking in on me while I was in the midst of mischief. At the age of five I had taken a pair of scissors and began cutting the flower patterns out of the sofa. “What on earth are you doing?” she exclaimed. And then, in the same breath, having seen for herself what it was, she said in exasperation, “Oh, for heaven’s sake!!”
Now, to a five year old boy that sounded like one complete question to me, and that’s the question I pose to you now – “What on earth are you doing for heaven’s sake?”
The Bible tells us that David, beloved of the Lord, carried out God's purposes while he lived. Don't you want the same to be said of you?
A needy world waits on tiptoe to see who you will be, and what you will do. Our eyes strain for an unrestricted view, our hearts long for some heroic act, and our breath, held in anticipation of something great that will spring forth from your faith, awaits for that singular moment when we may all say together, “Wow!”
Oh, please do not disappoint us.
“But, who am I that such things as you suggest should be expected of me?” you might be wondering. Well, honestly, you’re nobody – just like the rest of us! But Jesus is Somebody, and He is looking for someone just like you! AND .... He has already done everything necessary to insure your success in completing the purpose for which He placed you in this world.
"So, what on earth are you doing.....for Heaven's sake?"
.
"David carried out God's purpose while he lived." Acts 13:36 (NIrV).
One memory I have from early childhood is that of my mother walking in on me while I was in the midst of mischief. At the age of five I had taken a pair of scissors and began cutting the flower patterns out of the sofa. “What on earth are you doing?” she exclaimed. And then, in the same breath, having seen for herself what it was, she said in exasperation, “Oh, for heaven’s sake!!”
Now, to a five year old boy that sounded like one complete question to me, and that’s the question I pose to you now – “What on earth are you doing for heaven’s sake?”
The Bible tells us that David, beloved of the Lord, carried out God's purposes while he lived. Don't you want the same to be said of you?
A needy world waits on tiptoe to see who you will be, and what you will do. Our eyes strain for an unrestricted view, our hearts long for some heroic act, and our breath, held in anticipation of something great that will spring forth from your faith, awaits for that singular moment when we may all say together, “Wow!”
Oh, please do not disappoint us.
“But, who am I that such things as you suggest should be expected of me?” you might be wondering. Well, honestly, you’re nobody – just like the rest of us! But Jesus is Somebody, and He is looking for someone just like you! AND .... He has already done everything necessary to insure your success in completing the purpose for which He placed you in this world.
"So, what on earth are you doing.....for Heaven's sake?"
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Saturday, June 06, 2009
In the Valley Where Giants are Slain
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"...they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle." (2 Samuel 23:9).
The place was called Pas-Dammim; it’s the valley where giants are slain by men and women of faith. It is mentioned only two times in the Bible. Once, when David slew Goliath, and then here, some twenty years later, when Eleazar, the son of Dodo, stood alone with David in the same field and the two of them defied and defeated an entire army.
The word means, “the boundary of blood.” In our vernacular we might say it is the cutting edge. It quite literally is the place where opposing kingdoms meet in decisive battle -- and sooner or later your presence is required there.
I cannot help but wonder if the thing that inspired Eleazar most in this particular battle, was the fact that he was standing with David at the very site where David had slain Goliath. Surely that had to stir his heart with a higher level of courage.
And, in the same manner, can we not derive even greater inspiration for our own battles – knowing that we stand with the Lord Jesus, who Himself has slain the greatest giant of them all on a hill far away? Just as David the Giant Slayer was a fellow soldier with Eleazar the son of Dodo, Jesus is with us in the challenges we face.
The inevitable outcome of His involvement in our affairs will be certain victory. Paul the apostle, when brought before Caesar in the trial of his life, later wrote, "But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!" (2Ti 4:17-18).
The same will be true for you and me -- once the Lord stands by our side, we will be able to tell the story to one and all of how we stood at the boundary of blood, living our lives on the cutting edge in the valley where giants are slain!
.
"...they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle." (2 Samuel 23:9).
