Mark 9:35
Sitting down, Jesus called the twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
Thoughts on today's verse
Last? Nobody likes to be last. We have a hard enough time settling for second place, much less last place. Jesus reverses the rank. The person who is most important to him is not the person seeking the status and notoriety. The most important person is like Jesus himself: willing to give up rank and status and importance to serve. For Jesus, last means first in service and first in the eyes of God.
Prayer:
Magnificent God my Savior, you have made the world wonderful for me and have given your Son to redeem me. How can I ever thank you or repay you for your grace and kindness. Today help me see those you want me to serve with grace and kindness as I try to be more like you. This I pray in the name of the one who washed his disciples' feet. Amen.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Man's Quest
by Charles R. Swindoll
1 John 3:16-20; Matthew 11:25-30; Psalm 62:5-8, 91:1, 2
Greece said . . . Be wise, know yourself.
Rome said . . . Be strong, discipline yourself.
Judaism says . . . Be holy, conform yourself.
Epicureanism says . . . Be sensuous, enjoy yourself.
Education says . . . Be resourceful, expend yourself.
Psychology says . . . Be confident, fulfill yourself.
Materialism says . . . Be acquisitive, please yourself.
Pride says . . . Be superior, promote yourself.
Asceticism says . . . Be inferior, suppress yourself.
Diplomacy says . . . Be reasonable, control yourself.
Communism says . . . Be collective, secure yourself.
Humanism says . . . Be capable, trust yourself.
Philanthropy says . . . Be unselfish, give yourself.
And on and on and on goes the quest of man. No wonder people are confused! Pick any thought-dish from this smorgasbord of human philosophy, then digest it completely . . . and you will find yourself suffering from the worst case of indigestion imaginable. It may smell good and even satisfy your rhetorical palate during the time you are consuming it . . . but it will leave you hungry, uneasy, and searching for something else to satisfy.
Rollo May's words often interrupt my thinking as I ponder the plight of searching men and women today:
It is an old and ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way.
And so it is! Look across your office desk tomorrow and chances are you'll be observing a living example of someone still searching, still running to find inner satisfaction. Step out in front of your apartment or home tomorrow morning and look both ways . . . listen to the roar of automobiles . . . study the dwellings surrounding you. Those sights and sounds represent people who have, like Little Bo-Peep's sheep, "lost their way," and, tragedy upon tragedy—they don't know where to find it. Many of them have tried hard to "be religious" or "live by the golden rule" or "tie a knot and hang on" or "be sincere," but they're still running blind and bored and baffled.
They are attempting to fill the inner vacuum with everything but the only thing. You name it, it's being tried. As Henry Thoreau declared:
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
Robert lngersol, the bold and brilliant agnostic, spent many years of his life opposing and attacking Scriptures and Christ's claims. On his deathbed . . . at the end of his race, he uttered:
Life is a narrow veil between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud, and the only answer is the echo of our wailing cry.
Ingersol's pursuit is best described in the bumper sticker I saw on my way to work:
DON'T FOLLOW ME . . . I'M LOST
Pontius Pilate, Judea's notorious governor, stood eyeball to eyeball with Jesus of Nazareth. In the judicial process of interrogation, he heard Christ refer to "everyone who is of the truth," to which Pilate replied, "What is truth?" That question hangs heavily on the thin wire of reason in many a mind this very hour. Pilate never waited for an answer. He whirled away in confused disgust. He should have stopped running and waited for the answer. Jesus could have told him that He alone had satisfying words of life . . . for He alone is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).
Christianity is not a system of human philosophy nor a religious ritual nor a code of moral ethics—it is the impartation of divine life through Christ. Apart from the Way there is no going . . . apart from the Truth there is no knowing . . . apart from the Life there is no living.
God says . . . Be in Christ, rest yourself.
Excerpted from Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, Copyright © 1983 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by arrangement with Zondervan Publishing House.
1 John 3:16-20; Matthew 11:25-30; Psalm 62:5-8, 91:1, 2
Greece said . . . Be wise, know yourself.
Rome said . . . Be strong, discipline yourself.
Judaism says . . . Be holy, conform yourself.
Epicureanism says . . . Be sensuous, enjoy yourself.
Education says . . . Be resourceful, expend yourself.
Psychology says . . . Be confident, fulfill yourself.
Materialism says . . . Be acquisitive, please yourself.
Pride says . . . Be superior, promote yourself.
Asceticism says . . . Be inferior, suppress yourself.
Diplomacy says . . . Be reasonable, control yourself.
Communism says . . . Be collective, secure yourself.
Humanism says . . . Be capable, trust yourself.
Philanthropy says . . . Be unselfish, give yourself.
And on and on and on goes the quest of man. No wonder people are confused! Pick any thought-dish from this smorgasbord of human philosophy, then digest it completely . . . and you will find yourself suffering from the worst case of indigestion imaginable. It may smell good and even satisfy your rhetorical palate during the time you are consuming it . . . but it will leave you hungry, uneasy, and searching for something else to satisfy.
Rollo May's words often interrupt my thinking as I ponder the plight of searching men and women today:
It is an old and ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way.
And so it is! Look across your office desk tomorrow and chances are you'll be observing a living example of someone still searching, still running to find inner satisfaction. Step out in front of your apartment or home tomorrow morning and look both ways . . . listen to the roar of automobiles . . . study the dwellings surrounding you. Those sights and sounds represent people who have, like Little Bo-Peep's sheep, "lost their way," and, tragedy upon tragedy—they don't know where to find it. Many of them have tried hard to "be religious" or "live by the golden rule" or "tie a knot and hang on" or "be sincere," but they're still running blind and bored and baffled.
They are attempting to fill the inner vacuum with everything but the only thing. You name it, it's being tried. As Henry Thoreau declared:
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
Robert lngersol, the bold and brilliant agnostic, spent many years of his life opposing and attacking Scriptures and Christ's claims. On his deathbed . . . at the end of his race, he uttered:
Life is a narrow veil between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud, and the only answer is the echo of our wailing cry.
Ingersol's pursuit is best described in the bumper sticker I saw on my way to work:
DON'T FOLLOW ME . . . I'M LOST
Pontius Pilate, Judea's notorious governor, stood eyeball to eyeball with Jesus of Nazareth. In the judicial process of interrogation, he heard Christ refer to "everyone who is of the truth," to which Pilate replied, "What is truth?" That question hangs heavily on the thin wire of reason in many a mind this very hour. Pilate never waited for an answer. He whirled away in confused disgust. He should have stopped running and waited for the answer. Jesus could have told him that He alone had satisfying words of life . . . for He alone is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).
Christianity is not a system of human philosophy nor a religious ritual nor a code of moral ethics—it is the impartation of divine life through Christ. Apart from the Way there is no going . . . apart from the Truth there is no knowing . . . apart from the Life there is no living.
God says . . . Be in Christ, rest yourself.
Excerpted from Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life, Copyright © 1983 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by arrangement with Zondervan Publishing House.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Known by Their Fruit
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."
—John 15:16
How do people know that you are a Christian? They can't see your heart. They can't see your faith—but they can see the results of it. Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20). The only way someone can determine whether you are a follower of Jesus is not merely by your profession of Him, but by the evidence they see in your life. And that evidence should be spiritual fruit.
Fruit doesn't grow overnight. And sometimes the best judge of the growth in your life might be someone else. You can be very introspective and say, "Have I become more like Jesus in the last 24 hours?" But that would be like trying to watch your kids grow. The growth is subtle, yet someone who hasn't seen your children for several months will notice it. In the same way, you don't necessarily see spiritual growth in your own life. But someone else might say, "You have really changed. I see you are becoming more like Jesus."
