I love walking among students who are in their early teen years! They are not sophisticated enough to hide their feelings, but are old enough to act somewhat independently of their parents. The 'herd mentality' is fully evidenced by their imitation of the leader of the pack. Whatever she wears becomes 'the look' others attempt to copy. His words, even the tone of those words, becomes the pattern for his friends. Mass media now makes it possible for a single girl (at this moment think Miley Cyrus, a.k.a. - Hannah Montana) to become the model for millions. Her 'look' is the look if you're a 13 year old girl.
Of course, it is not just kids that want to fit in. Stop by the local law firm and see all the suits! And, there are always those who are non-conforming, who seek uniqueness by being completely different, which is still a kind of 'conformity!' If short hair is in, they go long. If formal dress is the norm, they wear the Hawaiian print shirt. They are still reacting to others, even in their 'difference.'
Disciples of Jesus Christ have a greater ideal! We who follow Him must wrestle with the innate need for peer approval and determine that we will serve Him. In John's gospel we read of some who wanted to follow Jesus but they were too afraid of the pressure of their friends. Take a look. "Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God." (John 12:42-43, NLT) The Word warns us that "The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that. " (Proverbs 29:25, The Message)
What is 'cool' with others changes. If we spend too much time looking around, measuring ourselves by how well we fit into contemporary standards, we will become slaves of fashions and fads, unable to serve or please God. That is why the Word tells us "Since God assured us, "I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6, The Message)
Pray that the Spirit of God will make you fearless in the face of criticism or peer pressure. Walk humbly before God and seek His approval. He will guide us to life that really matters, away from the superficiality of this present world and its changing standards. Here's a word from the Word. Let the wisdom found here go deep into your mind and heart today.
"Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
"Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven." (Matthew 10:28-33, NLT)
_____________________________
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Helen Lemmell © Public Domain
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Fools despise discipline.
Our son, Sean, a teacher, called me a week or so ago to say, "Thanks, Dad, for finding the balance between love and fear, for instilling a healthy respect for authority in me when I was a child, and for teaching me about consequences for my actions." His thanks was prompted by his interaction with high school students who think that they are acting in their own best interest by ignoring authority and doing their own thing. When my sons and daughters were in my care, I wanted them to know they were loved and I knew they needed to be disciplined, no matter how much conflict or unhappiness it brought in the short term. We laugh today about one of my favorite parenting lines: "I'm not your best friend; I'm your father."
Which child is a happier person when they reach adulthood? Is it the one who is indulged and pampered who becomes a irresponsible person who thinks the world revolves around their needs, OR the one who is disciplined and knows how to show up for work, form lasting relationships with 'give and take,' and who knows the importance of following the rules? The disciplined one is the happier person for enjoys freedom that only comes to those who know self-control!
Discipline is a means to greater freedom and joy for God's children, too. When we practice spiritual disciplines, we are trained as 'athletes of God' and the well-conditioned soul is able to better respond to God's leading. Discipline gives us freedom from slavery to our appetites, the ability to choose. In the book of Hebrews we learn: "Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves.Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them.But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God." -- [12:11-12 The Message]
Those who live a disciplined life are often mocked by those whose lives are in lived in disarray under the guise of 'freedom.' "Why do you put so much emphasis on things like being on-time, keeping orderly records, picking up trash, etc.?" I am sometimes asked. The reason is that I find when the small things are tended and kept in order, the larger issues of life fall into place. For example, some people find filing their income tax a real chore. It takes me less than two hours every year. Why? Because I keep my financial records up to date and properly filed, on a weekly basis. Another example- a long, long time ago I committed myself to paying my bills on time and only spending money I had in hand. Now, because I am not swamped by credit card debt, I have less stress, pay very little interest to banks (other than my mortgage!) and can support the work of God with my tithe!
Do I always enjoy meeting deadlines, putting work over pleasure, mowing my lawn on a hot day, or polishing my shoes? Not any more than anyone else. But, I make those choices because I realize the freedom that discipline produces and I know that larger problems are less likely to develop tomorrow when the right choice is made today. Believers want to know God and to walk with Him in joyful freedom! I cannot recall ever having a discussion with a Christian who said, "Jerry, I just want to do the minimums, live spiritually on the edge, and squeak into Heaven by the razor edge of grace!" Yet, that is exactly where many live.
So how do we enter into the richness of God's glory here and now?
