There's a lot that happens in this world that defies explanation. Who can truly understand why a tsunami kills thousands, why at times the innocent suffer more during a war than the soldiers, why a large country is simultaneously experiencing droughts and wildfires, and flooding and crop destruction from too much rain.
As kingdom workers, determined to make a difference both for eternity and today, you have your own "why" questions. You also know that you want to take DO something. Thankfully, you don't have to have the answers to step out and take that risk. Daniel - a book filled with the sovereignty of God - shows us an example:
Daniel 2:13-19
So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Arioch, the king's captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king. Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Notice that Daniel made his bold request BEFORE the mystery was revealed to him. Then he hightailed it to his friends to ask for prayer support! Before we brush this aside as merely the impetuous actions of youth, examine Daniel's understanding of his God - revealed in his words to the king later in the chapter:
"No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries...."
Daniel knew his God, and he knew that God was sovereign over the mysteries of the earth. He knew that sovereignty included lordship over dreams. So he spoke to the king's captain without having all the answers, because he stood on the firm ground of God's sovereignty. He then sought the specifics in prayer, and acted on what God showed him.
What risks would you take today if you firmly grasped the extent of God's sovereignty? Let His sovereignty undergird your work today.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Sunsets and Glory
Friday evening's sunset was a glorious sight to behold.
Piercing through the clouds that hovered all last week, the pink light seemed to follow the sunbeams through the sky to the earth. A peachy-pink glow tinged everything around me; even the pavement on the street seemed pink. The closest connection I can make is the Mojave Desert - how it reflects the light in such unique and gorgeous ways. As I admired the beauty (and longed for a shoulder to pull over onto so that I could worship the Maker without the interference of driving), I realized that the glow even tinged my arm. I was captivated by how my hand looked on the steering wheel, cast in the glow of the sun.
That's what the glory of God is like. The fullness of who He is, His glory, pierces through our world's darkness and casts a glow. When we belong to Him, seeking to stay in the sunbeam of His presence, then that glow tinges us. No one could ever confuse the reflection of the sun's light with the sun itself ... and that is how it is with His glory.
Let His glow tinge you today!
Piercing through the clouds that hovered all last week, the pink light seemed to follow the sunbeams through the sky to the earth. A peachy-pink glow tinged everything around me; even the pavement on the street seemed pink. The closest connection I can make is the Mojave Desert - how it reflects the light in such unique and gorgeous ways. As I admired the beauty (and longed for a shoulder to pull over onto so that I could worship the Maker without the interference of driving), I realized that the glow even tinged my arm. I was captivated by how my hand looked on the steering wheel, cast in the glow of the sun.
That's what the glory of God is like. The fullness of who He is, His glory, pierces through our world's darkness and casts a glow. When we belong to Him, seeking to stay in the sunbeam of His presence, then that glow tinges us. No one could ever confuse the reflection of the sun's light with the sun itself ... and that is how it is with His glory.
Let His glow tinge you today!
Quote of the Day
I thought this quote especially relates to the previous post (below):
"It seems to me that we often, almost sulkily, reject the good that God offers us because, at the moment, we expected some other good."
- C.S. Lewis
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Sweet Pickles
I made sweet pickles this weekend.
Mind you, I didn't intend to. I don't even like sweet pickles! Give me a crunchy dill (preferably very sour) and I'll chomp down!
But somehow, the recipe I was following for my first-ever attempt at pickling about 8 lb of cucumbers from our garden never got around to telling me when to put in the dill. I looked at another recipe and thought I had it figured out, but decided to taste test beforehand just to see if it seemed right.... and I discovered that I'd spent 2 days making sweet pickles!
I was SO disappointed ... yet as usual, there was a lesson in it for me.
The process of making pickles involves hours and hours of soaking - "baptizing" if you will :) . And the pickles were completely without a say in the end result. As the pickle-maker, it was up to me to know the recipe and determine whether to make sweet or dill pickles.
I messed up, but thankfully God does not! As He baptizes us with His Spirit, and "soaks" us in the Word of God, times of prayer and worship, fellowship of the saints, and the crucible of suffering ... He always knows what is going to come out on the other side. He knows His own, Scripture tells us, and He knows how to protect us and cause us to stand blameless in His presence with great joy on the day of judgment (Jude 24). Phil. 1:6 says, "He who began a good work in you will see it through to the day of completion." In other words, He'll finish what He started -- and it will be good.
Even if it doesn't look like what we anticipated.
Mind you, I didn't intend to. I don't even like sweet pickles! Give me a crunchy dill (preferably very sour) and I'll chomp down!
But somehow, the recipe I was following for my first-ever attempt at pickling about 8 lb of cucumbers from our garden never got around to telling me when to put in the dill. I looked at another recipe and thought I had it figured out, but decided to taste test beforehand just to see if it seemed right.... and I discovered that I'd spent 2 days making sweet pickles!
I was SO disappointed ... yet as usual, there was a lesson in it for me.
The process of making pickles involves hours and hours of soaking - "baptizing" if you will :) . And the pickles were completely without a say in the end result. As the pickle-maker, it was up to me to know the recipe and determine whether to make sweet or dill pickles.
I messed up, but thankfully God does not! As He baptizes us with His Spirit, and "soaks" us in the Word of God, times of prayer and worship, fellowship of the saints, and the crucible of suffering ... He always knows what is going to come out on the other side. He knows His own, Scripture tells us, and He knows how to protect us and cause us to stand blameless in His presence with great joy on the day of judgment (Jude 24). Phil. 1:6 says, "He who began a good work in you will see it through to the day of completion." In other words, He'll finish what He started -- and it will be good.
Even if it doesn't look like what we anticipated.
Baptized in criticism?
Are you frustrated today, wondering why God is allowing so much criticism of your service? There could be many reasons - and I encourage you to spend time with the Father to learn the lessons He desires to teach you in this trial.
But one reason we sometimes miss is that God allows criticism to protect us from thinking too much of the opinions of others. Francis Frangipane put it this way:
Whatever other reasons God may have for his season, ask Him to take this time and innoculate you from the praise of man!
But one reason we sometimes miss is that God allows criticism to protect us from thinking too much of the opinions of others. Francis Frangipane put it this way:
To innoculate me from the praise of man
God baptized me in the criticism of man
Until I died to the control of man.
Whatever other reasons God may have for his season, ask Him to take this time and innoculate you from the praise of man!
Spiritual Empathy
The study results are amazing: there actually is a class of individuals who truly feel others' pain in a very literal sense. (See the article at http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1629650020070618).
One of the key paragraphs appears on page 2 of the story: "Other studies have suggested a link between empathy and mirror systems, but Ward said this was the first to suggest empathy involves more than one mechanism: an emotional gut reaction -- which appears exaggerated in the mirror-touch synesthetes -- and a cognitive process that involves thinking about how someone else feels."
What a beautiful reflection of a spiritual truth! We are told by Paul in Gal. 6:2 to "bear one anothers' burdens"; in Rom. 12:15 he teaches us to "weep with those who weep". And the second greatest command is to "love your neighbor as yourself". All of these speak to some level of identification with another individual.
Individuals who intercede for others on a personal level relate a sense of spiritual empathy parallel to the physical type mentioned in the article. They "feel" the weight of another individual's burden. They sense the oppression of the lost. Ronald Dunn, in "Don't Just Stand there, Pray Something", relates that when he was suffering a deep depression over the health of his son and other issues, he awoke one morning early to find that the weight was lifted. Later he received a letter from a friend who said he had felt led to pray for Dunn and ask the Lord to give him whatever portion of Dunn's burden God intended the friend to carry. You won't be surprised to learn that when Dunn questioned the man, he told him that the specific day and time of his prayer corresponded with Dunn's awakening early to find a burden lifted!
As you minister and serve today, as you live amongst a people who have so much pain and so many needs, as you hear of brothers and sisters whose needs are more than you know how to respond to -- remember this principle. God intends for us to be spiritually empathetic - just like these individuals in the article. By God's grace, seek to bear the burdens, and feel what those who weep are feeling.
Sure, in your flesh it's more than you can handle. But in God's divine plan, it's just the way it's supposed to work. He will equip you as you seek His strength to intercede and serve on this new level.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Afraid to draw near?
For those of us captivated by the glory of God, it's hard to understand why everyone doesn't long to draw near as we do. We see and savor His beauty. Why do others - even some believers - not do the same?
At the heart of the answer to this lies the heart of salvation: the creation of a new heart that is enabled to see and savor His goodness. For those who don't know the fullness of His character, who have not seen the grace and truth embodied in Jesus Christ, God can be scary. Even the Israelites faced this struggle, recalled so poignantly by the author of Hebrews:
Heb. 12:18-24
For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
God hasn't changed - vv. 25-29 warn us against taking this new covenant lightly, because God is a consuming fire. But the point the author is making underscores the contrast between the Old and New covenants ... between being fearful to approach God and having the freedom to come "boldly" into the throne. (Heb. 10:22).
Are you frustrated today by all those who don't see the glory of God in the face of Christ that you see? Pray for God to do a miracle of transformation in their hearts. Pray that they will not be too easily pleased with the pleasures of the world, and will instead long for deep pleasures that can only be met at the fountain of God Himself! For had He not awakened our hearts, we too would be settling for far, far less of Him!
At the heart of the answer to this lies the heart of salvation: the creation of a new heart that is enabled to see and savor His goodness. For those who don't know the fullness of His character, who have not seen the grace and truth embodied in Jesus Christ, God can be scary. Even the Israelites faced this struggle, recalled so poignantly by the author of Hebrews:
Heb. 12:18-24
For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
God hasn't changed - vv. 25-29 warn us against taking this new covenant lightly, because God is a consuming fire. But the point the author is making underscores the contrast between the Old and New covenants ... between being fearful to approach God and having the freedom to come "boldly" into the throne. (Heb. 10:22).
Are you frustrated today by all those who don't see the glory of God in the face of Christ that you see? Pray for God to do a miracle of transformation in their hearts. Pray that they will not be too easily pleased with the pleasures of the world, and will instead long for deep pleasures that can only be met at the fountain of God Himself! For had He not awakened our hearts, we too would be settling for far, far less of Him!
Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.
We are far too easily pleased.
C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Little Girl Lost
It was a story of tragedy averted.
No movie could go beyond the drama of the real-life event I was reading about in the newspaper Sunday. A little girl, 5 years old, was missing and presumed dead after her grandfather's body was found in the water where they were swimming. They had been out for the day and she wanted to swim. What grandfather can deny his precious 5-year-old granddaughter a dip in the cool water on a hot summer day?
But as the family members and rescuers gathered and grieved the loss of grandpa, the worst was presumed about the little girl. She was gone too - it was just a matter of time before her body would be found.
Meanwhile, upstream a rescuer saw a young girl, naked, dirty, wandering in the woods. She approached him and asked for food. At first he didn't recognize her. After all, the little girl they were looking for would be found in the water somewhere -- right?
But it WAS her ... and soon tears of sorrow turned to shouts of joy. Mom and dad had no trouble recognizing their baby ... they felt the joy known only by a few, the joy of new life from death.
And that is a picture of our salvation. We were dead in our sins, Paul tells us. Not sinking, but dead. We were naked and hungry for spiritual clothing and food. We may even have been unrecognizable to those whose job was to "rescue" us. Yet our dear Father had no trouble at all knowing who we were ... and He guided us to a safe place every step of the way. We have the joy of new life from death.
Now serving as "rescuers", we must remember this image. Who are you looking to "rescue" today? Pray that God will help you see those coming out death into life -- that we won't miss them even if they appear to us naked and hungry.
And be encouraged that God has been guiding them all the way.
No movie could go beyond the drama of the real-life event I was reading about in the newspaper Sunday. A little girl, 5 years old, was missing and presumed dead after her grandfather's body was found in the water where they were swimming. They had been out for the day and she wanted to swim. What grandfather can deny his precious 5-year-old granddaughter a dip in the cool water on a hot summer day?
But as the family members and rescuers gathered and grieved the loss of grandpa, the worst was presumed about the little girl. She was gone too - it was just a matter of time before her body would be found.
