In her column, Connie Schultz reports, "St. John's Reformed United Church of Christ is a 225-year-old church in rural Middlebrook, Va. On Wednesday, the outgoing message on the church phone still invited you to buy tickets for May's spaghetti supper, but that has to be the last thing on the minds of its grieving congregation. Vandals set fire to St. John's just five days after the United Church of Christ's General Synod met in Atlanta and passed a nonbinding resolution to endorse gay and lesbian marriages. ... 'Why,' church members asked. 'Why would they do this to us?' They found their answer in the anti-gay graffiti left behind. After The Associated Press reported the fire, one Web blog led with the headline, "Christians Prefer to Burn Churches Than to Let Gays Marry." What Christians might these be?" (http://www.cleveland.com/schultz/index.ssf?/base/living/1121333444316850.xml&coll=2 )
Indeed, I ask - What kind of Christians might these be that burn down churches, that shoot doctors who perform abortions, who go to the funerals of AIDS victims to wave placards that say, "God hates FAGS," that killed young men who marched for civil rights for black Americans in the 1960's?
It would not be for me to judge whether or not those who do such things are Christians, but I can say, without reservation or hesitation, they have lost their way from the Way of Christ. All Christians, including this writer, err in their understanding of how to apply the Bible to life at some points. It is part of what Paul called, 'seeing through a glass darkly.' Our vision is imperfect, fogged by fear, marred by sin's corruption of our minds. Walking in that fog, those who choose to resist what they see as 'sin' with violent acts, sin themselves. Somewhere deep in their hearts the Spirit informs them that what they are doing is wrong, but His still, small voice is silenced with arguments of expedience - the end justifies the means. But it doesn't!
I do not believe that men or women who practice homosexuality should be according the covenant of marriage, no matter how compassionate our impulse towards them might be. The Bible is quite clear on that issue despite the twisting of its texts by some 'scholars' that allows for affirmation of homosexual practice. But, Christians will not stop the practice by burning churches! No heart is turned to the Truth by such a hateful action. Love cannot be proclaimed with hatred. That is not only unbiblical, it is illogical.
The Bible calls us to be willing to die for righteousness when we take a stand for what's true and right; but not as we swing the sword, or point a gun. Christians who know the Way, know that Jesus calls on us to 'lay down our lives' for His cause. When we surrender ourselves to Christ, we give up our rights to power. His word is that we 'turn the other cheek,' stand tall and brave in the face of withering opposition. We do not conquer but Christus Victor (The Conquering Christ) wins the battle for us. His greatest victory appeared in the moment of His greatest apparent defeat. As He died on the Cross, it looked as though the forces of evil had silenced the Son of God, but 3 days later, He arose and announced the defeat of Darkness - forever. This is our model in the face of evil. We conquer by death.
Those who have concluded that violent and confrontational methods are called for by the times, need to be led to a thorough study of Christianity as practiced from the time of Jesus through the first 3 centuries of the faith. Though often hated, persecuted, and driven from family and home, they loved in the Name of the One who loved them. They fed the hungry, took orphans into their homes, nursed the sick even as their world hated them! Their power was their selfless love, not their swords.
Here's a word from the Word for your thoughts today. May the Truth of His love, bring us steady confidence in these sinful, troubled times, so that we will always bear witness to Jesus Christ in a way that is consistent with His true nature.
"God is love. If we keep on loving others, we will stay one in our hearts with God, and he will stay one with us. If we truly love others and live as Christ did in this world, we won’t be worried about the day of judgment. A real love for others will chase those worries away. The thought of being punished is what makes us afraid. It shows that we have not really learned to love. We love because God loved us first. But if we say we love God and don’t love each other, we are liars. We cannot see God. So how can we love God, if we don’t love the people we can see? The commandment that God has given us is: “Love God and love each other!”" (1 John 4:16-21, CEV)
Friday, July 15, 2005
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Raise the standard!