There are no 'magic pills' that will produce instantaneous or effortless spiritual health. There are choices to be made, disciplines to practiced. Start with small choices like:
- turning off the TV an hour earlier and going to bed so you canget up and have time to prayerfully meditate and take in some Scripture before rushing out the door to work;
-planning weekend activities with a high priority commitment tojoining in corporate worship every week;
-dealing with issues of the soul in their infancy rather thantrying to conquer them when they are engrained habits...
small choices that prepare us to receive God's grace in big ways.
One writer puts it this way: "Each of us becomes another Michelangelo, for choice is nothing other than the chisel we use to sculpt our life. The chisel doesn't come free, however, for the price of choice is responsibility. But when we accept and carry out our responsibility, the reward is great. The reward is happiness."
God has provided the means for freedom of choice by giving us salvation from sin, through the gracious gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. Now, let us use that freedom to grow into Christians who live worthy of His investment in us.
_________________
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7, NIV)
"If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:25, NLT)
Which child is a happier person when they reach adulthood? Is it the one who is indulged and pampered who becomes a irresponsible person who thinks the world revolves around their needs, OR the one who is disciplined and knows how to show up for work, form lasting relationships with 'give and take,' and who knows the importance of following the rules? The disciplined one is the happier person for enjoys freedom that only comes to those who know self-control!
Discipline is a means to greater freedom and joy for God's children, too. When we practice spiritual disciplines, we are trained as 'athletes of God' and the well-conditioned soul is able to better respond to God's leading. Discipline gives us freedom from slavery to our appetites, the ability to choose. In the book of Hebrews we learn: "Only irresponsible parents leave children to fend for themselves.Would you prefer an irresponsible God? We respect our own parents for training and not spoiling us, so why not embrace God's training so we can truly live? While we were children, our parents did what seemed best to them.But God is doing what is best for us, training us to live God's holy best. At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God." -- [12:11-12 The Message]
Those who live a disciplined life are often mocked by those whose lives are in lived in disarray under the guise of 'freedom.' "Why do you put so much emphasis on things like being on-time, keeping orderly records, picking up trash, etc.?" I am sometimes asked. The reason is that I find when the small things are tended and kept in order, the larger issues of life fall into place. For example, some people find filing their income tax a real chore. It takes me less than two hours every year. Why? Because I keep my financial records up to date and properly filed, on a weekly basis. Another example- a long, long time ago I committed myself to paying my bills on time and only spending money I had in hand. Now, because I am not swamped by credit card debt, I have less stress, pay very little interest to banks (other than my mortgage!) and can support the work of God with my tithe!
Do I always enjoy meeting deadlines, putting work over pleasure, mowing my lawn on a hot day, or polishing my shoes? Not any more than anyone else. But, I make those choices because I realize the freedom that discipline produces and I know that larger problems are less likely to develop tomorrow when the right choice is made today. Believers want to know God and to walk with Him in joyful freedom! I cannot recall ever having a discussion with a Christian who said, "Jerry, I just want to do the minimums, live spiritually on the edge, and squeak into Heaven by the razor edge of grace!" Yet, that is exactly where many live.
So how do we enter into the richness of God's glory here and now?
There are no 'magic pills' that will produce instantaneous or effortless spiritual health. There are choices to be made, disciplines to practiced. Start with small choices like:
- turning off the TV an hour earlier and going to bed so you canget up and have time to prayerfully meditate and take in some Scripture before rushing out the door to work;
-planning weekend activities with a high priority commitment tojoining in corporate worship every week;
-dealing with issues of the soul in their infancy rather thantrying to conquer them when they are engrained habits...
small choices that prepare us to receive God's grace in big ways.
One writer puts it this way: "Each of us becomes another Michelangelo, for choice is nothing other than the chisel we use to sculpt our life. The chisel doesn't come free, however, for the price of choice is responsibility. But when we accept and carry out our responsibility, the reward is great. The reward is happiness."
God has provided the means for freedom of choice by giving us salvation from sin, through the gracious gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. Now, let us use that freedom to grow into Christians who live worthy of His investment in us.
_________________
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7, NIV)
"If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." (James 1:25, NLT)
Love them all!
My senses were overwhelmed by the pungent odor surrounding the man standing in the hallway outside of my office. My eyes took note of the advanced state of decay of his teeth and his very dirty clothing. The inclination was to dismiss him as yet another beggar stopping by for a hand-out, to see him as a failed human being. It's so much easier to deal with human need by judging someone as 'lazy and therefore deserving of their situation,' than it is to love him and be drawn into his crisis. But, who am I to look down on this man? Do I know how or why he came to this state? Can I so quickly assume that it is just a flawed character or failure to make good choices? That may well be true. It might also be that he suffers from mental illness; that he was abused terribly as a child and is deeply emotionally scarred; that some life trauma left him unable to cope with life; or ....