The place was called Pas-Dammim; it’s the valley where giants are slain by men and women of faith. It is mentioned only two times in the Bible. Once, when David slew Goliath, and then here, some twenty years later, when Eleazar, the son of Dodo, stood alone with David in the same field and the two of them defied and defeated an entire army.
The word means, “the boundary of blood.” In our vernacular we might say it is the cutting edge. It quite literally is the place where opposing kingdoms meet in decisive battle -- and sooner or later your presence is required there.
I cannot help but wonder if the thing that inspired Eleazar most in this particular battle, was the fact that he was standing with David at the very site where David had slain Goliath. Surely that had to stir his heart with a higher level of courage.
And, in the same manner, can we not derive even greater inspiration for our own battles – knowing that we stand with the Lord Jesus, who Himself has slain the greatest giant of them all on a hill far away? Just as David the Giant Slayer was a fellow soldier with Eleazar the son of Dodo, Jesus is with us in the challenges we face.
The inevitable outcome of His involvement in our affairs will be certain victory. Paul the apostle, when brought before Caesar in the trial of his life, later wrote, "But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!" (2Ti 4:17-18).
The same will be true for you and me -- once the Lord stands by our side, we will be able to tell the story to one and all of how we stood at the boundary of blood, living our lives on the cutting edge in the valley where giants are slain!
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Friday, June 05, 2009
One Step Closer to a Yes
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"Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around." (Proverbs 13:12, The Message).
A friend in the promotion business says, "Every time someone tells me "NO!" I get happier -- because I'm one step closer to that person who will say "YES!"
Some people cannot bear to be told "NO" even once; let alone repeatedly. And then there are others who stop just one person too soon. All they needed was to ask one more time. But they didn't. Disappointment can do that to you if you let it. Especially if it seems to be unrelenting -- one blow after the next.
Years ago I discovered a splendid little poem that has anchored my life in those times when everything seems to be going wrong -- times when your hopes are dashed, your dreams have faded, your deepest desires thwarted, and when so many great expectations become inexplicably disappointed. Maybe you will find it helpful, too.
"Disappointment. HIS appointment.
Change one letter, then I see
that the thwarting of my purpose
is God's better choice for me!"
It is true, as the proverb says, that unrelenting disappointment can leave you heartsick. But the rest of the proverb is also true -- "a sudden good break can turn life around." One doesn't come without the other.
Draw yet another breath, my fellow traveler; though you have paused alongside the road -- you have not stopped. Your journey is not finished. There's a bend in the road up ahead. And the bend in the road is not the end of the road -- unless you fail to make the turn.
Tip your hat respectfully to old man Disappointment, and then be on your way; for God has something better in mind for you. And though you have heard "NO" perhaps a thousand times -- you are actually one step closer to a "YES!" And that single "Yes" can turn your life around!
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"Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around." (Proverbs 13:12, The Message).
A friend in the promotion business says, "Every time someone tells me "NO!" I get happier -- because I'm one step closer to that person who will say "YES!"
Some people cannot bear to be told "NO" even once; let alone repeatedly. And then there are others who stop just one person too soon. All they needed was to ask one more time. But they didn't. Disappointment can do that to you if you let it. Especially if it seems to be unrelenting -- one blow after the next.
Years ago I discovered a splendid little poem that has anchored my life in those times when everything seems to be going wrong -- times when your hopes are dashed, your dreams have faded, your deepest desires thwarted, and when so many great expectations become inexplicably disappointed. Maybe you will find it helpful, too.
"Disappointment. HIS appointment.
Change one letter, then I see
that the thwarting of my purpose
is God's better choice for me!"
It is true, as the proverb says, that unrelenting disappointment can leave you heartsick. But the rest of the proverb is also true -- "a sudden good break can turn life around." One doesn't come without the other.
Draw yet another breath, my fellow traveler; though you have paused alongside the road -- you have not stopped. Your journey is not finished. There's a bend in the road up ahead. And the bend in the road is not the end of the road -- unless you fail to make the turn.
