The Point of Everything

Key Scripture(s): Exodus 20:4-6; Psalm 16; Matthew 10:37-39, 19:29-30.

17^th century Christian leaders defined the purpose of a human being in this way: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” We will use this purpose statement as the guiding principle for this book. Any treatment of the subject of faith should always begin here: The point of every worthwhile human hope, dream, and ambition is the glory of God. When the Bible talks about glorifying God, it means we are to “weigh him heavily” (Hebrew kavod). To weigh something heavily is to take it seriously—to make it a “big deal.” The opposite of glorifying God is taking him lightly, making little of him instead of making much of him. So the initial and foundational focus of The Gospel-Driven Life is recognizing what it actually means to give glory to God. While all people of faith will agree that it is good to “glorify God,” most of us would be helped by a clear picture of what this actually means. God is glorified in the human life on three key levels—mental, emotional, and volitional.

Mentally, God is glorified when we regard him as supreme

No thing, no person, no idea, no created thing is able to compare to God in his excellence (Exodus 20:3, Matthew 22:37-38). Because he is God, he is the measure of all things—the best and greatest of all beings in the universe. He is above all other “gods” (1 Chronicles 16:25). He is the Source and Creator of everything (Psalm 104:24). Therefore, any of us who is wise, powerful, holy, just, good, faithful, etc. derives these attributes from God, yet our wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness, faithfulness, etc. will always pale in comparison to his.

God is supreme by all comparisons. Compared to God, the most beautiful sunset appears ugly, the most orderly home appears messy, the strongest athlete appears weak, the wisest sage appears ignorant, the most interesting teacher appears dull, the most courageous hero appears a coward, the most feminine woman appears masculine, the most masculine man appears feminine. Nothing, and no one, deserves the respect, attention, and honor that God does—he is the supreme and unrivaled measure of all beauty, excellence and worth. Just as the moon shines a light that is derived from another source (the sun), anything and anyone that is desirable, lovely and good derives all desirability, loveliness, and goodness from its/his/her source (God).

Emotionally, God is glorified when we gain our chief pleasure in and from him

The fact that God is the supreme, ultimate, glorious Being means that God will satisfy us more than anything else has the ability to satisfy. When good things happen to us, these good things are wonderful, but in the grand scheme they are merely appetizers that give us a taste of the ultimate feast of God himself: The best food reminds us that he God our supreme fill, the best sex reminds us that God is the supreme lover, the best victory reminds us that God is the conquering king, the best accomplishment reminds us that God does all things with perfection. Likewise, when bad things happen, the disappointment only fuels our longings for God, who pledges to fill the voids that are left in our hearts by disappointment, failure, and weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7-10), and who pledges to relieve the pain of our losses once and for all and for eternity (Revelation 21:1-5). Glorifying God, therefore, means that we find joy in his presence (1 Chronicles 16:27), in his creation (Psalm 19:1, 104:34), in his promises (Romans 8:18-25) and ultimately in the sheer beauty of who he is (Psalm 27:4). We enjoy God when we come to see and are captured by how beautiful he is. To find God beautiful is to find God satisfying in himself rather than in what he can give to us and how we can use him as a means to some other end. As Saint Augustine once wisely prayed, “You have made us for Thyself, O God. Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” Pastor and Theologian John Piper in similar fashion writes about how we are all “starved for the glory of God:”

We are starved for the glory of God, not self. No one goes to the Grand Canyon to increase self-esteem. Why do we go? Because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding splendor than there is in beholding self…The point is this: We were made to know and treasure the glory of God above all things; and when we trade that treasure for images, everything is disordered. The sun of God’s glory was made to shine at the center of the solar system of our soul. And when it does, all the planets of our life are held in their proper orbit. But when the sun is displaced, everything flies apart. The healing of the soul begins by restoring the glory of God to its flaming, all-attracting place at the center.

