Can you do it?

"Am I up to the task?" is a question that sometimes stops me in my tracks! After a long meeting with our church's Leadership Team last night (a good meeting, by the way) I drove home asking the Lord if He was sure he had the right guy in the pastor's chair. "Lord, there's has to be somebody who has better skills than I do who could lead this church," I prayed. My prayer was sincere one, and it wasn't about self-pity or discouraging problems. It wasn't a question about my motivation, or about my desire, or even about my critics. When I consider the challenges of an authentic ministry that leads others to life change, when I think that the stakes include eternal destinies, I struggle with my own sense of adequacy and competence.

I understand Moses' reluctance to take up the call of God when the Lord met him at the burning bush and said, "Go now, I am sending you to bring my people out of Egypt."
Moses did not say, "Great! When do I start?" He saw the apparent impossibility of the job, looked at his resume which included murder and flight to avoid prosecution, and asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11, NIV) The dialogue in Exodus 3 and 4 between the Lord and Moses is fascinating. Repeatedly Moses points out his inability and God answers, not by reminding Moses of how smart, how charismatic, or educated he is; but rather by simply saying, "I'll be with you!"

Disciple, whether you're a preacher, plumber, or postman; God calls you first to be His representative in this world. He sends us all to extend His rule into a world in rebellion, to lead those who are captive of Satan's deception, out of the darkness into the Light! Who is adequate for that call in themselves? Which one of us is smart enough, pure enough, to be able to say, "Follow me as I follow Christ."? (1 Corinthians 11:1) Not one, no one. If we focus on our own failures, our own struggles with sin; if we look to our resume as the qualification for taking up the call of God, we will surely refuse His commission. Like Moses, like Paul - we listen to the call and then focus on the One who promises to be with us.

Paul encourages you and me to pursue the calling of God with these words. Take a look: "Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.. . . who is equal to such a task?. . . Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2 Corinthians 2:14-16; 3:4-6, NIV)

Can you do it? Can I? Not by ourselves, for certain. Meditate on these words from the Word. Humbly thank God, the Holy Spirit, for empowering you for the task, then just do it. Let Him amaze you with how much He can make of so little!

"You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights." (Psalm 18:28-33, NLT)

Hallelujah!
__________________________

Jesus will walk with me,
Guarding me ever,
Giving me vict'ry,
Thro' storm and thro' strife,
He is my Comforter, Counselor, Leader,
Over the uneven journey of life.

Jesus will walk with me,
He will talk with me;
He will walk with me,
In joy or in sorrow,
Today and tomorrow,
I know He will walk with me.

Jesus Will Walk With Me
Haldor Lillenas © 1922. Renewed 1950, 1955 Lillenas Publishing Company (Admin. by The Copyright Company)
CCLI License No. 810055

Live TODAY!

Today is full of opportunities. The biggest impediments that we will overcome to gain those opportunities are yesterday and tomorrow!

Are you paralyzed in the present by 'yesterday?' Regret about choices made in the past throws a strong chain around us holding us back from living in the now. So, too, bitterness! The power of both is removed by genuine repentance, which allows us to know the forgiveness of God, the choice to forgive those who have sinned against us. So important is being forgiven and a forgiver that Jesus made it a key part of the model prayer He taught to the disciples. "Pray like this," He said. "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6:12, KJV) Forgiveness is a choice that you make. We do not have to wait until we 'feel like' it or until the sense of being wronged has diminished over time. We can forgive right now with God's help! We transfer any debt that we are holding against another person to God to await His perfect justice and that is the heart of true forgiveness. In so doing, we gain the freedom to live in the present. Likewise, when we accept God's forgiveness for our own failures and sins! Our Lord is a Redeemer - able to transform our brokenness into a source of strength. Believe it and leave regret behind, so you can live today!

Some of us miss the moment because we are anticipating tomorrow. I can easily justify procrastination by promising myself a better opportunity - 'tomorrow.' It's a trap to think that we will do more for God or others when 'I have more time,' or 'more money,' or 'when the kids are grown,' or 'if I get that new job.' While we wait for better times, the opportunities of this day pass by unseen, obscured in the haze of a hoped-for future. Hope is a wonderful thing. I am powerfully drawn along in my Christian life by the promise of spending eternity in the Paradise prepared by God for me. But, I am not so 'heavenly-minded that I am no earthly good.' Even as I set the hope of Heaven in my sights on the horizon, I live in this moment.

