02-27-12 "What it means to represent/reflect Christ" Philippians 3:7-21

The passage I read was Philippians 3:7-21

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+3%3A7-21&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

As I reflect:

Yesterday I looked at the starting point for representing Christ; recognizing our need for Him.  We can’t do it ourselves.  We must rely on God.  Today I started off looking at one of the first things that change in many believers’ lives.  It’s perception. 

Once a person comes to Christ, everything changes.  For some, it’s immediate.  For others, it happens over a lifetime.  Both happened/are happening in me.  One of the things that happened immediately to me was that I counted all I used to be as completely lost and I held on tightly to the Christ.  It was no small change in me.  Overnight, I became a new person with new values.  I no longer wanted to do the things I had done up to that point and even my very way of thinking was changed.  I wanted to live for Christ, no matter what it meant changing or giving up.  It wasn’t a struggle to lay down who I was at His feet because I saw it as freedom from this world’s bondage.   It was exciting and powerful.   Since then there have been many more changes.  If someone told me the word says “this” and it didn’t align with my life, then I would research it, pray on it, and change my life to align to it.  I didn’t do this to perform my way to Heaven.  I did it because anything in me that is not what God wants in me doesn’t belong.  I trust Him and His plan for my life and want to throw out the garbage so there is more room for the characteristics He wants to build up in me.  There is no fighting against Him on this.  He says, “get rid of that and let me put this in you instead so I can better use you.” And I happily reply, “yes sir!”  What reason would I have to respond any differently?  Didn’t my way lead me to hell?  Doesn’t His way lead to life?  This is the way I thought the experience of entering into a relationship with God ought to be.  But I don’t see that in everyone that comes to Christ.

There are many who come joyfully and thankfully to Christ but then immediately start resisting His work in them.  He wants them to listen to things that glorify His name and encourage them in this relationship, but often I see Christians holding on to and willing to fight for their secular music… Why not count it garbage that you may gain Christ?  The King calls them to speak in a patient and loving manner keeping all which is perverse from their lips.  But far too often I see Christians defending their foul language and jokes saying, “God accepts me the way I am.”  Well, that’s true, but after He accepts you, He molds you.  Why not lay down the filth of the world and take up Christ, having a righteousness that comes from faith?  Why hold on to the way we were?  Don’t we consider it garbage to continue in the same ways that were leading us down a path to hell?  We can participate in the death and resurrection of Christ by dying to our old selves and being born again.  This is the exciting news of the Gospel and yet so many who profess faith in Christ are in a constant battle to keep from losing the old man.  The old man is garbage I say.  Throw him away and take hold of Christ.  Be born again.  Allow Him to make you new. 

Paul humbly admits that he hasn’t yet obtained that which he speaks of.  A wise statement for him to make and I will here say the same.  For at no point in our walk should we feel as though we have reached a place where we no longer require growth and molding.  God’s chisel won’t be set down till we are complete.  Paul says he presses on toward the goal to win the prize.  I picture a race and in this particular race there are some who show up just to cheer on others.  To them I say, “Get in the race!  You can’t win without entering.”  Then there are those who show up to the starting line, take one step over, stop, and then turn around and admire where they came from.  To them I say, “Run!!  You must run the race!”  There are those still that begin running and refuse to reach out for any of the drinks held out from the sidelines or coaches. They quickly become fatigued and eventually stop running all together because it’s just too hard.  To them I say, “Take the help.  You can’t do it alone.  I know it’s hard but run with me and let’s hold each other up.”  The analogies could go on and on.  I love that Paul chose running a race to convey the message.   You must press on toward the goal to win the prize.   This means never becoming content with your walk saying that you have been changed enough or witness enough or study enough or pray enough or have a close enough relationship with Christ.  Keep growing, keep praying, keep witnessing, keep studying, keep running the race.  We aren’t finished yet.

In verse 17 Paul says to keep your eyes on those who live as Paul and the others who disciple after Christ and share the Gospel do.  I have mentors who follow God the way the Bible instructs us to.  They know me and I know them so that we might hold each other up in the race and point out hazards to one another.  If you don’t have a mentor, find one who authentically represents Christ and ask them for their help.  In requiring them to lift you up, you also help them to make sure they too are on the right path.  Then both of you together can keep your identity in Christ, your eyes homeward bound on Heaven, and eagerly await Our Savior who will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (v21)

So to summarize, once we have come to a realization of our need for Christ and we have become reliant on Him, we must then also count all lost for the sake of taking a hold of that which He has in store for us.  Keep our eyes forward and run the race, holding each other up and pulling the bystanders in to run also with us.  Count the old a loss and let it go.  Become new.  Accept your new citizenship in Heaven and identity in Christ.  Be changed.

My response to the Lord:

My Savior I thank you for all you have done and are doing through your Holy Spirit here with me.  I am truly not the man I used to be.  Please continue the work you have begun in me and help me to run this race.  Use me to help others along the way as well, that none should be left behind.  Help me help them.  Give me eyes to see and ears to hear that I may better do your will.  

02-27-12 "What it means to represent/reflect Christ" 2 Corinthians 3:4-18

The passage I read was 2 Corinthians 3:4-18

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+3%3A4-18&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

 ⁵ Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate^[a]the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

As I reflect:

This week we are looking at what it means to reflect and represent Christ.  I think this is the perfect passage to start at because it is about salvation. 

First and far most, Paul clarifies that all he has spoken to this point and all that he will speak is not from him, but from God.  He is clarifying that in and of himself just as us in and of ourselves are capable of nothing.  We are not the ones that are competent to minister, but it is Christ in us through His holy Spirit that makes us (and also Paul) competent as ministers.  I think this is a very important point to begin with so that as we look at new covenant salvation vs old covenant law we see that it is not of our own works, but that it is by accepting, believing, and living through the work of our Savior and abiding by the guidance of His Holy Spirit with us.  Without this understanding, one may easily find themselves attempting to obtain entry into Heaven by their own works.  