When we gaze in wonder at the ocean, the mountains, a beautiful woman, handsome man, or a brilliant painting (or listen to an amazing piece of music) we don’t do so in order to reach some other goal. The very sight or sound of beauty is fulfilling and life-giving in itself. So it is with our pursuit of God when we see his beauty for what it is.

Volitionally, God is glorified when we give our whole selves to him

To glorify God is to give him ultimate centrality and priority in our lives (Exodus 20:4-6). In other words, glorifying God makes him the sole basis for our decisions in all areas of life. It is to make him our most important thing, the non-negotiable in life around which all decisions are made, all goals are established, and all ambitions are centered. It means we trust him more than anything else and we obey him without caveats or conditions (John 14:21). Everything in our lives is judged by whether it enhances (or detracts from) his centrality in our lives. All of life—relationships, work, play, rest—is put under his Lordship.

We will always give our lives effortlessly to the things that we “glorify.” We will worship and serve, we will give our lives to, the things that we believe in our heart of hearts will bring our lives the most meaning. Look at your checkbook and your schedule and consider the short list of things in your life where spending money and time comes naturally. Those are the things that are most “glorious” (central) to your life and heart. When God is regarded as glorious, we will give ourselves gladly and effortlessly to him in every way (our time, abilities, resources, etc.).

Glorifying God means that we pursue a relationship with him not to use him but to enjoy him. The person who glorifies God does not seek him for ulterior purposes such as career success, good health, prosperity, romance, guidance, strength, etc. While some of these things may be given to us as gifts to be enjoyed, the heart that glorifies God is the heart that seeks him out mainly to get him. This happens when the Holy Spirit gives you a sense of God’s beauty—when thinking about who he is and what he has done (the major subject of the next several lessons!) becomes pleasing to your mind, motivating to your will, and satisfying to your heart, in itself. Rather than God becoming a means to some other end, other things become means to the end of glorifying and enjoying God. In other words, we don’t obey God mainly to get health, peace, comfort, success, etc., but to give him pleasure and honor. Making him the supreme love of our lives is what will give us true and lasting joy.

John Piper, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ (Crossway, 2001), p. 21

Get Focused!

Psalm 121:1-2 I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth”.

When Israel was being taunted by the giant Philistine named Goliath, I believe we all would agree that it was a good thing that young David, the smallest of 7 brothers, had his eyes focused upon the Lord and not on Goliath. While the rest of Israel cowered down in fear, David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine "And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you."1 Samuel 17:37

I believe that we all would also agree that it was a good thing that Joshua and Caleb saw beyond the size of the Amalekites and the Canaanites, who resided in God’s Promised Land, or the people may not ever have entered into it…..even after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness! “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it Numbers 13:30."

It was also a good thing that Elisha’s eyes were fixed upon the Lord and that he was able to see, and allow his servant to see, the Lord’s Army all around him, as he was about to engage against the Aramean army that surrounded him and seemed impossible for them to defeat. “Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see" And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” 2 Kings 6:16-18.

What are you looking at today? Are there challenges in your life to overcome? Well it is also good thing that just like David, Joshua, Caleb and Elisha, we too serve the same awesome God and we have the same ability to see past the giants in our own lives, when we are engrafted and abiding in Christ. Don’t just focus on your problems day in and day out, but instead, lift up your eyes and look toward heaven. You will naturally move in the direction that your eyes are looking. If you are always looking at your problems—meditating on them, feeling sorry for yourself, telling everybody about them—you will become consumed by them. But when you look up, your life will start to move up. When you keep your eyes on Jesus, it is also a sign of your faith and expectancy.

The Bible tells us that faith is what moves the hand of God. When you have an attitude of faith and expectancy, you open the door for His power in your life. It is awesome that we can rest in the fact that the Lord is faithful and will strengthen us and protect us from evil” 2 Thessalonians 3:3. It is also awesome that in Christ, we do not have to allow a spirit of fear or timidity to torment us 2 Timothy 1:7; 1 John 4:18, as we can do all things through Christ Who strengthen us! Philippians 4:13

Let’s set our minds on the things above and decide today to focus on the goodness of our God. Let’s all lift up our eyes and hearts to Him, begin to praise Him with our words and not be side-tracked by the things of this world Colossians 3:2.