One of my favorite Scripture stories is that of Daniel - whose Hebrew name means "God is my Judge." Most likely from a family of prominence in Judah, he was swept up in the first Assyrian invasion and taken to become a slave in the Babylonian empire. Despite these miserable circumstances, terrible disadvantages, and having every reason to become a bitter victim, this man was a person of excellence in all he did. Near the end of his life, the Queen Mother in Babylon, speaking to her grandson who is desperate for good counsel, sums up Daniel's resume with these words - There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom as though he himself were a god. ... This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has a sharp mind and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” (Daniel 5:11-12, NLT)
Remember that assessment was not at the beginning of his life based on hopes and promises - it was near the end after a track record of success, faithfulness, and excellence in both his spiritual life and his service to the government who had stolen him from his homeland! I wonder how Daniel's life might have been different in our victim culture where every difficult experience is a reason to be coddled, where a tough childhood is so often seized upon as an excuse for mediocrity, where the remedy for disadvantage is a new set of rights under the law?
To borrow the old cliché, Daniel took life's lemons and made lemonade! There is no record that he moped, sulked, or became embittered at the developments that changed his life forever around age 12. From the first chapter of his story, we see a man who chose to be full of faith, who had the courage of his convictions, and who had the North star of his faith in God to guide him, even in a land where he was an alien. Being taken a slave was just the first in a series of wrongs done to this man. He was frequently accused unjustly. He dealt with palace politics and the envious hacks around him used his integrity against him, even making a law behind his back that got him thrown into the lion's den for praying to his God!
I want to be a Daniel, for God's sake. When I'm at the end of my life, I want those who have worked along side of me to see a record of excellence, of courage, of taking tough situations, disappointments, and injustice in stride and accepting those moments as readily as the ones when success crowned the day. And, I know that such achievement rests on the same secret recipe that made Daniel what he was -- "He has within him the spirit of the holy gods." You and I know that we must be filled with the Spirit of God, overflowing with His Life, and fruitful because of Him.
The same man who helped pen the famous hymn, "It is Well With My Soul," wrote a lesser known song. See the lyrics below, and I hope it expresses your aspiration, even as it is mine.
__________________________________
Dare to be a Daniel,
All hail to Daniel's band!
Many mighty men are lost,
Daring not to stand,
Who for God had been a host
By joining Daniel's band!
Many giants great and tall,
Stalking thru the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel's band!
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known!
Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God's command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
Hold the gospel banner high!
On to vict'ry grand!
Satan and his host defy,
And shout for Daniel's band!
© Public Domain CCLI License No. 810055
Remember that assessment was not at the beginning of his life based on hopes and promises - it was near the end after a track record of success, faithfulness, and excellence in both his spiritual life and his service to the government who had stolen him from his homeland! I wonder how Daniel's life might have been different in our victim culture where every difficult experience is a reason to be coddled, where a tough childhood is so often seized upon as an excuse for mediocrity, where the remedy for disadvantage is a new set of rights under the law?
To borrow the old cliché, Daniel took life's lemons and made lemonade! There is no record that he moped, sulked, or became embittered at the developments that changed his life forever around age 12. From the first chapter of his story, we see a man who chose to be full of faith, who had the courage of his convictions, and who had the North star of his faith in God to guide him, even in a land where he was an alien. Being taken a slave was just the first in a series of wrongs done to this man. He was frequently accused unjustly. He dealt with palace politics and the envious hacks around him used his integrity against him, even making a law behind his back that got him thrown into the lion's den for praying to his God!
I want to be a Daniel, for God's sake. When I'm at the end of my life, I want those who have worked along side of me to see a record of excellence, of courage, of taking tough situations, disappointments, and injustice in stride and accepting those moments as readily as the ones when success crowned the day. And, I know that such achievement rests on the same secret recipe that made Daniel what he was -- "He has within him the spirit of the holy gods." You and I know that we must be filled with the Spirit of God, overflowing with His Life, and fruitful because of Him.
The same man who helped pen the famous hymn, "It is Well With My Soul," wrote a lesser known song. See the lyrics below, and I hope it expresses your aspiration, even as it is mine.
__________________________________
Dare to be a Daniel,
All hail to Daniel's band!