Paul then goes on to explain the greater glory of the new covenant.  He isn’t saying that the old covenant was not glorious or is no longer true, but rather he is saying the new covenant is the fulfillment of the old covenant and gives us the power as well as grace to obey the old covenant.  You see many in history were given a law to abide by and daily failed to abide by the law.  They thusly had to make animal sacrifices for their failures; their sins.  We also fail and sin daily against God.  We are no better than them.  However, we do not live under the law, but under the Spirit, which means that we don’t have to make animal sacrifices for our sins.  We can instead be forgiven by the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus made for us and we can walk in the righteous covering of His blood.  This is the greater glory of the new covenant. 

Paul goes on to explain that there are many that still don’t get the greater glory and that it is because they are veiled like Moses’ face was.   He is likely speaking of orthodox Jews who still look to the law for their passage to Yahweh instead of looking to Yahweh for their forgiveness and grace.  The Orthodox Jews still perform by their works under the law and are thus only able to see God through a veil, just as the Israelites were only able to see the glory of God on Moses’ face through a veil.  We believers who know Jesus as the Messiah have had that veil lifted and can now appreciate and bask in and walk in the full glory of the new covenant knowing that it is by His wounds that we are healed and forgiven.  We, like the Orthodox Jews do have many good works to perform.  However, we perform them out of a desire that is bred from salvation, whereas the orthodox Jews perform out of a desire to earn that same salvation. 

This is the perfect starting point for this week as we examine what it means to represent Christ.  We must first realize that in representing Him, we are also relying on Him and in no way capable of a saving performance without His grace and the good guidance of the Holy Spirit here with us.  This is the starting point for salvation.  That directly following our realization of our need for forgiveness and our need to be reconciled to a just God, we immediately have to realize that there is no way to be reconciled without the saving grace that has been poured out through His Son.  Likewise, there is no way for us to earn salvation by our works and we must daily rely on and respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to represent Christ.     

My response to the Lord:

Thank you my Father in Heaven.  Thank you for the grace you have shown.  Thank you that there is no veil for those who have fallen at the feet of your Son.  Thank you for this greater glory and complete fulfillment of the law through your Son in our place.  I rely on and trust in You.  I look to you and turn my ear to your Holy Spirit here with us, that we may walk in a way that reflects your great work and competence and not our own so that we may not boast in anything other than you.  Lord, you be glorified in and through our lives.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

02-13-12 "Faith: God's Pathway to Victory" Luke 5:17-26

The passage I read was Luke 5:17-26

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+5%3A17-26&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

 ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

As I reflect:

I look at today’s passage from a friends stand point.  This paralyzed man was being carried by friends.  I think this is an important part of the study.  Those carrying the man had nothing to gain from their efforts.  They were being selfless and also exercising great faith to bring their friend to Jesus.  I think we also need to do this today.  I think we know people that we care about and may even call friends and we are called to bring them to Jesus.  And yet too often we claim our love for each other, but never share the gospel with those we love most.  Be it from fear or from some other excuse the enemy has given us to detour us from our calling.  If you truly love someone, you don’t watch them on fire while you hold the fire extinguisher.  You help them.  We need to have the faith of these men that we would reach out and bring others to Jesus leaving it up to Jesus to do the work with them from there. 

As we continue reading we see that there is an obstacle in the way of these men of faith.  But men of faith 

don’t give up when there is an obstacle.  We also have these obstacles every day in our own live.  But we have to make conscious choice to go around, over, or through the obstacles that try to keep us from God.  We have to make time for prayer, make time for reading the Word, make time to help those in need.  These things should become priority to us, but far too often our favorite tv show or going to the movies becomes our obstacle to bringing others to Christ.  These men didn’t stop at the obstacle; they went on and found another way to get the job done.  Their faith guided them to continue.  And so ought our faith when hardship arise or threaten to stand between us and God.  We need to remember that by faith nothing can separate us from Him.  Let’s go the extra mile. 

The men brought the paralytic onto the roof and then had to remove tiles.  These tiles are yet another obstacle in the paralytic man’s journey to Jesus.  We ought to be caring enough friends to take the time and put in the effort to remove tiles that stop our friends, colleagues, and even complete strangers (our neighbors) from reaching Jesus.  When you are witnessing and come across an argument from a neighbor who has simply been lied to and fed into the lie… Don’t give up.  That’s just a crowd in their way so that they can’t see Jesus.  Have the faith to carry them to the roof and remove tiles so that they might see the glory of our Lord. 

Now I’m not saying to argue or shove God down anyone’s throat.  I am saying to not give up and remember that you too were once blind but now you see.  Our faith isn’t for us alone.  Let us share our faith, and lift one another up both the believer and the nonbeliever; both the Jew and the Gentile.   Do this, and watch Jesus say,  “Your sins are forgiven, Get up, take your mat and go home.”

My response to the Lord:

Lord, I confess I am not the friend I should be.  I have unsaved people in my life that I have not gone the extra mile for.  I witness to them lightly but never carry them to you removing crowds and tiles along the way.  I feel as though I am often a lazy witness and I ask you to forgive me and empower me to do more for you.  Work through me Lord.  Prepare hearts and speak when I open my mouth.  Convict and move through me and in those I befriend that they may see and believe.  In Jesus’ name.

02-13-12 "Faith: God's Pathway to Victory" James 5:13-18

The passage I read was James 5:13-18

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%205:13-18&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

As I reflect:

As I read over this passage something is very clear to me.  If you for a second believe that speaking into the air will solve all the troubles in your life, then you are mad.  If you believe singing to the air is pleasing in some way to the atmosphere, you are crazy.  If are under the influence that oil causes sickness to flee, then you need to seek professional help.  James is talking about having faith.  I don’t pray to the air, but I have faith that in my time of need as well as in time of blessing I can come to the Father and the Father hears my prayer.  I have faith that in time of need or in time of blessing when I sing praise, The Father hears me and is pleased as I lift up His name.  If I am diseases or stricken with some life altering sickness and go to the elders of the church for prayer and anointing in oil in the name of the Lord, then it is not my faith in the oil or in the elders, but my faith in the Lord that has brought me there.  When I confess my sins to a brother, it is not because I think he is a counselor or can absolve me of my sins; it is instead because I have faith in what God has taught me.  I believe that confessing removes a weight that comes from sin.  It also strengthens brotherly bonds.  It also, allows my brother to offer me assistance in struggling against the sin.  I have faith that God designed and works through this process.  Otherwise I would not do it.   