Meanwhile, upstream a rescuer saw a young girl, naked, dirty, wandering in the woods. She approached him and asked for food. At first he didn't recognize her. After all, the little girl they were looking for would be found in the water somewhere -- right?
But it WAS her ... and soon tears of sorrow turned to shouts of joy. Mom and dad had no trouble recognizing their baby ... they felt the joy known only by a few, the joy of new life from death.
And that is a picture of our salvation. We were dead in our sins, Paul tells us. Not sinking, but dead. We were naked and hungry for spiritual clothing and food. We may even have been unrecognizable to those whose job was to "rescue" us. Yet our dear Father had no trouble at all knowing who we were ... and He guided us to a safe place every step of the way. We have the joy of new life from death.
Now serving as "rescuers", we must remember this image. Who are you looking to "rescue" today? Pray that God will help you see those coming out death into life -- that we won't miss them even if they appear to us naked and hungry.
And be encouraged that God has been guiding them all the way.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
The bottom line
A common theme of my posts tonight seems to be that God makes things a lot simpler than we do! We complicate things, often because the simple path is so difficult on our flesh! The path to true ministry is no different.
Rom. 12:1 tells us that God desires that we be "living sacrifices". In the reader to the "Perspectives" course, Warren Chastain quotes Bishop Hill that when we look at those to whom we minister "you will find an altar ... and may God help you to be a sacrifice". Chastain elaborates on this idea with some memorable, and very true, comments.
"...God has engineered the fruit-making process so that it always involves sacrifice. But people invariably seek ways to turn the altar into a stage for seeking applause."
"...any line man draws is not the bottom line....let us be willing to let God draw the bottom line."
"...today's sower should not fail to sow seed in the entire field...The sower...has a passion to bring life out of all kinds of ground. He will not write anything off, even in the rockiest ground. He has faith that the good seed can cling to life in th ehardest places and bear a specially precious harvest."
"God's weapons are crosses, empty tombs, and willing witnesses."
May God make you a willing witness, willing even to be a living sacrifice, today.
Rom. 12:1 tells us that God desires that we be "living sacrifices". In the reader to the "Perspectives" course, Warren Chastain quotes Bishop Hill that when we look at those to whom we minister "you will find an altar ... and may God help you to be a sacrifice". Chastain elaborates on this idea with some memorable, and very true, comments.
"...God has engineered the fruit-making process so that it always involves sacrifice. But people invariably seek ways to turn the altar into a stage for seeking applause."
"...any line man draws is not the bottom line....let us be willing to let God draw the bottom line."
"...today's sower should not fail to sow seed in the entire field...The sower...has a passion to bring life out of all kinds of ground. He will not write anything off, even in the rockiest ground. He has faith that the good seed can cling to life in th ehardest places and bear a specially precious harvest."
"God's weapons are crosses, empty tombs, and willing witnesses."
May God make you a willing witness, willing even to be a living sacrifice, today.
Glory is at Stake
My dear mother-in-law went to be with the Lord on May 25. She spent 99 of the last 105 days of her life in hospital or rehab. During that time, a high school friend died at age 38. I often wondered about suffering and death - why God in His power and sovereignty did not heal when He sometimes could, why a 38 year old died, why God worked differently in similar situations. Ultimately I came away with a stronger impression of the importance of the sovereignty of God ... knowing that He is in control brings such peace. But I also grasped more than ever that His glory is at stake in everything we face, and He alone knows how He wants to reveal His glory through our healing, our suffering, or yes, even through death.
In the depth of my prayer time, as I struggled to understand the truths I so easily typed out just now, I wrote in my journal: "I'm weary of trying to analyze how God may best be glorified." As I thought of biblical examples, I penned the following words. They don't form a perfect poem, but I pray God will bless them for His glory.
Glory at Stake
Heart of compassion, eyes that saw
The real needs before You -
You healed them all, working
Into the night, refusing
To turn them away
For glory was at stake.
Calming the waves, water to wine
Loaves and fishes multiplied.
You showed your might, doing
Only what Your Father willed
With a heart of love
For glory was at stake.
Enduring the cross, despising the shame
Not opening your mouth to rebuke.
Face resolute, joy set before
You willingly gave your life
Instead of holding back
For glory was at stake.
At God's right hand in heaven you see
A perspective in my life
That I am blind to now.
Power you have, and strength beside
But suffering continues into the night.
Yet...glory is at stake.
"Surrender", you ask, "and enter my rest".
I want to know what to do there,
How the glory will look.
"Peace be still" You whisper
To this storm of life
For glory is at stake.
Do I trust only when I know,
Or do I step onto the choppy waters,
Lift my hand over my own flesh,
Enter the realm of total faith?
I know the answer ...
For glory is at stake.
In the depth of my prayer time, as I struggled to understand the truths I so easily typed out just now, I wrote in my journal: "I'm weary of trying to analyze how God may best be glorified." As I thought of biblical examples, I penned the following words. They don't form a perfect poem, but I pray God will bless them for His glory.
Glory at Stake
Heart of compassion, eyes that saw
The real needs before You -
You healed them all, working
Into the night, refusing
To turn them away
For glory was at stake.
Calming the waves, water to wine
Loaves and fishes multiplied.
You showed your might, doing
Only what Your Father willed
With a heart of love
For glory was at stake.
Enduring the cross, despising the shame
Not opening your mouth to rebuke.
Face resolute, joy set before
You willingly gave your life
Instead of holding back
For glory was at stake.
At God's right hand in heaven you see
A perspective in my life
That I am blind to now.
Power you have, and strength beside
But suffering continues into the night.
Yet...glory is at stake.
"Surrender", you ask, "and enter my rest".
I want to know what to do there,
How the glory will look.
"Peace be still" You whisper
To this storm of life
For glory is at stake.
Do I trust only when I know,
Or do I step onto the choppy waters,
Lift my hand over my own flesh,
Enter the realm of total faith?
I know the answer ...
For glory is at stake.
Quote of the day
"God will send the rain when He is ready. Your job is to prepare the field to receive it." (source unknown)
The Ethiopian Eunuch Loved by God
At the title many of you may be assuming this post is about Acts 8. Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch is certainly an incredible story of the God who loved this one man enough to take Philip away from a successful evangelistic outreach to share the Gospel on a quiet road! But the story of the eunuch I'm talking about is told not in Acts, but in Jeremiah. In the context of the judgment of Jerusalem and God's promises to Jeremiah about the new covenant, God presents an intriguing episode.
In prison, Jeremiah receives a word from God - not a word for the King for the Israelites, but a specific word for a specific man, an Ethiopian at that.
Jeremiah 38:7-13; 39:15-18
When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— 8 Ebed-melech went from the king's house and said to the king, 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. 13 Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. ... 15 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: 16 “Go, and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. 17 But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”
Because he put his trust in Yahweh, this Ethipian eunuch received a word specifically for his life. God's heart for the nations is revealed here. "Ebed-melech" means "servant of a king" and God certainly makes him the servant the highest King!
Be encouraged that God has been at work among your people far before you ever got there. When Philip talked to the Ethiopian eunuch, he was simply God's vessel for that time. God had been at work in the Ethiopian people for generations!
In prison, Jeremiah receives a word from God - not a word for the King for the Israelites, but a specific word for a specific man, an Ethiopian at that.
Jeremiah 38:7-13; 39:15-18
When Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a eunuch who was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern—the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate— 8 Ebed-melech went from the king's house and said to the king, 9 “My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they did to Jeremiah the prophet by casting him into the cistern, and he will die there of hunger, for there is no bread left in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, “Take thirty men with you from here, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-melech took the men with him and went to the house of the king, to a wardrobe in the storehouse, and took from there old rags and worn-out clothes, which he let down to Jeremiah in the cistern by ropes. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Put the rags and clothes between your armpits and the ropes.” Jeremiah did so. 13 Then they drew Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. ... 15 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: 16 “Go, and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. 17 But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”
Because he put his trust in Yahweh, this Ethipian eunuch received a word specifically for his life. God's heart for the nations is revealed here. "Ebed-melech" means "servant of a king" and God certainly makes him the servant the highest King!
Be encouraged that God has been at work among your people far before you ever got there. When Philip talked to the Ethiopian eunuch, he was simply God's vessel for that time. God had been at work in the Ethiopian people for generations!
The Heart of Prayer
We humans love to make things so difficult. God, on the other hand, really keeps things pretty simple. When you stop to think of His majesty and glory, His infinite knowledge and wisdom, we really do see only the "fringes of His ways" (Job 26:14). What He has chosen to reveal in His Word is sufficient; we just like to complicate it so much. And one area where we are most vulnerable to this tendency is the area we need to pursue with the most freedom and simplicity of all: Prayer.
Jesus' model prayer to the disciples was very simple and basic in its wording, but deep in its theology. Coming from someone who prayed through the night, its brevity is especially surprising! And yet the model prayer, combined with a few other teachings such as persistence, focusing on God's will, having unselfish motives, and being childlike toward God, is what He chose to tell us.
Are you struggling with your prayer life? Perhaps an illustration will help. The following is on p. 339-340 of Don Cormack's "Killing Fields, Living Fields" - an incredible story of the church in Cambodia. As you read, as God to let you see the heart of prayer through this little boy's story. May God bless your prayer time tonight!
"One day, as I stood interpreting for one of the only two doctors at a place called Klong Wah where thousands needed their immediate attention, a little lad of about eight came up to me calling, 'Uncle, uncle, please come and help me carry my older brother over here where he can be given medicine.' The boy explained that the brother, about twelve, was lying a good two kilometres away in the bush, unconscious in a malaria coma. But I couldn't just walk away from my responsibilities as interpreter and the enormous task I already had on my hands helping to care for hundreds of dying people right there. Only a few yards into the forest there were more. How could I justify going so far and using up so much valuable time for just one? I told the boy I couldn't go with him, but to get one or two to help carry his brother in. Of course I knew even as I spoke that it was unlikely anyone was going to expend their own limited energy on a dying boy. ...
The boy however would not be put off. He persisted in crying out after me, till I finally steeled myself and ignored him. After about an hour of whimpering and pleading, he fell silent, deep in thought. He knew that I was the only lifeline there was to save his brothers' life. Next thing, I felt a pair of sinewy arms grip me round the legs, and a pair of ankles lock around mine. And there he clung like a leech. Now it was my turn to protest. But his lips were sealed. He clearly wasn't going to let go his vice-like grip on my legs till they followed him to that place where his brother lay dying. I was thus compelled to go with him in order to get rid of him. His dogged importunity had gained him the victory. And I reflected as I pursued him through the trees that this was surely what serious believing Christian pryaer was all about. It entailed a crucial element of 'violence.' It involved patiently holding on to the knees of God, even in the face of apparent silence and lack of movement. The older brother's life was saved."
Jesus' model prayer to the disciples was very simple and basic in its wording, but deep in its theology. Coming from someone who prayed through the night, its brevity is especially surprising! And yet the model prayer, combined with a few other teachings such as persistence, focusing on God's will, having unselfish motives, and being childlike toward God, is what He chose to tell us.
Are you struggling with your prayer life? Perhaps an illustration will help. The following is on p. 339-340 of Don Cormack's "Killing Fields, Living Fields" - an incredible story of the church in Cambodia. As you read, as God to let you see the heart of prayer through this little boy's story. May God bless your prayer time tonight!
"One day, as I stood interpreting for one of the only two doctors at a place called Klong Wah where thousands needed their immediate attention, a little lad of about eight came up to me calling, 'Uncle, uncle, please come and help me carry my older brother over here where he can be given medicine.' The boy explained that the brother, about twelve, was lying a good two kilometres away in the bush, unconscious in a malaria coma. But I couldn't just walk away from my responsibilities as interpreter and the enormous task I already had on my hands helping to care for hundreds of dying people right there. Only a few yards into the forest there were more. How could I justify going so far and using up so much valuable time for just one? I told the boy I couldn't go with him, but to get one or two to help carry his brother in. Of course I knew even as I spoke that it was unlikely anyone was going to expend their own limited energy on a dying boy. ...