Spiritual fruit is important, because Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15:16). He is saying, "I want there to be fruit in your life."
But what is this fruit? Galatians 5:22-23 gives us the answer: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." We bear fruit by walking in communion with Jesus, by staying close to Him. And spiritual fruit is a result of that relationship.
What we really need today is to bear spiritual fruit in our lives so that others can say, "Now there is a follower of Jesus Christ."
Copyright © 2010 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
—John 15:16
How do people know that you are a Christian? They can't see your heart. They can't see your faith—but they can see the results of it. Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20). The only way someone can determine whether you are a follower of Jesus is not merely by your profession of Him, but by the evidence they see in your life. And that evidence should be spiritual fruit.
Fruit doesn't grow overnight. And sometimes the best judge of the growth in your life might be someone else. You can be very introspective and say, "Have I become more like Jesus in the last 24 hours?" But that would be like trying to watch your kids grow. The growth is subtle, yet someone who hasn't seen your children for several months will notice it. In the same way, you don't necessarily see spiritual growth in your own life. But someone else might say, "You have really changed. I see you are becoming more like Jesus."
Spiritual fruit is important, because Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain" (John 15:16). He is saying, "I want there to be fruit in your life."
But what is this fruit? Galatians 5:22-23 gives us the answer: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." We bear fruit by walking in communion with Jesus, by staying close to Him. And spiritual fruit is a result of that relationship.
What we really need today is to bear spiritual fruit in our lives so that others can say, "Now there is a follower of Jesus Christ."
Copyright © 2010 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Biblical Fasting
Matthew 6:4-18
4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Teaching about Prayer and Fasting
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
God's Word contains commands about many things, from frequency of prayer and expressions of worship to relationships with other people (1 Thess. 5:17; Deut. 6:5; John 13:34). Surprisingly, though, there is no place in the Scriptures where the believer is specifically instructed to fast.
Yet the words "when you fast" (Matt. 6:16, emphasis added) show Jesus' expectation that His followers would practice this discipline. And there are many biblical examples of godly people who abstained from certain activities in order to draw close to God.
Before we go further, it is important to dispel a popular misunderstanding. Fasting doesn't serve to change God's mind, speed up His answer, or manipulate His will. Instead, it prepares us to hear from Him by temporarily laying aside something that vies for our attention or devotion—such as food, sleep, or a time of intimacy with a spouse.
Denying ourselves in this way makes us better able to focus on Christ and hear Him clearly. His Spirit often starts by bringing to mind sin that needs to be confessed. In so doing, He sanctifies our thoughts—then He can use this precious time to intensify our desire for Him, reveal His Will, and grant understanding and peace. In essence, fasting binds us to Him in such oneness that we won't ever be the same again.
Do you want to see God move in awesome ways? By removing anything that hinders your focus, you can fix attention solely on the Creator and cry out to Him regarding your needs. As you gain understanding about your Father and yourself, you will grow closer to Him.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
4 Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
Teaching about Prayer and Fasting
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
God's Word contains commands about many things, from frequency of prayer and expressions of worship to relationships with other people (1 Thess. 5:17; Deut. 6:5; John 13:34). Surprisingly, though, there is no place in the Scriptures where the believer is specifically instructed to fast.
Yet the words "when you fast" (Matt. 6:16, emphasis added) show Jesus' expectation that His followers would practice this discipline. And there are many biblical examples of godly people who abstained from certain activities in order to draw close to God.
Before we go further, it is important to dispel a popular misunderstanding. Fasting doesn't serve to change God's mind, speed up His answer, or manipulate His will. Instead, it prepares us to hear from Him by temporarily laying aside something that vies for our attention or devotion—such as food, sleep, or a time of intimacy with a spouse.
Denying ourselves in this way makes us better able to focus on Christ and hear Him clearly. His Spirit often starts by bringing to mind sin that needs to be confessed. In so doing, He sanctifies our thoughts—then He can use this precious time to intensify our desire for Him, reveal His Will, and grant understanding and peace. In essence, fasting binds us to Him in such oneness that we won't ever be the same again.
Do you want to see God move in awesome ways? By removing anything that hinders your focus, you can fix attention solely on the Creator and cry out to Him regarding your needs. As you gain understanding about your Father and yourself, you will grow closer to Him.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
Monday, January 25, 2010
7 Steps toward Filling Up Your Spiritual Tank
Whitney Hopler - Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
Editor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Doug Fields' new book, Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting with God, (Thomas Nelson, 2008).
You have the best of intentions when it comes to connecting with God, yet somehow, you never seem to do what you hope to do. Maybe you’ve gotten up extra early in the morning planning to have an extended prayer time, only to get distracted by the day’s to-do list. Perhaps you’ve scheduled regular times to read and study Scripture, only to find that you don’t open your Bible nearly as often as you’d thought you would.
When your spiritual expectations fall short of reality, it’s easy to feel guilty. You know that you need to refill your spiritual tank regularly to have the energy you need to live well. But despite your best intentions, you keep missing your connection with the One who wants to fuel your life – God.
No matter how you’ve struggled with devotions in the past, it is possible to fill your spiritual tank every day. Here’s how:
Get rid of unreasonable expectations. Stop trying to fit plans into your life that don't naturally fit. There's no magic formula for connecting with God; just because a certain devotional program worked for someone else doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. If a certain plan you’ve tried proved unsustainable in your life, accept that reality and move on.
Stop feeling guilty. You’re not a bad Christian just because you don’t have a traditional time for devotions. Remember that Jesus came to set you free, and He wants you to approach God in freedom rather than through obligation and guilt. God is far less interested in religious demands than He is in the state of your heart and your desire to connect with Him.
Don’t compartmentalize your life. Seek to live out your faith in every part of your life – not just in church, but also at work, at home, with friends, etc. Invite God to speak to you about each aspect of your life. Listen to what He tells you, and cooperate with His work transforming every part of your life. Don’t hold anything back from your relationship with God. Aim to live consistently as a Christian at all times and in all situations. When you fill your spiritual tank every day, the pressures of daily life won’t stall your spiritual engine.
Stop. Create pauses in your day where you stop to refuel your soul. Realize that, even though it may sometimes seem like you don’t have enough time to stop for spiritual refueling, you actually do if you rearrange your priorities. Make your relationship with God your top priority, and fit everything else in your life around that. Go ahead and say “no” to activities that don’t fit in well with what you value most. Don’t wear busyness as a badge of honor. Although our culture may give you the message that being busy equals being important, that’s a lie. From God’s perspective, you’re just as important when you’re not doing anything at all than when you’re extremely busy. So stop justifying busyness, saying yes to everything, occupying your life with trivial things, and filling your life with too many good things and living with no margin. Instead, decide to stop at various times each day during your normal schedule to check in with God. Practice stopping during different activities throughout each day – from taking a break at your office to waiting in the line of cars to pick your kids up from school. After you practice enough, stopping throughout each day will become a habit for you.
Be quiet. When you turn down the volume on all the noise in your life that distracts you from thinking well, you’re likely to hear God’s voice speaking to you. Find pockets of silence throughout each day that you can use to connect to God. Turn off your cell phone and Blackberry so you’re not always accessible. Refrain from checking your e-mail when doing so isn’t necessary. Turn off your TV at home, and shut off your radio in the car. Get rid of attitudes that create the noise of unhealthy distractions in your life: worry, constantly wanting more than you have, and procrastinating. When you deliberately focus your thoughts away from the distractions of each day, move them toward God and listen to what He may say to you.