Many mighty men are lost,
Daring not to stand,
Who for God had been a host
By joining Daniel's band!
Many giants great and tall,
Stalking thru the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel's band!
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known!
Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God's command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
Hold the gospel banner high!
On to vict'ry grand!
Satan and his host defy,
And shout for Daniel's band!
© Public Domain CCLI License No. 810055
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Living with Plan 'B'
Robert Burns, the 18th century Scottish poet, wrote of the poor mouse whose nest was torn up by the farmer's plow.
"The best laid schemes
o' mice and men
Gang aft a-gley, (go oft awry)
And leaves us naught but grief and pain
For promised joy."
We think life is planned, that everything is going in the direction we hoped for, and then - a tsunami washes ashore, our job is eliminated, the doctor announces cancer, our teenager reveals a drug habit, our spouse walks out, we lose our nerve, etc. Suddenly our hopes and dreams for tomorrow seem no longer to have a foundation as the road ahead is washed out.
What then? What do we do when plan 'A' disappears? That's the question I wrestled with as I dropped off to sleep last night. In the middle of trying to figure out the next step....
I thought back to another time when life, as I planned it, was swallowed by developments unsought and unanticipated. Two decades ago, due in part to my own foolish choices and, in part, to snow-balling circumstances beyond my control, I found myself unemployed, forced to sell our home, and eventually called to pastor a church 1/10th the size of the one I'd served previously, with one half the salary; all that with a wife and 4 little kids depending on me for support.
It appeared that my life had taken a huge step backward. The grief I felt was terrible and real, but because I mistakenly thought Christians did not grieve, I held it all inside and consequently, suffered a time of terrible depression. My life, at that time, was beyond plan 'B!' For a couple of years I walked each day, step by step, like a man feeling his way in the dark, and wondered if God had abandoned me.
But with time, I realized He gave me a gift of rare and precious value when He allowed things to be turned upside down. That reassignment likely saved my marriage, enabled me to become a real Dad who spent time with his children, and most valuable of all - taught me to drink deeply of the cup of God's grace. He showed Himself faithful to me, even when I was faithless towards Him. I came to love that place seeing it not as the exile it once seemed, but as His sovereign plan for my good, a rich and wonderful place of greater blessings! Years later I was able to say what Joseph said when he was facing the brothers who sold him into slavery decades earlier- "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done." (Genesis 50:20, NIV)
So, as I lay in dark and reviewed my own life story, I found comfort in knowing that God always has a plan. We may not see 'round the bend in life's road, and often that's a good thing, but He does. Life is never plan 'B' to Him, nor for those who live in His care.
Are you struggling with more questions than answers today?
Did the road of life you thought you were traveling disappear in the storms of life?
Wait on Him to reveal His purposes. What surprises you and me, is never a surprise to the Omniscient One.
Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you. ...
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. ..." (Psalm 37:2-7, NLT)
__________________________
"The best laid schemes
o' mice and men
Gang aft a-gley, (go oft awry)
And leaves us naught but grief and pain
For promised joy."
We think life is planned, that everything is going in the direction we hoped for, and then - a tsunami washes ashore, our job is eliminated, the doctor announces cancer, our teenager reveals a drug habit, our spouse walks out, we lose our nerve, etc. Suddenly our hopes and dreams for tomorrow seem no longer to have a foundation as the road ahead is washed out.
What then? What do we do when plan 'A' disappears? That's the question I wrestled with as I dropped off to sleep last night. In the middle of trying to figure out the next step....
I thought back to another time when life, as I planned it, was swallowed by developments unsought and unanticipated. Two decades ago, due in part to my own foolish choices and, in part, to snow-balling circumstances beyond my control, I found myself unemployed, forced to sell our home, and eventually called to pastor a church 1/10th the size of the one I'd served previously, with one half the salary; all that with a wife and 4 little kids depending on me for support.
It appeared that my life had taken a huge step backward. The grief I felt was terrible and real, but because I mistakenly thought Christians did not grieve, I held it all inside and consequently, suffered a time of terrible depression. My life, at that time, was beyond plan 'B!' For a couple of years I walked each day, step by step, like a man feeling his way in the dark, and wondered if God had abandoned me.