The boy however would not be put off. He persisted in crying out after me, till I finally steeled myself and ignored him. After about an hour of whimpering and pleading, he fell silent, deep in thought. He knew that I was the only lifeline there was to save his brothers' life. Next thing, I felt a pair of sinewy arms grip me round the legs, and a pair of ankles lock around mine. And there he clung like a leech. Now it was my turn to protest. But his lips were sealed. He clearly wasn't going to let go his vice-like grip on my legs till they followed him to that place where his brother lay dying. I was thus compelled to go with him in order to get rid of him. His dogged importunity had gained him the victory. And I reflected as I pursued him through the trees that this was surely what serious believing Christian pryaer was all about. It entailed a crucial element of 'violence.' It involved patiently holding on to the knees of God, even in the face of apparent silence and lack of movement. The older brother's life was saved."
Love vs. Duty
God has the power to force us to worship Him. John 18 pictures this when the Roman cohort falls to the ground when Jesus states "I am He"; John foresees this in Revelation when he describes a day when every knee will bow, every tongue confess that He is Lord - everything in heaven and earth and under the earth. The God who forms mountains and creates wind, who knows your thoughts (Amos 4:13) - this is the God whom we worship.
And yet, He has chosen not to have a people worship Him out of duty or compulsion, but out of love. The heart of salvation is the creation of a worshiper -- God, in His sovereignty, somehow takes someone who is so far from Him that Scripture calls him "dead", gives a new heart and a new spirit, and enables that individual to desire to walk in His ways. "We love because He first loved us", John writes, and Scripture makes it clear that faith and worship are inseparable. Our mighty, awesome God has us worship Him from a heart of love, a heart that He gives us.
Worship Him today for making you a worshiper. Together we will anticipate the worshipers He is creating around the globe ... in your neighborhood and in mine!
And yet, He has chosen not to have a people worship Him out of duty or compulsion, but out of love. The heart of salvation is the creation of a worshiper -- God, in His sovereignty, somehow takes someone who is so far from Him that Scripture calls him "dead", gives a new heart and a new spirit, and enables that individual to desire to walk in His ways. "We love because He first loved us", John writes, and Scripture makes it clear that faith and worship are inseparable. Our mighty, awesome God has us worship Him from a heart of love, a heart that He gives us.
Worship Him today for making you a worshiper. Together we will anticipate the worshipers He is creating around the globe ... in your neighborhood and in mine!
Christian Excellence and Ambition
I'm not a very good housekeeper. While I do manage to keep things tidy and sanitary, I never seem to get around to the "big jobs", forget to dust, and prefer the decorating scheme of "Modern Nostalgia" (i.e., whatever family members and kids have given or made). While I do consider myself a good homemaker (a different role than mere housekeeping, to my mind), I hold no illusions about winning a Better Homes and Gardens house of the year award! The word "excellent" would never cross my mind when describing my housekeeping skills!
Likewise, I have little "ambition" in the earthly sense of the word. I don't have a specific career-ladder goal in mind; I am not sure that I even want to achieve the next "step". I do want to do a good job every day, but earthly success is not my definition of "ambition".
Thankfully, God is very good at redefining terms for His children. Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul spells out very clearly what Christian excellence and ambition should look like.
Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.
I Thessalonians 4:9-12
I Thessalonians 4:9-12
Excellence. Paul encourages the Thessalonians to "excel still more" in the second greatest commandment: Love one another. Love for other believers is so important that John writes if we don't love each other, we don't love God! Likewise he writes that if we love God, we will love one another. And he calls the commandment to love a singular command - though Jesus had stated love for God was number one and love for others number two. The sum of John's teachings leads to the conclusion that the first and second commands are two sides of the same coin -- if you have one, you must have the other. In calling us to excel in love, Paul comes alongside John's emphasis on love and strips away much of what is extraneous in our lives. We're not called to be excellent singers, excellent speakers, excellent newsletter writers. We're called to love excellently. That turns a lot of "musts" into optional activities and solidifies our priorities in the right direction.
Ambition. Paul also defines for the Thessalonians what their "ambition" should be. Their ambition is not to single-handedly save a continent, country, or even city for Christ; their ambition is not to meet an artificial numerical goal; instead, Paul defines ambition for them as leading a quiet life, minding their own business, and working with their hands. Pretty simple for a group of new believers, but good advice for all of us who love to set big plans in motion and fret when every cog in the wheel doesn't turn like we anticipated. Just work hard, don't do anything that would cause unbelievers to focus more on our "noise" than on the Gospel, and see what God does. This doesn't mean trouble won't come our way - but it does mean than when it does, the focus can be on the Gospel, not our antagonistic behavior. Here Paul concurs with Peter's teaching that our lives and testimony should be with such a gentle and quiet spirit that when we are attacked, even our accusers won't find any legitimate cause for complaint against us. The attack will be revealed to be against the message, not the messenger.
Have you been struggling with frustration at the lack of excellence in some area of your work? Are you overwhelmed with priorities and unsure where to begin? Are you ready to scream at the goals laid out before you -- goals that seem not to take into account the realities of your daily grind?
Come back to the basics. Excel in love. Make it your amibition to live a quiet life and work hard. See what God does when you get your plans out of the way and just be a vessel.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Encouraging - or being encouraged?
We’re supposed to comfort the dying – right?
That was my attitude as I ministered to my mother-in-law during her last weeks on this earth. While we never talked about it, she seemed to know that her time would soon come to join the crowd from every tribe, tongue, and nation around the throne. My husband and I were blessed as her caregivers to minister to her when she still lived in her own apartment, and doubly blessed when she moved in with us. We focused on making whatever time she had left – we didn’t know how much it would be – as pleasant and comfortable as possible. When her time to pass from this life to the next came, we were standing at her bedside.
We were intending to comfort her. Instead, we found ourselves experiencing the truth of 2 Cor. 1:6a: If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort….
“Comfort” here is the word often translated “encourage” in the New Testament. “Paraklesis” refers to calling to one’s side, exhorting, consoling, encouraging and strengthening, and, yes, comforting. If the word looks familiar, it should – it’s closely related to “Paraklete”, the Greek term used for the Holy Spirit.
Looking at this verse after Mom’s homegoing, it suddenly made sense to me. Both our affliction and our comfort are for the “paraklesis”, the comfort, the encouragement of others. Whether we are going through a difficult time or an easy time, God’s design is that we pass it on to others “for their comfort” – for their encouragement, in an encouraging way.
Mom never once quoted me this verse, but she lived it out every day. Even as she spent 99 of her last 105 days in the hospital, individuals still left her room feeling better than when they arrived. Within two weeks of her homegoing, she prayed with a family friend, “Lord, cause me to be a blessing to someone today.” Within an hour and a half before crossing into eternity, she was thanking the medical providers coming into her room and just enjoying hearing her family’s voice. In her last minutes, as she fixed her eyes on my husband and me and listened to us sing hymns and praise songs, she had a look of transcendent peace that spoke volumes to us weeks afterward.
I learned much through my encouraging mother-in-law. But among the most unexpected lessons was this paradoxical truth: Our affliction is for others’ encouragement. By God’s grace, when I face affliction I’ll try to be an encouragement to others. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to minister comfort to those in difficult situations, even those who are dying. But I won’t be surprised if I find myself on the receiving end instead.
How about you? What affliction are you facing that leaves you desperately feeling like you need to be encouraged? Is the load on the field weighing more heavily than usual today, causing you to need an encourager yourself?
Consider whether God has put this affliction in your life for the comfort, the encouragement of others. Then look around and see how your affliction becomes their comfort. Leave them wondering how, with all you are going through, you can possibly care about them. Then be ready with an answer for the hope that is within you -- because they'll ask!
Standing with you - to encourage you as you encourage them through the very trials that wear you down tonight.
That was my attitude as I ministered to my mother-in-law during her last weeks on this earth. While we never talked about it, she seemed to know that her time would soon come to join the crowd from every tribe, tongue, and nation around the throne. My husband and I were blessed as her caregivers to minister to her when she still lived in her own apartment, and doubly blessed when she moved in with us. We focused on making whatever time she had left – we didn’t know how much it would be – as pleasant and comfortable as possible. When her time to pass from this life to the next came, we were standing at her bedside.
We were intending to comfort her. Instead, we found ourselves experiencing the truth of 2 Cor. 1:6a: If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort….
“Comfort” here is the word often translated “encourage” in the New Testament. “Paraklesis” refers to calling to one’s side, exhorting, consoling, encouraging and strengthening, and, yes, comforting. If the word looks familiar, it should – it’s closely related to “Paraklete”, the Greek term used for the Holy Spirit.
Looking at this verse after Mom’s homegoing, it suddenly made sense to me. Both our affliction and our comfort are for the “paraklesis”, the comfort, the encouragement of others. Whether we are going through a difficult time or an easy time, God’s design is that we pass it on to others “for their comfort” – for their encouragement, in an encouraging way.
Mom never once quoted me this verse, but she lived it out every day. Even as she spent 99 of her last 105 days in the hospital, individuals still left her room feeling better than when they arrived. Within two weeks of her homegoing, she prayed with a family friend, “Lord, cause me to be a blessing to someone today.” Within an hour and a half before crossing into eternity, she was thanking the medical providers coming into her room and just enjoying hearing her family’s voice. In her last minutes, as she fixed her eyes on my husband and me and listened to us sing hymns and praise songs, she had a look of transcendent peace that spoke volumes to us weeks afterward.
I learned much through my encouraging mother-in-law. But among the most unexpected lessons was this paradoxical truth: Our affliction is for others’ encouragement. By God’s grace, when I face affliction I’ll try to be an encouragement to others. Meanwhile, I’ll continue to minister comfort to those in difficult situations, even those who are dying. But I won’t be surprised if I find myself on the receiving end instead.
How about you? What affliction are you facing that leaves you desperately feeling like you need to be encouraged? Is the load on the field weighing more heavily than usual today, causing you to need an encourager yourself?
Consider whether God has put this affliction in your life for the comfort, the encouragement of others. Then look around and see how your affliction becomes their comfort. Leave them wondering how, with all you are going through, you can possibly care about them. Then be ready with an answer for the hope that is within you -- because they'll ask!
Standing with you - to encourage you as you encourage them through the very trials that wear you down tonight.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Trying to Learn What is Pleasing to the Lord
Have you ever been in a place where you find yourself seeking to do things differently than you ever have before?
Many of you know that struggle better than I can ever describe. You've relocated your family, learned a new language, and adapted to new cultural demands and expectations. Again I'm reminded that field workers aren't "super-Christians"; instead, they are learning the same lessons I'm learning, but in a different location.
My life is in transition. My mother-in-law passed from worshipping in this life to worshipping in the next on May 25. She lived with us, and my husband and I were her caregivers - a blessing I highly recommend if God puts the opportunity before you. But after 12 1/2 years of providing some level of care for her, with the past 1 1/2 being fairly intense care, I find myself seeking to discover what to do with that part of me that was a caregiver.
Some days I get a lot done; other days I find myself fumbling around. But I take heart in Eph. 5:10 - "trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord." Not that I get it right or have a huge revelation ... but each day, I try to learn what is pleasing to Him.
This blog will continue and I will post here regularly, but I'm still working out how that will look. In this as everything else in life right now, I am "trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord".
My prayer is that in your transitions today you will do the same!
Many of you know that struggle better than I can ever describe. You've relocated your family, learned a new language, and adapted to new cultural demands and expectations. Again I'm reminded that field workers aren't "super-Christians"; instead, they are learning the same lessons I'm learning, but in a different location.
My life is in transition. My mother-in-law passed from worshipping in this life to worshipping in the next on May 25. She lived with us, and my husband and I were her caregivers - a blessing I highly recommend if God puts the opportunity before you. But after 12 1/2 years of providing some level of care for her, with the past 1 1/2 being fairly intense care, I find myself seeking to discover what to do with that part of me that was a caregiver.
