Not Just an "April Fool"

 For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth. [No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. - 1 Corinthians 1:26&27 AMP

Regarding this passage of scripture, Matthew Henry says:

“God did not choose philosophers, nor orators, nor statesmen, nor men of wealth and power and interest in the world, to publish the gospel of grace and peace. Not the wise men after the flesh, though men would apt to think that a reputation for wisdom and learning might have contributed much to the success of the gospel. Not the mighty and noble, however men might be apt to imagine that secular pomp and power would make way for its reception in the world. But God [sees] not as man [sees]. He hath chosen the foolish things of the world, the weak things of the world, the base and despicable things of the world, men of mean [lacking distinction or eminence] birth, of low rank, of no liberal education, to be the preachers of the gospel and planters of the church. His thoughts are not as our thoughts, nor his ways as our ways. He is a better judge than we what instruments and measures will best serve the purposes of his glory…To beat down the pride and vanity of men. God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.”

Among the founders of the gospel we find fishermen, and a tax collector; not philosophers, nobility, and those considered to be of high rank within society. These are the people Jesus chose to pour His life and truth into on a consistent basis. These are the people He chose to spread the gospel; the founders of His church. In Acts 4, we read: Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. (vs.13 AMP)

What I’m trying to impress upon you is that you, YES YOU, can be used mightily by God regardless of any societal category you may fit into—rich, poor, unmarried, married, childless, foster parenting, living with physical impairment, very young, very old, renting a room, managing an empire…whatever! Humility is needed to be used by God. Whether society esteems you or not, God looks at the heart, and when you humble yourself, He will esteem you (James 4:10). Will you be a fool for God?

He's Preparing Me

Friday we talked about fighting the good fight of faith and that when those challenging seasons come upon us, God can use them to deepen our faith and trust in Him. In those circumstances He can also use them to prepare us for our future. It's tough but we can choose to adopt the perspective that says: "MY LIFE IS AWESOME. EVEN THOUGH I’M FACING A SERIOUS CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW, I’M SO THANKFUL THAT THE LORD IS GUIDING ME THROUGH IT, STEP-BY-STEP. Please hear my heart when I say that I do not exhort you in this manner lightly.  Some of the difficulties we face in this life are so hard that it may seem like they will kill us. I’ve been there. But in the midst of challenge, I’ve learned that we need to press into God; to read the Word, to meditate on and memorize the Word, to pray, to seek wise counsel, to pray in agreement with other believers, to submit to God...to do all the things we need to do to exercise our spiritual muscle. Not saying I’ve mastered this; I don’t do it perfectly. But it is true for us that this is how we must respond to the inevitable challenges. And, if you can get any encouragement from it, know that you are being prepared not only for your future matters but also for the benefit of others. (if you’re interested in hearing more about how I’ve arrived at this place, email me)

So, those thoughts reminded me of this simple and wonderful song by Daryl Coley “He’s Preparing Me”. These are the words:

He's preparing me for something I cannot handle right now.

He's making me ready just because He cares.

He's providing me with what I'll need to carry out the next matter in my life.

Preparing me! He cares for me!

Preparing me for everything that comes in my life!

Preparing me because He cares for me.

He's maturing me because He cares for me.
He's arranging me. Rearranging me.
He's preparing because He cares for me.
He is training me. He is tuning me.
He is purging me. He is pruning.

 

Preparing me! He cares for me!

Preparing me for everything that comes in my life

 

In case you want to enjoy this old school gospel song, here’s a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WcwZO9htds

 

Closer Than a Brother

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24

Just a quick word about this verse. Matthew Henry says this:

Solomon here recommends friendship to us, and shows, 1. What we must do that we may contract and cultivate friendship; we must show ourselves friendly…Si vis amari, ama—If you wish to gain affection, bestow it.—Sen.Ut ameris, amabilis esto—The way to be beloved is to be lovely.—Ovid. [Solomon also shows] 2. That it is worth while to [cultivate friendship], for we may promise ourselves a great deal of comfort in a true friend...In our troubles we expect comfort and relief from our relations, but sometimes there is a friend, that is nothing akin to us, the bonds of whose esteem and love prove stronger than those of nature, and, when it comes to the trial, will do more for us than a brother will. Christ is a friend to all believers that sticks closer than a brother; to him therefore let them show themselves friendly.