Make a connection. Even if the connections you manage to make with God are brief and messy, that’s fine with Him. God simply wants you to connect with Him however you can. God cares more about your desire to connect with Him than any sort of competence in connecting. God’s grace will cover your weaknesses. Thank God that you can approach Him with the confidence that He cares and will listen to whatever you have to say at any time. Express your gratitude to God for His work in your life. You can always count on Him to meet you wherever you are – even if it’s in the middle of a huge mess – and help you. Trust God in spite of your fears, doubts, questions, failures, inadequacies, pain, loneliness, anger, frustration, and loss. God has begun a good work in you to accomplish good purposes, and you can count on Him to finish what He’s started. Expect God to take your messiness and transform it into holiness if you cooperate with His work in your life. When you make connections with God during each day, those connections can take different forms: thinking about Him (such as pondering what you know about Him and what you’d like to discover about Him), reading about Him in the Bible (especially meditating on one particular verse or passage), and praying to Him (sharing any of your thoughts and feelings and listening for whatever He may want to say to you). Connecting regularly with God will give you the spiritual fuel you need by accessing His love and promises.
Ask key questions to keep growing. Ask yourself these questions from time to time as you connect with God more and more frequently: “What do you need to put down in order to follow Jesus?”, “What are you doing to learn more about Jesus and His ways?”, “How are you experiencing excitement in your life because you follow Jesus?”, “What difficulties in your life might God be using to change you?”, “Where are you personally sacrificing convenience for obedience?”, and “Where do you see God rewarding your obedience?”. Let the answers to these questions motivate you to be more intentional about connecting with God so you can experience the joy of a spiritually full life.
Adapted from Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting with God, copyright 2008 by Doug Fields. Published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.
Editor's Note: The following is a report on the practical applications of Doug Fields' new book, Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting with God, (Thomas Nelson, 2008).
You have the best of intentions when it comes to connecting with God, yet somehow, you never seem to do what you hope to do. Maybe you’ve gotten up extra early in the morning planning to have an extended prayer time, only to get distracted by the day’s to-do list. Perhaps you’ve scheduled regular times to read and study Scripture, only to find that you don’t open your Bible nearly as often as you’d thought you would.
When your spiritual expectations fall short of reality, it’s easy to feel guilty. You know that you need to refill your spiritual tank regularly to have the energy you need to live well. But despite your best intentions, you keep missing your connection with the One who wants to fuel your life – God.
No matter how you’ve struggled with devotions in the past, it is possible to fill your spiritual tank every day. Here’s how:
Get rid of unreasonable expectations. Stop trying to fit plans into your life that don't naturally fit. There's no magic formula for connecting with God; just because a certain devotional program worked for someone else doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. If a certain plan you’ve tried proved unsustainable in your life, accept that reality and move on.
Stop feeling guilty. You’re not a bad Christian just because you don’t have a traditional time for devotions. Remember that Jesus came to set you free, and He wants you to approach God in freedom rather than through obligation and guilt. God is far less interested in religious demands than He is in the state of your heart and your desire to connect with Him.
Don’t compartmentalize your life. Seek to live out your faith in every part of your life – not just in church, but also at work, at home, with friends, etc. Invite God to speak to you about each aspect of your life. Listen to what He tells you, and cooperate with His work transforming every part of your life. Don’t hold anything back from your relationship with God. Aim to live consistently as a Christian at all times and in all situations. When you fill your spiritual tank every day, the pressures of daily life won’t stall your spiritual engine.
Stop. Create pauses in your day where you stop to refuel your soul. Realize that, even though it may sometimes seem like you don’t have enough time to stop for spiritual refueling, you actually do if you rearrange your priorities. Make your relationship with God your top priority, and fit everything else in your life around that. Go ahead and say “no” to activities that don’t fit in well with what you value most. Don’t wear busyness as a badge of honor. Although our culture may give you the message that being busy equals being important, that’s a lie. From God’s perspective, you’re just as important when you’re not doing anything at all than when you’re extremely busy. So stop justifying busyness, saying yes to everything, occupying your life with trivial things, and filling your life with too many good things and living with no margin. Instead, decide to stop at various times each day during your normal schedule to check in with God. Practice stopping during different activities throughout each day – from taking a break at your office to waiting in the line of cars to pick your kids up from school. After you practice enough, stopping throughout each day will become a habit for you.
Be quiet. When you turn down the volume on all the noise in your life that distracts you from thinking well, you’re likely to hear God’s voice speaking to you. Find pockets of silence throughout each day that you can use to connect to God. Turn off your cell phone and Blackberry so you’re not always accessible. Refrain from checking your e-mail when doing so isn’t necessary. Turn off your TV at home, and shut off your radio in the car. Get rid of attitudes that create the noise of unhealthy distractions in your life: worry, constantly wanting more than you have, and procrastinating. When you deliberately focus your thoughts away from the distractions of each day, move them toward God and listen to what He may say to you.
Make a connection. Even if the connections you manage to make with God are brief and messy, that’s fine with Him. God simply wants you to connect with Him however you can. God cares more about your desire to connect with Him than any sort of competence in connecting. God’s grace will cover your weaknesses. Thank God that you can approach Him with the confidence that He cares and will listen to whatever you have to say at any time. Express your gratitude to God for His work in your life. You can always count on Him to meet you wherever you are – even if it’s in the middle of a huge mess – and help you. Trust God in spite of your fears, doubts, questions, failures, inadequacies, pain, loneliness, anger, frustration, and loss. God has begun a good work in you to accomplish good purposes, and you can count on Him to finish what He’s started. Expect God to take your messiness and transform it into holiness if you cooperate with His work in your life. When you make connections with God during each day, those connections can take different forms: thinking about Him (such as pondering what you know about Him and what you’d like to discover about Him), reading about Him in the Bible (especially meditating on one particular verse or passage), and praying to Him (sharing any of your thoughts and feelings and listening for whatever He may want to say to you). Connecting regularly with God will give you the spiritual fuel you need by accessing His love and promises.
Ask key questions to keep growing. Ask yourself these questions from time to time as you connect with God more and more frequently: “What do you need to put down in order to follow Jesus?”, “What are you doing to learn more about Jesus and His ways?”, “How are you experiencing excitement in your life because you follow Jesus?”, “What difficulties in your life might God be using to change you?”, “Where are you personally sacrificing convenience for obedience?”, and “Where do you see God rewarding your obedience?”. Let the answers to these questions motivate you to be more intentional about connecting with God so you can experience the joy of a spiritually full life.
Adapted from Refuel: An Uncomplicated Guide to Connecting with God, copyright 2008 by Doug Fields. Published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Eight Habits of Spiritually Healthy People
Discover the Book - Dr. John Barnett
Here is the question to ponder today, how hard is it to die when you have so much wealth? Consider this...
People who lay up treasures on earth spend their life backing away from their treasures. To them, death is loss.
People who lay up treasures in heaven look forward to eternity; they are moving daily toward their treasures. To them, death is gain.
Those who spend their life moving away from their treasures have more and more reasons to despair. Those who spend their life moving toward their treasures have more and more reasons to rejoice.
Is the passing of time causing you and me to despair or rejoice? God's ownership of everything is the reference point for all of us who serve the Lord.[1]
God's Word teaches us eight habits that can keep us spiritually healthy until death. Wouldn't it be great to be in robust spiritual health, looking forward to Heaven? The habits recorded in Psalm 116 are not just for those who have one foot in the grave, they are actually good habits for all of our lives.
Here are the simple habits that make our death precious in the sight of the Lord. These are the marks of a healthy spiritual life that takes the sting out of death.
Do your plans and priorities for the rest of 2010 mirror what the Lord desires? His desires are clearly laid out in His Word.
Our key passage for this series is 1st Timothy 4.7. Paul says we are to discipline our selves towards godliness. What encourages a godly life?