Some days I get a lot done; other days I find myself fumbling around. But I take heart in Eph. 5:10 - "trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord." Not that I get it right or have a huge revelation ... but each day, I try to learn what is pleasing to Him.
This blog will continue and I will post here regularly, but I'm still working out how that will look. In this as everything else in life right now, I am "trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord".
My prayer is that in your transitions today you will do the same!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
True Strength
My husband says that his mom is the strongest person he knows, male or female. In her physical heydey, she ran a 300-acre farm byherself in Pennsylvania when her husband (Bob's stepdad) was an alcoholic and gambler. It's taken her years to accept her physical decline because all her life, she's had to do what she was told she couldn't do, but didn't have a choice because there was no one left to do it. When your mom dies at 4 and your dad is in prison, when you are passed around from relative to relative as free house help; when you are working for pay from age 12; when a nurse tells you your baby boy is not being fed and the doctor wants to let him die; when you find yourself divorced with three young boys at 23 in the 1950s; when you are told you won't live to see 40 because of a family heart ailment and you have to prepare your sons to care for themselves ... you become a strong person.
So it should be no surprise to us that my mother-in-law celebrated her 80th birthday recently. Her strength is exemplified in different ways these days -- she is strong spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, if not physically. She teaches us lessons every day -- lessons about contentment, lessons about ministry, lessons about life. Yet her physical problems remain severe.
We were visiting with a dear family friend (a rare gem who is more family than friend) and we all prayed together. When it was mom's turn to pray, she prayed such a simple prayer but it has stayed with me: "Lord, cause me to be a blessing to someone." Friends, that is true quality of life. Don't be fooled by the arguments that say people can't live without quality of life. Our mindset, our attitude, our relationship with God determine our quality of life ... NOTour circumstances. As I shared before, if we have consciousness we are here to praise Him in the land of the living ... and as Paul shared in Phil. 4:13 - the secret to contentment is knowing we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. That is the true secret to True Strength.
2 Cor. 4:7-18 speaks to mom's physical situation .. and to all the rest of our human limitations which are not always so obvious.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested inour bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death forJesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in ourmortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all foryour sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond allcomparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to thethings that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, butthe things that are unseen are eternal.
The life of Jeuss is being manifested in her body, even as her outer self is wasting away. May it be true of all of us. This treasure - the transforming power of the Gospel through the Holy Spirit - is in our human jars of clay, our flesh with all its limitations, so that we have no doubt that the power is His, not ours. That lesson means more to me now than ever.
If you are in a difficult situation, unsure why things are happening ...if your circumstances are not in line with what you expected ... don't lose heart. Look to the eternal weight of glory; focus on what is unseen.Don't miss the blessings and lessons in the journey by failing to see thevalue in your suffering. It shows more than you know.Glory is at stake here.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Stretching and Changing
Wow. Since my last post on March 1, it's been a wild ride. I know it's nothing compared to what many of you face constantly ... but things have completely turned around from that hopeful email.
On March 3, my mother-in-law collapsed in respiratory failure. My husband and I found ourselves on her floor giving her CPR until the EMT's arrived. She remained in the hospital until April 2. Meanwhile, we determined she needed to live with us, and because our place was so small, we moved two households in 2 weeks. She came home April 2, and on April 6 went back to the hospital with near-respiratory failure. On April 14 she came home, then back to the hospital we went on April 15 with an allergic reaction causing respiratory distress. She remains there today - home only 6 days in the past 75.
This time has been filled with a completely haphazard schedule, lots of fatigue, and a significant change in our circumstances as my husband is taking a paid leave of absence to be with her. We never know if our plans for a given evening will come through or not. I am literally having to learn to live in the moments and trust God with my lists (which seem to grow longer rather than shorter). And yet strangely, I wouldn't trade this time for anything. For in it, I've learned the importance of stretching and changing.
Stretching. Each morning I do a series of stretches which keep some joint problems in check and help reduce the risk of muscle pulls, etc., while walking. Physically, research shows that 30 seconds of stretching increases range of motion in each muscle group stretched. It also increases balance and facilitates relaxation.
Spiritually, the past few weeks have taught me the same truths. I have been stretched in my faith, in my schedule, in my quiet times, in my priorities ... and yet I have learned that my spiritual "range of motion" has increased significantly! I am capable of much more than I thought ... and I know that God used this time of "stretching" to get me there a little at a time. My spiritual "balance" has been equally affected, as I have learned that my definition of "balance" might not be God's, and that "balance" can change from day to day. As a pastor friend advised once, "Don't pursue balance ... pursue God, and He'll give you the balance you need." I've relearned that truth. Finally, relaxation has most definitely been facilitated as I have had the benefit of more times of sitting and waiting, praying or reading and allowing God to minister to me as I await the latest doctor to the room or the next test or procedure.
Are you being stretched spiritually? Ask God how He would have this stretching produce in you an increased range of motion, balance, and relaxation!
Change. Scientists and doctors tell us that healthy cells are dynamic, not static. What that means is that anything alive and healthy is in the process of CHANGE. It is truth that if your cells are now growing and changing, they are dying. A static, unchanging cell is on its way to death unless something turns it around.
Likewise, this time of change has been good for me spiritually. Despite the difficulties I feel ALIVE and growing, and reminded that keeping things the same is simply a sign of impending loss - death!
Are you facing change? Remember that all God promises is that HE will not change ... He gives no certainties about our circumstances. Praise Him for the signs of life that change reflects ... and embrace it as a gift.
It is my privilege to begin to minister again as I have adjusted to a "new normal". I make no promises about number of posts, but please know that I will try to be faithful to the Lord in full obedience.
Blessings,
Rosa
On March 3, my mother-in-law collapsed in respiratory failure. My husband and I found ourselves on her floor giving her CPR until the EMT's arrived. She remained in the hospital until April 2. Meanwhile, we determined she needed to live with us, and because our place was so small, we moved two households in 2 weeks. She came home April 2, and on April 6 went back to the hospital with near-respiratory failure. On April 14 she came home, then back to the hospital we went on April 15 with an allergic reaction causing respiratory distress. She remains there today - home only 6 days in the past 75.
This time has been filled with a completely haphazard schedule, lots of fatigue, and a significant change in our circumstances as my husband is taking a paid leave of absence to be with her. We never know if our plans for a given evening will come through or not. I am literally having to learn to live in the moments and trust God with my lists (which seem to grow longer rather than shorter). And yet strangely, I wouldn't trade this time for anything. For in it, I've learned the importance of stretching and changing.
Stretching. Each morning I do a series of stretches which keep some joint problems in check and help reduce the risk of muscle pulls, etc., while walking. Physically, research shows that 30 seconds of stretching increases range of motion in each muscle group stretched. It also increases balance and facilitates relaxation.
Spiritually, the past few weeks have taught me the same truths. I have been stretched in my faith, in my schedule, in my quiet times, in my priorities ... and yet I have learned that my spiritual "range of motion" has increased significantly! I am capable of much more than I thought ... and I know that God used this time of "stretching" to get me there a little at a time. My spiritual "balance" has been equally affected, as I have learned that my definition of "balance" might not be God's, and that "balance" can change from day to day. As a pastor friend advised once, "Don't pursue balance ... pursue God, and He'll give you the balance you need." I've relearned that truth. Finally, relaxation has most definitely been facilitated as I have had the benefit of more times of sitting and waiting, praying or reading and allowing God to minister to me as I await the latest doctor to the room or the next test or procedure.
Are you being stretched spiritually? Ask God how He would have this stretching produce in you an increased range of motion, balance, and relaxation!
Change. Scientists and doctors tell us that healthy cells are dynamic, not static. What that means is that anything alive and healthy is in the process of CHANGE. It is truth that if your cells are now growing and changing, they are dying. A static, unchanging cell is on its way to death unless something turns it around.
Likewise, this time of change has been good for me spiritually. Despite the difficulties I feel ALIVE and growing, and reminded that keeping things the same is simply a sign of impending loss - death!
Are you facing change? Remember that all God promises is that HE will not change ... He gives no certainties about our circumstances. Praise Him for the signs of life that change reflects ... and embrace it as a gift.
It is my privilege to begin to minister again as I have adjusted to a "new normal". I make no promises about number of posts, but please know that I will try to be faithful to the Lord in full obedience.
Blessings,
Rosa
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Beyond what we ask ...
Eph. 3:20-21 says, "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly thanall that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,forever and ever. Amen."
Paul's spontaneous prayer culminating his teaching to the Ephesians about their position in Christ reflects our heart as I share with you an update about my mother-in-law. After spending 3 weeks in the hospital and rehab (the reason for my lack of posting of late), she is going home from the hospital tomorrow (Friday) -- but that is only part of the story.
As we (and others) prayed, God worked a miracle in her heart, changing her mindset and attitude and giving her joy in her circumstances. After this, He went far beyond what we thought to ask. After years of being confined to a wheelchair, she is now walking!
Her osteoporosis has been so severe, and her body so weak, that the doctor confined her to a wheelchair for her own safety, to prevent falls and breaks. However, at rehab she was assigned a determined therapist named Iris. Iris understood this limitation and risk, but also knew that bones need to bear weight to get stronger. So in consultation with thephysiasist (an MD specializing in physical therapy), she developed a plan to get mom walking a little. She can now walk 20 feet at a time unassisted, 4 times in a row. 80 feet might not seem a lot to you, but for someone who hasn't been able to putter around her kitchen, this is huge.
I share this to let you know how God answers prayers, but also to remind you that whatever stage in life you are at, God meets you in intimate ways when your heart is to continue to serve Him. Unlike some of the medical field, God doesn't set us aside to wither away when we get old. Some of the greatest ministries start at 80! Sure, we all have a limited number of days on this earth, but whether they are 37 (like a high school friend of mine who died this week) or 79 like my mother-in-law, let's commit to living them all to the glory of God, and watch to see how He intimately intervenes beyond all we ask or think to allow that to continue to happen when the world might give up on us!
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Going the Second Mile
"The second mile." It's a phrase often used in Christian circles, and even by non-Christians, to refer to going above and beyond the call of duty. Our understanding of this phrase is that it is a choice made by someone to do something extra.
And to a large degree, that is an accurate perception. But the context of Jesus' reference begs for a deeper understanding - something that is harder even than putting forth a little extra effort on the job. Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-42:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."
Look at that context in the underlined portion: if anyone FORCES you to go one mile, go two.
Yes, we can choose to go the extra mile in something we enjoy or even in hard times with work or family - and that is good. But it's not supernatural. It doesn't require something beyond ourselves and our own sense of accomplishment to attain.
But choosing to go an extra mile when we are being mistreated, forced to do something we don't want to do in the first place - for example, to voluntarily go two miles instead of the one required by Roman law at the command of a soldier while carrying his burden - that requires something we don't have. Too often we think, "You can make me do it, but I don't have to like it." We never consider giving extra in such situations.
Yet it is in those situations where we do more than we are required to do when it is something we would never have chosen in the first place, that the power of Christ is manifest in our lives. It is at those time that we reflect His image and His heart. It is at those times that our servant's heart is tested. The implication is that this is a situation beyond the individual's control - not a parental or relational situation, where the relationship should be worked out under biblical guidelines, but a circumstantial one. Our jobs, certain laws, paperwork reporting requirements - these things are "a mile" that we feel force us into servitude. Jesus calls us to go the "second mile" - to voluntarily go beyond servanthood to surrender.
And to a large degree, that is an accurate perception. But the context of Jesus' reference begs for a deeper understanding - something that is harder even than putting forth a little extra effort on the job. Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-42:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’
But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.
Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you."
Look at that context in the underlined portion: if anyone FORCES you to go one mile, go two.
Yes, we can choose to go the extra mile in something we enjoy or even in hard times with work or family - and that is good. But it's not supernatural. It doesn't require something beyond ourselves and our own sense of accomplishment to attain.
But choosing to go an extra mile when we are being mistreated, forced to do something we don't want to do in the first place - for example, to voluntarily go two miles instead of the one required by Roman law at the command of a soldier while carrying his burden - that requires something we don't have. Too often we think, "You can make me do it, but I don't have to like it." We never consider giving extra in such situations.