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

“But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].” 1 Corinthians 9:27 (AMP)

I love boxing! Not doing it; watching it. J I appreciate the athleticism needed to be good at it. I know that among Christians, there is debate about boxing. The brutality and gratuitous violence are a point of contention. But please don't let that debate distract you from what I’m sharing today.

I love the imagery given here by the Amplified version of the Scriptures. Paul is telling the Believers at Corinth that he makes it a point to subject himself to hardship on behalf of God. To the Roman church, he encouraged them to present their bodies as living sacrifices unto God. This is the same sentiment that he is sharing with the Corinthians. Paul is willingly and proactively ready to undergo beatings (literally and figuratively) in order to be able to present himself as a holy and pleasing sacrifice to the Lord. Hardships are the way in which we grow in a depth of faith and trust that allows us to present ourselves as a sacrifice to God. As we’ve all heard before, the problem with a living sacrifice is that it moves! We try to get off the altar; not stay on and endure the burn! But Paul says that he brings his body under submission because he wants to be a steadfast believer. Because heaven forbid that he should teach the truth to others only to learn, when the trial comes his way, that his faith is a sham!

How about you? When the bell rings and it’s time to fight, will you come out of your corner ready to do battle? Ready to face an attack? To buffet means to strike sharply…to strike repeatedly…to batter…to drive, force, move, or attack by or as if by repeated blows. Jesus assures us that in this life we are going to have times of attack. There is no way to avoid that. So will you face it and fight or will you cower in the corner? Take a moment to close your eyes and imagine this: you are a boxer, you are standing in your corner of the ring, the first round bell rings and your opponent comes out of their corner with a murderous look in their eye. You, instead of coming out of your corner to fight, curl up in a ball on the floor. Your opponent (the adversary), starts beating the tar out of you as you cower! This is not the image of a fighter that the Lord is looking for.

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12

“Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart.” 1 Peter 5:8 (TLB)

Let me encourage you – FIGHT! Welcome that buffeting because in that, the Lord is building up a giant in the faith! And as He builds you up, you become an unstoppable force for Christ.

Lord, may Your kingdom come and Your will be done on this earth and especially in our lives. Father, the buffeting is not pleasant but may we join in the suffering (MSG version says “take it on the chin”) like a good soldier of Christ Jesus [2 Tim. 2:3], so that along with those we’ve encouraged, we will be found to be holy and pleasing to You. Amen.

Don't Fret

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1

These are the words of our precious Savior. He is speaking words of comfort to His disciples…and to us; also His disciples. He spoke these words at the event which we call The Last Supper. He’d washed the disciple’s feet, He told them of Judas’ betrayal, that He would be leaving them, and even told Peter that he would deny Him in very short order. All of this He’d done out of love for them-for us. John 13:1b says “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” Jesus was about to go to the cross and this is what He chose to say to those He loved, “Do not let your hearts be troubled…” I well up with tears thinking about our dear Savior knowing what He was going to face in just a few hours, yet loving them—loving us—to the very end. But His love did not stop there. This was the end of His time here on earth but not the end of His love.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3b

Jesus, Who is God, comforted His followers saying that just as they believe in God, so also should they believe in Him. He knew there were some never before seen events that were going to occur and that they would need to firmly hold on to their faith. In 2014, and if we’ve been in church for a good length of time, we may not be as moved by the reality of what was going to take place with Jesus, the magnitude of Judas’ betrayal, the importance of Peter’s denial (and redemption), or the death and resurrection of Jesus, as we would have been to live through all of that firsthand. But for the disciples who also would go on to suffer unbelievable persecution, this was all new and very….well, troubling. Jesus gives them a little preview of things to come but says they need not be troubled. He also tells them that they will have an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, Who the Father will send to them to help them and be with them forever.

He says the same to us. We need not be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in Christ Who will never leave nor forsake us. Dear one, no matter what the circumstances are that you are facing, don’t let your heart be troubled. Jesus is with you. He knows. He cares. And He’s sent His Holy Spirit to be with us forever – to help us.

Praise God!

