Posts
I made a comment on my Facebook page about fighting the people in our state and nation that are trying to take our Christian freedom away from us. There are those who want to tell us what we, as Christians, are to do and tell us what we cannot say or believe. I find that highly offensive. Tolerance is not a one-way street. If they want me to tolerate them, then I have equal right to insist that they tolerate me.
Someone replied that the call to battle is to show them that Jesus will forgive their sins, and restore them to health. They are not the enemy, they are the victim of Satan's lies. Pray for them, that they would be released from the bondage of sin.
While I agree that Satan is the real enemy, he uses people to carry out his wickedness. At some point, we must speak against the sin that other people are advocating and and stop them from what they are doing to take away our freedom.
This is not some imaginary battle where we sit in our holy place and pretend we will be protected. This is where we get out and engage the world and tell them that we have rights also. We must tell the world, in a loving and kind way that their worldview is destructive, unfulfilling and wrong. We do not get angry or hostile. We do not engage in belittling or putting them down, yelling or calling names, but we do speak up for what the Bible teaches.
What good are we if we are not salt and light to a tasteless and dark world?
What Would Jesus Do?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Handling Stress
How is your emotional level right now? Can you handle a little emotional challenge right now? If so, read on. If not, go somewhere else until you are emotionally prepared to go through a troubling experience.
I just finished writing lesson 143 in the Getting To Know Jesus Bible study series about Jesus going to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. As I was writing about Him falling on His face and pleading to His Father for strength to get through what He knew was coming, I felt a slight twinge of the stress that brought Him to this point. You can read the Scriptures about it in Getting To Know Jesus – Volume 11, Lesson 143. (Or read Matthew 26:30, 36-46; Mark 14:26-32-42, Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1.)
Jesus had just finished praying a benediction to the events of the upper room. It was there that He had brought the Apostles to celebrate the Passover. It was there that He chided them for arguing who was the greatest. It was there that He washed the feet of all twelve (yes, Judas was still in the room). It was there that He exposed Judas and admonished him to go do what he was going to do. It was there that He instituted the Lord’s Supper and told the remaining eleven that He was going to die at the hands of His enemies.
After instating the Lord’s Supper, Eucharist, Communion, Love Feast, Last Supper or whatever you prefer to call it, Jesus gave an after-dinner talk to prepare and encourage the Apostles for continuing on without Him. They don’t fully realize that at this point, but that was what it was designed to do. He concluded that talk with a benedictory prayer where He prayed for God to bless Him, bless and protect the Apostles and protect the Church that they will soon be establishing.
After that prayer, Jesus needed some private time with God. The emotions and pain are adding up on Him and, even though He is God in the flesh, He needs some personal time with His Father to get through this. Even though He takes the Apostles with Him, He leaves them and goes to another part of the Garden to be alone with God.
It is here that He prays for strength to get through what He has to go through. He would rather not have to die, but He knows that God has a greater plan. He dreads the thought of the rejection, pain and torture that is pending. He knows that His death is necessary to pay for our sin, but He still pleads for a different resolution.
Knowing that this is God’s will, Jesus chooses obedience over escape from pain and death. Think with me for a moment about how much stress that put on Him. He never sinned. He loves God, the Father and you and me (even though we are the ones responsible for His having to die on the cross). He has seen crucifixion and knows something about what is ahead for Him. He dreads the physical pain, yearns to escape the emotional pain, and will soon feel the spiritual separation and pain that is pending. How hard is it for Jesus to not call 10,000 angels and stop this whole process? Yet, He prays for strength to be obedient and faithful through all that is soon coming.
How does the stress you are going through compare to what Jesus went through for you? Kind of pales in comparison, doesn’t it?
I just finished writing lesson 143 in the Getting To Know Jesus Bible study series about Jesus going to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. As I was writing about Him falling on His face and pleading to His Father for strength to get through what He knew was coming, I felt a slight twinge of the stress that brought Him to this point. You can read the Scriptures about it in Getting To Know Jesus – Volume 11, Lesson 143. (Or read Matthew 26:30, 36-46; Mark 14:26-32-42, Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1.)