Yet it is in those situations where we do more than we are required to do when it is something we would never have chosen in the first place, that the power of Christ is manifest in our lives. It is at those time that we reflect His image and His heart. It is at those times that our servant's heart is tested. The implication is that this is a situation beyond the individual's control - not a parental or relational situation, where the relationship should be worked out under biblical guidelines, but a circumstantial one. Our jobs, certain laws, paperwork reporting requirements - these things are "a mile" that we feel force us into servitude. Jesus calls us to go the "second mile" - to voluntarily go beyond servanthood to surrender.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Are you watching???
Psalm 5:1-3 Give ear to my words, O Lord;consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry,my King and my God,for to you do I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
Getting up in the morning for prayer time is a sacrifice! It is also a joy and the highlight of my day ... but especially on these cold mornings, it can be a sacrifice.
David's words are encouraging to us all - God will hear our prayer. This man after God's own heart prayed and WATCHED! (The Hebrew indicates "eagerly watch").
Are you watching for the answers to your prayers today? If we believe God is really going to answer them - why not start watching?
Last Friday I sent out a prayer newsletter to some friends. My mother-in-law was one of the subjects. She had injured a rib and was in severe pain. Her health conditions prohibited her from taking enough painkiller to ease the pain. I asked for prayer almost in passing, and forgot about it. Then on Monday morning she announced that she woke up during the night pain-free. I suddenly remembered the prayers! God answered them ... but I had forgotten to watch.
What a great reminder this Scripture is ... pray - then watch!
Don't forget to watch today!!!
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Lessons from Obscurity
For all the honor of the field worker in God's eyes, to the eyes of the world you are relatively obscure. Even within the church, few can name more than a handful of you by name -- and if you limit that to those currently on the field, the number dwindles more. Where God is awakening a church to His kingdom purposes the interest in general prompts prayers for "the workers" and even for the specific regions ... but to much of the church, you are nameless and faceless. Loved, respected, even idealized ... but obscure.
You may struggle with that from time to time. Like the one who returned home from 25 years on the field who happened to be on the same boat with a dignitary who was welcomed home on red carpet while he and his wife had no one to meet them, you may wonder about your relative importance. (You probably know the story: his wife reminded him that he didn't have a homecoming welcome because "you're not home yet".)
I too have struggled with relative obscurity. In my pre-Christian days I had huge ambitions ... selfish ambitions. My dreams and ambitions changed after I became a Christian, and He has purified me consistently to remove the "selfish" part (an ongoing process) ... but the desire to do something "big" for the kingdom has remained. Yet I often feel quite obscure as I can pretty easily count the number of people within my small sphere of influence.
Yet somehow, God in His wisdom has used this for my good and His glory. One day, sitting at my mother-in-law's house and praying over this very subject, I found myself writing down my words to God. He didn't need me to write them down, of course ... but He knew I would need them. I found them again today and I share them as a fellow traveler who is learning the blessings of obscurity. For as I decrease, He increases. True significance is not what I do, but how I let Him live through me. May this cry of my heart encourage your heart today.
Lessons from Obscurity
I asked You to give me something to do for Your glory, something grand and magnificent.
You gave me a wounded child and said "Believe".
I asked You for more, for a grander task.
You gave me a husband with dreams and said "Hope".
I wanted to reach even higher and sought a broader place to serve.
You gave me a sick mother-in-law and said "Love".
The bigger the vision you have given me for the world
The more you remind me that faith, hope, and love begin at home.
I have the faith to do big things for You.
Do I have the faith to be obscure?
You may struggle with that from time to time. Like the one who returned home from 25 years on the field who happened to be on the same boat with a dignitary who was welcomed home on red carpet while he and his wife had no one to meet them, you may wonder about your relative importance. (You probably know the story: his wife reminded him that he didn't have a homecoming welcome because "you're not home yet".)
I too have struggled with relative obscurity. In my pre-Christian days I had huge ambitions ... selfish ambitions. My dreams and ambitions changed after I became a Christian, and He has purified me consistently to remove the "selfish" part (an ongoing process) ... but the desire to do something "big" for the kingdom has remained. Yet I often feel quite obscure as I can pretty easily count the number of people within my small sphere of influence.
Yet somehow, God in His wisdom has used this for my good and His glory. One day, sitting at my mother-in-law's house and praying over this very subject, I found myself writing down my words to God. He didn't need me to write them down, of course ... but He knew I would need them. I found them again today and I share them as a fellow traveler who is learning the blessings of obscurity. For as I decrease, He increases. True significance is not what I do, but how I let Him live through me. May this cry of my heart encourage your heart today.
Lessons from Obscurity
I asked You to give me something to do for Your glory, something grand and magnificent.
You gave me a wounded child and said "Believe".
I asked You for more, for a grander task.
You gave me a husband with dreams and said "Hope".
I wanted to reach even higher and sought a broader place to serve.
You gave me a sick mother-in-law and said "Love".
The bigger the vision you have given me for the world
The more you remind me that faith, hope, and love begin at home.
I have the faith to do big things for You.
Do I have the faith to be obscure?
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Whose Rights?
In free western societies, the heavy emphasis on "rights" is sometimes hard to swallow ... and easy to get caught up in. It is easy, even in Christian circles, to think of "my" rights. Those of you who are on mission with God have learned, probably the hard way, that "my" rights are consumed into the will of God. He has the right to ask me to lay down "my" rights.
But Scripture does talk about "rights" that we are to fight for. No, not our own rights ... He asks us to lay those down out of love. But in one of many passages that address this matter, Proverbs 31:8-9 asks us to fight for the rights of the destitute, the poor and needy, those who cannot speak for themselves:
"Open your mouth for the mute,for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously,defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Earlier in verse 5, kings are warned not to get drunk "lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted."
Wherever you are today, you have a chance to fight for the rights that God calls us to stand up for. I know those of you on the field seek to do this daily. May we on this end of the task find the heart to see the significance of this aspect of your work, as you touch the heart of God by helping those whom no one thinks of when they mention "rights". As Kenneth Cragg writes,
"The meaning of the Church is more often 'caught' than taught. Too many theologians and ecclesiastics have gone astray in the past by seeking to locate the true Church, when they should have sought simply to be it. In the end, the Church will not so much identify itself by description, as be identified by others in recognition." (The Call of the Minaret, p. 301).
Let's seek to be the church today.
But Scripture does talk about "rights" that we are to fight for. No, not our own rights ... He asks us to lay those down out of love. But in one of many passages that address this matter, Proverbs 31:8-9 asks us to fight for the rights of the destitute, the poor and needy, those who cannot speak for themselves:
"Open your mouth for the mute,for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously,defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Earlier in verse 5, kings are warned not to get drunk "lest they drink and forget what has been decreed and pervert the rights of all the afflicted."
Wherever you are today, you have a chance to fight for the rights that God calls us to stand up for. I know those of you on the field seek to do this daily. May we on this end of the task find the heart to see the significance of this aspect of your work, as you touch the heart of God by helping those whom no one thinks of when they mention "rights". As Kenneth Cragg writes,
"The meaning of the Church is more often 'caught' than taught. Too many theologians and ecclesiastics have gone astray in the past by seeking to locate the true Church, when they should have sought simply to be it. In the end, the Church will not so much identify itself by description, as be identified by others in recognition." (The Call of the Minaret, p. 301).
Let's seek to be the church today.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
What is revival?
In my readings this week I found this awesome quote from John White. He says that revival is "an action of God whereby He pours out His Holy Spirit, initially upon the church, and it comes as an alternative to His judgment which is about to fall on teh church and on the secular world." John Wimber notes that "Revival and refreshing come because the church is at a low ebb ... God doesn't revive people who have it all together. He revives people who are hungry, thirsty, weak, naked, blind, and less than spotless."
In other words, when we're looking pretty rough, and judgment is near, we are prime candidates for REVIVAL!
Let that encourage you today as you wonder what God could possibly do ... and then pray for Him to do what only He can!
In other words, when we're looking pretty rough, and judgment is near, we are prime candidates for REVIVAL!
Let that encourage you today as you wonder what God could possibly do ... and then pray for Him to do what only He can!
When the glory of God comes
I know you pray for God's glory to be revealed to your people group. I know you long for the day when praise to Him will fill the earth. Go with me for a moment to that place in the future when it happens ... when it's real. What will it look like when the wilderness and dry land you are in today see the glory of the living God? Isaiah 35 gives us a picture:
35:1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;2 it shall blossom abundantlyand rejoice with joy and singing.The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.They shall see the glory of the Lord,the majesty of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands,and make firm the feeble knees.4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,“Be strong; fear not!Behold, your Godwill come with vengeance,with the recompense of God.He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,and the ears of the deaf unstopped;6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.For waters break forth in the wilderness,and streams in the desert;7 the burning sand shall become a pool,and the thirsty ground springs of water;in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway shall be there,and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;the unclean shall not pass over it.It shall belong to those who walk on the way;even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there,nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;they shall not be found there,but the redeemed shall walk there.10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall returnand come to Zion with singing;everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;they shall obtain gladness and joy,and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
In that day your land will see:
* Joy (vv. 1-2)
* Fruitfulness (vv. 1-2)
* Wholeness (vv. 5-6)
* Refreshing (v. 7)
* Holiness (vv. 8-9)
* Restoration (v. 10)
What should you do in the meantime! Verses 3-4 make it clear: Believe God!
I pray for your nations, your people, YOU, to see the glory of God. I pray that in your spiritual deserts you would see His glory. Seeing His glory is transformational!
2 Cor. 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
35:1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;2 it shall blossom abundantlyand rejoice with joy and singing.The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.They shall see the glory of the Lord,the majesty of our God. 3 Strengthen the weak hands,and make firm the feeble knees.4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,“Be strong; fear not!Behold, your Godwill come with vengeance,with the recompense of God.He will come and save you.” 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,and the ears of the deaf unstopped;6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.For waters break forth in the wilderness,and streams in the desert;7 the burning sand shall become a pool,and the thirsty ground springs of water;in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway shall be there,and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;the unclean shall not pass over it.It shall belong to those who walk on the way;even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there,nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;they shall not be found there,but the redeemed shall walk there.10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall returnand come to Zion with singing;everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;they shall obtain gladness and joy,and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
In that day your land will see:
* Joy (vv. 1-2)
* Fruitfulness (vv. 1-2)
* Wholeness (vv. 5-6)
* Refreshing (v. 7)
* Holiness (vv. 8-9)
* Restoration (v. 10)
What should you do in the meantime! Verses 3-4 make it clear: Believe God!
I pray for your nations, your people, YOU, to see the glory of God. I pray that in your spiritual deserts you would see His glory. Seeing His glory is transformational!
2 Cor. 3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
A prayer from an Indian believer
I have been so blessed to read devotional writings from non-western Christians. One that really stuck with me is N.V. Tilak, a high-caste Hindu who became a Christian in India in the late 19th century. Tilak had a grasp of contextualizing the truths of Scripture for an Indian audience and pushed for a truly "Indian" indigenous worship of Christ. This poem is written in a common Indian style but captures a truth we must all learn: we must decrease and let Christ increase. Enjoy!
The Lowest Room
by N.V. Tilak
Grant me to give to men what they desire,
And for my portion take what they do slight.
Grant me, Lord, a mind that doth aspire
To less than it may claim of proper right.
Rather, the lowest place, at all men's feet
That do Thou graciously reserve for me.
This only bounty I would fain entreat,
That Thy will, my God, my will be.
And yet one other boon must Thou bestow;
I name it not ... for Thou dost know.
The Lowest Room
by N.V. Tilak
Grant me to give to men what they desire,
And for my portion take what they do slight.
Grant me, Lord, a mind that doth aspire
To less than it may claim of proper right.
Rather, the lowest place, at all men's feet
That do Thou graciously reserve for me.
This only bounty I would fain entreat,
That Thy will, my God, my will be.