When we pray, listen to a message, offer up a word of encouragement, do a good deed, lift our hands in praise, or do anything that a Christian ought, let us be sure it is because we believe in and have faith in the purpose of that action.  Let us do nothing in idle worship or in an effort to simply complete another item on the checklist of Christianity.  Everything will become quite meaningless if your words and actions are just that.  Let us remember that what we do and say has meaning and the through faith the Lord is working all things together for our good. 

My response to the Lord:

Lord, I am guilty at times of checklist Christianity.  I have often become deeds focused instead of doing deeds because of being focused on you.  Forgive me.  Father in Heaven, I pray knowing you hear me, asking of you that throughout my day, week, month, year, or however long you intend to allow me to do your work here on earth, you would mold me and use me for your will to be done.   May I be reminded always by your Holy Spirit here with me that all I am and all I say and do is for you.  I am your vessel.  

02-13-12 "Faith: God's Pathway to Victory" Hebrews 11:23-40

“The key to faith is not so much an issue of the size of our faith, as it is the reliability of the object of our faith.”  - HighQuest

The passage I read was Hebrews 11:23-40

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A23-40&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

²⁵He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶ He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

As I reflect:

³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷They were put to death by stoning;^[b] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

This reminds me of a sermon where Paul Washer was getting heated up about all the persecuted believers in the world and then he wrapped up his long winded loud statement with, “AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A RADICAL CHRISTIAN BECAUSE YOU HAVE A BUMPER STICKER!!!”  That sermon and many others throughout my life have been used by the Holy Spirit to convict me of areas that I hadn’t fully given to God.  Often in self evaluation I still examine my life for areas that haven’t been given fully to God.  “Are there areas I lack faith?” I ask myself.  And you know what?..  There are.  I’ll readily admit it to anyone.  My journey isn’t over and I am still growing.  I will continue growing and being strengthened for the duration of this journey.  I’m not there yet.  I haven’t reached a place in life where I think I know everything about everything, or that I am better and wiser than all other Christians.  I hope I never reach a place like that so that the Lord never need to humble me.  I’d rather just confess to you that I am not all that and a bag of chips and I am well aware of how wretched I am.  That’s one of the driving forces behind my faith.

You see, if someone told me I’d have to do it all alone; walk through this life without any help, teachers, guides, examples, helping hands, or any other form of help from God, I’d give up before I even began.  There’d be no point.  I know I can’t do it.  The Bible is full of too many rules, regulations, laws, guidelines for me to think for a second that I could be that perfect.  However, I have all the more faith because of that realization.  I can’t do it alone and so I have faith in the Holy Spirit to guide me, teach me, convict me, help me up when I fall.  I can’t carry the burdens and hardships of my past, present, and future sins and so I have to have faith that when Jesus said, “it is finished”, He was talking about all of it.  I have to have faith that I have been yoked with another who can pull the load and keep me on the straight path.  I do struggle to love and have compassion for my enemies and so my faith is built up in the One who can and is teaching me and molding my character.  Every day, when I fall to my knees in prayer my faith is being made stronger because I am relying on God to hear me and answer.  And He does.  I wonder how many of the “greats” in this faith hall of fame passage knew that they were not at all worthy or able by themselves?  When I read through this chapter I can relate much of their lives and what the Lord has done through them to what He has done through me or will do through me.  But I can instead look at the fact that I also have in common with many of them a complete reliance on God to be able to do His will. 

Look at Moses’ parents.  Do you think they trusted in the river not to have any rapids or rocks or any animals near that could destroy their baby?  Or do you think they had to fully rely on God as they released him?  I think they had to fully rely on God, because they knew it was bigger then them.  They knew this was something they couldn’t control. 

Moses knew he couldn't free God’s people from Egypt alone.  He asked God to come with him and so God proved He would be with Moses.  I mean seriously, how much faith in God do you have to have to walk between two walls of a sea held by the invisible God knowing that you could be crushed at any time?  Moses’ faith was built up through each trial as he saw more and more how God delivered him and provided.  It is so also with us.  When I first came to the Lord and repented recognizing that He in deed was and is King, I thought I had all the faith in the world in that moment.  But through each trial and tribulation and through each day of walking with Him since, He has strengthened that faith. 

Why did the army have to march around the walls of Jericho for seven days?  To build up faith.  Because by the final day of walking around these walls, one would have had the chance to examine every portion and know that the greatness of these walls indeed was impenetrable by any other force than God.  For 7 days their faith in God’s ability was built up. 

I think that the great majority of people of faith whom we can look to for our examples will tell you that their faith was built up over time and through each battle won by the Lord in their life.  Though I am sure there are those Jonathans out there that are ready to take on the whole philistine army at a young age, for the majority of us, that type of courage comes slowly and piece by piece from a lifetime of exercising our faith as a muscle.

My response to the Lord:

Lord, I had some difficulty as I studied this passage.  So often I feel like I’m not doing enough.  I feel too often like my lack of courage has caused me to hold back from doing more to further your kingdom.  Forgive me for my timid flesh.  And grow in me a courage and boldness to do great things for you Father.  It is my desire to please you with my service.  So please take every area of my life and mold it how you will that I may better exercise my faith and effectively be a witness for your name’s sake.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen. 

02-13-12 "Faith: God's Pathway to Victory" Hebrews 11:13-22

“Faith is the catalyst that unlocks and unleashes God’s power.  It is the common means available to all regardless of abilities, gifting or experience. “- HighQuest

The passage I read was Hebrews 11:13-22

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2011:13-22&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

As I reflect:

Continuing on from yesterday’s passage, we read that some of these hall of famers didn’t get to see what was promised to them on this side of Heaven.  Though each of the promises the Lord gave were fulfilled, some of them had to wait until the other side of Heaven to see the fulfillment.  It is no less the case with us. 