The Discipline of Scripture. Time alone with God in His Word, the Scriptures, is the great necessity of our spiritual lives. We need to be alone with God daily! We need to find times to get away alone. Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. The Lord God of the Universe wants to Arrange your life, and Accompany you trip through life, and authorize everything needed from now on. Wow, that is the best life there is.
The Discipline of Spirit Filled Living. Jesus explained the Holy Spirit in our lives by using the image of a strong river of water flowing out of us. John 7.37-38. John 7:37-39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink (present active imperative). He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Rivers of water is the way Jesus describes the normal life of believers, His children.
The Discipline of Stewardship. A life given back to God as an offering is what stewardship is all about. Stewardship is not about money it is about life itself. Time and life are far greater treasures than money and possessions. God wants you 1st and foremost! A GODLY STEWARD KNOWS THAT GOD OWNS HIM AND EVERYTHING HE HAS. Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 2 Corinthians 5:15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss. He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity; he's moving daily toward his treasures. To him, death is gain. He who spends his life moving away from his treasures has reason to despair. He who spends his life moving toward his treasures has reason to rejoice.
Is the passing of time causing you and me to despair or rejoice? God's kingdom was the reference point for these men. They saw all else in light of the kingdom. They were compelled to live as they did not because they treasured no things, but because they treasured the right things.
We often miss something in missionary martyr Jim Elliot's famous words, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." We focus on his willingness to go to the mission field. That willingness started when he relinquished his hold on things as MINE!
________________________________________
[1] Adapted from Alcorn, Money, Treasures and Eternity, p.
This article was excerpted from Dr. John Barnett's book, Discipline Yourself For Godliness. For more resources, visit our website at www.DiscoverTheBook.org. Or to read the rest of this article, insert the following URL into your browser bar: http://www.dtbm.org/sermon/discipline-four-stewardship-living-totally-for-jesus/
Here is the question to ponder today, how hard is it to die when you have so much wealth? Consider this...
People who lay up treasures on earth spend their life backing away from their treasures. To them, death is loss.
People who lay up treasures in heaven look forward to eternity; they are moving daily toward their treasures. To them, death is gain.
Those who spend their life moving away from their treasures have more and more reasons to despair. Those who spend their life moving toward their treasures have more and more reasons to rejoice.
Is the passing of time causing you and me to despair or rejoice? God's ownership of everything is the reference point for all of us who serve the Lord.[1]
God's Word teaches us eight habits that can keep us spiritually healthy until death. Wouldn't it be great to be in robust spiritual health, looking forward to Heaven? The habits recorded in Psalm 116 are not just for those who have one foot in the grave, they are actually good habits for all of our lives.
Here are the simple habits that make our death precious in the sight of the Lord. These are the marks of a healthy spiritual life that takes the sting out of death.
- v. 1 Believe in Him that He is listening and watching and respond in love.
- v. 2 Cry out to Him. Get used to talking to the Lord. Pour out your heart, your fears, your woes - share them with Him.
- v. 9 Follow Him through your daily life. He is the Shepherd and we are His sheep.
- v. 13 Drink Him. He is our cup of salvation. We thirst and He alone satisfies. Let Him into your life to meet your deepest needs!
- v. 14 Obey Him. Do what He says. Give in and submit to Him.
- v. 16 Serve Him. Tell Him that, say it aloud and offer it as an offering.
- v. 17 Thank Him. Think through all the many blessings and benefits the Lord has heaped upon you. If you have troubles, listen to some children pray. They thank the Lord for eyes to see, warm "blankies" to sleep under, food to eat and all the other simple and sweet blessings of life.
- v. 18-19 Live for Him. From now on live for His glory, talk of His blessings, come into His presence, worship and adore Him.
Do your plans and priorities for the rest of 2010 mirror what the Lord desires? His desires are clearly laid out in His Word.
Our key passage for this series is 1st Timothy 4.7. Paul says we are to discipline our selves towards godliness. What encourages a godly life?
The Discipline of Scripture. Time alone with God in His Word, the Scriptures, is the great necessity of our spiritual lives. We need to be alone with God daily! We need to find times to get away alone. Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. The Lord God of the Universe wants to Arrange your life, and Accompany you trip through life, and authorize everything needed from now on. Wow, that is the best life there is.
The Discipline of Spirit Filled Living. Jesus explained the Holy Spirit in our lives by using the image of a strong river of water flowing out of us. John 7.37-38. John 7:37-39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink (present active imperative). He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Rivers of water is the way Jesus describes the normal life of believers, His children.
The Discipline of Stewardship. A life given back to God as an offering is what stewardship is all about. Stewardship is not about money it is about life itself. Time and life are far greater treasures than money and possessions. God wants you 1st and foremost! A GODLY STEWARD KNOWS THAT GOD OWNS HIM AND EVERYTHING HE HAS. Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 2 Corinthians 5:15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
He who lays up treasures on earth spends his life backing away from his treasures. To him, death is loss. He who lays up treasures in heaven looks forward to eternity; he's moving daily toward his treasures. To him, death is gain. He who spends his life moving away from his treasures has reason to despair. He who spends his life moving toward his treasures has reason to rejoice.
Is the passing of time causing you and me to despair or rejoice? God's kingdom was the reference point for these men. They saw all else in light of the kingdom. They were compelled to live as they did not because they treasured no things, but because they treasured the right things.
We often miss something in missionary martyr Jim Elliot's famous words, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." We focus on his willingness to go to the mission field. That willingness started when he relinquished his hold on things as MINE!
________________________________________
[1] Adapted from Alcorn, Money, Treasures and Eternity, p.
This article was excerpted from Dr. John Barnett's book, Discipline Yourself For Godliness. For more resources, visit our website at www.DiscoverTheBook.org. Or to read the rest of this article, insert the following URL into your browser bar: http://www.dtbm.org/sermon/discipline-four-stewardship-living-totally-for-jesus/
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sowing Seeds
Galatians 6:7-8
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit will reap eternal life."
Thoughts on today's verse:
Isn't it incredible how huge trees grow out of tiny seeds! This principle runs throughout all of life. We can never completely get away from the seeds we sow. So let's not fool ourselves while we're trying to do a "snow job" on God. Let's make sure the seeds we sow are the ones we want sprouting up!
Prayer:
O Eternal God, who lived before time began and who will be the Great I AM when time is no more, bless the seeds my life sows so they may bear fruit and bless those I love. Through Jesus, the grain of wheat who died and was buried so that life may flower forth. Amen.
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit will reap eternal life."
Thoughts on today's verse:
Isn't it incredible how huge trees grow out of tiny seeds! This principle runs throughout all of life. We can never completely get away from the seeds we sow. So let's not fool ourselves while we're trying to do a "snow job" on God. Let's make sure the seeds we sow are the ones we want sprouting up!
Prayer:
O Eternal God, who lived before time began and who will be the Great I AM when time is no more, bless the seeds my life sows so they may bear fruit and bless those I love. Through Jesus, the grain of wheat who died and was buried so that life may flower forth. Amen.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
We Are Responsible for Others
Eric Hogue (Radio Talk Host and Syndicated Columnist)
Does our lack of spiritual maturity in our lives impact the one's around us?
"Am I My Brother’s Keeper?" None of us lives to himself - Romans 14:7
Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people?
For instance, if I allow any turning away from God in my private life, everyone around me suffers. We "sit together in the heavenly places..." ( Ephesians 2:6 ). "If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it..." ( 1 Corinthians 12:26 ). If you allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity, or spiritual weakness (lack of faith), everyone in contact with you will suffer 'because' of worldly choices and the enemies success in producing trials, damage.