Lord, please draw us all closer to You today. Do not allow us to be deceived into focusing on the enemies that confront us daily, but keep our eyes lifted up to You! In Jesus name we pray, Amen
Have another powerful and prosperous day of focusing your eyes on the Lord in the workplace and at home!

GOD'S PROTECTION

1 Peter 5:9 But resist him [the devil], firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world

I cannot accept someone saying, "The devil made me do it." No, he didn't make you do it; you did it. Somewhere along the line, you chose to give the devil a foothold. He merely took advantage of the opportunity you gave him. You have all the resources and protection you need to live a victorious life in Christ every day. If you're not living it, it's your choice. When you leave a door open for the devil by not resisting temptation, accusation or deception, you are vulnerable. And if you continue to allow him access to your life, he can gain a measure of control over you. You won't lose your salvation, but you will lose your daily victory.

Many Christians today who cannot control their lives in some area wallow in self-blame instead of acting responsibly to solve the problem. They berate themselves and punish themselves for not having the willpower to break a bad habit, when instead they should be resisting Satan in an area where he had obviously robbed them of control. Anything bad which you seemingly cannot stop doing, or anything good which you cannot make yourself do, could be an area of demonic control.

God's protection from demonic attack is not something you can take for granted irrespective of how you behave. This protection is conditional on your willingness to respond to God's provision. We are told to put on Christ and make no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14), to put on the armor of God and to stand firm (Ephesians 6:11), to submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7). If we irresponsibly ignore God's resources by failing to obey these commands, how can we expect Him to protect us?

Prayer:
Thank You, Lord, for the clear direction and mighty weapons You have provided for victory in spiritual warfare.

God's Word.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
--Luke 21:33

Does the Bible still have relevance for your life today? You bet!
According to our Scripture verse today, not one jot, one tittle, one mark, one abbreviation point… not one word will pass away!

God’s Word is infallible. In all that it teaches and all it affirms, it is correct and right and perfect for any time period. And the Word of God is inerrant. There are no errors in the Scripture. Can you imagine a perfect, pure God breathing out error? Certainly not! God's word is accurate!

So when you deny the authority of Scripture, you deny the authority of God. It’s as simple as that. And in effect, when you deny the authority of Scripture, you deny the work of the Holy Spirit in giving us the Scriptures and you even defame the deity of Jesus Christ, who is described in the Bible as the incarnate Word of God. His very name is the Word of God!

You see, the Word of God and the God of the Word are inseparable. You cannot separate God from His Word. Even Jesus came believing and teaching and preaching the Word of God, affirming the Old Testament and proclaiming the new and the living way of salvation.

That’s why you can trust the Bible through and through for your life today. From the very beginning of Genesis when God created the heavens and the earth until the closing chapters of the Revelation, we have the Word of God… consistent, clear, and concise… telling us how to go to heaven, how to know Jesus Christ, how to experience eternal life, how to know and worship God.

This is the Word of God! And you can trust it as your ultimate authority of life and truth for today.

READ GOD’S WORD TODAY WITH ASSURANCE IN ITS POWER AND AUTHORITY!

Following God's Schedule

Psalm 25:1-5

Waiting on God so we can discover His will is an essential discipline of the Christian life. Once we learn His plan, we must be careful to implement it in His time frame.

Following the Lord’s schedule is always to our benefit because of His...

All-encompassing knowledge. Unlike us, the Father has complete awareness about our world and the details of every individual life—past, present, and future. (Acts 17:26).

Complete wisdom. The Lord understands man’s every motive (1 Chron. 28:9) and acts accordingly. Our decision making is flawed since we cannot clearly discern people’s intentions. We make choices based on partial information, but God has the wisdom to properly interpret the facts and then take action based on truth (Rom. 11:33). He never makes a mistake.