DIGG Sessions

As followers of Christ we have a call on our lives. We each have a unique call, but there is also a “corporate call”, if you will, that is for all believers. A couple of days ago we recognized the “corporate call” of Micah 6:8 to act justly, love mercy, and live humbly. Here are a couple more scripts that help us to understand how we are to live in this world. We are to be His ambassadors on this earth. We are to lift Him up so that He can draw all men unto Himself.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Well, as we engage this life of good works, we need to stay connected to God and make sure that we are hearing from Him exactly what He desires from us. We need to understand the work that He wants done because He gives us grace (divine power) to do His will and when we do His will, His kingdom will come.

Taking time in prayer and reading the Word is the perfect way to determine God’s will for us. My daughter refers to these times as “DIGG Sessions”. The question you are seeking to answer in these sessions is “Does It Glorify God?” The action you are contemplating, the words you want to say, the move you want to make – does it glorify God? I asked her a few questions about this idea…

What is a DIGG Session?

A DIGG Session is when you are thinking about what you are going to do and “Does it glorify God?” You’re asking yourself, “What I’m about to do, is this something that will draw me closer to God? Is this something that if God was right here with me, I would be happy to do with Him looking at me?”

Is there a structure for a DIGG Session?

The structure of your DIGG Session depends on you. You may consult your Bible with the glossary, you will want to consider God’s presence in the matter. Perhaps you will want to create a pros and cons list. Also, you can seek the wise counsel of others as a part of your DIGG Session.

Should a DIGG Session last a certain amount of time?

No. It will last as long as you need to get to an answer. Also, sometimes you do not have the luxury of time. In that case you may need to make a quick decision and then have a DIGG Session afterward. But whenever possible, take the time to DIGG prior to making your final decision.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah is attributed to the saying “Think 100 times before you take a decision, but once that decision is taken, stand by it as one man.” The idea here is that you do not rush into a decision, but once you have made your decision, you stand firmly by that decision and are not double-minded. James mentioned this idea of being double-minded in the book of James, chapter 1. And Christ made mention of this concept as recorded in the book of Matthew, chapter 6. S. Michael Houdmann says this: “A double-minded person is restless and confused in his thoughts, his actions, and his behavior. Such a person is always in conflict with himself. One torn by such inner conflict can never lean with confidence on God and His gracious promises. Correspondingly, the term unstable is analogous to a drunken man unable to walk a straight line, swaying one way, then another. He has no defined direction and as a result doesn’t get anywhere. Such a person is ‘unstable in all he does.’”

Remember that you are God’s design and that you have been crafted for good works. Works that will glorify God! Regularly engage in DIGG Sessions: seek wise counsel, seek God’s will, pray and read His Word. Ask God for wisdom in all that you do and He will give it to you…liberally! (see James 1) And then, once you have an understanding of what God desires from you, do not waiver. Do not let the enemy or any opposition deter you from fulfilling God’s will for your life. Go forward in His power. Glorify Him!

The Evaluation of Stewardship by Dr. tony Evans

I came across this devotional on stewardship by Dr. Tony Evans, and thought I’d share it with you. There’s a great question toward the end. And tomorrow, we will “DIGG” a little deeper into this idea of stewarding our talents.

The Evaluation of Stewardship

In His Presence: 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

Each Christian will one day come before the judgment seat of Christ and will be evaluated for their Christian walk. This is when God will look at our stewardship, at our use of time, talents, and treasures. He will evaluate us not to determine our entrance to heaven—that has already been given through Christ’s finished work on the cross—but to determine our reward in heaven.

As we reconsider the parable of the three stewards in Matthew 25, let us first remember the issue of responsibility in stewardship. The three servants did not own the possessions they took care of; those things belonged to the master. None of the slaves could claim ownership of anything they had. In the same way, everything we have, are, or ever will be belongs to God.

We must also remember the issue of accountability. After time had passed, the master came back to see what the slaves had done with his money. We will all one day answer for the use of our resources. To the servants who invested wisely, the master gave public praise and more treasures (vv. 21, 23), but to the servant who buried his talent in the ground, he gave a tongue-lashing (v. 26). Each one got the reward he was due.

How can we prepare for the day when we will answer for the use of our time, talents, and treasures? Start rewriting our obituaries now! We can’t change the past, but we can change tomorrow. Begin reorganizing your life to reflect your changed priorities.

One Minute Please

Live so that at His judgment seat, God will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”