It's a tough one, but I've seen spouses and children take families through hell - the shadow of death - and all were impacted by the one's wrong direction and choices. But you ask, "Who is sufficient to be able to live up to such a lofty standard?" "Our sufficiency is from God..." and God alone (2 Corinthians 3:5 ). It takes a "Kingdom attitude over a creation mindset" to keep focused in faith.
"You shall be witnesses to Me..." ( Acts 1:8 ). How many of us are willing to spend every bit of our nervous, mental, moral, and spiritual energy for Jesus Christ?
That is what God means when He uses the word witness. Beth Moore teaches that Father God wants to reveal Himself as the great 'I Am'; people will look at us, consider our sinfulness and make a statement that "it must be God, for nothing that good or miraculous can come from that person."
Why has God left us on the earth? Is it simply to be saved and sanctified (Christianized)? No, it is to be at work in service to Him and to reveal faith in a higher life - kingdom. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for Him? Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose and one alone - to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life of service to God is the way I say "thank you" to Him for His inexpressibly wonderful salvation. Remember, it is quite possible for God to set any of us aside if we refuse to be of service to Him"...lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" ( 1 Corinthians 9:27 ).
Oswald Chambers (and a little of Eric Hogue inserted)
Does our lack of spiritual maturity in our lives impact the one's around us?
"Am I My Brother’s Keeper?" None of us lives to himself - Romans 14:7
Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people?
For instance, if I allow any turning away from God in my private life, everyone around me suffers. We "sit together in the heavenly places..." ( Ephesians 2:6 ). "If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it..." ( 1 Corinthians 12:26 ). If you allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity, or spiritual weakness (lack of faith), everyone in contact with you will suffer 'because' of worldly choices and the enemies success in producing trials, damage.
It's a tough one, but I've seen spouses and children take families through hell - the shadow of death - and all were impacted by the one's wrong direction and choices. But you ask, "Who is sufficient to be able to live up to such a lofty standard?" "Our sufficiency is from God..." and God alone (2 Corinthians 3:5 ). It takes a "Kingdom attitude over a creation mindset" to keep focused in faith.
"You shall be witnesses to Me..." ( Acts 1:8 ). How many of us are willing to spend every bit of our nervous, mental, moral, and spiritual energy for Jesus Christ?
That is what God means when He uses the word witness. Beth Moore teaches that Father God wants to reveal Himself as the great 'I Am'; people will look at us, consider our sinfulness and make a statement that "it must be God, for nothing that good or miraculous can come from that person."
Why has God left us on the earth? Is it simply to be saved and sanctified (Christianized)? No, it is to be at work in service to Him and to reveal faith in a higher life - kingdom. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for Him? Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose and one alone - to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life of service to God is the way I say "thank you" to Him for His inexpressibly wonderful salvation. Remember, it is quite possible for God to set any of us aside if we refuse to be of service to Him"...lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" ( 1 Corinthians 9:27 ).
Oswald Chambers (and a little of Eric Hogue inserted)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
You Never Do Anything You Don't Want to Do
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor
Galatians 6:5
Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. The Message
For we are each responsible for our own conduct. NLT
If I try, I can remember my friends from 10th-grade Sunday School. In fact, I'm still tight with two of them. I remember our church, our youth group, and our youth minister. What I don't remember so well are the individual lessons we learned from the Bible each week. As I realize that, I give myself another kick for not having gotten into note-taking and journaling. I'd like to have those things to review now.
What I do recall from one particular class session, however, has always stuck with me. And it wasn't even a quote from the Bible. To show how much I've forgotten, I don't even remember the name of the teacher who said it! He was tall, well-accomplished, but still wanting to give of his time to young men. And one day he looked at us and said the following:
"Today's lesson is going to be very short. Look at me, because whatever you remember from today, remember this. Whatever you remember from your time in this youth group, remember this: You never do anything you don't want to do."
That was it. Obviously I still remember it. Why?
I remember challenging the teacher on that day, most of us scoffing and saying things like, "Yeah, right... I can honestly tell you I do not want to do my homework tonight."
"Yes you do."
"No, I really don't."
"What will happen if you don't?"
"Well, I guess I'd be embarrassed when it was time to turn it in, I'd probably have to lie to my parents when they asked if I'd done it yet, and I wouldn't be prepared for the upcoming quiz."
"So I guess the reason you're going to do your homework is because for the motives you just stated, you DO want to do it."
Snap.
Seven or eight high school boys just got handed a logic lesson in responsibility and motivation. All around the room you could see eyes and minds opening to new possibilities.
This is what we'd been hearing about free will. But now contextualized and personalized.
This is what our parents and teachers had been getting at as they spoke to us about becoming responsible young men.
This put my actions all squarely back on me. And oddly enough, that was something I could tangibly handle.
The applications were endless.
I'm still not even sure his statement was absolutely true, or biblical. But to be honest, it doesn't matter anymore, because it informed and continues to inform many things in my life that are true and biblical.
Do I want to lay in bed or do I want to get to work? Why or why not?
Why am I overweight? Well, my bad. Guess I wanted that, too, when you get down to the nub of it. Certainly didn't do the things I knew would prevent it.
One of the doors that opened to me was in realizing that once I got past "my will be done," I could begin to pray as Jesus did, "Your will be done."
Another was in being able to recognize motivation. Why am I going to conquer this lust or pursue this knowledge or accomplish this hard task for God's Kingdom? Because ultimately, what I want to do is to have my heart's desires be the same as Yours, Lord. That's where You tell us delight is, and that's the only place where we know what we want is right.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What action or reaction in your own life have you been blaming on other people or circumstances? Write down all the ways you yourself can own up to it.
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:12
Philippians 1:23
We Are Responsible for Others
Galatians 6:5
Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. The Message
For we are each responsible for our own conduct. NLT
If I try, I can remember my friends from 10th-grade Sunday School. In fact, I'm still tight with two of them. I remember our church, our youth group, and our youth minister. What I don't remember so well are the individual lessons we learned from the Bible each week. As I realize that, I give myself another kick for not having gotten into note-taking and journaling. I'd like to have those things to review now.
What I do recall from one particular class session, however, has always stuck with me. And it wasn't even a quote from the Bible. To show how much I've forgotten, I don't even remember the name of the teacher who said it! He was tall, well-accomplished, but still wanting to give of his time to young men. And one day he looked at us and said the following:
"Today's lesson is going to be very short. Look at me, because whatever you remember from today, remember this. Whatever you remember from your time in this youth group, remember this: You never do anything you don't want to do."
That was it. Obviously I still remember it. Why?
I remember challenging the teacher on that day, most of us scoffing and saying things like, "Yeah, right... I can honestly tell you I do not want to do my homework tonight."
"Yes you do."
"No, I really don't."
"What will happen if you don't?"
"Well, I guess I'd be embarrassed when it was time to turn it in, I'd probably have to lie to my parents when they asked if I'd done it yet, and I wouldn't be prepared for the upcoming quiz."
"So I guess the reason you're going to do your homework is because for the motives you just stated, you DO want to do it."
Snap.
Seven or eight high school boys just got handed a logic lesson in responsibility and motivation. All around the room you could see eyes and minds opening to new possibilities.
This is what we'd been hearing about free will. But now contextualized and personalized.
This is what our parents and teachers had been getting at as they spoke to us about becoming responsible young men.
This put my actions all squarely back on me. And oddly enough, that was something I could tangibly handle.
The applications were endless.
I'm still not even sure his statement was absolutely true, or biblical. But to be honest, it doesn't matter anymore, because it informed and continues to inform many things in my life that are true and biblical.