Unending love. Through His Son, the Father offers us unconditional love. By sending Jesus to die in our place, God proved the depth of His everlasting love (1 John 4:10). He always has our best interest at heart.

Perfect sufficiency. The Lord offers us all the resources we need to carry out His plan—wisdom, strength, and skill (2 Peter 1:3).

Adhering to God’s timetable requires both faith and courage. We must believe that He knows how we should live, trust that His plan is right, and have the determination to wait until He gives a signal to proceed. Those who follow the Lord’s schedule will experience the blessing of watching Him work things together for their gain and His glory.

Good Things Versus God-Things

Romans 8:14 Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

The greatest sign that you and I are maturing in our walk with God is when we can discern the difference between "good things" and "God-things." When the people of Israel journeyed out of Egypt through the desert, they were led by the cloud by day. They could move only as fast as the cloud. If they went ahead, they went without God's presence. If they lagged behind, they also lost God's presence.

Each of us must have the discernment to know when God is leading in a matter, or if it is simply a good idea. There are so many things in which you and I can be involved, and the more successful you become, the greater the temptations to enter into things where God has not called you. Entrepreneurs are especially prone to see all the opportunities.

I recall one time when I entered into a project that I thought was a great idea. It would help many people. After two years, the project had to be discontinued. It was a great lesson on understanding what projects have God's blessing on them. There are some projects you and I might get involved in that result in little fruit compared to the investment put into them. That is because they may never have been birthed by the Holy Spirit.

As sons of God, we are called to be led by the Spirit. This requires a level of dependence on God in which many of us really do not want to invest. It requires listening, waiting, and moving only when God's Spirit tells us to move. Businesspeople are "action" people. We know how to get things done, but our greatest strength can be our greatest weakness.

Today, ask God to make you a Romans 8:14 man or woman who is led by the Spirit of God. Pray against lagging behind or moving ahead. Ask God to reveal whether the next project you consider is a "good thing" or a "God-thing."

REJOICE IN GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU!

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. --Romans 8:38-39

Is there anything you can do to keep God from loving you? You can find the answer in today’s passage. But the parable of the prodigal son is one of the most dramatic pictures of God’s love in all the Scripture.

I love how Luke 15:20 says, “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

What a picture of God Almighty! What a picture of God the Father! I like the way Phillips translates the last phrase of that verse. It says, “His father’s heart went out to him while he was yet a long way off.”

This is not a father who can’t wait to punish his sinful son. This is not a father who has written his boy off as wasted and worthless. This is a loving, caring father who cannot wait to embrace his son and to welcome him home! So the father leaves the house and runs down the road to meet his son and to embrace him and bring him in.

What I hope you see here is a picture of God the Father’s love for you. It’s an aggressive love… a love that’s eager and excessive. His love is approachable. And His love is abundant.

The prodigal son’s father didn’t hold back his emotions toward his child. And neither does God ever withhold His love from you!

REJOICE IN GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU! THEN SHARE IT WITH SOMEONE ELSE TODAY.

Be Still & Know That He is God

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

I read in the newspaper about a fighter plane that fired off a canon and was moving so fast that it overtook the bullet and shot itself down. Literally!

There are a lot of folks I know doing the same thing. They are shooting themselves down. They don’t take time to slow down and to be still and know that God is God. They don’t take time to experience His serenity and inner quietness.

Isaiah 30:15 says, “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” How much time do we take to be quiet before the Lord? If you don’t have time to do this, you are too busy! You are going to miss life looking for it.

Are you spending time alone with the Lord every day? If not, then let this be your wake-up call.

Criticizer or Encourager?

Verse 10 in the book of Jude talks about those who “speak evil of whatever they do not know.”

Criticism, many times, stems from ignorance. People tend to criticize things they do not know anything about.

A number of years ago, a man came up to me after a service. He had never been to our church before, but he was pretty upset. I had taught that particular night about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and what the Scripture had to say about speaking in other tongues.

