You CAN, but will you?

Often people tell me, “There’s just no way I could do (fill in name of ministry, goal, experience).”  Most of the time what that really means is that they are just not motivated to put in the effort or do not feel it is important enough to go through the tough stuff required.  For example, someone recently invited me to participate in a 10K run. “Thanks” I replied, “but I could never run that distance.”  Yes, I could with some consistent effort and training. The truth is, I’m not interested in doing the training.

When God calls, He equips. If He extends an invitation to you to live a holy life, to perform some act of ministry for His church, to serve someone in need, to carry a burden on behalf of another, you can do it. The real question is not ability; it’s willingness.

I regularly am tempted by thoughts of inability and/or incompetence. I wonder if my sermons are just more babbling, adding to the excess of words in the world.  The rapid changes in the world around me cause me to question my ability to relate to, even to understand, the culture into which I bring the Gospel.  IF I allow myself to compare myself to others who enjoy a different kind of 'success,' I too readily blame myself for not having the necessary skills to see the results they enjoy.    I know this:  those thoughts do not come from God!  They are an upside down expression of pride, a focus on me instead of Him!  They are way for me to avoid fulfilling my calling! 

 

When God met Moses in the desert, at the flaming bush, He called him to become Israel’s deliverer from Egypt.  In spite of the wonder of the situation of his call, Moses was reluctant. Repeatedly Moses offered excuses.  “Who am I, that the people would listen to me?” he asked.  He told God, “They won’t trust me. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re going to say, ‘God? Appear to him? Hardly!’ ”  (Exodus 4:1, The Message)  Then, he whined, “O Lord, I’m just not a good speaker. I never have been, and I’m not now, even after you have spoken to me. I’m clumsy with words.” (Exodus 4:10, NLT)   At each excuse, the Lord met Moses with assurance that the real issue was not Moses’ competence, but His.  And we know the rest of the story.  This man, who tried so hard to dodge his calling, became the law-giver, the father of the nation, God’s man!

The lesson for us is clear and compelling.  God is still building His Church (not a building this time but a body of people) and the Spirit is actively working to equip each one to fulfill their calling!  "God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all." (1 Corinthians 12:4-6, The Message)    What can you do in the work of God?   What kind of spiritual gift has been invested in you?   Serving, speaking, praying, giving, teaching, leading worship, encouraging, building, making art, telling the Gospel ... the list is long and God has promised us that His Spirit will put skills, ability, and knowledge in us that makes us effective.

This is no excuse for failure to prepare through study, with mentors, and by starting with small efforts.  The Lord demands diligence of us, but simultaneously requires total dependence on Him!  We tend to fall into one extreme or the other:  either thinking it's all up to me (and making ourselves more susceptible to feelings of failure) or just sitting back and waiting for God to make puppets of us.   Somebody said, "We must work like it all depends on us and pray like it all depends on Him!"   There's a lot of wisdom in that.  The Word says,  "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.   ... So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:3, 10-11, NLT)

Feeling incompetent? Excusing yourself from disciplines of the Spirit? Resisting God’s call?  Focus away from yourself to the One who calls.  He is able “to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Eph 3:20) 

You are a healer

Are you a healer?  Perhaps that causes you to think of the ‘divine healers’ that put on a big show, praying dramatic and loud prayers over those who suffer. Maybe the ideas of ‘divine healing’ and snake oil are one and the same in your mind. Before you dismiss the whole idea because of the abuses of frauds who try to profit from the gullible, consider the truth. The gift of healing is given by the Spirit to the Church.  Jesus went about healing during His entire ministry. James offers practical instruction about the ministry of healing.  A serious student of the Bible will soon realize that healing, in the fullest sense of the word, is woven through Christian experience.

The Bible, from Genesis on, tells us that sin’s curse causes affliction and death. God sends us salvation so that we may enjoy wholeness and life. Jesus was not just a teacher of morals with a mission to help people make better choices! He came to confront evil and to defeat sin for us and in us so that we could gain eternal life as well as life that is abundant.  In other words, He came to heal! "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10, NIV)  “Save” is a word that includes the idea of restoration, of removal of suffering, and making whole; in other words, healing.