I have had a friend and dearly loved brother in Christ ask me before why God isn’t answering his prayers.  It was heart wrenching to hear as he explained that the Bible says, “ask and you shall receive” and so he has spent years praying for his wife who is a woman of Christ stricken with Crohnes, Degenerative Disc disease (7 bulging discs), Chronic Pain / Mayofacial pain syndrome & Fibromyalgia, Generalized Anxiety Disease, OCD, P.T.S.D., and 7 other life altering conditions that would cause anyone to note the loss of ability to partake in many of life’s joys.   I could see the hurt in his eyes as he explained his confusion at this.  I too pray for his wife daily, but though I expect God to fully heal her, I don’t know if it will be on this side of Heaven or not.  It may be that her entire life is a witness so powerful to others that God has chosen to use her as a beacon; a lighthouse for the many others in physical pain who need an example of spiritual freedom in Christ despite physical hardship in the body.  It may be for this reason alone that God is planning to heal her upon her entrance into eternity and that her husband may not until then see God’s promised answer to his prayers.  How dear God’s children are to him.  I know His desire is not for any of us to suffer, but from suffering come our character and much fruit of the Spirit.  I and my brother in Christ are left to trust and have faith that in the greater overall design, this hardship along with all the rest will be worked together for our good and for the good of his wife.  It will be counted to her as righteousness that she kept the faith just as the aged Abram slept in tents having not yet taken in the fullness of his promises from God in this life.  It will be counted to her husband as righteousness that he continued praying and trusting, just as Joseph continued to pray and walk in faith despite his many life altering hardships and even spoke of things not yet come at the end of his life knowing that the Lord would care for His children and free them. 

Faith is not easy.  It is often the most difficult thing we can hold on to when life’s storms blow us this way and that and we feel or see great hurt or pain in life.  But it is also the most powerful thing we can hold on to.  Because it is through that same faith we can stand on the solid rock and hold to the one true and omnipotent God.  It is by that same faith that we can keep our eyes focused on a heavenly country knowing full well without a doubt that this world and our bodies are passing away, but there is an infinitely better place awaiting us.  The couple I described above have been used by the Lord to inspire me to look to Heaven and trust my eternal King and to remember that when the answers to our prayers don’t come right away, we can still have faith that whether on this side of Heaven or after we arrive at the end of this race God will heal us all and comfort us as we fall in the arms of our Savior.  I have faith not only because of the great men of faith in the scriptures that have left us an example, but because of the examples this couple and many great men and women of God who surround me today still are.  Thank you all for the example of faithfulness you are. 

My response to the Lord:

Lord of Heaven and of Earth, thank you for giving me living examples of what it is to have faith despite circumstance.  Those you have surrounded me with are diverse and many are not currently reaping blessings but are keeping their eyes fixed on the other side of Heaven.  Thank you.  It is humbling to see their faith.  I am reminded that like job and the many other examples that are now on the other side of Heaven, there is nothing that can cause me to lose my faith or trust in what you have said and done.  My blessed redeemer, I trust you with everything that I am to do as you will in and through my life here.  I trust you to answer prayers in your timing.  I trust your word.  I thank you for giving me a heart that allows me faith in you and is not hardened or cold to you.   

02-13-12 "Faith: God's Pathway to Victory" Hebrews 11:1-12

The passage I read was Hebrews 11:1-12

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11%3A1-12&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

 ¹ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

&

 ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

As I reflect:

I picked those two verses above as having stood out most because they are memory verses of most Christians and have been used and heard many times in a believer’s walk.  I probably could have also chosen verse 10 (¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.) because that really defines the application of faith I think. 

Often referred to as the “Faith Hall of Fame”, this section of scripture depicts a short list of men of faith who by their faith received grace from God who worked great wonders through them.  Great and famous as these stories may be, they apply to each one of us and the same power is offered in our lives.  The author uses these examples to encourage us to persevere in faith (just as those before us did).  Not a single person spoken of knew that we would be reading about them today.  That had no impact on what they did.  They did what they did and said what they said because they had faith in God.  And though one day any of us may be written and read about from the view of what God did in and through our lives as a people of faith, this isn’t what drives us to hold to our faith in God.   We hold to our faith because God is sovereign and we trust in Him.  We hold to faith, because we have seen what trying to do it alone gets us.  We hold to faith because it is the only way to please our just King.    We hold to our faith because at some point in our life we looked at creation and the proof was too overwhelming to ignore that this design had to in fact have a designer.   Some of us hold to faith because we have seen, been part of, or heard about stories of miracles while others have sought out a way to disprove the Biblical account of mankind and have ended up proving that the Bible is in fact one of the most historically accurate writings of all time.   Whatever our story is, it is one that includes a decision at some point to not only believe, but by that belief be changed. 

We are a people of faith in Jesus Christ and because of that faith, His Holy Spirit is given power in our lives.  When we pray, angels are activated and miracles are done.   When we read the Word of God mysteries are revealed to us.  When we meditate, revelation occurs.  When we step forward without knowing where we are going, we are given guidance and protection because of our faithfulness.  We can have our lives counted as righteousness because of faith.  We may even find ourselves taken from our bodies before they die because of faith.   The Lord could move us to start a movement that is world changing, and if we are faithful we will answer the calling.  Because of our faith, we may end up in trying times and circumstances less than comfortable, but by that same faith we will persevere and rise out of those same valleys being lifted to great peaks in life.   The importance of faith in God is monumental.  Without this key link, everything we do in life is for nothing.  All the knowledge in the Bible is useless without the faith to put it into action.  All the praying in the world won’t change a thing, without the faith that our prayers are heard and will be answered by the person receiving them. 

My response to the Lord:

Lord, I chose faith.  I know that when I pray to you, you hear me and will answer.  I have faith that when you tell me to walk through an open door, you go through it with me.  I have faith that no matter what valley you let me go through, you will get me through it.  I have faith that what you’ve said is true and so daily I ask you to help me apply your great wisdom in my life and the lives of those I come into contact with.  May you be glorified in my unending faith Lord.  

02-06-12 "Prayer: God's Pathway to Partnership" Hebrews 4:6-16

The passage I read was Hebrews 4:6-16

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A6-16&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,^[b] just as God did from his. ¹¹ Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

As I reflect:

When I read this, I think about 2 types of rest.  One is the type that we do once every 7 days and the other is a more eternal rest that is based on reaching a point of being able to walk in grace with works instead of works with grace.

The first is the more obvious one.  We are told to work for 6 days and rest on the seventh just as the Lord rested.  This is talking about physical rest from physical work and it is to be accompanied by prayer and a time of spiritual refreshment with the Lord as our drink. 