Tip your hat respectfully to old man Disappointment, and then be on your way; for God has something better in mind for you. And though you have heard "NO" perhaps a thousand times -- you are actually one step closer to a "YES!" And that single "Yes" can turn your life around!
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Thursday, June 04, 2009
The Reservoir Church
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"...your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17).
In a dream I saw a beautiful church sitting atop a hill overlooking a dying town in the dry valley below. The scene was surrealistic in its contrasts. The church was an old classic white-framed structure with a cross-capped spire towering upwards into the blue sky with fluffy white clouds. The hill was perfectly rounded, looking as though someone had placed a gigantic green ball exactly halfway into the soil of the rolling countryside.
The town down in the valley could have served as a location shoot for a two-bit western. It came complete with tumbleweeds, weathered wooden walk boards along a dusty main street, and a scraggy mutt barking at everything within eyesight.
I watched with fixed interest as a hand appeared in the sky directly above the church. Held in the hand was a great pitcher of water, tilted in the pouring position. I could see the outpouring already reaching the lip of the picture, about to fall upon the church like Niagara Falls. Standing there halfway between the Church and Tombstone, I realized what was about to occur. Once the water hit the top of the rounded hill it would flow in all directions -- including where I stood. I knew I was about to be doused in the downpour.
But then a most bewildering thing happened. As the water fell toward the church from the sky, the church people ran out of the building and constructed a huge retaining wall around the parameter of their property. It was like watching a movie played at high speed. In a matter of seconds they were done.
The wall was built, forming a dam all the way around their church. And just at the moment they finished, the falling water gushed upon them and swooshed in a mighty surge against the retaining wall. Instead of flowing everywhere as was expected, now the great outpouring sat contained within the church property on top the hill. Instead of a mighty river, it was a mere reservoir.
I could see the church people inside swimming about and playing with one another in the water. They were having a wonderful time. I could also see the town below, more dusty and forsaken than when I first observed it. A few solitary souls, lean and forlorn, walked aimlessly about its deserted streets. Something was terribly wrong with this picture.
Then I saw the Lord. He was walking along the ground around the outside edge of the wall that the church had built, damming up the outpouring. He examined the wall, and then looked at the desolate town below. He seemed genuinely perplexed.
Then I saw a guard walking about the top of the wall. His job was to make sure that the people inside were secure and happy, and that nobody from the outside came in to befoul the water with their uncleanness. As he walked about he came and stood over the Lord. He then looked down upon the Lord. I couldn't help but think how profoundly inappropriate this was -- standing over the Lord, and looking down upon Him?
The Lord spoke. With one hand touching the circular dam the church had constructed, and His other hand pointing to the town below, He asked the guard above Him, “Why do you damn those I have not damned?”
I woke up from this dream knowing I needed to ponder its meaning for myself, and also pass it along to others who would be keen on discerning what the Lord could be saying through this vivid parable.
So there you have it.
.
"...your old men will dream dreams." (Acts 2:17).
In a dream I saw a beautiful church sitting atop a hill overlooking a dying town in the dry valley below. The scene was surrealistic in its contrasts. The church was an old classic white-framed structure with a cross-capped spire towering upwards into the blue sky with fluffy white clouds. The hill was perfectly rounded, looking as though someone had placed a gigantic green ball exactly halfway into the soil of the rolling countryside.
The town down in the valley could have served as a location shoot for a two-bit western. It came complete with tumbleweeds, weathered wooden walk boards along a dusty main street, and a scraggy mutt barking at everything within eyesight.
I watched with fixed interest as a hand appeared in the sky directly above the church. Held in the hand was a great pitcher of water, tilted in the pouring position. I could see the outpouring already reaching the lip of the picture, about to fall upon the church like Niagara Falls. Standing there halfway between the Church and Tombstone, I realized what was about to occur. Once the water hit the top of the rounded hill it would flow in all directions -- including where I stood. I knew I was about to be doused in the downpour.