Healing is not just limited to broken bodies. Healing is for the heart, the mind, the soul, too. In fact, wholeness starts on the inside, with a transformation of the person. The Gospel of Christ, when received by faith, restores the identity of the person as God’s child and brings eternal life. That is the best healing, isn’t it? And, then there is healing for our relationships, healing our world with peace, and even healing of our bodies through prayer. Every Christian is a healer. By the Spirit of God, we are given the privilege of setting wrong right, of praying powerfully to defeat evil, and yes, to give our lives in the pursuit of bringing His reign to a world that rebels against Him.

The Word promises so much. We read that "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, NIV)

In the letter of James, the Spirit teaches us that experiencing wholeness requires authentic confession, too. We cannot divorce our choices from consequence, but we can face the past, look at our lives honestly, and find forgiveness and healing. "Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master." (James 5:14, The Message)  "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with." (James 5:16, The Message)  We know that ultimately all sickness, disease, and even death are the result of sin and the Curse. However, we need to be careful about judging those who suffer (and even ourselves!) by attempting to draw direct cause and effect lines from sickness to personal sin.  Only God ultimately judges in that way. However, when we suffer, when we are sick, we do well to ask the Spirit to reveal if there is something in us, some choice we make, that literally is making us sick. Things like forgiveness, bitterness, hatred, faithlessness will negatively affect our health – emotional, spiritual, and physical.  That’s why confession is so important to healing.  We deal with cause rather than just symptom.

Healing is a blessing.  Remember, we are not healers in ourselves, we are given the ministry of healing.  Only God heals, and He does so in His will, and in His time.  So, full of faith (the kind that trusts radically) let’s pray to make our world a better place, to restore what Satan and sin have stolen, for the glory of God. "Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." (Hebrews 4:14-16, The Message)

Mercy Me sings "Hurt and Healer"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeNSlQWdgec

But, Lord, You promised!

The old gospel song was a standard in Sunday night services. It invited God’s people to be ‘standing on the promises of God.’  Promises are a wonderful thing, especially when you know that the one who makes them is trustworthy.  It is important, however, to know what His promise is, not just what you want it to be. Christians sometimes pull a verse out of the Bible and turn it into something that the Spirit never intended it to be. When it appears that the Lord has not kept His promise, their faith takes a real hit and, sometimes, they even walk away bitter and disillusioned, thinking God has failed them.

As Jesus was about to begin His public ministry, Luke tells us that the Spirit led Him into the desert where He was tested for 40 days!  While He prayed and fasted, the devil came to Him. The third temptation is one we need to note with particular interest. "Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He orders his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.’ ” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ ” When the Devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came." (Luke 4:9-13, NLT)  Isn’t that amazing? The Devil quotes the Holy Word! He takes a promise of God and twists it into permission for foolishness! “Go ahead and put yourself in harm’s way, Jesus.  God has promised that He will rescue You.”  Jesus treats the Word with reverence and puts the promise into the full context of God’s revelation. He tells the devil that God has promised protection. He doesn’t have permission to presume on His Father’s power.

Jesus alludes to a passage in Deuteronomy 6. The full text says, "Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers." (16-18, NIV)   Massah was the site where the Israelites complained about a lack of water. Instead of just presented the need to the Lord, they turned it into a reason to gripe and to doubt. When they were thirsty, they questioned, “Is the Lord with us or not?  Why did He lead us out of Egypt to let us die?”  (Exodus 17:7)  In a real sense, they were thought they needed to pressure God to keep His promises, instead of relying in full faith on His provision! Moses reminded the people that God had, and always would, provide for them if they would remain obedient and faithful at all times. They did not need to bribe, bully, or beg to get His attention. They only had to walk with Him.  He would do what He said, for He trustworthy and true.

We will come to times in our lives where we are tested, too.  With our limited vision, it may appear that God is not keeping His promise. The temptation in such times is to cry, “Why? But, Lord, You promised!”  Jesus shows us a better way than to test Him with our whining or reluctance to serve.  Jesus shows that we must trust and obey, not testing His patience or grace.  When we live in full faith we will not demand anything from God even as we rely on Him for everything!  We will not argue for an easier call, beg for a different way, or doubt when things go wrong.  Instead, we will deepen our faith – asking only to be led by His hand. And, He is faithful.  If we need a course correction, He will lead us.  If we are to walk through the valley, He will be there with us.