Do I want to lay in bed or do I want to get to work? Why or why not?
Why am I overweight? Well, my bad. Guess I wanted that, too, when you get down to the nub of it. Certainly didn't do the things I knew would prevent it.
One of the doors that opened to me was in realizing that once I got past "my will be done," I could begin to pray as Jesus did, "Your will be done."
Another was in being able to recognize motivation. Why am I going to conquer this lust or pursue this knowledge or accomplish this hard task for God's Kingdom? Because ultimately, what I want to do is to have my heart's desires be the same as Yours, Lord. That's where You tell us delight is, and that's the only place where we know what we want is right.
Intersecting Faith & Life: What action or reaction in your own life have you been blaming on other people or circumstances? Write down all the ways you yourself can own up to it.
Further Reading
1 Thessalonians 5:12
Philippians 1:23
We Are Responsible for Others
Monday, January 18, 2010
The Living Room:When Your Heart Needs a Father
by Max Lucado
"Our Father who is in heaven …” With these words Jesus escorts us into the Great House of God. Shall we follow him? There is so much to see. Every room reveals his heart, every stop will soothe your soul. And no room is as essential as this one we enter first. Walk behind him as he leads us into God’s living room.
Sit in the chair that was made for you and warm your hands by the fire which never fades. Take time to look at the framed photos and find yours. Be sure to pick up the scrapbook and find the story of your life. But please, before any of that, stand at the mantle and study the painting which hangs above it.
Your Father treasures the portrait. He has hung it where all can see.
Stand before it a thousand times and each gaze is as fresh as the first. Let a million look at the canvas and each one will see himself. And each will be right.
Captured in the portrait is a tender scene of a father and a son. Behind them is a great house on a hill. Beneath their feet is a narrow path. Down from the house the father has run. Up the trail the son has trudged. The two have met, here, at the gate.
We can’t see the face of the son; it’s buried in the chest of his father. No, we can’t see his face, but we can see his tattered robe and stringy hair. We can see the mud on the back of his legs, the filth on his shoulders and the empty purse on the ground. At one time the purse was full of money. At one time the boy was full of pride. But that was a dozen taverns ago. Now both the purse and the pride are depleted. The prodigal offers no gift or explanation. All he offers is the smell of pigs and a rehearsed apology: “Father, I have sinned against God and done wrong to you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21).
He feels unworthy of his birthright. “Demote me. Punish me. Take my name off the mailbox and my initials off the family tree. I am willing to give up my place at your table.” The boy is content to be a hired hand. There is only one problem. Though the boy is willing to stop being a son, the father is not willing to stop being a father.
Though we can’t see the boy’s face in the painting, we can’t miss the father’s. Look at the tears glistening on the leathered cheeks, the smile shining through the silver beard. One arm holds the boy up so he won’t fall, the other holds the boy close so he won’t doubt.
“Hurry!” he shouts. “Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get our fat calf and kill it so we can have a feast and celebrate. My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost but now he is found!” (Luke 15:22–24).
How these words must have stunned the young man, “My son was dead …” He thought he’d lost his place in the home. After all, didn’t he abandon his father? Didn’t he waste his inheritance? The boy assumed he had forfeited his privilege to sonship. The father, however, doesn’t give up that easily. In his mind, his son is still a son. The child may have been out of the house, but he was never out of his father’s heart. He may have left the table, but he never left the family. Don’t miss the message here. You may be willing to stop being God’s child. But God is not willing to stop being your Father.
From The Great House of God
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado
"Our Father who is in heaven …” With these words Jesus escorts us into the Great House of God. Shall we follow him? There is so much to see. Every room reveals his heart, every stop will soothe your soul. And no room is as essential as this one we enter first. Walk behind him as he leads us into God’s living room.
Sit in the chair that was made for you and warm your hands by the fire which never fades. Take time to look at the framed photos and find yours. Be sure to pick up the scrapbook and find the story of your life. But please, before any of that, stand at the mantle and study the painting which hangs above it.
Your Father treasures the portrait. He has hung it where all can see.
Stand before it a thousand times and each gaze is as fresh as the first. Let a million look at the canvas and each one will see himself. And each will be right.
Captured in the portrait is a tender scene of a father and a son. Behind them is a great house on a hill. Beneath their feet is a narrow path. Down from the house the father has run. Up the trail the son has trudged. The two have met, here, at the gate.
We can’t see the face of the son; it’s buried in the chest of his father. No, we can’t see his face, but we can see his tattered robe and stringy hair. We can see the mud on the back of his legs, the filth on his shoulders and the empty purse on the ground. At one time the purse was full of money. At one time the boy was full of pride. But that was a dozen taverns ago. Now both the purse and the pride are depleted. The prodigal offers no gift or explanation. All he offers is the smell of pigs and a rehearsed apology: “Father, I have sinned against God and done wrong to you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:21).
He feels unworthy of his birthright. “Demote me. Punish me. Take my name off the mailbox and my initials off the family tree. I am willing to give up my place at your table.” The boy is content to be a hired hand. There is only one problem. Though the boy is willing to stop being a son, the father is not willing to stop being a father.
Though we can’t see the boy’s face in the painting, we can’t miss the father’s. Look at the tears glistening on the leathered cheeks, the smile shining through the silver beard. One arm holds the boy up so he won’t fall, the other holds the boy close so he won’t doubt.
“Hurry!” he shouts. “Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get our fat calf and kill it so we can have a feast and celebrate. My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost but now he is found!” (Luke 15:22–24).
How these words must have stunned the young man, “My son was dead …” He thought he’d lost his place in the home. After all, didn’t he abandon his father? Didn’t he waste his inheritance? The boy assumed he had forfeited his privilege to sonship. The father, however, doesn’t give up that easily. In his mind, his son is still a son. The child may have been out of the house, but he was never out of his father’s heart. He may have left the table, but he never left the family. Don’t miss the message here. You may be willing to stop being God’s child. But God is not willing to stop being your Father.
From The Great House of God
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado
Friday, January 15, 2010
A Home for Your Heart
by Max Lucado
I only ask one thing from the LORD. This is what I want: let me live in the LORD’s house all my life.— Psalm 27:4
I’d like to talk with you about your house. Let’s step through the front door and walk around a bit. Every so often it’s wise to do a home inspection, you know—check the roof for leaks and examine the walls for bows and the foundation for cracks. We’ll see if your kitchen cupboards are full and glance at the books on the shelves in your study.
What’s that? You think it odd that I want to look at your house? You thought this was a book on spiritual matters? It is. Forgive me, I should have been clearer. I’m not talking about your visible house of stone or sticks, wood or straw, but your invisible one of thoughts and truths and convictions and hopes. I’m talking about your spiritual house.
You have one, you know. And it’s no typical house. Conjure up your fondest notions and this house exceeds them all. A grand castle has been built for your heart. Just as a physical house exists to care for the body, so the spiritual house exists to care for your soul.
You’ve never seen a house more solid: the roof never leaks, the walls never crack, and the foundation never trembles. You’ve never seen a castle more splendid: the observatory will stretch you, the chapel will humble you, the study will direct you, and the kitchen will nourish you.
Ever lived in a house like this? Chances are you haven’t. Chances are you’ve given little thought to housing your soul. We create elaborate houses for our bodies, but our souls are relegated to a hillside shanty where the night winds chill us and the rain soaks us. Is it any wonder the world is so full of cold hearts?
Doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to live outside. It’s not God’s plan for your heart to roam as a Bedouin. God wants you to move in out of the cold and live … with him. Under his roof there is space available. At his table a plate is set. In his living room a wingback chair is reserved just for you. And he’d like you to take up residence in his house. Why would he want you to share his home?
