It was a long phone call that tried my patience. The discussion was about a challenging
situation that involves attempting to meet many converging needs. Every ‘solution’
creates wins and losses. The man with whom I was speaking was singularly
focused on protecting his interest at the expense of all the rest. He was
insistent that answers could be found, implying that all we had to do was work
a little harder. The truth is that there are
answers but none are simple, none easy, and the best will require a lot of compromise.
-Guilt got you down?
Just ask Jesus into your heart and you can
instantly change.
- Struggling with a chronic sickness?
Find a healer and say a faithful prayer and claim your healing.
- Stuck in apathy? Struggling with faith in your crisis?
- Struggling with a chronic sickness?
Find a healer and say a faithful prayer and claim your healing.
- Stuck in apathy? Struggling with faith in your crisis?
All you need is some author’s testimony of
faith or a grand story about some charismatic leader to get through it. Perhaps,
but not likely.
Not for one moment is it my intention to make the Christian
way of life into a grim long slog through gloom and misery. There is joy in
serving Jesus, hope for every day, and victory over sin, death, and Hell as we walk with Him in integrity working out
the implications of the call of the Spirit to a holy life.
Conversion, Healing, and examples of overcoming faith ARE rich
resources that help to mobilize Christians. However, just getting someone to
repeat the sinner’s prayer does not guarantee real transformation of character
unless that person subsequently becomes a disciple of Jesus. Healing is more
than a miraculous relief of symptoms. Healing is about wholeness - forgiveness,
balanced worship and rest, better food choices, for example. Passion for Jesus is a choice each day about
making Him first, over self-interest. Most service is done in hidden places,
and will never be recognized this side of Heaven. If it takes applause and
appreciation to keep us serving, apathy is inevitable.
If that all sounds complex, it should; because life is complex! While we might like simple
slogans, Jesus never spoke in one-liners for the media. He invites us to let
the Spirit work in us, deeply. He asks us to take up our cross daily, in order
to let the true life of the Spirit emerge. In Christ, the power of our sinful nature is
replaced with the power of the Holy Spirit working within us.
How did Jesus
illustrate that transformative power? He chose the seed. His Gospel, He said,
is like seed that is planted in a field. That seed finds all kinds of soil – hard,
shallow, weedy, fertile – in which to take root. “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God."
(Luke 8:11, NIV) "But the seed on
good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word,
retain it, and by persevering produce a crop." (Luke 8:15, NIV) Hear, retain, persevere – and find a harvest.
Only a foolish person plants one day and expects to harvest
the next. There is a time for germination, growth, and ripening before the
realization of the fruit. A mixture of sun and rain are required in the
process. It’s not ‘just that simple.’
Whether you are dealing with your own challenges or helping
someone else work through theirs, have patience. Patient endurance is a consistent theme of the
Bible when describing the way of those who are godly. Paul, a man who knew much about complex
situations, urges us to stand faithfully. "Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace
in which we now stand. And we rejoice in
the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our
sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans
5:1-5, NIV)
Here's a word from the Word for your thoughts today. "Work hard to show the results of your
salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you,
giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything
without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean,
innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full
of crooked and perverse people." (Philippians 2:12-15, NLT)
__________
(worship at this link, renewed in an upward focus)
Let the King of my
heart
Be the mountain where
I run
The fountain I drink
from
Oh He is my song
Let the King of my
heart
Be the shadow where I
hide
The ransom for my life
Oh He is my song
You are good good oh
You are good good oh
Let the King of my
heart
Be the wind inside my
sails
The anchor in the
waves
Oh He is my song
Let the King of my
heart
Be the fire inside my
veins
The echo of my days
Oh He is my song
You're never gonna let
Never gonna let me
down
When the night is
holding on to me
God is holding on
When the night is
holding on to me
God is holding on
John Mark McMillan | Sarah McMillan
© Meaux Jeaux Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
Raucous Ruckus Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
McMillan, Sarah (Admin. by Moniker Music Group)
CCLI License # 810055
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