Stand on the promises of God!  Let them bring you such a radical assurance that your faith is unwavering, your obedience complete.  Here’s a word of promise from our Savior. Note the interplay of promise and obedience.  When we trust Him enough to obey without question, our will aligns with His in such a way that we are empowered in wonderful ways.  Meditate on this and live it. "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love." (John 15:7-10, NIV)

___________

Take My Life

Take my life and let it be,
consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing

Always only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold

Not a mite would I withhold

Take my intellect and use

Ev'ry power as You choose.

Here am I, all of me.

Take my life, it's all for Thee.

Take my will and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart it is Thine own

It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord I pour,

At Your feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be

Ever only all for Thee.

Chris Tomlin | Frances Ridley Havergal | Henri Abraham Cesar Malan | Louie Giglio

© 2003 worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

In the Dark? Alone and afraid?

I visited an elderly lady who was hospitalized after a fall.  As I rounded the corner in the hall near her room, I heard her shaky voice, “Somebody help me. Please.” She repeated it again.  She felt alone, afraid, unsure of why she wasn’t ‘home,’ and where she was.  Then, I stepped into the room. It was like a light turned on. Her face brightened with recognition. Despite the dementia that has stolen much of her mind, she  knew my face and my presence calmed her. I pulled a chair close to her and we talked.  When my visit was over, we prayed together and her love for Jesus was evident as she joined in my prayers with quiet ‘amens’ and murmured agreement.  Yes, she may be in the twilight of life, but the Light shines deep in her heart!

Jesus promised His Presence to be with each of us and says that He will dispel our fear and confusion.  Read the promise - “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12, NIV)  If Christ is your Lord, you will know purpose and direction. Some ‘walk in darkness,’ living in confusion, making one harmful choice after another, falling over obstacles. What is obviously the ‘right way’ to live for a person filled with the Light of Christ is not at all clear for that one who does not enjoy the illumination of the Spirit!  A Christian talked with me recently about some friends whose lives are a genuine mess – relationally, financially, and spiritually.  “Can’t they see the stupid mistakes they keep making over and over again?” she asked.  I assured her that they cannot, because their minds are clouded by sin, their hearts darkened by disobedience.

Christian, I urge you to ‘live in the Light!’  The Scripture makes this declaration: "You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” We stumbled around, making bad decisions, confused by life, until the Light came into our lives. So, now we can and we must choose to “Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.”  We can turn from the Light. Some do! And when they do, the purposeful, hopeful life they enjoyed is lost to the dark. That is why the Word reminds us to “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:8-14, NIV

Living in the light of Christ is not a ‘once and done’ decision. Yes, we will respond to the call of the Spirit and receive Him as our Savior.  Then, each day, we are given the choice – live obediently, accepting His leadership; or turn to Self.  When we turn from Him, we dim the light.  The further we walk from Him, the more that the darkness overtakes us.  Sin flourishes in the dark, like mold on our soul.  God has better things planned for us and calls us into the light.

There are more blessing for those who live with Christ.  The Bible says when we "walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin." (1 John 1:7, The Message)  Our connection to the Body of Believers strengthens and there is the joy of fellowship. And, in the light, sin loses its attraction, driven from us.

So, light or dark? What will you choose?  Wandering, alone and afraid or striding with purpose, toward the heavenly goals evident in the Light?  You choose.

____________

Shine, Jesus, Shine

Lord, the light of Your love is shining,

In the midst of the darkness shining.

Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us.

Set us free by the truth You now bring us!

Shine on me, shine on me!

Shine, Jesus, shine!

Fill this land

With the Father's glory.

Blaze, Spirit, blaze!

Set our hearts on fire.

Flow, river, flow!

Flood the nations

With grace and mercy.

Send forth Your word, Lord,

And let there be light.

Graham Kendrick

© 1987 Make Way Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055