And yet one other boon must Thou bestow;
I name it not ... for Thou dost know.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Appropriate Wisdom
It's one of the most common themes in Scripture, but it bears repeating: God is full of wisdom ... He IS wisdom. What I love most, though, is that His wisdom is appropriate for every situation.
Isa. 28:23-29: Give ear, and hear my voice; give attention, and hear my speech. Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? When he has leveled its surface,does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,and put in wheat in rowsand barley in its proper place,and emmer as the border? For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,but dill is beaten out with a stick,and cumin with a rod. Does one crush grain for bread?No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
Our human limitations want us to make a 'one-size-fits-all' rule for something ... especially we Americans love to standardize! But look at the examples God gives ... the farmer doesn't harvest every crop the same. It is no accident that God chose this analogy for His wisdom.
God gives wisdom to handle each situation appropriately - whether plowing, sowing, or harvesting. Trust Him to grant wisdom in your ministry. If it doesn't look like it did the last time, or like that of others you know - test it against Scripture and if it is not unscriptural, consider that God, who sees and knows all, understands the intricacies of your situation and tailors His wisdom appropriately.
Isa. 28:23-29: Give ear, and hear my voice; give attention, and hear my speech. Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? When he has leveled its surface,does he not scatter dill, sow cumin,and put in wheat in rowsand barley in its proper place,and emmer as the border? For he is rightly instructed; his God teaches him. Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,but dill is beaten out with a stick,and cumin with a rod. Does one crush grain for bread?No, he does not thresh it forever; when he drives his cart wheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the Lord of hosts; he is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
Our human limitations want us to make a 'one-size-fits-all' rule for something ... especially we Americans love to standardize! But look at the examples God gives ... the farmer doesn't harvest every crop the same. It is no accident that God chose this analogy for His wisdom.
God gives wisdom to handle each situation appropriately - whether plowing, sowing, or harvesting. Trust Him to grant wisdom in your ministry. If it doesn't look like it did the last time, or like that of others you know - test it against Scripture and if it is not unscriptural, consider that God, who sees and knows all, understands the intricacies of your situation and tailors His wisdom appropriately.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Why Prayer?
You are on the field, so you know that prayer works. You may have even commented, "I don't know why, but things happen when I pray that simply don't happen when I fail to pray." I've noticed the same thing!
Over the past several years God has helped me develop somewhat of a "theology of prayer". What I share here are notes I keep in the front of my prayer journal as a reminder of why I take that time each morning. Although I don't have the Scriptures noted, I jotted each one down after discovering it in Bible study times (and some day will formally write them down). May God help you learn from what He has taught me as you get a glimpse into my prayer journal.
The Purpose of My Prayer Life
1. Dependence on God. Prayer serves as a reminder that it's not up to me to solve the problems around me.
2. Humility. Prayer reminds me how many things only God can do.
3. Glory of God. God is glorified when we ask and He answers. Here is the power of united prayer: The more people who ask, the more glory God gets as the answer is passed along.
4. Theology. Prayer is where theology meets reality. When I turn Scripture into prayer, I come to grasp the doctrine better.
5. Faith. Prayer helps me to grow in faith.
6. Prayer gives me the mind of Christ.
7. Praying God's promises is His means of allowing me to share in the victory that is certain.
8. Power. Prayer gives me power as I walk in obedience.
9. Joy. Isa. 65:7 tells me there is joy in the house of prayer.
Over the past several years God has helped me develop somewhat of a "theology of prayer". What I share here are notes I keep in the front of my prayer journal as a reminder of why I take that time each morning. Although I don't have the Scriptures noted, I jotted each one down after discovering it in Bible study times (and some day will formally write them down). May God help you learn from what He has taught me as you get a glimpse into my prayer journal.
The Purpose of My Prayer Life
1. Dependence on God. Prayer serves as a reminder that it's not up to me to solve the problems around me.
2. Humility. Prayer reminds me how many things only God can do.
3. Glory of God. God is glorified when we ask and He answers. Here is the power of united prayer: The more people who ask, the more glory God gets as the answer is passed along.
4. Theology. Prayer is where theology meets reality. When I turn Scripture into prayer, I come to grasp the doctrine better.
5. Faith. Prayer helps me to grow in faith.
6. Prayer gives me the mind of Christ.
7. Praying God's promises is His means of allowing me to share in the victory that is certain.
8. Power. Prayer gives me power as I walk in obedience.
9. Joy. Isa. 65:7 tells me there is joy in the house of prayer.
Housekeeping Notes
First, I want to thank those of you who regularly read (or check) this blog. I pray for God to use these few words to encourage you. I appreciate your patience in this endeavor.
Second, I want to let you know about my plan for posting this year. I have become convinced through prayer that God definitely wants me to continue this blog and will continue to guide me in what to put on here. My goal is to post 3 times a week. Two of these will be the devotional-type posts a previously, and the third will be a summary of my studies for the preceding week.
Most of you know that I am working on a Master's Degree in Global Civilization through William Carey International University. (You can access the information through the link on the blog.) Each week I spend several hours studying Scripture, Hebrew and Greek, and my textbook articles on missions, church history, and the relationship to the cultures and civilizations of the world. Currently I am studying the era of the early church. I feel that some of this might be helpful to you (or at least interesting) and so plan to start making my weekly "summary lesson" one of my posts. You'll find that most likely on Mondays.
I would appreciate your prayers in these endeavors! Blessings to you ... you are all a blessing to me.
Second, I want to let you know about my plan for posting this year. I have become convinced through prayer that God definitely wants me to continue this blog and will continue to guide me in what to put on here. My goal is to post 3 times a week. Two of these will be the devotional-type posts a previously, and the third will be a summary of my studies for the preceding week.
Most of you know that I am working on a Master's Degree in Global Civilization through William Carey International University. (You can access the information through the link on the blog.) Each week I spend several hours studying Scripture, Hebrew and Greek, and my textbook articles on missions, church history, and the relationship to the cultures and civilizations of the world. Currently I am studying the era of the early church. I feel that some of this might be helpful to you (or at least interesting) and so plan to start making my weekly "summary lesson" one of my posts. You'll find that most likely on Mondays.
I would appreciate your prayers in these endeavors! Blessings to you ... you are all a blessing to me.
Monday, December 25, 2006
The First Missionaries
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest,and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. (Luke 2:8-18)
The first missionaries about the Messiah were not the apostles, and missions didn't start at Pentecost. Instead, God chose a simple group of people to carry His message that was heralded by angels.
God could have had the angels proclaim the birth of Christ throughout the world. He could have let everyone see the glorious light and the shining star. Yet He chose to reveal truth to a few, who would spread the word to so many more.
The shepherds were no different than you and I, really. Simply people who were recipients of revelation - and they passed that revelation on to others.
"And all who heard it wondered".
Continue to pass along to others what has been revealed to you!!!!
A Filthy Christmas
Think about the filthiest, dirtiest home you've ever visited (or can imagine). Rotten floors, bugs, waste on the floor...completely unhealthy, unclean, and disgusting. You probably couldn't wait to get out the door and take a shower - a completely understandable response.
And yet Jesus came into a sinful world, where our best efforts at righteousness were like menstrual rags...unclean in the eyes of a holy God. Compared to the glory He had with the Father in heaven, sinful humanity can only be described as "disgusting".
Yet He came ... not just to live among the squalor but to transform it!
Missions is the task of telling others about this transformation. Yet some will not see the beauty in being clean ... they are used to the dirt, or perhaps have never thought "clean" would work for them. Some even like their dirt.
The real miracle of Christmas is that not only did Christ come into our messy world, and not only did He come to transform us and our corner of the world ... but He gives us the desire to be different, to be clean.
A miracle indeed!
And yet Jesus came into a sinful world, where our best efforts at righteousness were like menstrual rags...unclean in the eyes of a holy God. Compared to the glory He had with the Father in heaven, sinful humanity can only be described as "disgusting".
Yet He came ... not just to live among the squalor but to transform it!
Missions is the task of telling others about this transformation. Yet some will not see the beauty in being clean ... they are used to the dirt, or perhaps have never thought "clean" would work for them. Some even like their dirt.
The real miracle of Christmas is that not only did Christ come into our messy world, and not only did He come to transform us and our corner of the world ... but He gives us the desire to be different, to be clean.
A miracle indeed!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Clean Stables ... or Fruitful Fields?
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
Proverbs 14:4 (ESV)
Proverbs 14:4 (ESV)
God has used this verse to challenge me this week. When oxen are working a field, the farmer comes in to the manger or stable and refreshes the hay, cleans out the biggest mess ... but both the farmer and the oxen are too worn out to care about the aesthetics of the manger area. The goal is fruitfulness! On the other hand, if crops fail to make and a farmer sells his oxen, he finds himself with ample time to scrub the manger walls!
The question I sense God asking me this week through this verse is this: What is a "clean stable" in my life, that I am prioritizing rather than the effort that leads to fruitfulness? What am I doing just to cross off my list, when God would prefer I focus on kingdom-building tasks? Am I willing to sacrifice the "clean stable" for fruitful fields?
What about you? In your kingdom work, it is easy to get frustrated by the things you don't get done ... you feel disorganized and out of sorts much of the time. Certainly sometimes God calls us to prioritize planning and organization - but is it possible that part of your frustration comes from wanting a "clean stable" ... while God is asking you to focus on the fruitful field that is coming?
May God bless you with His perspective today.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Higher Throne
Sometimes we are hit square between the eyes with the hard truth that life -- this life, in this world -- isn't fair.
In our more analytical moments we can rationalize this truth, theologize it, philosophize about it, explain it away. We can assess the biblical truths and understand intellectually and even spiritually that God only allows this sinful world to continue because of His patience and desire for people to repent before judgment comes. We can research and know the source of evil, understand the power of God over Satan, and be grateful for the freedom He has given us from sin's power.
But when we are face to face with wounded, hurting, hungry, war-torn, distraught individuals whose face betrays the hopelessness they feel, none of those explanations are sufficient. Sometimes, all we can do is weep with those who weep, showing the love and compassion of Christ. Sometimes the only thing that pulls us through, that keeps us holding on to Him in the midst of the suffering, is His sovereignty and the truth that this life is not all there is.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about abandoning all hopes of making a difference here. I'm talking about those times that you've all experienced on the field -- when you realize that your best efforts won't be enough, that when the sea-change you pray for in your country comes it will be too late for the dying child in your arms. When you realize that you have to help someone get through today before she can make a difference tomorrow. At those times, it's great to know that the kingdoms of this earth are not the ultimate thrones.
Maybe that' s why this song struck me so much. Listening to worship music on my way back from seeing my parents for Thanksgiving, I heard this song for the first time. I share the words here with you as an encouragement to trust in God's sovereignty and in that future day when all will be made right.
May God richly bless you today.
There is a Higher Throne
Kristyn Lennox and Keith Getty
Copyright (c) 2002 Thankyou music/MCPS
There is a higher throne
Than all this world has known
Where faithful ones from every tongue
Will one day come
Before the Son we'll stand
Made faultless through the Lamb
Believing hearts find promised grace
Salvation comes
Hear heaven's voices sing
Their thunderous anthem rings
Through emerald courts and sapphire skies
Their praises rise
All glory wisdom power
Strength thanks and honour are
To God our King who reigns on high
Forever more
And there we'll find our home
Our life before the throne
We'll honour Him in perfect song
Where we belong
He'll wipe each tear-stained eye
As thirst and hunger die
The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King
We'll reign with Him
In our more analytical moments we can rationalize this truth, theologize it, philosophize about it, explain it away. We can assess the biblical truths and understand intellectually and even spiritually that God only allows this sinful world to continue because of His patience and desire for people to repent before judgment comes. We can research and know the source of evil, understand the power of God over Satan, and be grateful for the freedom He has given us from sin's power.
But when we are face to face with wounded, hurting, hungry, war-torn, distraught individuals whose face betrays the hopelessness they feel, none of those explanations are sufficient. Sometimes, all we can do is weep with those who weep, showing the love and compassion of Christ. Sometimes the only thing that pulls us through, that keeps us holding on to Him in the midst of the suffering, is His sovereignty and the truth that this life is not all there is.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about abandoning all hopes of making a difference here. I'm talking about those times that you've all experienced on the field -- when you realize that your best efforts won't be enough, that when the sea-change you pray for in your country comes it will be too late for the dying child in your arms. When you realize that you have to help someone get through today before she can make a difference tomorrow. At those times, it's great to know that the kingdoms of this earth are not the ultimate thrones.