Hebrews 3 is a great chapter that draws on the experience of the Israelis who were called out of Egypt to the Promised Land as a teaching lesson for disciples. In spite of many experiences of both the faithfulness and power of God, they missed the purpose of God because they looked back at yesterday regretting choices to move on, or they anticipated tomorrow, falling into fear. Yesterday and tomorrow caused them to reject the will of God today. Remember their longings for the food of Egypt which they claimed 'cost us nothing?' How quickly they forgot the cruelty of their Egyptian task-masters! Then, too, they would not go into Canaan because they saw the long, difficult work involved in possessing the land, and discounted God's power and help for that task. They died in the desert, ignoring the opportunities of the day. So we read this warning: "My friends, watch out! Don't let evil thoughts or doubts make any of you turn from the living God. You must encourage one another each day. And you must keep on while there is still a time that can be called "today." If you don't, then sin may fool some of you and make you stubborn. We were sure about Christ when we first became his people.
So let's hold tightly to our faith until the end. The Scriptures say, "If you hear his voice today, don't be stubborn like those who rebelled." (Hebrews 3:12-15, CEV)

There is a Gospel song that has practical advice:
"We have this moment to hold in our hands,
And to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand,
Yesterday's gone, and tomorrow may never come,
But we have this moment today!" copyright 1975- Wm. Gaither

Take the blessings of the present and pray with me:
"Father, thank you for this day.
Thank you for opportunities to do good,to experience Your grace, and to see Your provision for my needs today.
Forgive me of the sins of yesterday, Lord, and release me from the chains of regret and guilt.
Give me the greatness of heart to set others free from indebtedness as You have forgiven me in Christ Jesus.
Open my eyes to the possibilities that exist today.
Help me to look around and to see what You're doing now and to join You in making a difference in the world.Holy Spirit, fill me powerfully with life and let me be a life-giver to the people that I will interact with today.
In the name of Jesus, my Redeemer and my Hope, I ask these things. Amen."

The Basics

It is now obvious that the carefully laid financial plans for the future that we designed to perpetuate our lifestyles are being shredded by an economic hurricane now blowing 'round the world! Savings are gone, investments are worth half of what they were worth two years ago. Despite $billions being thrown into the system by Uncle Sam and his cousins in Europe and Asia, the financial industry is in lock-down.

I would be dishonest if I pretend to be unconcerned! My life will be very different than how I anticipated it to be in the coming years. But, does different necessarily mean terrible? Perhaps not. Just maybe America's financial woes will break some of our worst habits and force us to get back to the basics of life - thrift instead of consumption, caring for our friends and family instead of thinking it is the government's job to do it, investing our time in our communities and families instead of being so focused on our individual ideals, and abandoning expensive pursuits of self-oriented pleasure for simpler things of greater and lasting value.

Believer, in the middle of this mess, I that the real difference between those who know Christ and those who do not to will become obvious. That difference? HOPE! If we start eating pills, drinking too much, and living in unrelieved anxiety, it will reveal the bankruptcy of our soul; showing us that our faith is more rhetoric than reality! If we are steady and face the future with courage, helping others to build new lives around eternal treasure, God will be pleased and we will be blessed even if we are broke.

Jesus' wonderful words recorded in Matthew's Gospel take even greater significance for us right now. His financial advice is timeless and not subject to the value of our 401(k), the falling DOW indicators, or the collapse of world banking systems.

Read these words carefully like you're seeing them for the first time.“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.

Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:24-34, NLT)

Let me urge you to patience and prudence. Don't allow yourself to become reactionary, jerked up and down spiritually and emotionally by each day's bad news. In balance, don't tune out and drop out, either. Followers of Jesus Christ, while separate from this world and headed for a home in Heaven, are to be about Heaven's business here on earth. We need great wisdom, which God promises to give to those who ask, to be pacesetters for our friends and families in times like these. Get back to basics! Refuse endless worry. Build trust in God. Reject greed. Be generous. For "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 9:8-11, NIV)
______________________

My hope is built on nothing less,
than Jesus' blood and righteousness!
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' Name.

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand!

Public domain

Lord, help me stand!

There's nothing quite like a good night's sleep. When my body is aching with fatigue, when I cannot think clearly because of lack of sleep - there is nothing like sinking into my bed and drifting into a deep, peaceful sleep. After 7 or 8 hours, I am ready to take up my responsibilities again. Those issues that seemed so overwhelming at 10 o'clock the night before are not so daunting at 7 in the morning, if I have rested. There is a time to rest spiritually as well. After slogging through a long fight with evil in one way or another, or helping to settle someone's conflict, or pouring love into a situation that needs healing- my soul sometimes feels numb with fatigue. In that time, if I pick up the Bible, even familiar and beloved passages are just words on a page. When I try to pray, I have little sense of the Presence of God. Just as I know I need sleep when I am physically exhausted, I know that I need soul rest when I am spiritually spent!