The 2^nd type of rest that this may also be referring to is a rest from what is often called “checklist Christianity”.  For many, this rest is when one finally comes to a point where they can confess and truly be free.  Until this point many are confined by and captured completely by their efforts to earn grace.  For the rest of us, we have already realized that our efforts and works don’t and never will earn grace.  That is why it is grace.  We thus can rest from working for salvation and instead spiritually allow salvation to be worked in us.  This type of rest is one where we have learned to lean on God.  It is a spiritual rest more than a physical one, though it is often evidenced by the difference in our physical works.  When one works for the Lord out of a senses of need, it can be seen by others as it takes it’s toll on that person.  When one works for the Lord out of a sense of joy, because they truly just desire to serve, this can also be seen for its fruitfulness and building up of that servant.  Make no mistake; this servant is at spiritual rest and peace even in the midst of their service.  They have thrown away the checklist and are enjoying living with and for their Creator. This is rest.

Do you read the above two types of rest and wonder if you have entered into spiritual rest or not?  Then continue reading in Hebrews and verse 12 begins to describe the ability of the word of God.  This is important for several reasons.   We may go to the word of God and receive a truthful, accurate, in depth understanding of our selves, how we act, think, what we do, ought to do, our motives, how to know our God, how to share Him and so much more.  If we question anything, we ought to go to the word of God for it is “alive and active”, “it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  Do you need spiritual surgery?  Go to the word of God that is sharper than any double-edged sword.  Allow this scalpel to get to the heart of the issue and reveal truth.  Wondering if you are living out “checklist Christianity”?  Go to the word of God and seek the Lord’s word to you on the matter. 

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

 ¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,^[c] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

I have a friend and brother in Christ whose reflection I found far more insightful than mine.  ‎I want to share with you what he had to say of this passage and how the topics are related to each other:

I asked how these topics are related to each other in this passage,

1 - rest (physical and spiritual)
2 - the word of God as a double edge sword
3 - Jesus can empathize with our weaknesses and we can go to the throne with confidence.

My friend said, “1. Rest (physical and spiritual) in the Promised Land was denied to the Israelites because of their disobedience due to a lack of faith. The writer of Hebrews uses that as an example to explain our situation. Rebellion against God demonstrated by the refusal to put your trust in Christ results in a failure to enter Heaven (the promised land). 2.The Word of God is a double edged sword which reveals our need for Christ and the fact that our works are inadequate to earn our passage into the promised land, instead the Word reveals our rebellion against God. 3. Through trust in Jesus we can rest from our work. Our justification is by faith and not by works. Through Christ we enter into rest because he completed the work for us. Our confidence to come before the throne of Christ comes not from our performance but from His. He faced every temptation, yet was without sin and because his righteousness is imputed to us when we put our trust in Him, our failures don't separate us from Him. That is the crucial difference between the Israelites who were kept out of the Promised Land because of their disobedience and those who put their faith in Christ and can enter into the Promised Land despite our disobedience.”

And I fully agree and am thankful to have had his input. 

My response to the Lord: not written today

02-06-12 "Prayer: God's Pathway to Partnership" John 17:1-21

The passage I read was John 17:1-21

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+17%3A1-21&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

¹ After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

   “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.

As I reflect:

Selfless glorification.  Jesus didn’t pray for glory for His own benefit, but for the Lord’s glory. 

When we ask for things from God we often take scriptures out of context and believe that simply because we asked, it will be given to us.  But God isn’t a genie in a bottle.  He isn’t someone you can just come to for your wishes to be granted.  When we patiently and reverently make our requests known before God, and when we persistently continue to do so, we need to be sure that our requests are for His will and for His glorification and not our own.  If you read the word and align your life to it, spending day and night meditating on the wisdom found in the Good Book and getting to know Our God, then you begin to understand and even at times expect His will.  With this understanding we can all better pray for His will and glorification instead of our own.  These are the type of prayers referred to by “ask and you shall receive”.

Verse 6 through 8 very much remind me of my family.  Jesus is of course referring to those in the world who have chosen to follow Jesus, but He doesn’t speak of them as His own followers but rather as followers of God.  He communicates an understanding of stewardship of people.  For me, this is my family.  I fully thank God for them and I pray for them, but I also often acknowledge in prayer that they are not my own and that I give them fully to God.  These are difficult prayers for me sometimes, not because I don’t trust God with my family, but just because I know what I am praying and it may very well mean that one day He answers those prayers and ends up taking one of my sons from me.  He may take one of them during a mission trip to the middle east or perhaps one will be martyred in a south American jungle?  I don’t know.  What I do know is that they are not mine to keep, but to raise and to lead to God that they may do His will (regardless of whether that leads them away from where I’d rather they be or not). 

In verse 9 through 12 Jesus goes on to pray for protection of the disciples.  I have often come to a point of semi-confusion in prayer when this topic arises.  As for my family, as well as for adult disciples of Christ that I fellowship with, there are times when I will pray for God’s will to be done through them so that He be glorified, but I then also pray for their safety.  The reason this is somewhat confusing at times is because God’s will does not always include the physical safety of His follower.  There are times when there may be hardship or pain in a believer’s life that are more useful as a witness than when everything is “hunky dory”.  I have a friend who witnesses in a way that I think we all ought to.  He will often go out to bars where people are drinking and will eventually need a ride home and he will share Christ with them.  There are many that would tell him to be careful.  I do not.  I tell him to be bold and go with Christ.  And when I tell him that, I know that he may not return to his home.  That may very well be the last night he is allowed the opportunity to witness, but I tell him to be bold anyway that the Lord would use him for the Lord’s will and not his own.  I then pray for his safety, but I pray less for his safety than for God’s will to be done (even if that includes my friend not being safe).  It’s a hard prayer to pray for a friend, and even harder to pray over the life of your child, knowing that what you pray for could one day be that which takes your child’s life. 

When Jesus continues to pray for their protection, He isn’t praying that they never die.  He is instead praying that they be used for as long as is possible before they come home.  He also prays that they not fall into temptation saying, “protect them from the evil one.”  I pray no less for my family, friends, and as verse 20 and 21 indicate, also for all who believe and follow Christ.  I pray also for sanctification not only over myself but over others as well that they may be set apart to be used by God.