But then a most bewildering thing happened. As the water fell toward the church from the sky, the church people ran out of the building and constructed a huge retaining wall around the parameter of their property. It was like watching a movie played at high speed. In a matter of seconds they were done.
The wall was built, forming a dam all the way around their church. And just at the moment they finished, the falling water gushed upon them and swooshed in a mighty surge against the retaining wall. Instead of flowing everywhere as was expected, now the great outpouring sat contained within the church property on top the hill. Instead of a mighty river, it was a mere reservoir.
I could see the church people inside swimming about and playing with one another in the water. They were having a wonderful time. I could also see the town below, more dusty and forsaken than when I first observed it. A few solitary souls, lean and forlorn, walked aimlessly about its deserted streets. Something was terribly wrong with this picture.
Then I saw the Lord. He was walking along the ground around the outside edge of the wall that the church had built, damming up the outpouring. He examined the wall, and then looked at the desolate town below. He seemed genuinely perplexed.
Then I saw a guard walking about the top of the wall. His job was to make sure that the people inside were secure and happy, and that nobody from the outside came in to befoul the water with their uncleanness. As he walked about he came and stood over the Lord. He then looked down upon the Lord. I couldn't help but think how profoundly inappropriate this was -- standing over the Lord, and looking down upon Him?
The Lord spoke. With one hand touching the circular dam the church had constructed, and His other hand pointing to the town below, He asked the guard above Him, “Why do you damn those I have not damned?”
I woke up from this dream knowing I needed to ponder its meaning for myself, and also pass it along to others who would be keen on discerning what the Lord could be saying through this vivid parable.
So there you have it.
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Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Pressing On the Upward Way
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“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14).
Notice the cooperative partnership in our opening verse of scripture -- God calls us upward, and we press toward the goal. Both are necessary. If God calls, but no one answers – nothing happens. If man presses, but God’s not with him – nothing happens. Nothing good, anyway.
Have you ever taken a volley ball into a swimming pool, pushed it down into the water, and then tried to balance yourself by standing on it? Did you notice that the deeper you pushed the ball into the water, the greater the force it exerted to rise back up to the top?
The air inside the ball belongs with the air above the water, and it will press upward to return back to where it belongs. That’s the way it is with us as followers of Jesus. There is something inside us that urges us to the summit; it’s the upward call.
Some merely drift along, hoping for a break here or there. But in Life, as in nature, nothing ever drifts upstream. The only exception to this happened in Texas during a freak flash flood. The waters rose so quickly that people only had time to scurry to their rooftops. One man, a reporter, sat on the house watching the floodwaters sweep past.
There were cows, and cats, and all kinds of things zipping by the house.
Suddenly something caught his eye. A $500 Stetson hat came floating down stream, just out of his reach. However, before it passed by, the hat stopped, turned around and floated back up stream. It then came back, stopped and turned back upstream again. Amazed, the reporter said, “This is a miracle: it will be the lead story in my paper tomorrow!”
A woman sitting on the roof next door heard him and replied, “That’s no miracle. It’s my husband Cecil. He said he was going to mow that lawn come hell or high water!”
Like I said, nothing ever drifts upstream. Left to ourselves we will not rise, but retreat. However, God does not leave us to ourselves; He calls us upward. Something deep inside us is hooked to heaven; there’s a pull on our hearts which lifts us towards the higher way.
As the old hymn says, “I’m pressing on the upward way; new heights I’m gaining everyday. Still, praying as I onward bound, ‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground!’”
When you hear God calling, press upward. And one day heaven will be your home!
.
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14).
Notice the cooperative partnership in our opening verse of scripture -- God calls us upward, and we press toward the goal. Both are necessary. If God calls, but no one answers – nothing happens. If man presses, but God’s not with him – nothing happens. Nothing good, anyway.
Have you ever taken a volley ball into a swimming pool, pushed it down into the water, and then tried to balance yourself by standing on it? Did you notice that the deeper you pushed the ball into the water, the greater the force it exerted to rise back up to the top?