But with time, I realized He gave me a gift of rare and precious value when He allowed things to be turned upside down. That reassignment likely saved my marriage, enabled me to become a real Dad who spent time with his children, and most valuable of all - taught me to drink deeply of the cup of God's grace. He showed Himself faithful to me, even when I was faithless towards Him. I came to love that place seeing it not as the exile it once seemed, but as His sovereign plan for my good, a rich and wonderful place of greater blessings! Years later I was able to say what Joseph said when he was facing the brothers who sold him into slavery decades earlier- "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done." (Genesis 50:20, NIV)
So, as I lay in dark and reviewed my own life story, I found comfort in knowing that God always has a plan. We may not see 'round the bend in life's road, and often that's a good thing, but He does. Life is never plan 'B' to Him, nor for those who live in His care.
Are you struggling with more questions than answers today?
Did the road of life you thought you were traveling disappear in the storms of life?
Wait on Him to reveal His purposes. What surprises you and me, is never a surprise to the Omniscient One.
Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you. ...
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. ..." (Psalm 37:2-7, NLT)
__________________________
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Dry bones! Live again!
It doesn't get much more dead than Ezekiel's vision of the valley of dry bones! Familiar with it? In the 37th chapter of his book, the prophet tells of being set in the middle of a valley that was full of bones, bleached and dried by the sun. The flesh that clothed the bones is gone. The sinews that connected the bones - gone. Any semblance of life- gone. There in that scene of absolute desolation, God asks him, "Can these bones live?" What a question. How do would you respond to it?
With natural understanding, one would have to say, "The day for life in these bones is long since past! No, Lord, I they won't live again." Ezekiel chooses a different response. “Lord God, only you can answer that.” Ezekiel 37:3 It's not exactly a statement full of faith, but at least it allows for the possibility of life, however remote. Sometimes that is all the faith we have, just enough to allow for a possibility. According to Jesus, that is more than enough.
Now comes the test. God said, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!" Ezekiel 37:4 NIV The man of God was commanded to do something that would have looked like the height of folly to any observer. "Preach my Word to these dry bones!" God said. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Ezekiel spoke the improbable, into a situation of the impossible. And as he spoke, those bones rattled and moved! They assembled into skeletons, began to be connected, then covered with flesh. As he continued to preach, the Spirit of God swept over the corpses and "breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army." Ezekiel 37:10
It's quite a vision, isn't it? Shocking, yet captivating. It was God's message to His people who thought all hope was gone. These bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they’re saying: ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there’s nothing left of us.’ Ezekiel 37:11 The man of God needed courage, boldness, and vision to draw life back to a 'dead' nation. It was a work beyond his, or anyone's for that matter, natural ability. Who can make bones live again? That is why God said, "You, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’” Ezekiel 37:13-14
What seems dead, beyond hope, to you?
Is your marriage, which once was filled with life and love, just a barren, dead thing now?
Are your dreams for the future, hopes to make a real difference, rattling around in your mind, dried up and dead?
Is your church, once alive with the Spirit, a place of skeletons and ghosts of things past?
Is your spiritual life nothing but bones seeming dead to the Spirit of God?
God is putting the question to you - "Can these bones live?" In asking the question, He is stirring faith, be it ever so slight. As His Spirit stirs in us, let us become bold like the prophet, speaking the Words of life to a dead situation. "Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!"
Nothing is so thrilling as seeing God bring life back, breathing His healing into a person or a situation that all have concluded is beyond hope.
So, hear the Word of the Lord! Hear it yourself, then speak it.
______________________
Days Of Elijah- Mark, Robin- Integrity Music, Inc.
These are the days of Ezekiel,
The dry bones becoming as flesh;
And these are the days of Your servant David,
Rebuilding the temple of praise.
These are the days of the harvest,
The fields are as white in the world,
And we are the laborers in the vineyard,
Declaring the word of the Lord.