Simple, he’s your Father.
You were intended to live in your Father’s house. Any place less than his is insufficient. Any place far from his is dangerous. Only the home built for your heart can protect your heart. And your Father wants you to dwell in him.
No, you didn’t misread the sentence and I didn’t miswrite it. Your Father doesn’t just ask you to live with him, he asks you to live in him. As Paul wrote, “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 NIV).
Don’t think you are separated from God, he at the top end of a great ladder, you at the other. Dismiss any thought that God is on Venus while you are on earth. Since God is Spirit (John 4:23), he is next to you: God himself is our roof. God himself is our wall. And God himself is our foundation.
Moses knew this. “LORD,” he prayed, “you have been our home since the beginning” (Ps. 90:1). What a powerful thought: God as your home.
From The Great House of GodCopyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado
I only ask one thing from the LORD. This is what I want: let me live in the LORD’s house all my life.— Psalm 27:4
I’d like to talk with you about your house. Let’s step through the front door and walk around a bit. Every so often it’s wise to do a home inspection, you know—check the roof for leaks and examine the walls for bows and the foundation for cracks. We’ll see if your kitchen cupboards are full and glance at the books on the shelves in your study.
What’s that? You think it odd that I want to look at your house? You thought this was a book on spiritual matters? It is. Forgive me, I should have been clearer. I’m not talking about your visible house of stone or sticks, wood or straw, but your invisible one of thoughts and truths and convictions and hopes. I’m talking about your spiritual house.
You have one, you know. And it’s no typical house. Conjure up your fondest notions and this house exceeds them all. A grand castle has been built for your heart. Just as a physical house exists to care for the body, so the spiritual house exists to care for your soul.
You’ve never seen a house more solid: the roof never leaks, the walls never crack, and the foundation never trembles. You’ve never seen a castle more splendid: the observatory will stretch you, the chapel will humble you, the study will direct you, and the kitchen will nourish you.
Ever lived in a house like this? Chances are you haven’t. Chances are you’ve given little thought to housing your soul. We create elaborate houses for our bodies, but our souls are relegated to a hillside shanty where the night winds chill us and the rain soaks us. Is it any wonder the world is so full of cold hearts?
Doesn’t have to be this way. We don’t have to live outside. It’s not God’s plan for your heart to roam as a Bedouin. God wants you to move in out of the cold and live … with him. Under his roof there is space available. At his table a plate is set. In his living room a wingback chair is reserved just for you. And he’d like you to take up residence in his house. Why would he want you to share his home?
Simple, he’s your Father.
You were intended to live in your Father’s house. Any place less than his is insufficient. Any place far from his is dangerous. Only the home built for your heart can protect your heart. And your Father wants you to dwell in him.
No, you didn’t misread the sentence and I didn’t miswrite it. Your Father doesn’t just ask you to live with him, he asks you to live in him. As Paul wrote, “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 NIV).
Don’t think you are separated from God, he at the top end of a great ladder, you at the other. Dismiss any thought that God is on Venus while you are on earth. Since God is Spirit (John 4:23), he is next to you: God himself is our roof. God himself is our wall. And God himself is our foundation.
Moses knew this. “LORD,” he prayed, “you have been our home since the beginning” (Ps. 90:1). What a powerful thought: God as your home.
From The Great House of GodCopyright (Thomas Nelson, 1997) Max Lucado
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Holy Spirit, Our Guide
"Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me. All that the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me. John 16:12-15
In this world, all of God's children are on a journey. And as we travel through life en route to our eternal home, every one of us will face a multitude of choices. Forks in the road and unmarked intersections challenge and frustrate us. In such circumstances, how can we know which way to go?
Jesus promised to give us an internal and ever-present Guide. Starting at the moment of salvation, everyone who trusts in the Savior is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who promises to lead believers into all the truth. Like a built-in compass, He will direct us exactly the right way, regardless of the choice. He never makes a mistake.
So you may be thinking, If He is living in me and never makes a wrong choice, why do I keep messing up? His leadership is always right, but our reception isn't always clear. Yielding to the Lord is an essential requirement for receiving His direction. We cannot tolerate sin and go our own way in one area and expect to receive His guidance in another.
Sin does to our understanding of God's clear direction what a magnet does to the needle of a compass. If a magnet is placed next to a compass, the needle will point in a multitude of directions. In the same way, sin misleads us.
When a decision is unclear, ask yourself these questions: Will Christ be glorified in this choice? Can I do this in Jesus' name? If either answer is no, don't follow that path, because the Holy Spirit is not guiding you there. His leading always aligns with Scripture and brings glory to Christ.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
In this world, all of God's children are on a journey. And as we travel through life en route to our eternal home, every one of us will face a multitude of choices. Forks in the road and unmarked intersections challenge and frustrate us. In such circumstances, how can we know which way to go?
Jesus promised to give us an internal and ever-present Guide. Starting at the moment of salvation, everyone who trusts in the Savior is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who promises to lead believers into all the truth. Like a built-in compass, He will direct us exactly the right way, regardless of the choice. He never makes a mistake.
So you may be thinking, If He is living in me and never makes a wrong choice, why do I keep messing up? His leadership is always right, but our reception isn't always clear. Yielding to the Lord is an essential requirement for receiving His direction. We cannot tolerate sin and go our own way in one area and expect to receive His guidance in another.
Sin does to our understanding of God's clear direction what a magnet does to the needle of a compass. If a magnet is placed next to a compass, the needle will point in a multitude of directions. In the same way, sin misleads us.
When a decision is unclear, ask yourself these questions: Will Christ be glorified in this choice? Can I do this in Jesus' name? If either answer is no, don't follow that path, because the Holy Spirit is not guiding you there. His leading always aligns with Scripture and brings glory to Christ.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Have You Ever Been Alone With God?
“When He was alone the
twelve … asked of Him …”
His Solitude with Us. When God gets us alone by affliction, heartbreak, or temptation, by disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted affection, by a broken friendship, or by a new friendship - when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are dumbfounded, and cannot ask one question, then He begins to expound. Watch Jesus Christ's training of the twelve. It was the disciples, not the crowd outside, who were perplexed. They constantly asked Him questions, and He constantly expounded things to them; but they only understood after they had received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26).
If you are going on with God, the only thing that is clear to you, and the only thing God intends to be clear, is the way He deals with your own soul. Your brother's sorrows and perplexities are an absolute confusion to you. We imagine we understand where the other person is, until God gives us a dose of the plague of our own hearts. There are whole tracts of stubbornness and ignorance to be revealed by the Holy Spirit in each one of us, and it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now, or are we taken up with little fussy notions, fussy comradeships in God's service, fussy ideas about our bodies? Jesus can expound nothing until we get through all the noisy questions of the head and are alone with Him.
From My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A Reason for Confidence
Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Philippians 4:5
Negativity affects us both spiritually and physically. Even spending time with a pessimistic individual can take a toll. On the other hand, positive emotions—particularly godly confidence—can empower us to live fully, as the Lord intends.
Facing each day with the knowledge that our strength comes from Jesus will drive away doubt and anxiety. Yet many things can interfere with a healthy outlook. For example, we often allow wrong advice and negative attitudes to drain us. Sin, too, will keep our hearts from finding full confidence in God. And sometimes false guilt creeps into our minds and robs us of assurance.
Instead, we can purposefully develop confidence in almighty God by maturing in our faith. Meditating on the Word, drawing near to the Lord in prayer, and choosing to believe Him are all ways to strengthen our relationship with Him. The more our friendship with the heavenly Father deepens, the more unshakeable trust in Him will become.