Yes, life is far too complex to understand another human being in 30 seconds!
God judges and asks me to love! He alone sees the full context of another's life. I see but a small window of time. That is why Jesus says, "Don’t condemn others, and God won’t condemn you. God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them. You can see the speck in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the log in your own eye. How can you say, "My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you don’t see the log in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:1-4, CEV) There are days when I fail miserably, when I am short-tempered, full of Self, in the grip of my sinful nature! But those days have a context within my whole life. Sometimes they come when I am weary from the struggle or overwhelmed with responsibilities. God does not suspend His expectations of me when life is hard, but neither does He dismiss me as a failure on the bad days! The Bible teaches me that He comes to me in those moments as my Comforter, my Advocate; Who "helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26, NIV)
Pray for grace to love them all;
the good, the bad;
the whole, the broken;
the clean, the dirty;
the together, the fragmented;
the beautiful, the marred.
It's costly to love those in need. Love will not allow us to turn from them or to blame them for their plight! Love will engage, hope, invest, and redeem. That's what love did for me. I am a debtor to grace, with no reason for pride! Here's a word from the Word. May it help us to love them all! "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11, NIV)
_____________________________
I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me;
Now safe am I.
Love lifted me!
Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me.
Souls in danger, look above;
Jesus completely saves.
He will lift you by His love
Out of the angry waves.
He's the Master of the sea,
Billows His will obey.
He your Savior wants to be,
Be saved today.
Love Lifted Me
Howard E. Smith © Public Domain
Yes, life is far too complex to understand another human being in 30 seconds!
God judges and asks me to love! He alone sees the full context of another's life. I see but a small window of time. That is why Jesus says, "Don’t condemn others, and God won’t condemn you. God will be as hard on you as you are on others! He will treat you exactly as you treat them. You can see the speck in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the log in your own eye. How can you say, "My friend, let me take the speck out of your eye," when you don’t see the log in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:1-4, CEV) There are days when I fail miserably, when I am short-tempered, full of Self, in the grip of my sinful nature! But those days have a context within my whole life. Sometimes they come when I am weary from the struggle or overwhelmed with responsibilities. God does not suspend His expectations of me when life is hard, but neither does He dismiss me as a failure on the bad days! The Bible teaches me that He comes to me in those moments as my Comforter, my Advocate; Who "helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." (Romans 8:26, NIV)
Pray for grace to love them all;
the good, the bad;
the whole, the broken;
the clean, the dirty;
the together, the fragmented;
the beautiful, the marred.
It's costly to love those in need. Love will not allow us to turn from them or to blame them for their plight! Love will engage, hope, invest, and redeem. That's what love did for me. I am a debtor to grace, with no reason for pride! Here's a word from the Word. May it help us to love them all! "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." (1 John 4:7-11, NIV)
_____________________________
I was sinking deep in sin,
Far from the peaceful shore,
Very deeply stained within,
Sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry,
From the waters lifted me;
Now safe am I.
Love lifted me!
Love lifted me!
When nothing else could help,
Love lifted me.
Love lifted me.
Souls in danger, look above;
Jesus completely saves.
He will lift you by His love
Out of the angry waves.
He's the Master of the sea,
Billows His will obey.
He your Savior wants to be,
Be saved today.
Love Lifted Me
Howard E. Smith © Public Domain
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
"Lord, send me!"
When I was a little boy I loved when missionaries came to our church. They laid out pottery, animals skins, and hand-made tools from countries far away. They showed slides of churches in jungles full of people who looked so much different from me. And, they told amazing stories about fording raging rivers, holding great revivals, and the ways that God sent them just what they needed at the last minute! Somehow I began to think that missionaries were the really great Christians, God's Special Forces, with a higher calling than the rest of us. More than one Sunday night, during the prayer time that always ended the meetings, I told the Lord that if He wanted me in the jungle somewhere, I was ready to go. Those prayers, I realized as I grew older, reflected more of a child's romantic notions of adventure than a sense of Heaven's high calling!
I now know that God's calling doesn't start when a person boards a flight to Zimbabwe or Uzbekistan to be a missionary! People in desperate need live in my city. The work to bring Christ to them may not be as exotic, the stories not so dramatic; but the need is just as great. Familiarity can - and indeed often does - blind us to the spiritual poverty of our neighbors. Jesus once urged his disciples to take another look, with eyes that could see what was real-
"As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! " (John 4:35, The Message)
Would He say the same to us, friend?