Jesus had just finished praying a benediction to the events of the upper room. It was there that He had brought the Apostles to celebrate the Passover. It was there that He chided them for arguing who was the greatest. It was there that He washed the feet of all twelve (yes, Judas was still in the room). It was there that He exposed Judas and admonished him to go do what he was going to do. It was there that He instituted the Lord’s Supper and told the remaining eleven that He was going to die at the hands of His enemies.
After instating the Lord’s Supper, Eucharist, Communion, Love Feast, Last Supper or whatever you prefer to call it, Jesus gave an after-dinner talk to prepare and encourage the Apostles for continuing on without Him. They don’t fully realize that at this point, but that was what it was designed to do. He concluded that talk with a benedictory prayer where He prayed for God to bless Him, bless and protect the Apostles and protect the Church that they will soon be establishing.
After that prayer, Jesus needed some private time with God. The emotions and pain are adding up on Him and, even though He is God in the flesh, He needs some personal time with His Father to get through this. Even though He takes the Apostles with Him, He leaves them and goes to another part of the Garden to be alone with God.
It is here that He prays for strength to get through what He has to go through. He would rather not have to die, but He knows that God has a greater plan. He dreads the thought of the rejection, pain and torture that is pending. He knows that His death is necessary to pay for our sin, but He still pleads for a different resolution.
Knowing that this is God’s will, Jesus chooses obedience over escape from pain and death. Think with me for a moment about how much stress that put on Him. He never sinned. He loves God, the Father and you and me (even though we are the ones responsible for His having to die on the cross). He has seen crucifixion and knows something about what is ahead for Him. He dreads the physical pain, yearns to escape the emotional pain, and will soon feel the spiritual separation and pain that is pending. How hard is it for Jesus to not call 10,000 angels and stop this whole process? Yet, He prays for strength to be obedient and faithful through all that is soon coming.
How does the stress you are going through compare to what Jesus went through for you? Kind of pales in comparison, doesn’t it?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
I have heard several comments recently, to which I have added my own experience and observations, and I see a serious situation and a plausible, though lengthy solution.
When we started taking God and prayer out of our schools, we started having much more serious problems than students chewing gum in class of smoking in the bathroom. Today, many schools have to have a security guard or police officer on the campus full time. Drugs and teenage sex are everywhere and many schools are targets for gang violence. Can you figure what is wrong with this picture?
Since we have caved into the ACLU’s agenda to remove God and all references to Christianity from our society, we not have more crime, more unwanted pregnancies which result in more abortions. We have government and corporate greed and lawmakers who think that they are exempt from following and applying those laws to one another. We have problems with all kinds of illegal behavior which the government doesn’t want to enforce as illegal and direct assaults on the very institutions that have made the United States the great nation that it has been from its very inception.
Since we have decided, as a nation, that we don’t need God, we now have a direct assault on the institution of marriage and a gross effort to ignore God’s teachings about keeping sex between a husband and a wife. Then we complain about the sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted babies, abortions and botched abortions, increase in divorces and broken homes and wonder why our children (including some of us now) are feeling so insecure, lost and unwanted.
Our government has grown bigger and bigger, yet less effective. We hire all kinds of security, police and agencies to protect us from evil, yet we continue to have more crime. Our freedoms have been encroached upon more and more, yet we are less safe and secure. Our taxes have gone up, but the money is poorly managed and spent on things we don’t agree with, but we no longer are allowed to have any say.
Now Christians are being persecuted in the United States. We are being told how we can and cannot pray in public places. We are being told that how we can and cannot celebrate Christmas and Easter and other Christian holidays. We are being told that we have to “tolerate” sinful behavior as a lifestyle and we will soon be told that we can’t speak out against that behavior without being fined, jailed or otherwise silenced, like what is happening to Christians in Canada right now.
So what is the solution? Some of you already know. The only way we are effectively going to reduce the sin in our society, be able to reduce the size of government, our police and increase our freedom is to for people to return to following Jesus Christ. When our people respect God, they obey the law and we need less government, police and "protection". When the people are committed to following God, we have less sex outside of marriage which results in less sexually transmitted diseases, less pregnancy, less abortion, less rape, less pornography, fewer child molesters, etc.
“Getting To Know Jesus” is a tool to reconnect people with Christ in a way that they will become more like Him and engage His power to stand against the evil in this world. We have a war on our hands and “Getting To Know Jesus” is preparing us for that battle. Each lesson will help you and your friends to understand what Jesus taught and did and it will help you to become more effective in your walk with Him.