Jesus’ prayer was selfless all the way through as he prayed for the glory of God through His sanctified followers being protected while doing His will.  He prays for our unification as followers that we also may glorify the Lord as He has glorified the Lord.  We ought to pray in the same manner with the same heart seeking God’s will and glorification and not our own.   

My response to the Lord: not written today.

02-06-12 "Prayer: God's Pathway to Partnership" Nehemiah 1:1-11

The passage I read was Nehemiah 1:1-11

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+1%3A1-11&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

As I reflect:

The reason verse 4 stood out to me the most is because it was an immediate reaction.  I think as Christians far too often prayer seems to be our last resort when hardships come.  Not enough money for rent?  It seems in such a circumstance that we first ask friends if they can do a loan, then we ask family for the help, then if all else fails, it’s off to the bank for an advance.  If they turn you down you go to a payday loan place and begin a cycle that will keep you in debt to the world till you die.  One day inevitably your loans have built up and there is just no more loaning available for you and you hear the threat of losing your home.  Then you go to your facebook friends and your job where you continue seeking overtime to keep up with the finance of your lifestyle.  The whole while God waits for you to come to Him so that He might teach you how to live within the blessings He has already provided you.  Why do we wait so often till that last second to pray to God? 

Nehemiah sets for us multiple examples here as he immediately falls weak in the knees into mournful prayer and fasting for others. 

1^st – Prayer should be the first thing we do.

2^nd – We ought to care greatly not only for Israel today, but also for all of the extended, adopted family of God who are under persecution today. 

3^rd – There are times when fasting ought to accompany our prayers.

4^th – When we pray (regardless of the topic) we should be humble and honest before God.

Nehemiah emulated all of the above statements in his reaction to the news of great persecution among the people of God.  His love for the body of Christ was evident in his great pain and mourning over their pain and persecution.  His trust for God was evident in that he didn’t first ask, “who can do something about this?”.  He instead immediately went to the One whom he knew could do all things.  His humility and honesty were evident in his open self inclusion into guilt as a participating member of a sinful people.  He prays for forgiveness.  And lastly, it is evident that he is aware just what God he is talking to; “the God of heaven, the great and awesome God”.  Nehemiah was already praying in a very similar pattern to the example Jesus would set years later.  He already understood much of the formula to approach and he prayed with patient yet persistent petition to the Lord, that his request would be made known.  We likewise should pray in the same ways and remember to make it a first reaction instead of last. 

My response to the Lord: not written

02-06-12 "Prayer: God's Pathway to Partnership" Luke 11:1-13

The passage I read was Luke 11:1-13

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2011:1-13&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

¹ One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

As I reflect:

Today I reflected on and modified some old notes from a sermon I heard.   I think they still very much apply today and I will use them for my reflection. 

Luke 11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased,  that  one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

So in verse 1, the Lord is praying and His desciples come to Him and ask Him to teach them.  Our Christian walk is all about this.  We are desiring to learn the will of the Lord and apply it to our lives and there are those that descipling after us with the same desire to apply the Lord’s will to their lives.  We are descipling our children as well .  This disciple could have come to Jesus and asked Him to teach them to do miracles or feed the many but they he instead that this is where the power really begins.  If Our Savior fell to His knees to speak to the Father, should we not also place as high a level of importance on this practice?  Allow the Lord to stir this on your heart today.  Spend time in prayer and grow a hunger for this in your life.

Luke 11:2 So He said to them,  “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as  it is  in heaven.

When you think about the "list of rules" that we as Christians have, you have to at some point realize it just can't be done without Jesus.  We cannot do what has been asked of us without a relationship with our God.  Prayer is that.  Prayer is part of your relationship.  It is the conversation of your relationship with God.  Think about the start of the prayer and just how personal saying, "Our Father" is.  Think about the roles of a father.  They protect, provide, train, instruct, discipline, comfort, guide, and so much more.  This is personal. 

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

Abbas is translated as "daddy".  Think about that.

Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

Now in Matthew 6 we see also the importance of the location of God.  He rules and reigns.  Our problems can be overwhelming to us because we are in them, but stop and think about where He is and His perspective on our problems.

Matthew 6:9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Also, note that we are beginning by remembering how holy the person we are speaking to is.  He is hallowed and His kingdom is going to come.

Daniel 7:27 Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom  is  an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

And then in Luke 17 we are also told that this kingdom is within us now.

Luke 17:21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

We are then reminded in our approach that we are not living for nor seeking in any way our will, but rather we are living for God's will to be done through us.

“Your will be done On earth as  it is  in heaven.”

This living for someone else's will is difficult for many of us because we spend a lifetime in a world that teaches us to live for ourselves, but we are not asked to live for the will of someone whom  we don't know is worthy or not.  We are to live for the will of the One we can trust with every aspect of our life.  HE IS TRUSTWORTHY.  Now this first portion of prayer has been upwards and we come to the part where we can pray openly before Him about the daily needs.  Ours and others.

Luke 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

Daily bred – not just food, not just reading the word of God, but all of our daily needs here.  He already knows them, but lay them before the Lord anyway.  Pray for other’s daily bread here too. 

Then we come to confession.  Think about this part. Sin affects our closeness to God.  It affects our relationship.

Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

In Psalm 32 we hear the result of David hardening his heart and keeping silent about his sin.  He had to confess to keep the very life from being sucked out of him.

Psalm 32:3-5 When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long.  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

So turn to the Lord in your prayer life and confess and receive forgiveness and also forgive others.

Do not be bitter and unforgiving.  You are not entitled to be unforgiving.  Do not allow the 1000 reasons we can all think of not to forgive become a priority over being warm hearted and loving.  Be forgiving and release whatever you have held on to against others. Be freed from that stronghold.  We not only see the plea for deliverance from sin but also (knowing that we are in a spiritual battle), We pea for and trust the Lord to fight with us and for us in this battle.  Ask for deliverance from the enemies advances.

Now in looking at this prayer you may note how short and basic and to the point it is.  This is a great model to follow.  Make it personal to you.  You don't have to pray for hours on end to effectively communicate with God.  Though there's nothing wrong

Luke 11:5-8 And He said to them,  “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;  for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;  and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

Put this into real life application with how you seek God.  Be persistent.  Think about it, the man in the story listens to his friend not because he was a friend but because he was so persistent (perhaps even annoying.. LOL)  but how much greater does the Lord desire to hear us and answer our prayers as his children who are diligently seeking after His will in our life?