Maybe that' s why this song struck me so much. Listening to worship music on my way back from seeing my parents for Thanksgiving, I heard this song for the first time. I share the words here with you as an encouragement to trust in God's sovereignty and in that future day when all will be made right.
May God richly bless you today.
There is a Higher Throne
Kristyn Lennox and Keith Getty
Copyright (c) 2002 Thankyou music/MCPS
There is a higher throne
Than all this world has known
Where faithful ones from every tongue
Will one day come
Before the Son we'll stand
Made faultless through the Lamb
Believing hearts find promised grace
Salvation comes
Hear heaven's voices sing
Their thunderous anthem rings
Through emerald courts and sapphire skies
Their praises rise
All glory wisdom power
Strength thanks and honour are
To God our King who reigns on high
Forever more
And there we'll find our home
Our life before the throne
We'll honour Him in perfect song
Where we belong
He'll wipe each tear-stained eye
As thirst and hunger die
The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King
We'll reign with Him
Monday, November 20, 2006
"Soak, Submit, Seek, Celebrate"
Ralph Winter's advice in studying Scripture is concisely put: "Soak, Submit, Seek, Celebrate." He puts in a memorable nutshell basic truths that can help us as we turn to God's Word each morning.
Soak: Sit before the Lord. Soak it in! While there is definite benefit in "chewing" over a choice morsel, don't neglect the equal benefit of larger doses of Scripture. Whatever you read don't just rush past it ... soak it in.
Submit: Where commands occur, submit to the Lord in obedience. When He convicts, submit in repentance. Where He guides, submit in following.
Seek: Seek His presence. Pray before, during, and after Bible study. Ask the Holy Spirit, the Divine teacher, to open it up to you. Seek understanding, seek response, seek HIM.
Celebrate: Praise Him for what He revealed and for the power to walk it out.
I'll be praying for you as you "Soak, Submit, Seek, and Celebrate" each day!
Soak: Sit before the Lord. Soak it in! While there is definite benefit in "chewing" over a choice morsel, don't neglect the equal benefit of larger doses of Scripture. Whatever you read don't just rush past it ... soak it in.
Submit: Where commands occur, submit to the Lord in obedience. When He convicts, submit in repentance. Where He guides, submit in following.
Seek: Seek His presence. Pray before, during, and after Bible study. Ask the Holy Spirit, the Divine teacher, to open it up to you. Seek understanding, seek response, seek HIM.
Celebrate: Praise Him for what He revealed and for the power to walk it out.
I'll be praying for you as you "Soak, Submit, Seek, and Celebrate" each day!
Endurance through the Word
We do live in difficult days. It shouldn't come as a surprise, since these troubles are prophesied. And yet we are never quite ready for the manifestations evil can take.
In His infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, God prepared us ahead of time for these difficult days ... and all the difficult days faced by believers past and future.
The key to endurance, He tells us, is steadfastness in His Word. Are you taking the time alone with Him, in His Word, to gain the endurance you need for your personal struggles as well as the spiritual battles you fight in prayer for your people group?
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
2 Timothy 3
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
In His infinite wisdom and foreknowledge, God prepared us ahead of time for these difficult days ... and all the difficult days faced by believers past and future.
The key to endurance, He tells us, is steadfastness in His Word. Are you taking the time alone with Him, in His Word, to gain the endurance you need for your personal struggles as well as the spiritual battles you fight in prayer for your people group?
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
2 Timothy 3
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
Transformed by Glory
Isaiah 35
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;2 it shall blossom abundantlyand rejoice with joy and singing.The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.They shall see the glory of the Lord,the majesty of our God.3 Strengthen the weak hands,and make firm the feeble knees.4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,“Be strong; fear not!Behold, your God will come with vengeance,with the recompense of God.He will come and save you.”5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,and the ears of the deaf unstopped;6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness,and streams in the desert;7 the burning sand shall become a pool,and the thirsty ground springs of water;in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,the grass shall become reeds and rushes.8 And a highway shall be there,and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;the unclean shall not pass over it.It shall belong to those who walk on the way;even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there,nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;they shall not be found there,but the redeemed shall walk there.10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall returnand come to Zion with singing;everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;they shall obtain gladness and joy,and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
One of the most amazing, mysterious truths of Scripture, consistent throughout the Old and New Testaments, is that we are transformed by beholding the glory of God. Think of it! You wonder what you can "do" to make a difference where you are ... you wonder how your sleepless nights and long hours are any different than that of the governmental worker or contract employee.
And yet within you is the treasure hidden in earthen vessels ... the Holy Spirit whose job is to glorify Christ. Christ in you, the hope of glory ... the hope that the world needs.
Isaiah 35 speaks of a future day of restoration. But look closely at verse 2. In what context does the joy, fruitfulness, wholeness, purity, and restoration described in the chapter occur? It is when they see "the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God".
They see His glory when you reflect His character and His attributes, when you serve Him in love, when you reveal to them through your attitudes, actions, and words, all He has come to be to you. They see His glory when you share His Word. They see His glory in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, beloved Son, very God of very God.
It sounds so strange, and yet have we not also experienced this transformation by His glory? 2 Cor. 3:18 tells us we have: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
My prayer this morning, as I pictured some of your precious faces during my quiet time, was that God would transform you by His glory, and that He would transform the people you love so deeply by that same glory.
"Faithful is He who calls us, and He also will bring it to pass." (1 Thess. 5:24)
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;2 it shall blossom abundantlyand rejoice with joy and singing.The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.They shall see the glory of the Lord,the majesty of our God.3 Strengthen the weak hands,and make firm the feeble knees.4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,“Be strong; fear not!Behold, your God will come with vengeance,with the recompense of God.He will come and save you.”5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,and the ears of the deaf unstopped;6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness,and streams in the desert;7 the burning sand shall become a pool,and the thirsty ground springs of water;in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,the grass shall become reeds and rushes.8 And a highway shall be there,and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;the unclean shall not pass over it.It shall belong to those who walk on the way;even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. 9 No lion shall be there,nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;they shall not be found there,but the redeemed shall walk there.10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall returnand come to Zion with singing;everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;they shall obtain gladness and joy,and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
One of the most amazing, mysterious truths of Scripture, consistent throughout the Old and New Testaments, is that we are transformed by beholding the glory of God. Think of it! You wonder what you can "do" to make a difference where you are ... you wonder how your sleepless nights and long hours are any different than that of the governmental worker or contract employee.
And yet within you is the treasure hidden in earthen vessels ... the Holy Spirit whose job is to glorify Christ. Christ in you, the hope of glory ... the hope that the world needs.
Isaiah 35 speaks of a future day of restoration. But look closely at verse 2. In what context does the joy, fruitfulness, wholeness, purity, and restoration described in the chapter occur? It is when they see "the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God".
They see His glory when you reflect His character and His attributes, when you serve Him in love, when you reveal to them through your attitudes, actions, and words, all He has come to be to you. They see His glory when you share His Word. They see His glory in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, beloved Son, very God of very God.
It sounds so strange, and yet have we not also experienced this transformation by His glory? 2 Cor. 3:18 tells us we have: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
My prayer this morning, as I pictured some of your precious faces during my quiet time, was that God would transform you by His glory, and that He would transform the people you love so deeply by that same glory.
"Faithful is He who calls us, and He also will bring it to pass." (1 Thess. 5:24)
Friday, November 17, 2006
Fresh Joy
Has "joy" been elusive in your life lately? Sure, you love your people group, and you are faithful to work diligently for God among them. You are meeting practical needs and offering eternal hope at every turn. Yet somewhere along the way, it began to feel like work, like a duty, rather than the delight and joy you experienced earlier. My prayer for you today is a strong helping of "fresh joy".
Isa. 29:19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
"The meek" -- the ones Jesus said will inherit the earth -- are promised "fresh joy". Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, so being filled with His Spirit is certainly one aspect of receiving joy. "Meekness" is a quality Jesus possessed, so we know it is certainly not weakness. "Meekness" has been accurately described as "strength under control" -- the control of the Spirit!
Walk in the Spirit today. Let Him fill you with His presence. As you place yourself under His control, He promises "Fresh joy".
Fresh wind, fresh fire
Blow over us today
Send your Holy Spirit
To fill us as we pray
Guiding light to lead us
Fresh faith to believe
A fresh word for the morning
We bow and receive
Fresh joy, fresh joy
Drawing near to You
Fresh joy, fresh joy
Shining Your glory around
Fresh joy, fresh joy
To serve them in Your strength
Fresh joy, fresh joy
Let Your presence abound
Fresh wind, fresh fire
Blow over us today
Send your Holy Spirit
To fill us as we pray
Guiding light to lead us
Fresh faith to believe
A fresh word for the morning
We bow and receive
Fresh joy, fresh joy
(c) 2006 Rosa Edwards
Isa. 29:19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
"The meek" -- the ones Jesus said will inherit the earth -- are promised "fresh joy". Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, so being filled with His Spirit is certainly one aspect of receiving joy. "Meekness" is a quality Jesus possessed, so we know it is certainly not weakness. "Meekness" has been accurately described as "strength under control" -- the control of the Spirit!
Walk in the Spirit today. Let Him fill you with His presence. As you place yourself under His control, He promises "Fresh joy".
Fresh wind, fresh fire
Blow over us today
Send your Holy Spirit
To fill us as we pray
Guiding light to lead us
Fresh faith to believe
A fresh word for the morning
We bow and receive
Fresh joy, fresh joy
Drawing near to You
Fresh joy, fresh joy
Shining Your glory around
Fresh joy, fresh joy
To serve them in Your strength
Fresh joy, fresh joy
Let Your presence abound
Fresh wind, fresh fire
Blow over us today
Send your Holy Spirit
To fill us as we pray
Guiding light to lead us
Fresh faith to believe
A fresh word for the morning
We bow and receive
Fresh joy, fresh joy
(c) 2006 Rosa Edwards
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Interrupted for a lesson
Has God ever interrupted your "quiet time" for a very practical lesson? Perhaps a needy neighbor dropped by, or a sleeping child awoke with an earache ... or maybe a meal needed to be prepared.
How do you respond to such interruptions? If you're like me, you struggle with irritation. After all, my quiet time is my only down time of the day, and I need that time with the Lord to get through the challenges ahead! Ironically, it is when my quiet time is interrupted that I'm least likely to be in the frame of mind to learn an unscheduled lesson from God. Instead, I focus on what I had planned for that time and spend my efforts trying not to be irritable at the interruption.
Those experiences help me understand the disciples' hardness of heart at the lesson of the loaves and fishes. Mark 6:30-52 records the story. Don't miss the fact that the lesson of the loaves came during an interruption of their time alone with the Lord!
30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When He went ashore He saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, His disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But He answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish He looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. 46 And after He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 And He saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw Him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
"they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened." An interruption in their scheduled time alone with Jesus held a lesson, but they did not get it. Their hearts were hardened. As I studied this recently, I asked myself, "How many lessons have I lost because my quiet time was interrupted and my heart was hard?"
My prayer for you is that you will have sensitive hearts to discern divine appointments, lessons from the Lord ... even if they interrupt your quiet time.
How do you respond to such interruptions? If you're like me, you struggle with irritation. After all, my quiet time is my only down time of the day, and I need that time with the Lord to get through the challenges ahead! Ironically, it is when my quiet time is interrupted that I'm least likely to be in the frame of mind to learn an unscheduled lesson from God. Instead, I focus on what I had planned for that time and spend my efforts trying not to be irritable at the interruption.
Those experiences help me understand the disciples' hardness of heart at the lesson of the loaves and fishes. Mark 6:30-52 records the story. Don't miss the fact that the lesson of the loaves came during an interruption of their time alone with the Lord!