Behold He comes riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call;
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee,
Out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
© 1997 Daybreak Music, Ltd. (Admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
With natural understanding, one would have to say, "The day for life in these bones is long since past! No, Lord, I they won't live again." Ezekiel chooses a different response. “Lord God, only you can answer that.” Ezekiel 37:3 It's not exactly a statement full of faith, but at least it allows for the possibility of life, however remote. Sometimes that is all the faith we have, just enough to allow for a possibility. According to Jesus, that is more than enough.
Now comes the test. God said, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!" Ezekiel 37:4 NIV The man of God was commanded to do something that would have looked like the height of folly to any observer. "Preach my Word to these dry bones!" God said. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, Ezekiel spoke the improbable, into a situation of the impossible. And as he spoke, those bones rattled and moved! They assembled into skeletons, began to be connected, then covered with flesh. As he continued to preach, the Spirit of God swept over the corpses and "breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army." Ezekiel 37:10
It's quite a vision, isn't it? Shocking, yet captivating. It was God's message to His people who thought all hope was gone. These bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they’re saying: ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there’s nothing left of us.’ Ezekiel 37:11 The man of God needed courage, boldness, and vision to draw life back to a 'dead' nation. It was a work beyond his, or anyone's for that matter, natural ability. Who can make bones live again? That is why God said, "You, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’” Ezekiel 37:13-14
What seems dead, beyond hope, to you?
Is your marriage, which once was filled with life and love, just a barren, dead thing now?
Are your dreams for the future, hopes to make a real difference, rattling around in your mind, dried up and dead?
Is your church, once alive with the Spirit, a place of skeletons and ghosts of things past?
Is your spiritual life nothing but bones seeming dead to the Spirit of God?
God is putting the question to you - "Can these bones live?" In asking the question, He is stirring faith, be it ever so slight. As His Spirit stirs in us, let us become bold like the prophet, speaking the Words of life to a dead situation. "Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!"
Nothing is so thrilling as seeing God bring life back, breathing His healing into a person or a situation that all have concluded is beyond hope.
So, hear the Word of the Lord! Hear it yourself, then speak it.
______________________
Days Of Elijah- Mark, Robin- Integrity Music, Inc.
These are the days of Ezekiel,
The dry bones becoming as flesh;
And these are the days of Your servant David,
Rebuilding the temple of praise.
These are the days of the harvest,
The fields are as white in the world,
And we are the laborers in the vineyard,
Declaring the word of the Lord.
Behold He comes riding on the clouds,
Shining like the sun at the trumpet call;
Lift your voice, it's the year of jubilee,
Out of Zion's hill salvation comes.
© 1997 Daybreak Music, Ltd. (Admin. by Integrity Music, Inc.)
CCLI License No. 810055
Monday, July 11, 2005
"It's in the bank."
When I anticipate a big expense I like to set aside money to meet it so that when the bill arrives, I know that the resource needed is 'in the bank.' When there are more expenses than there are resources, real stress develops. What needs and challenges face you at this time? As you evaluate and prepare your response to the demands of life are you including all of your resources?
As you know from a TFTD last week, my 50th birthday was 7/7/2005. I was not thrilled at reaching this milestone. Did growing older mean that I was facing diminished productivity? It felt like that to me, until yesterday, in a time of tribute at the church, when my friend Phil made a statement about God's resources that keeps echoing in my head. "Jerry, you have never been better prepared to do what God has planned for you to do than you are today!" He is right. God has given me a large store of resources for serving Him; equipping me with experience, knowledge, a great place of ministry, a good team of partners, etc. that enables me to meet the demands of ministry with confidence. Everything I need to fulfill His purpose is "in the bank." If I am faithful receive and use God's gifts, these next years have the potential to be the richest I've ever known!
Peter reminds all of us that "As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!" (2 Peter 1:3, NLT) The Message paraphrases it this way - "Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God." (2 Peter 1:3, The Message) All that you need to do His will, to please Him today is "in the bank." God is about abundance: overflowing grace, overwhelming mercy, powerful spiritual gifts, and amazing love. In response to His abundance, two questions beg our answer.
a. Will we receive, by faith, what He has provided to us to meet the demands of this day?
b. Will we be good stewards, passing the blessings along to the needs of every kind that come our way?