The air inside the ball belongs with the air above the water, and it will press upward to return back to where it belongs. That’s the way it is with us as followers of Jesus. There is something inside us that urges us to the summit; it’s the upward call.
Some merely drift along, hoping for a break here or there. But in Life, as in nature, nothing ever drifts upstream. The only exception to this happened in Texas during a freak flash flood. The waters rose so quickly that people only had time to scurry to their rooftops. One man, a reporter, sat on the house watching the floodwaters sweep past.
There were cows, and cats, and all kinds of things zipping by the house.
Suddenly something caught his eye. A $500 Stetson hat came floating down stream, just out of his reach. However, before it passed by, the hat stopped, turned around and floated back up stream. It then came back, stopped and turned back upstream again. Amazed, the reporter said, “This is a miracle: it will be the lead story in my paper tomorrow!”
A woman sitting on the roof next door heard him and replied, “That’s no miracle. It’s my husband Cecil. He said he was going to mow that lawn come hell or high water!”
Like I said, nothing ever drifts upstream. Left to ourselves we will not rise, but retreat. However, God does not leave us to ourselves; He calls us upward. Something deep inside us is hooked to heaven; there’s a pull on our hearts which lifts us towards the higher way.
As the old hymn says, “I’m pressing on the upward way; new heights I’m gaining everyday. Still, praying as I onward bound, ‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground!’”
When you hear God calling, press upward. And one day heaven will be your home!
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Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Breaking Free from Lesser Things
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“I am doing a great work....” (Nehemiah 6:3).
There are many people who meander through life as though it were a flea market, browsing the bins for the deal of a lifetime, but only coming home with someone else's junk. Others are a bit more like the crazy rabbit in Alice’s Wonderland, always on the go for something that is always somewhere else; and never getting there.
Some people set in the stands and watch others play the game, and reassure themselves that they could do that if they wanted to. Others see a great opportunity of some kind, and console themselves with a reflective sigh, “I should do that.” But, of course they never do. And then there are those who wistfully say, “I would do that,” hinting by their tone that it’s somebody else’s fault if they don’t.
Could do, should do, and would do never do. The only thing that works is when you find the thing that you must do.
God uses the inner pull of that upward call to free you from the gravity of lesser things. There is a resolute power inherent to any great work, and once you become involved in such an enterprise, you are virtually unstoppable.
Nehemiah undertook the great challenge of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and was constantly opposed by enemies who sought his ruin. First they tried ridicule; it didn’t work. Then they made overt threats of hostility; it was, as they say, water off a duck’s back to Nehemiah. Next they attempted covert sabotage; but he foiled their plot. Nothing fazed him. Finally they tried the diplomatic approach, seeking some sort of compromise.
Nehemiah’s answer stands to this day as one of the greatest closers in any conflict: “I am doing a great work,” he said, “Why should the work stop while I come down to you?” Nehemiah's passion for answering the upward call, minimized the effects of those who were always seeking to drag him down to their level.
They lost; he won. The same will be true of you. The words of this old hymn say it best --
“I am resolved no longer to linger,charmed by the world's delight;
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,These have allured my sight.
I am resolved to enter the kingdom,leaving the paths of sin;
Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me;Still I will enter in.
I am resolved, and who will go with me?Come, friends, without delay.
Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit,We'll walk the heavenly way.”
Palmer Hartsough, 1896
.
“I am doing a great work....” (Nehemiah 6:3).
There are many people who meander through life as though it were a flea market, browsing the bins for the deal of a lifetime, but only coming home with someone else's junk. Others are a bit more like the crazy rabbit in Alice’s Wonderland, always on the go for something that is always somewhere else; and never getting there.
Some people set in the stands and watch others play the game, and reassure themselves that they could do that if they wanted to. Others see a great opportunity of some kind, and console themselves with a reflective sigh, “I should do that.” But, of course they never do. And then there are those who wistfully say, “I would do that,” hinting by their tone that it’s somebody else’s fault if they don’t.