30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When He went ashore He saw a great crowd, and He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, His disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But He answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish He looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And He divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. 46 And after He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 And He saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw Him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
"they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened." An interruption in their scheduled time alone with Jesus held a lesson, but they did not get it. Their hearts were hardened. As I studied this recently, I asked myself, "How many lessons have I lost because my quiet time was interrupted and my heart was hard?"
My prayer for you is that you will have sensitive hearts to discern divine appointments, lessons from the Lord ... even if they interrupt your quiet time.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
What the NT's most quoted OT passage tells us about Jesus
The most quoted Old Testament passage in the New Testament is Psalm 110:1: The Lord says to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand,until I make your enemies your footstool.”
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus questioning the Pharisees' identification of the Christ as the Son of David, using this passage. Peter's first sermon in Acts 2 uses the passage to demonstrate the supremacy of Jesus over even David. And Hebrews 1 uses the passage to show the supremacy of Christ over the angels.
Why is this significant to your work on the field? Read the entire Psalm in context:
110:1 The Lord says to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand,until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter.Rule in the midst of your enemies!
3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning,the dew of your youth will be yours.
4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,“You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand;he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations,filling them with corpses;he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the brook by the way;therefore he will lift up his head.
He rules, He reigns, and He has been exalted! He is a priest forever, interceding on behalf of believers, desiring the nations He has been given as an inheritance (Ps. 2) to worship before His throne, awaiting the day of judgment.
He is at the right hand of God Most High ... the work is finished, complete. Your work on the field is not to secure a victory, it is to announce it! Our God reigns ... and Jesus' exaltation to His right hand demonstrates the victory of the cross.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus questioning the Pharisees' identification of the Christ as the Son of David, using this passage. Peter's first sermon in Acts 2 uses the passage to demonstrate the supremacy of Jesus over even David. And Hebrews 1 uses the passage to show the supremacy of Christ over the angels.
Why is this significant to your work on the field? Read the entire Psalm in context:
110:1 The Lord says to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand,until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter.Rule in the midst of your enemies!
3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning,the dew of your youth will be yours.
4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind,“You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand;he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations,filling them with corpses;he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the brook by the way;therefore he will lift up his head.
He rules, He reigns, and He has been exalted! He is a priest forever, interceding on behalf of believers, desiring the nations He has been given as an inheritance (Ps. 2) to worship before His throne, awaiting the day of judgment.
He is at the right hand of God Most High ... the work is finished, complete. Your work on the field is not to secure a victory, it is to announce it! Our God reigns ... and Jesus' exaltation to His right hand demonstrates the victory of the cross.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Delight in Truth: A matter of perspective
Is the task you face larger than what you know you can fulfill? Do you get overwhelmed at the number of unreached people, the miniscule percentage of funds designated for reaching them, and the cultural obstacles faced when the laborers reach the harvest?
It's time for a shift in perspective.
In "Beyond Duty", Tim Dearborn highlights focusing on "the problem" of how to fulfill the Great Commission as a human-centered viewpoint. The task is too large for us, he argues, and then expounds what we should be asking:
"Biblical priorities reflected again and again in Scripture ask us to begin instead with these questions:
Dearborn is absolute right! He goes on to state, "It is insufficient to proclaim that the Church of God has a mission in the world. Rather, the God of mission has a Church in the world. Grasp this inversion of subject and object and participation in God's mission will become a joyous, life-giving privilege. Miss it, and mission involvement will eventually degenerate into a wearisome, overwhelming duty."
It is so easy to forget that JOY is part of the 9-fold fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23-24). God desires that we "delight ourselves" in Him! Our message is one of GOOD NEWS ... news that is better than any possible problem that can ever be presented to us. "The God of mission has a Church in the world." WOW! That means that whatever you face today, the God of mission has gone before you, and equipped His people (that's you!) to handle in His name, with His power, by His Spirit, for His glory.
In "Mandate on the Mountain", Steven C. Hawthorne points out that sustained worship of Jesus in His resurrected glory began when He commissioned His disciples with the task of going to the whole world. He promised His presence, and the book of Acts is filled with examples of His presence with them and their worship of Him. The call to missions is a call to be with Him! As Hawthorne explains, "He was not sending them away from Him. He was actually beckoning them to come nearer to Him than they ever had been. He was not merely passing on some of His power....He Himself would be with them every single day until the end of the age."
So today, delight in truth. Don't be overwhelmed by the task ... instead, ask the God of mission to show you where He is working, and join Him in it. He has strategically, divinely placed you "for such a time as this"! He has promised His presence, and He will be with you today.
Matt. 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
It's time for a shift in perspective.
In "Beyond Duty", Tim Dearborn highlights focusing on "the problem" of how to fulfill the Great Commission as a human-centered viewpoint. The task is too large for us, he argues, and then expounds what we should be asking:
"Biblical priorities reflected again and again in Scripture ask us to begin instead with these questions:
- Who is the triune God?
- What is God doing in the world?
- How are we to participate with God in his redemptive purposes?
Dearborn is absolute right! He goes on to state, "It is insufficient to proclaim that the Church of God has a mission in the world. Rather, the God of mission has a Church in the world. Grasp this inversion of subject and object and participation in God's mission will become a joyous, life-giving privilege. Miss it, and mission involvement will eventually degenerate into a wearisome, overwhelming duty."
It is so easy to forget that JOY is part of the 9-fold fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:23-24). God desires that we "delight ourselves" in Him! Our message is one of GOOD NEWS ... news that is better than any possible problem that can ever be presented to us. "The God of mission has a Church in the world." WOW! That means that whatever you face today, the God of mission has gone before you, and equipped His people (that's you!) to handle in His name, with His power, by His Spirit, for His glory.
In "Mandate on the Mountain", Steven C. Hawthorne points out that sustained worship of Jesus in His resurrected glory began when He commissioned His disciples with the task of going to the whole world. He promised His presence, and the book of Acts is filled with examples of His presence with them and their worship of Him. The call to missions is a call to be with Him! As Hawthorne explains, "He was not sending them away from Him. He was actually beckoning them to come nearer to Him than they ever had been. He was not merely passing on some of His power....He Himself would be with them every single day until the end of the age."
So today, delight in truth. Don't be overwhelmed by the task ... instead, ask the God of mission to show you where He is working, and join Him in it. He has strategically, divinely placed you "for such a time as this"! He has promised His presence, and He will be with you today.
Matt. 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Life from Death - The Way of the Cross
More gleanings today from John R.W. Stott, "The Cross of Christ." You know these things already - you are living them - and yet sometimes it is strangely comforting to hear someone else put them into words. May God bless you today.
"In theory we know very well the paradoxical principle that suffering is the path to glory, death the way to life, and weakness the secret of power. It was for Jesus, and it still is for his followers today. But we are reluctant to apply the principle to mission, as the Bible does....As Douglas Webster has written, '...We can understand mission only in terms of the cross.'"
"Paul dared to write to the Corinthians: 'so then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you' (2 Cor. 4:12). For the cross-cultural missionary it may mean costly individual and family sacrifices, the renunciation of economic security and professional promotion, solidarity with the poor and needy, repenting of the pride and prejudice of supposed cultural superiority, and the modesty (and sometimes frustration) of serving under national leadership. Each of these can be a kind of death, but it is a death which brings life to others."
On the cultural gap in evangelism: "Only an incarnation can span these divides, for an incarnation means entering other people's worlds, their thought-world, and the worlds of their alienation, loneliness, and pain. Moreover, the incarnation led to the cross. Jesus first took our flesh, then bore our sin. This was a depth of penetration into our world in order to reach us, in comparison with which our little attempts to reach people seem amateur and shallow. the cross calls us to a much more radical and costly kind of evangelism than most churches have begun to consider, let alone experience."
Finally, the bottom line, quoting Zinzendorf: They know there is a God, but they need to know the Savior. "Tell them about the Lamb of God till you can tell them no more."
"In theory we know very well the paradoxical principle that suffering is the path to glory, death the way to life, and weakness the secret of power. It was for Jesus, and it still is for his followers today. But we are reluctant to apply the principle to mission, as the Bible does....As Douglas Webster has written, '...We can understand mission only in terms of the cross.'"
"Paul dared to write to the Corinthians: 'so then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you' (2 Cor. 4:12). For the cross-cultural missionary it may mean costly individual and family sacrifices, the renunciation of economic security and professional promotion, solidarity with the poor and needy, repenting of the pride and prejudice of supposed cultural superiority, and the modesty (and sometimes frustration) of serving under national leadership. Each of these can be a kind of death, but it is a death which brings life to others."
On the cultural gap in evangelism: "Only an incarnation can span these divides, for an incarnation means entering other people's worlds, their thought-world, and the worlds of their alienation, loneliness, and pain. Moreover, the incarnation led to the cross. Jesus first took our flesh, then bore our sin. This was a depth of penetration into our world in order to reach us, in comparison with which our little attempts to reach people seem amateur and shallow. the cross calls us to a much more radical and costly kind of evangelism than most churches have begun to consider, let alone experience."
Finally, the bottom line, quoting Zinzendorf: They know there is a God, but they need to know the Savior. "Tell them about the Lamb of God till you can tell them no more."
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
More of love ... more of the Master
I think it's just in our human nature. We want things cut-and-dried, a final answer. Flexibility is hard for us -- or at least for me!
And yet sometimes there are no easy answers. Sometimes serving and loving means the "plan" we thought we had, the "system" we so carefully set up, our all-important "structure", goes down the tubes.
I've re-learned this lesson recently through trying with my husband to help my mother-in-law get her thermostat set properly. We're in that time of year with widely varying temperatures - freezing at night, quite warm during the day. She isn't able to properly adjust her thermostat so we've been trying to set it for the variances that occur. Now, theoretically we want to have one setting - say 72 degrees Fahrenheit - and we want that to "work". But as I'm sure you've guessed, it hasn't been that easy. We still have to adapt and make adjustments ... there are so many factors besides the temperature such as her health factors that day, whether the dryer is running ... you get the idea.
So I've been reminded through all of this that there are no easy answers. Some days it "works", some days it doesn't. While it's certainly worth trying to have a "plan", that "plan" must always be secondary to love ... love meaning what is in her best interests.
Even more importantly, adjustments require us to constantly seek God. Michael Wilkins in "Following the Master" writes, "The disciples of the first century were continually having to make mental and spiritual adjustments to Jesus as He revealed Himself and his purposes to them." Or as a pastor friend put it, "I'm learning to seek more of the Master in the midst of the mess."
Have your field "plans" been disrupted? Did your to-do list today get cut short by an interruption ... a Divine appointment? What a blessing to be able to prioritize love and to see more of the Master!
And yet sometimes there are no easy answers. Sometimes serving and loving means the "plan" we thought we had, the "system" we so carefully set up, our all-important "structure", goes down the tubes.
I've re-learned this lesson recently through trying with my husband to help my mother-in-law get her thermostat set properly. We're in that time of year with widely varying temperatures - freezing at night, quite warm during the day. She isn't able to properly adjust her thermostat so we've been trying to set it for the variances that occur. Now, theoretically we want to have one setting - say 72 degrees Fahrenheit - and we want that to "work". But as I'm sure you've guessed, it hasn't been that easy. We still have to adapt and make adjustments ... there are so many factors besides the temperature such as her health factors that day, whether the dryer is running ... you get the idea.
So I've been reminded through all of this that there are no easy answers. Some days it "works", some days it doesn't. While it's certainly worth trying to have a "plan", that "plan" must always be secondary to love ... love meaning what is in her best interests.
Even more importantly, adjustments require us to constantly seek God. Michael Wilkins in "Following the Master" writes, "The disciples of the first century were continually having to make mental and spiritual adjustments to Jesus as He revealed Himself and his purposes to them." Or as a pastor friend put it, "I'm learning to seek more of the Master in the midst of the mess."
Have your field "plans" been disrupted? Did your to-do list today get cut short by an interruption ... a Divine appointment? What a blessing to be able to prioritize love and to see more of the Master!
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