He told me, “This church is really off-balance. You overemphasize speaking in tongues.” I asked, “Really…how many services have you been to at our church?” His reply was, “Just this one.”

So I asked him, “How many of my recorded messages have you listened to?” His response was, “None.” I told him, “That seems a little imbalanced. Why don’t you stick around for a while and find out what we’re about, then see if you feel the same after staying here for a few months.”

He said, “Okay, I will.” He ended up staying and loving the church.

Too often we are quick to criticize, even when we don’t know the whole story. Be careful about criticizing others. Too often what you hear is just rumor.

Do not be a criticizer. Be an encourager. Be a person who is known for always seeking to lift and bless, not speaking evil of whatever you do not know.

Starting Over

James 1:9 The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.


Do you find yourself in humble circumstances? If so, James tells us that we are to take pride in this "high" position. These two things would seem to be an oxymoron. Most of us would not consider humble circumstances a high position. Successful business tells us that being on top means being wealthy, attaining favor and status, or having power to influence. However, Jesus influenced not from power, but from weakness.

J.C. Penney is a name synonymous with department store. He first launched his chain of "The Golden Rule" stores in 1907. In 1910 his first wife died. Three years later, he incorporated as the J.C. Penney company. In 1923 his second wife died giving birth to his son. In 1929 the stock market crashed and he lost $40 million.

By 1932, he had to sell out to satisfy...creditors. This left [Penney] virtually broke. ...Crushed in spirit from his loss and his health suddenly failing, Penney wound up in a Battle Creek, Michigan sanitorium. One morning he heard the distant singing of employees who gathered to start the day with God: Be not dismayed, whate'er betide, God will take care of you.... Penney followed the music to its source and slipped into a back row. He left a short time later a changed man, his health and spirit renewed, and ready to start the long climb back at age fifty-six.

By 1951 there was a J.C. Penney store in every state, and for the first time sales surpassed $1 billion a year. [John Woodbridge, ed., More Than Conquerors (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1992), 340-343.]

The success of J.C. Penney can be traced to God's mercy in his life to bring him out of his humble circumstance. Do you find yourself in a humble circumstance? God is the only one who can help you see your humble circumstance from His viewpoint-a high position. It is a high position because of what God is going to teach you in this place. He does not intend you to stay there; it is merely a stopping place to learn some important things you would not learn otherwise. Press into God and trust Him for the outcome to your circumstances.

The Ultimate Franchise

Luke 2:49 And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me? Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?

Earth is God's business. He has set up many franchises (churches) designed to send His representatives (Body of Christ) into the world to make known the best product ever given to mankind (Jesus). His branch managers (pastors) have been given the responsibility to teach and support those in the field. God's goal is to establish a franchise in every nation, state, and city. It is the ultimate business because when you introduce someone to His product (Jesus), you receive a reward from the home office (Heaven). God has promised that His representatives will have all the tools and customer support needed to accomplish their strategic plans.

Jesus knew that He was to be about His Father's business. He knew He was sent to earth not to enjoy the pleasures of lowly man, but to accomplish a task for which He alone was sent. When He had accomplished His mission, He was to entrust this mission to other representatives into whom He poured His life for three years. This field training allowed Jesus to mentor, model, befriend, and demonstrate firsthand the model for a successful business to be launched and sustained.

God has big plans for His franchise. He wants every human being to partake of His product; however, even God knows that not everyone will. Nevertheless, this does not thwart His efforts in seeking to make it known among His audience.

You have been called to be part of the ultimate franchise. How many new recruits have you been responsible for bringing into the franchise lately?

How God Makes Fishermen

Matthew 4:19
"Come, follow Me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

Our calling has three distinct stages, which we can see in the lives of many called before us, to become mature fishers of men who greatly impact God's Kingdom. First, there is the gestation period. This is the development stage of our lives. It may involve years of normal work experiences. You may be a Christian during this time, or you may be following after worldly success as a non-Christian. Paul spent years in religious and political training, persecuting believers most of his early life. Moses spent years in the court of Pharaoh and 40 years tending flocks in the desert. Jesus spent 33 years living at home and working in His father's carpentry business. However, all these years were part of their preparation.