Could do, should do, and would do never do. The only thing that works is when you find the thing that you must do.
God uses the inner pull of that upward call to free you from the gravity of lesser things. There is a resolute power inherent to any great work, and once you become involved in such an enterprise, you are virtually unstoppable.
Nehemiah undertook the great challenge of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, and was constantly opposed by enemies who sought his ruin. First they tried ridicule; it didn’t work. Then they made overt threats of hostility; it was, as they say, water off a duck’s back to Nehemiah. Next they attempted covert sabotage; but he foiled their plot. Nothing fazed him. Finally they tried the diplomatic approach, seeking some sort of compromise.
Nehemiah’s answer stands to this day as one of the greatest closers in any conflict: “I am doing a great work,” he said, “Why should the work stop while I come down to you?” Nehemiah's passion for answering the upward call, minimized the effects of those who were always seeking to drag him down to their level.
They lost; he won. The same will be true of you. The words of this old hymn say it best --
“I am resolved no longer to linger,charmed by the world's delight;
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,These have allured my sight.
I am resolved to enter the kingdom,leaving the paths of sin;
Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me;Still I will enter in.
I am resolved, and who will go with me?Come, friends, without delay.
Taught by the Bible, led by the Spirit,We'll walk the heavenly way.”
Palmer Hartsough, 1896
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Monday, June 01, 2009
Fully Satisfied Beyond Belief!
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“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16).
Has it dawned upon you yet just how good you have it? Let me walk you through the verse of Scripture and see if the lights turn on a bit brighter in your soul.
Delivered from darkness and brought forth into the light of a lasting friendship – a friendship rooted and grounded in love, and built upon the solid rock of God’s unfailing faithfulness. What more could you want?
But there is more! Not only are we delivered, but we are also exalted; we are “set on high.” Indeed, according to Paul, we are in fact “seated with Christ in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6). And in this seat of highest honor we share our Lord’s triumph over “all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph.1:21)!
But there is more! Throughout the Ages our ransomed lives will serve as the trophies of His amazing grace; angels will twirl in wonder at how each one of our lives show forth the exceeding riches God’s goodness.
But there’s more! While we yet live here upon this beleaguered planet, which is filled with devils and flooded with filth, we have unrestricted access into the Throne Room of Heaven. There we may come boldly and call upon the Lord. And He will answer us, and be with us in trouble. He will deliver us, and honor our faith!
But there is still more! Throughout the days of our lives the Lord Himself will satisfy us, and show us His salvation. “Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation and will make our journey prosperous!” (Psalm 68:19, Amplified Bible, and 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible).
What cause have you, my friend, to be anything less than fully satisfied beyond belief!
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“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16).
Has it dawned upon you yet just how good you have it? Let me walk you through the verse of Scripture and see if the lights turn on a bit brighter in your soul.
Delivered from darkness and brought forth into the light of a lasting friendship – a friendship rooted and grounded in love, and built upon the solid rock of God’s unfailing faithfulness. What more could you want?
But there is more! Not only are we delivered, but we are also exalted; we are “set on high.” Indeed, according to Paul, we are in fact “seated with Christ in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6). And in this seat of highest honor we share our Lord’s triumph over “all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph.1:21)!
But there is more! Throughout the Ages our ransomed lives will serve as the trophies of His amazing grace; angels will twirl in wonder at how each one of our lives show forth the exceeding riches God’s goodness.
But there’s more! While we yet live here upon this beleaguered planet, which is filled with devils and flooded with filth, we have unrestricted access into the Throne Room of Heaven. There we may come boldly and call upon the Lord. And He will answer us, and be with us in trouble. He will deliver us, and honor our faith!
But there is still more! Throughout the days of our lives the Lord Himself will satisfy us, and show us His salvation. “Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation and will make our journey prosperous!” (Psalm 68:19, Amplified Bible, and 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible).
What cause have you, my friend, to be anything less than fully satisfied beyond belief!
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