Luke 11:9-10 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Keep asking. Keep knocking and seeking.  But don't by any means take a "name it and claim it" stance.  Just because you are persistent doesn't mean you will get everything you pray for.  There is a structure to understand; a motive; a reason behind the request that is know by our Father. 

Luke 11:11-13 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if  he asks  for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will  your  heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Be pure in motive seeking after His will.  Know that we have a good and loving Father with good interest in mind.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

My response to the Lord:

Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us .And lead us not into temptation.

01-30-12 "Serving: God's Pathway to Influence" Matthew 25:14-30

The passage I read was Matthew 25:14-30

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A14-30&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

As I reflect:

So, usually when I reflect on a passage I write down my thoughts on it right after reading it and then I meditate on the idea all day and try not to forget the application from the lesson.  Today was different though.  I read the passage and then spent all day meditating on it and now I’m writing after a day of consideration.  I’m still not sure I have found the words to express my reflections, but I will try.

This parable tells of a common occurrence of the times it was written where a property owner may leave his valuables in the care of trusted servants while absent for great periods of time.  In this case, 3 servants.  2 of which were considered good and faithful for making good use of the talents entrusted to them and the third servant who was considered wicked and lazy for having made no use of the talent but rather hiding it for a lack of understanding his master.   Here is the implication of the parable.

Each servant of God is entrusted with differing types and measure of gifts.  It is expected of God’s followers to utilize those gifts in a wise and obedient way to spread the gospel and invest in furthering the kingdom of God.  Many professed followers however end up instead acting as the third servant did.  They bury their gift.  In other words they waste the gifts the Lord has given.  They become too caught up in just thinking about their own salvation and considering no one else’s need for Jesus.  They invest nothing the Lord has given them for furthering the kingdom of God.   They do fear the Lord, but it’s the completely wrong type of fear. 

A reverent respect type of fear of my Master drives me to want to serve Him better.  With this thought in mind, I make daily choices to be obedient to His word and share that word with others that they might also choose life in Christ and join me in service.  I take each breath as a gift, the ability to type, stand, walk, and speak, all of it as a gift to be used for doing His will.  I don’t want to just barely get into heaven.  That’s not my goal.  Nor is my aim to be greater than anyone else there.  But I do have a deep desire to please my Father and that requires an investment.  I can’t be lazy about following God.  In fact the word “lazy” and “following” in reference to God don’t belong in the same sentence… Ever!  The point of walking with Christ is sharing the gifts of that walk with others.  I wasn’t saved so I could hide Jesus in me and keep Him all to myself.  I was saved out of love and from that love I also ought to share consistently with others what I have received.  If I don’t, then I never really got the point to begin with.  Love is a fruit, it is an evidence of salvation.  Without evidence what am I but a fake?  How can one claim salvation in Christ and yet care so little about all the people around them that are sinking to hell a little more every day?  The answer: you can’t.  If the gifts given to you are not of value for you to use in reaching others, then my friend I am afraid for you, because the implication in this parable for that person is that they too will join the others in the place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  I pray that if anyone read this and you recognize yourself in the third servant, you get on your knees and pray for some boldness and wisdom and share what He has given you.  We must recognize the great value of that gift, that talent the Lord has given us and use it all for the glory of the Lord.  Don’t waste His gift. 

My response to the Lord:

Lord, I may struggle with the wording, but you know my heart and you know the wonderful things you spoke to me today through this passage.  Thank you.  Thank you for your word.  Please help me to be a good steward of what you have trusted to me.  May I multiply what you have given by sharing your love and truths with others that they too may seek you and follow after you.  

01-30-12 "Serving: God's Pathway to Influence" Joshua 1:1-9

The passage I read was Joshua 1:1-9

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+1%3A1-9&version=NIV          

The verse that most stood out to me:

 ⁷ “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

As I reflect:

As I reflected on this passage two things stood out to me about a servant.  I looked mostly at Joshua, but there are other examples of servitude to be learned from in Moses and in his relationship with the Lord as well.  Just looking at Joshua though, I see a man who served a leader for many years without a single thought of promotion to one day lead himself.  I think it’s not only important from a state of mind point of view to humbly serve without thought of self advancement, but it’s also valuable from a learning point of view.  The experiences one gains in being a servant simply to help another person is the very same experience required to be a great leader one day.  Joshua got to become a great leader because he spent a lifetime serving.  But he needed something other than just his experience to be a leader.  He needed God.

Joshua, like many of us, was not a strong and courageous man.  He was a man with fears. He was a man happy to serve a leader but not so ready to jump into the leader’s shoes and have the focus on him.  He had a good heart for leadership but lacked courage and strength as seen when in his youth he gave into peer pressure to build an idol to worship.  This was a character flaw that needed to be repaired before leadership could occur.  What kind of leader could fear the people he leads more than the God he follows?  This being unacceptable, Joshua received not once, but twice the word from God saying to be strong and courageous.  This is a word we all need to hear from time to time.  We as servants and as leaders and as followers of Christ whom the world sees, need to not be scared feeble weaklings cowering in corners from our enemies.  We are instead to be bold, strong, and courageous and stand up for all that is good and all that is holy.  We are warriors, Soldiers for Christ wearing full body armor in this spiritual battle.  We are to protect others and help the less fortunate.  How can we do that if we rely on a cowering personality flaw?  We can’t.  We have to instead, like Joshua, learn to rely on God so that we can be strong and courageous.   We have to put on our armor daily in prayer.

 I have heard it said that self confidence leads to a man’s destruction, but God-confidence leads to successful leadership.  Let us be confident in God’s ability to use us for the tasks He has called us for and let us serve as if the battle was already won.  Let’s put our focus on God and remember to meditate all day on His Word which guides us.  In this way, we can be bold and courageous trusting in God’s ability to use us.   Let us be faithful in the little things, knowing full well we may be training for the bigger things. 