Next is the crisis stage. Sooner or later, God calls you into relationship with Him. For many, like Paul, it comes through dramatic encounters like being knocked off a horse, blinded and spoken to personally by God. Some people are more difficult than others to reach and so require this level of crisis. This is a time when major changes are required by God so that you follow Him fully. It can be a time in which God harnesses years of experience for a new life purpose. Paul's earthly experiences would be used in his calling to the religious and political leaders of his day. For Moses, the burning bush experience would begin his journey in which he would discover his ultimate calling after years of preparation. For Peter, it was his denial of Jesus three times that allowed him to face his shallow commitment to Christ. For Jesus, it was the cross. These were the benchmark turning points for men who made an impact on their world.

Last is the fruit-bearing stage. In it, God's power is manifested in your life like never before. God takes all your experiences and uses them to build His Kingdom in and through your life. Your obedience to this final call results in fruitfulness you could never imagine without the long preparation process. For Abraham, it resulted in becoming the father of many nations. For Paul, it resulted in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. And for Peter, it meant becoming the rock the Church was built on. For Jesus, it was salvation for the entire world.

What does God want to achieve through your life? God has a plan that is so incredible you cannot comprehend it. It requires only that you love Him and follow Him. Then you will become fishers of men like the world has never known.

Bad Company

Peter said, “I swear by God, I don't know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed. (Matthew 26:74)

Peter’s denial of Jesus did not happen over a period of seconds or minutes, but over a period of hours. An hour had passed from the time the first person said, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean,” to the time Peter made his second denial. He had ample opportunity to hightail it out of there, but he remained in this situation.

It just reminds us of the fact that no person is safe from temptation except the one who flees from it. Peter, having been warned by Jesus himself, of all people, should have avoided any place where he could be weakened. He definitely should have steered clear of all roosters.

I would have said, “Are there any roosters here? Because I’m leaving if there are. The Lord mentioned a rooster.”

Greater men and women of God than most of us certainly have been compromised by lowering their standards and allowing themselves to be drawn into sin.

People like Solomon. Samson. David. They all found out the hard way. Are we better than they were? Are we more spiritual than they were? I don’t think so.

If someone like Simon Peter was capable of falling, then surely we are. 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us, “Bad company corrupts good character.” Peter was around people who were dragging him down spiritually.

Are you in a similar situation today? Have you entered into relationships where people are dragging you down? Maybe it’s a romance. Maybe it’s a close friendship. Are you finding yourself compromising your principles to fit in and not offend anyone?

Perhaps you need to reconsider who your friends are. Perhaps you need to make some immediate changes.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

His Will, Not Mine

He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.” (Matthew 26:39)

There are some people who teach that we should never pray, “Not my will, but Yours be done,” because it supposedly voids what you have just prayed for.

What nonsense. If Jesus prayed this, certainly we should follow His example.

He gave us the same pattern in the Lord’s Prayer when He said, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). I never need to be afraid to say, “Lord, Your will be done.”

Then there are those who say that we should only pray for something once; otherwise, we are demonstrating a lack of faith.

Yet Jesus taught His disciples, “Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9). We give up far too easily sometimes.

We won’t always know the will of God in every situation. Then there are times when we will know the will of God, but we won’t like it. Finally, there are times when we will know the will of God, but we don’t understand it.

I like what the late D. L. Moody said, “Spread out your petition before God, and then say, ‘Thy will, not mine, be done.’ ” Moody concluded, “The sweetest lesson I have learned in God’s school is to let the Lord choose for me.”

Have you found that to be true? We must never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

Copyright © 2008 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.

Your Three-Way Calling

In Jude 1, we read the following greeting,

Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ.