Would He urge us to take another look at our extended families, our next door neighbors, our fellow Americans taking note of their spiritual hunger?
Bringing the Gospel to our neighbors probably won't involve a big tent filled with half-naked kids, like the missionary's pictures showed. It isn't all that likely that we will have to cross flood-swollen rivers in a dug-out canoe to preach to a remote village or face the danger of a local chief's hostility! (Yep, I remember those stories like I heard them yesterday!) Our missions work will be done in the ordinary - praying faithfully for people to know Him, living a life that is remarkable for the beauty of His holiness, loving when unloved, maintaining hope when others are despairing.
America needs missionaries, and God is calling us to service. We are a nation is inundated with pornography, enslaved by greed, and deceived by pleasure worship. Our political system is broken, our justice system is failing, our prisons are overflowing; the poor grow poorer, the powerful oppress. Covenants are meaningless, churches are lifeless, religion is everywhere, but God is ignored even by many 'Christians.'
The words of an ancient prophet challenged me today. I pray they will stir you, take you to your knees, and cause you to report for duty in the service of the Lord.
"God's message came to me .. "Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can’t tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there’s no difference between right and wrong. They’re contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level. Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want. Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, "This is what God, the Master, says …" when God hasn’t said so much as one word. Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.’
"I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn’t have to destroy it." - (Ezekiel 22:26-30, The Message)
He's looking for someone to 'stand in the gap.' Will you?
______________________________________
Touch through me, Holy Spirit,
Touch through me.
Let my hands reach out to others
Touch through me.
There's a lonely soul somewhere
Needing just one friend to care.
Touch through me, Holy Spirit,
Touch through me.
My hands will be Your hands
Reaching out to others.
My lips will not be slothful,
Lord, to speak.
I will be that good Samaritan
To someone else in need.
I will be Your house to dwell in
Live through me.
Touch Through Me
Dottie Rambo © 1981 John T. Benson Publishing Company (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Coolsprings Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)CCLI License No. 810055
I now know that God's calling doesn't start when a person boards a flight to Zimbabwe or Uzbekistan to be a missionary! People in desperate need live in my city. The work to bring Christ to them may not be as exotic, the stories not so dramatic; but the need is just as great. Familiarity can - and indeed often does - blind us to the spiritual poverty of our neighbors. Jesus once urged his disciples to take another look, with eyes that could see what was real-
"As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time! " (John 4:35, The Message)
Would He say the same to us, friend?
Would He urge us to take another look at our extended families, our next door neighbors, our fellow Americans taking note of their spiritual hunger?
Bringing the Gospel to our neighbors probably won't involve a big tent filled with half-naked kids, like the missionary's pictures showed. It isn't all that likely that we will have to cross flood-swollen rivers in a dug-out canoe to preach to a remote village or face the danger of a local chief's hostility! (Yep, I remember those stories like I heard them yesterday!) Our missions work will be done in the ordinary - praying faithfully for people to know Him, living a life that is remarkable for the beauty of His holiness, loving when unloved, maintaining hope when others are despairing.
America needs missionaries, and God is calling us to service. We are a nation is inundated with pornography, enslaved by greed, and deceived by pleasure worship. Our political system is broken, our justice system is failing, our prisons are overflowing; the poor grow poorer, the powerful oppress. Covenants are meaningless, churches are lifeless, religion is everywhere, but God is ignored even by many 'Christians.'
The words of an ancient prophet challenged me today. I pray they will stir you, take you to your knees, and cause you to report for duty in the service of the Lord.
"God's message came to me .. "Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can’t tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there’s no difference between right and wrong. They’re contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level. Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want. Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, "This is what God, the Master, says …" when God hasn’t said so much as one word. Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.’
"I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn’t have to destroy it." - (Ezekiel 22:26-30, The Message)
He's looking for someone to 'stand in the gap.' Will you?
______________________________________
Touch through me, Holy Spirit,
Touch through me.
Let my hands reach out to others
Touch through me.
There's a lonely soul somewhere
Needing just one friend to care.
Touch through me, Holy Spirit,
Touch through me.
My hands will be Your hands
Reaching out to others.
My lips will not be slothful,
Lord, to speak.
I will be that good Samaritan
To someone else in need.
I will be Your house to dwell in
Live through me.