The Scripture teaches us that a primary reason we lack resources is that we fail to ask God to provide. (James 4.2) Jesus told us to simply ask God for what we need each day.
Of course, our requests need to be matched with good stewardship. God never promised us that He would give us everything we wanted to enable us to live selfishly. In fact, James also says that one of the reasons we don't get what we ask for is "because your whole motive is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." (James 4.3) God will not pour resources into us simply to make us fat and happy! He blesses us with every spiritual blessing in order that we will be a blessing to the world around us.
So, today, when you're reviewing your needs, the demands of life that are presented to you, accept God's resources. Let Him equip you to do exceedingly more than you ever thought possible from His abundant store in Heaven.
___________________________________
He Giveth More Grace
He giveth more grace,
When the burden grows greater.
He sendeth more strength,
When the labors increase.
To added affliction,
He addeth His mercy.
To multiplied trials,
His multiplied peace.
His love has no limit,
His grace has no measure.
His pow'r has no boundary,
Known to men.
For out of His infinite
Riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth,
And giveth again.
When we have exhausted,
Our store of endurance.
When our strength has failed,
Ere the day is half done.
When we reach the end,
Of our hoarded resources.
Our Father's full giving
Is only begun.
© 1941. Renewed 1969 Lillenas Publishing Company (Admin. by The Copyright Company)
CCLI License No. 810055
As you know from a TFTD last week, my 50th birthday was 7/7/2005. I was not thrilled at reaching this milestone. Did growing older mean that I was facing diminished productivity? It felt like that to me, until yesterday, in a time of tribute at the church, when my friend Phil made a statement about God's resources that keeps echoing in my head. "Jerry, you have never been better prepared to do what God has planned for you to do than you are today!" He is right. God has given me a large store of resources for serving Him; equipping me with experience, knowledge, a great place of ministry, a good team of partners, etc. that enables me to meet the demands of ministry with confidence. Everything I need to fulfill His purpose is "in the bank." If I am faithful receive and use God's gifts, these next years have the potential to be the richest I've ever known!
Peter reminds all of us that "As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!" (2 Peter 1:3, NLT) The Message paraphrases it this way - "Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God." (2 Peter 1:3, The Message) All that you need to do His will, to please Him today is "in the bank." God is about abundance: overflowing grace, overwhelming mercy, powerful spiritual gifts, and amazing love. In response to His abundance, two questions beg our answer.
a. Will we receive, by faith, what He has provided to us to meet the demands of this day?
b. Will we be good stewards, passing the blessings along to the needs of every kind that come our way?
The Scripture teaches us that a primary reason we lack resources is that we fail to ask God to provide. (James 4.2) Jesus told us to simply ask God for what we need each day.
Of course, our requests need to be matched with good stewardship. God never promised us that He would give us everything we wanted to enable us to live selfishly. In fact, James also says that one of the reasons we don't get what we ask for is "because your whole motive is wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure." (James 4.3) God will not pour resources into us simply to make us fat and happy! He blesses us with every spiritual blessing in order that we will be a blessing to the world around us.
So, today, when you're reviewing your needs, the demands of life that are presented to you, accept God's resources. Let Him equip you to do exceedingly more than you ever thought possible from His abundant store in Heaven.
___________________________________
He Giveth More Grace
He giveth more grace,
When the burden grows greater.
He sendeth more strength,
When the labors increase.
To added affliction,
He addeth His mercy.
To multiplied trials,
His multiplied peace.
His love has no limit,
His grace has no measure.
His pow'r has no boundary,
Known to men.
For out of His infinite
Riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth,
And giveth again.
When we have exhausted,
Our store of endurance.
When our strength has failed,
Ere the day is half done.
When we reach the end,
Of our hoarded resources.
Our Father's full giving
Is only begun.
© 1941. Renewed 1969 Lillenas Publishing Company (Admin. by The Copyright Company)
CCLI License No. 810055
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)