David, whose life story is told in the Bible, offers us a model in dealing with exhaustion. When he was a fugitive from King Saul, living in exile in Philistia, on one occasion he and his men returned from a military expedition to find that their wives, children, and wealth had been carried off by raiders. Their homes in Ziklag were burned to the ground. Feel the emotion that throbs through this verse. "So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep." (1 Samuel 30:4, NIV) These were not weak men, either! They were seasoned, tough warriors. But, it was too much. On top of physical fatigue, they were overwhelmed with loss. Adding to his personal loss, David had to carry an additional burden. "And suddenly David was in even worse trouble. There was talk among the men, bitter over the loss of their families, of stoning him." (1 Samuel 30:6, The Message) His own friends, needing someone to blame, needing a way to express their outrage, were ready to turn on their leader. So what did he do? "David strengthened himself with trust in his God."

He turned to God! So, must we! It is not so much what we say, or going somewhere - it is a refocus of our attitude that says, "Lord, I will put myself at rest in you!" Isaiah wrote of the importance of resting in the Lord. "Those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind." (Isaiah 40:31, The Message) There are times when we must take a soul-Sabbath, times when we settle ourselves in Him. How a person comes to that rest will differ. It may be as simple as acknowledging - "You are God, and I am not." It may be letting music of worship and adoration play as we sit in silence. It may be going fishing, or sitting down at a piano, or picking up a guitar, or sitting gazing at a sunrise ... but it always means setting aside our 'work' for a time to rest.

In a crisis, it may seem to go against common sense to do nothing for a while. Our first thought may be to turn up the heat, to pour on more effort. But, we need to remember that without the strength of the Lord, our strength is very small. Even our best efforts will accomplish so little unless God, the Holy Spirit, is working in us. There is real wisdom in knowing when it is time to take a strategic 'time out!'

Here are a couple of passages, one from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament. Think on them and my prayer is that the Lord will help you to know when it is time to rest and pray, "Lord, help me stand!"

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ Therefore hear, O nations; observe, O witnesses, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words." (Jeremiah 6:16-20, NIV)

Jesus said, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)
______________________

Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, help me stand!
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near.
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call;
Hold my hand lest I fall.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home

Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Tommy DorseyCCLI License No. 810055

It's So Hard to See . . .

Our emotions are so entwined with our spirituality that sometimes it impossible to separate the two, isn't it? When a person grows depressed, he may conclude God has forsaken him. When great pain brought on by loss or illness presses on a person's heart, she may wrongly conclude that faith has failed her. It can be shocking when a person who has loved God becomes angry with Him and says things like, "I don't even know if I believe that He loves me!" But, those things happen often even to mature disciples who come under great pressure and who are temporarily disoriented by sorrow or fear.

There are several Psalms where we read of godly people under such emotional stress that they lose sight of the face of God in the dark night of their soul! Take a look: "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?" (Psalm 13:1-2, NLT) In another psalm of lament, we read: "O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble?" (Psalm 10:1, NLT) God cannot forget us, nor does He stand far away. But, the emotions from which those thoughts come, are very real. Trying to deny what we feel is unhealthy and can lead us even more deeply into spiritual crisis.

In his song, "Make My Life a Prayer to You," Keith Green penned this memorable line - "Well, I wanna thank You now for being patient with me. Oh it's so hard to see when my eyes are on me!" Remember that. When you're hurting badly, your emotions scream for relief and your vision narrows down to a tight focus on "right here, right now." In those times, pray for trust and the embrace of the grace of the One who knows you better than you know yourself. The time to work on figuring it all out is later. Trying to sort out all the why's and wherefore's will come when the storm of emotions has calmed.

Got a friend whose faith is in crisis because their heart is broken or their world turned upside down? One of the most loving gifts we can offer to a Christian in that kind of faith crisis is our ear and our shoulder! "Let me help you carry your burden," is much preferred than "Let me tell you how wrong you are in your thinking so you can get it right." One of my favorite phrases is- "Be Jesus with skin on." A touch, a hug, a prayer for comfort, saying something like "I'll have faith for you right now while you're hurting so badly," is so much more helpful than a lengthy treatise on the immutability and faithfulness of God.

Giving that person a safe way to share what they feel, letting them give vent to anger, fear, or doubt often has a spiritual benefit in that when they have released pent-up feelings. With the innter pressure released the Spirit reaches their heart and mind with renewed peace. In time, they will re-assert control over their tumbling thoughts to bring them back in line with the truth of the Scripture. (A person in a faith crisis because of willful disobedience in their life needs a wisely worded, courageous rebuke, but that's for another TFTD.)

Here's a word from the Word -
"Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. . . .
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds." (Psalm 73, NIV)
____________________________

Great is Thy faithfulness,O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not,Thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou hast beenThou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great Is Thy Faithfulness © 1923.
Renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Company CCLI License No. 810055