Touch Through Me
Dottie Rambo © 1981 John T. Benson Publishing Company (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Coolsprings Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)CCLI License No. 810055
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Adventure of this Day
Predictable, controlled - that's me! Surprise parties are not my thing. Unexpected guests raise my stress levels. Chaotic situations call a response from me to impose order or if that is not possible, to escape at the earliest opportunity. But the God I serve is not willing to submit Himself to my rules, my expectations, or my controls. Instead, He invites me to live the adventure that is His will. Who can really explain why God does what He does? When I read the story of Joseph and see the twists and turns of what some might call fate I realize that the Bible is very clear in communicating that God was in it all, even using the sins of others to accomplish His plan. He used scheming, jealous brothers to get Joseph from the sheep fields to Egypt. He used a wife looking for an affair to take Joseph from Potiphar's comfortable house to the Pharaoh's palace! Wasn't there another way, a less painful route for Joseph? Apparently not!
I am quite certain that God does not make anyone sin or do evil. The Bible says that "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." (James 1:13, NIV) But, the mystery of faith compels me to believe that He is both aware of the evil and where it rises up, He is capable of using it to His purposes. This mystery is at the heart of the story of the Cross of Christ! An ugly method of torture, used by the Romans to impose order through terror on their far-flung empire, became the means that God used to offer up Himself for our sins. Evil men crucified Christ and, as they spilled His blood on the earth, love and life blossomed. Rational? Not really! It is revealed Truth, accepted by faith.
That said, I must emphasize that we are not fatalists, adrift in life, just making the best of a bad situation. The Lord calls us to work to build His kingdom, to defeat sin and evil wherever we find it. At the very same time, He works through suffering to make us more like Jesus. Our best response to life's unpredictability is to choose faith, childlike trust in Him.
Does that seem a daunting challenge? Know this: He does not ask you to muster up such faith on your own. The Spirit is actively helping you, right now, to stand. The Bible teaches us that "the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory." (Romans 8:26-30, NLT)
The following words were scratched into a wall of the Warsaw Ghetto by an unknown Jew during the Second World War. Death was all around. The face of God was obscured by terrible darkness. But, faith was there too. Take a look.
"I believe in the sun, even if it does not shine.
I believe in love even if I do not feel it.
I believe in God, even if I do not see Him."
Ask God this day for faith to walk the adventure that is life, without fear, boldly trusting Him to lead the way. Here's a word from the Word. I pray for this to nourish your soul as you receive it right now.
"The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.. . . It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him. . . .
By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff." (Hebrews 11:1,6,24-26, The Message)
____________________________
Oh, lead me to the place where I can find You.
Oh, lead me to the place where You'll be.
Lead me to the cross where we first met,
Draw me to my knees so we can talk.
Let me feel Your breath,
Let me know You're here with me.
Oh, Lead Me
Martin Smith © 1994 Curious? Music UK (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
I am quite certain that God does not make anyone sin or do evil. The Bible says that "God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone." (James 1:13, NIV) But, the mystery of faith compels me to believe that He is both aware of the evil and where it rises up, He is capable of using it to His purposes. This mystery is at the heart of the story of the Cross of Christ! An ugly method of torture, used by the Romans to impose order through terror on their far-flung empire, became the means that God used to offer up Himself for our sins. Evil men crucified Christ and, as they spilled His blood on the earth, love and life blossomed. Rational? Not really! It is revealed Truth, accepted by faith.
That said, I must emphasize that we are not fatalists, adrift in life, just making the best of a bad situation. The Lord calls us to work to build His kingdom, to defeat sin and evil wherever we find it. At the very same time, He works through suffering to make us more like Jesus. Our best response to life's unpredictability is to choose faith, childlike trust in Him.
Does that seem a daunting challenge? Know this: He does not ask you to muster up such faith on your own. The Spirit is actively helping you, right now, to stand. The Bible teaches us that "the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory." (Romans 8:26-30, NLT)
The following words were scratched into a wall of the Warsaw Ghetto by an unknown Jew during the Second World War. Death was all around. The face of God was obscured by terrible darkness. But, faith was there too. Take a look.
"I believe in the sun, even if it does not shine.
I believe in love even if I do not feel it.
I believe in God, even if I do not see Him."
Ask God this day for faith to walk the adventure that is life, without fear, boldly trusting Him to lead the way. Here's a word from the Word. I pray for this to nourish your soul as you receive it right now.
"The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.. . . It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him. . . .
By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff." (Hebrews 11:1,6,24-26, The Message)
____________________________
Oh, lead me to the place where I can find You.
Oh, lead me to the place where You'll be.
Lead me to the cross where we first met,
Draw me to my knees so we can talk.
Let me feel Your breath,
Let me know You're here with me.
Oh, Lead Me
Martin Smith © 1994 Curious? Music UK (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)
CCLI License No. 810055
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