The Greek word for called here is used in three different ways. As believers in Jesus Christ, this word tells us we are called to three things:

1. It is used for those who are summoned to an office, duty, or a responsibility. Friend, every believer has been called. You have a duty, you have an office, and you have a responsibility. We have all been called to do something for Christ. We are ambassadors for Christ, and we need to represent Him to a lost and dying world.

2. The word called is also used in the Greek language to summon someone to a feast or a festival. And you know what? You have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, and you will sit down one day to enjoy all the things God has planned for eternity.

3. Finally, the word translated called in this passage is used to summon someone into court to give an account for themselves, or to summon them to judgment. One day we will have to give an account of our lives. One day every one of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account for the works done in the body.

You have a responsibility to represent Christ to our dying world, to someday celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb, and to ultimately give an account of your life.

I pray you will embrace and fulfill your calling today!

Submitting and Surrendering It All!

Thanks to gsiano for sending this one!!!

James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

By not submitting all of ourselves to Christ each day, we run the risk of allowing the enemy to enter into areas of our lives, and cause us to stumble in our intimacy with God. By not humbly submitting ourselves each morning, we are opening the door to allow the enemy, who will always be prepared to rush in and cause us pain.

We run the risk of doing and saying things that look good on the surface to others, but they are actually things we want to do, and not necessarily what God wants us to be doing to glorify Him. As in Peter’s case, The Lord was telling the disciples what was about to happen to Him and how He would have to suffer. Peter pulled Jesus aside in verse 22 and said what many of us may have said, in and attempt to show our love and defend Christ, “Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

I am sure that Peter was shocked when Jesus turned to him and replied with, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” Matthew 16:22-24.

Then in the next few verses Jesus went on to use this example of Peter’s disobedience and lack of humbly surrendering it all, to teach the disciples and us, one of the keys to following Him, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” Matthew 16:23-25.

The surrendering, humbling and denying of one’s self goes against this world’s better business principles, but in God’s kingdom, it usually does. In an ego driven world where self aggrandizement and self promotion seem to get many ahead, this verse does not make a good topic that will put the author on the Barnes and Noble top 10 best seller lists of good business practices. Believe me, I know from personal experience, which is certainly nothing to boast about.

But what the world does not understand outside of Christ, that this is the only way to true and everlasting success!

26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done” Matthew 16:25-27. When God gives the rewards you can trust that they will be better than anything this world may offer to us!

Submitting is certainly not easy, as we like to be in charge. This has been man's problem since the beginning. Adam and Eve, the first human beings, decided to ignore God's warning and charted their own course, which ended in disaster. Like them, we often overlook the limitations of our understanding and ignore God's wisdom and knowledge.

Fear is also a reason we do not humble, submit and surrender ourselves. We won't like what the Lord chooses for us--He might ask us to give up a favorite activity or take on additional responsibility. If we surrender all, as the song we sing says, God may ask us to go to Afghanistan , Pakistan or Africa ! Fear is a spirit that cam minister to us, especially when we are doing it our own way, and not denying ourselves daily and saying to God, “Not my will but Yours!”

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (Fear KJV), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” 2 Timothy 1:7.

Our pride can also be our downfall to humility and surrendering, as we begin to worry more how we are perceived by others, than we do about pleasing God. This heavily factors into our decision about submission, as we don't appreciate criticism for being "too religious." In addition, selfishness and pride can make us reluctant to let God take charge: we cling to our ideas and dreams and prefer to be independent.” When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” Proverbs 11:2.

It is also good for us to always be reminded what comes after pride! “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling” Proverbs 16:18.

The truth is the opposite of what we think. By yielding control to the Lord, we position ourselves to live the abundant spiritual life. We'll experience His deep love, which satisfies more fully than any other. Our usefulness in His service will be maximized as we operate in the Spirit's power. And obedience will also bring glory to Him as well as blessings to us.

Surrender is truly the only way to true abundance!

Lord, please help us all to become fully engrafted and remain in You. Cause us to desire to surrender everything to You, the Author and Finisher of our faith. In Jesus name we pray, Amen