As Christians, we have every reason to live with assurance—we have the very presence of God living within us (Phil. 4:5). But in addition, we also have His peace (v. 7), His power (v. 13), and His provision (v. 19).
Our world is full of distrust, fear, and uncertainty. Don't allow yourself to listen to negative messages, which can make you lose the confidence God gives His children. Instead, focus on the truth in Scripture and the glory and victory of Jesus. Let His perfect love cast out your fear (1 John 4:18).
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
Negativity affects us both spiritually and physically. Even spending time with a pessimistic individual can take a toll. On the other hand, positive emotions—particularly godly confidence—can empower us to live fully, as the Lord intends.
Facing each day with the knowledge that our strength comes from Jesus will drive away doubt and anxiety. Yet many things can interfere with a healthy outlook. For example, we often allow wrong advice and negative attitudes to drain us. Sin, too, will keep our hearts from finding full confidence in God. And sometimes false guilt creeps into our minds and robs us of assurance.
Instead, we can purposefully develop confidence in almighty God by maturing in our faith. Meditating on the Word, drawing near to the Lord in prayer, and choosing to believe Him are all ways to strengthen our relationship with Him. The more our friendship with the heavenly Father deepens, the more unshakeable trust in Him will become.
As Christians, we have every reason to live with assurance—we have the very presence of God living within us (Phil. 4:5). But in addition, we also have His peace (v. 7), His power (v. 13), and His provision (v. 19).
Our world is full of distrust, fear, and uncertainty. Don't allow yourself to listen to negative messages, which can make you lose the confidence God gives His children. Instead, focus on the truth in Scripture and the glory and victory of Jesus. Let His perfect love cast out your fear (1 John 4:18).
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Looking up to Heroes
When I was a boy I thought like a boy. I behaved like a boy. I understood like a boy. I was deeply impressed by heroes. Mostly, they were figures from the sports world. There was Doak Walker, Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice, Sammy Baugh, Bob Waterfield, Felix "Doc" Blanchard, Johnny Lujack. I hoarded and traded baseball cards.
As we grow older, our heroes change, but we don't stop having them. Enter into my home today and it will not take long for you to see who my heroes are now. You can't miss the portraits of Martin Luther, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. You'll see the fading photographs of my father and my grandfather. You'll see the works of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Jonathan Edwards. You'll hear me speak of John Gerstner. These names are readily apparent in my office—though perhaps a bit incongruous next to the framed portrait of Arnold Palmer.
Strange, isn't it? We need models. We need leaders who inspire us, real people of flesh and blood who embody character traits we admire, for in that admiration and inspiration comes emulation. I know that I shall never be Martin Luther. God and all my golf teachers know I'll never be Arnold Palmer. I cannot be these men. But I can try to be like them. I can imitate their courage as I face life's challenges. I can be strengthened by their examples.
Though the "cloud of witnesses" cited in Hebrews 11 is a list of heroes and heroines, they are, nevertheless, people of real flesh and blood whose lives are set forth for us in sacred Scripture. Their portraits are painted there for us, warts and all. We even find something praiseworthy, something worth emulating, in the life of the harlot, Rahab.
Let us never grow up so far that we can no longer look up.
Coram Deo: Living in the Presence of God
Who are your heroes? What positive examples do they provide for your spiritual life?
For Further Study
Hebrews 12:1-2: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Psalm 123:1-2: "Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us."
© R.C. Sproul. All rights reserved
As we grow older, our heroes change, but we don't stop having them. Enter into my home today and it will not take long for you to see who my heroes are now. You can't miss the portraits of Martin Luther, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. You'll see the fading photographs of my father and my grandfather. You'll see the works of Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Jonathan Edwards. You'll hear me speak of John Gerstner. These names are readily apparent in my office—though perhaps a bit incongruous next to the framed portrait of Arnold Palmer.
Strange, isn't it? We need models. We need leaders who inspire us, real people of flesh and blood who embody character traits we admire, for in that admiration and inspiration comes emulation. I know that I shall never be Martin Luther. God and all my golf teachers know I'll never be Arnold Palmer. I cannot be these men. But I can try to be like them. I can imitate their courage as I face life's challenges. I can be strengthened by their examples.
Though the "cloud of witnesses" cited in Hebrews 11 is a list of heroes and heroines, they are, nevertheless, people of real flesh and blood whose lives are set forth for us in sacred Scripture. Their portraits are painted there for us, warts and all. We even find something praiseworthy, something worth emulating, in the life of the harlot, Rahab.
Let us never grow up so far that we can no longer look up.
Coram Deo: Living in the Presence of God
Who are your heroes? What positive examples do they provide for your spiritual life?
For Further Study
Hebrews 12:1-2: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Psalm 123:1-2: "Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us."
© R.C. Sproul. All rights reserved
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
The Gift of Transformation
"It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."
--John 16:7
--John 16:7
Have you ever wondered how real transformation takes place in our lives? Well, it's something we need to think about because you and I need to be transformed! And the only way that can happen is through God's power within us!
So how does this happen? How can you be transformed through the power of God's indwelling Spirit… and change your world?
Well, there's an amazing example of God's transforming power at work in the lives of the disciples and those first believers. Now these people had absolutely no human advantages with which to change their world. They had no financial resources or publishing abilities with which to spread the Gospel. They had no beautiful buildings in which to gather.
And yet, God gave them exactly what they needed to grow spiritually and to expand his Kingdom. He sent them the Helper… the Holy Spirit! They allowed the Holy Spirit to fill them with power and they not only survived against all opposition and persecution… they thrived!
God has given you his Helper, as well! When you invite Christ into your life, Jesus gives you the gift of his Holy Spirit! And he is the source of transformational power! He gives you courage and strength, and all that you need to grow and to be a witness of his love.
Allow the Spirit to fill your life… to take control! It is your calling. And it will be your greatest joy!
WHEN YOU INVITE CHRIST INTO YOUR LIFE,
JESUS GIVES YOU THE GIFT OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT… SO GIVE HIM CONTROL!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more from PowerPoint Ministries and Dr. Jack Graham, please visit www.jackgraham.org
Monday, January 04, 2010
What Has You?
In Mark 10:17-22, this is what we read,
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,' ‘Do not murder,' ‘Do not steal,' ‘Do not bear false witness,' ‘Do not defraud,' ‘Honor your father and your mother.'" And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
This is an interesting passage, isn't it?! I think verse 22 could probably be read as "great possessions had him," and we wouldn't do too much damage to the text. Possessions possessed him, and he went away from his conversation with Jesus sorrowful.
When Jesus met this guy, He was able to cut right to the heart issue, what controlled his life. Verse 21 could be paraphrased, "Okay, you really want it? Here's your roadblock, baby." It was the guy's attitude toward his stuff.
This man loved possessions, wealth, and the things of this life more than he loved Jesus.
Where are you today, my friend?
Have you allowed our world to con you into believing that you should base your life on the stuff you accumulate? Or do you love God the most?
Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,' ‘Do not murder,' ‘Do not steal,' ‘Do not bear false witness,' ‘Do not defraud,' ‘Honor your father and your mother.'" And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth." Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
This is an interesting passage, isn't it?! I think verse 22 could probably be read as "great possessions had him," and we wouldn't do too much damage to the text. Possessions possessed him, and he went away from his conversation with Jesus sorrowful.
When Jesus met this guy, He was able to cut right to the heart issue, what controlled his life. Verse 21 could be paraphrased, "Okay, you really want it? Here's your roadblock, baby." It was the guy's attitude toward his stuff.
This man loved possessions, wealth, and the things of this life more than he loved Jesus.
Where are you today, my friend?
Have you allowed our world to con you into believing that you should base your life on the stuff you accumulate? Or do you love God the most?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)