My response to the Lord:

Jehovah-Chatsahi, Lord my Strength, I am in a place where you have offered me opportunities to serve in the small things.  Help me to be faithful and serve you well in these things.  Even if nothing bigger comes, may I pour all I am into the service you have allowed me to give.  Use what I have Lord; what you have given me, for your will.  Train me in the way I should go and help me to train my children and wife also that they may grow stronger in you.  Help me to rely on your might Jehovah Tsori, Lord my Strength, that I may not fail in my weakness.  May I be bold and courageous because of you Jehovah ez lami, Lord my Strength.  Thank you for bringing me this far and for how far you have yet to bring me.  My trust is in you for whatever this journey holds.  In the name of Jesus Christ I pray.  Amen.

01-30-12 "Serving: God's Pathway to Influence" John 13:1-17

The passage I read was John 13:1-17

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13%3A1-17&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

As I reflect:

So here we have an entire scene that has many times been taken out of context.  I’d like to do my best to place it in context so we can see what’s being done here.  Normally when entering this room for dining, all persons feet would have had the sandals removed and their feet cleaned.  This was because the tables of the time were very low to the ground and instead of a chair, you would simply pull up a pillow to lean upon while you ate.  This meant that your feet were not only close to the food, but also close to each other.  Now, normally there would have been a servant of some kind that would wash ones feet before entering this room, but on this occasion no servant is mentioned. 

The problem is, in the absence of a servant, you would have thought that a disciple would have happily kneeled at the entrance to the room and washed and dried Jesus’ feet before entry.  Why didn’t this happen?  I wonder if it was because the disciples were too busy arguing over who was the greatest among them at this time.  They were too concerned with who would sit closest to Jesus (as it was customary back then for those of the greatest importance to sit closest to the host).  How sad that in these last few moments of their time with Christ in the flesh, they still hadn’t gotten it.  They still didn’t understand humility or servitude even unto each other.  So here Jesus allowed His actions to speak louder than words.  He didn’t give a big speech… That had already been done.  He instead became an example to them of what we ought to all be willing to do for one another.  I’m not talking about washing feet here.  I’m talking about the first will be last, the lifted up will be humbled and the humble will be lifted up, the strong are those who recognize their weakness and rely on God, and to be great requires to be a servant.  The disciples still hadn’t had all this sink in, and so it was acted out before them as the King of Kings knelt and showed by example what servitude was. 

Too often Christians are far too concerned with their title or the level of authority they have in the church or how many emails they get per week, or how many face book friends like their post… Listen! Life isn’t about all that!  Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.  Serve like Jesus served.  Poor your all out for one another.  Be Christ to your brother, your sister, you mom, you uncle, the stranger across the street, the homeless guy, they corner store clerk, the frustrated co-worker.  Serve like Jesus.   

My response to the Lord:

My Father in Heaven, your name is above all names and you are worthy to be praised.  I praise you and thank you for the examples you have given.  I need your help to follow those examples.  Help me today to be a servant and to help all that I can in any way possible.  Help me to serve like Jesus served.  Keep my eyes focused on you and on those in need instead of on me.  Help me to help others Lord.  In Jesus’ name. 

01-30-12 "Serving: God's Pathway to Influence" Isaiah 49:1-7

The passage I read was Isaiah 49:1-7

You can find that passage here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+49%3A1-7&version=NIV

The verse that most stood out to me:

  ⁵ And now the LORD says— 

   he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
   and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD
   and my God has been my strength—

As I reflect:

Over 400 years before Christ as a man walked the earth (possibly up to 700 years before), Isaiah or one of his disciples whom also had the gift of prophecy wrote these words about the coming Messiah.  What does it mean to us?

Well first off it means that Jesus was destined and called to this duty since long before Mary first heard she would bear a child.  We know that because of the time frame of the writing.  We then see in verse 1 that Jesus was called and known even in the womb of Mary.  For us, as servants of the Lord we can relate to this knowing that we too were called to serve the Lord since before our birth. 

In verse 2, the prophet goes on to describe the coming Messiah as having a mouth made like a sharpened sword.  Verse one adds the authority His voice has.  This authority is given to us as well in the New Testament.  We are given the authority to use the name of Christ as well as to speak the Word of God which is our sword of the Spirit.   This sword from the armor of God described in Ephesians 6 is described in more depth as a penetrating word in Hebrews 4:12 which says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.“   

Verse 3 calls Jesus “Israel” in that the Lord will display His splendor in that body of followers much as He will display His glory in Jesus.  It is the same with us as we seek to be salt and light.  It is not our own light that we shine, but it is the light of Him who is in us.  It is the glory of God which we merely reflect in our lives for others to see Him. 

Verse 4 communicates the frustration it was for Christ as He endured in this world as a man.  He communicates how at times he felt like all his hard work may have been for nothing.  But the verse doesn’t stop there.  There is encouragement for us as servants who often can feel the same way when our efforts seem to be in vain.  He says through the prophet, “My reward is with my God.”  And so it is with us.  Let’s remember we are just passing through and our home and reward are with God.  

Verse 5 teaches us as servants to rely on God for our strength and that in doing so (verse 6) teaches us we can be used for far greater a plan that we sometimes think.  We tend to limit ourselves by our own abilities, but as servants of the Most High, with authority in the name of Jesus Christ we can do far greater than we often think. Don’t limit yourself.  With God you can do all things. 

Finally, in verse 7 we see that thought the valley may be long and filled with all sorts of persecution, the Lord will lift us up.  For me, I am here reminded from last week’s studies that we are to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, and that He will lift us up.  The Son of God gave us yet another perfect example of that in this prophecy as He was the most humble of all servants and following His great persecution, the Lord did in fact lift Him up.  He sits at the right hand of God and even greater glory is yet to come in His return for us as well as at the final return to triumphantly through down those who oppose Him. 

My response to the Lord:

Lord my prayer is that as your servant, you would remind me throughout every day of the examples that Your Son has given me.  I pray that you would remind me that I am chosen and called since before my birth, that Satan would not convince me I am of no use.  I pray that your Holy Spirit remind me of every word I have read and that when the time comes, He would speak through me that my sword may be sharp and effective against my enemies.  I pray that I reflect your glory in whatever I do and wherever I go.  I pray Lord, that when all seems dark and persecution comes from every side I’ll not forget that this is temporary and to be counted joy.  I look forward to coming home in your timing Father.  And when I start to doubt, even before I doubt, may I be reminded to rely on your strength always and trust in you with all my heart mind and soul.  In Jesus’ name.