We pray that these “Getting To Know Jesus” lessons are building a passionate, personal and powerful relationship with you and Jesus that will help you to become more like Him.
When we started taking God and prayer out of our schools, we started having much more serious problems than students chewing gum in class of smoking in the bathroom. Today, many schools have to have a security guard or police officer on the campus full time. Drugs and teenage sex are everywhere and many schools are targets for gang violence. Can you figure what is wrong with this picture?
Since we have caved into the ACLU’s agenda to remove God and all references to Christianity from our society, we not have more crime, more unwanted pregnancies which result in more abortions. We have government and corporate greed and lawmakers who think that they are exempt from following and applying those laws to one another. We have problems with all kinds of illegal behavior which the government doesn’t want to enforce as illegal and direct assaults on the very institutions that have made the United States the great nation that it has been from its very inception.
Since we have decided, as a nation, that we don’t need God, we now have a direct assault on the institution of marriage and a gross effort to ignore God’s teachings about keeping sex between a husband and a wife. Then we complain about the sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted babies, abortions and botched abortions, increase in divorces and broken homes and wonder why our children (including some of us now) are feeling so insecure, lost and unwanted.
Our government has grown bigger and bigger, yet less effective. We hire all kinds of security, police and agencies to protect us from evil, yet we continue to have more crime. Our freedoms have been encroached upon more and more, yet we are less safe and secure. Our taxes have gone up, but the money is poorly managed and spent on things we don’t agree with, but we no longer are allowed to have any say.
Now Christians are being persecuted in the United States. We are being told how we can and cannot pray in public places. We are being told that how we can and cannot celebrate Christmas and Easter and other Christian holidays. We are being told that we have to “tolerate” sinful behavior as a lifestyle and we will soon be told that we can’t speak out against that behavior without being fined, jailed or otherwise silenced, like what is happening to Christians in Canada right now.
So what is the solution? Some of you already know. The only way we are effectively going to reduce the sin in our society, be able to reduce the size of government, our police and increase our freedom is to for people to return to following Jesus Christ. When our people respect God, they obey the law and we need less government, police and "protection". When the people are committed to following God, we have less sex outside of marriage which results in less sexually transmitted diseases, less pregnancy, less abortion, less rape, less pornography, fewer child molesters, etc.
“Getting To Know Jesus” is a tool to reconnect people with Christ in a way that they will become more like Him and engage His power to stand against the evil in this world. We have a war on our hands and “Getting To Know Jesus” is preparing us for that battle. Each lesson will help you and your friends to understand what Jesus taught and did and it will help you to become more effective in your walk with Him.
We pray that these “Getting To Know Jesus” lessons are building a passionate, personal and powerful relationship with you and Jesus that will help you to become more like Him.
Friday, January 30, 2009
That’s Tempting!
Can you name a situation in which you have been tempted to sin recently? Did you give in or did you resist? Do you have an area in your life where you are having a hard time saying "no" to a particular temptation? Would you like to know how you could gain power and victory over that situation?
We have already seen much evidence that sin hurts us and it hurts other people. Famous names that have been caught succumbing to temptation include a former president, entertainers, sports celebrities, business owners and top executives. The truth of the matter is that everyone is tempted and most of us have areas in our life where we regularly give in to the temptation instead of saying, "That is wrong and I'm not going to do it." How do you find the strength to resist temptation and not give in to it?
We also have areas in our life where we are tempted and we regularly say "no" without having to think that much about it. What is the difference that helps us resist some temptations, yet fall victim to others? Since sin is what separates us from God, we don't want to sin. How do we stop giving in to temptation and gain victory over sin in our lives? Can Jesus help?
Jesus was tempted, but He didn't give in to the temptation. Can He help us learn how to resist temptation? The story is elaborated in Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13. Jesus is tempted directly by Satan in three areas. Each time, He says "no" to the temptation and Satan looses. Lets see if there is anything in these situations that will help us fight temptation.
Physically – Satan challenges Jesus to make the stones into bread. This is a promotion of situation ethics. It is justified if the situation justifies it regardless of whether it is right or wrong. Satan knows that Jesus has gone for forty days without eating and is very hungry. They both also know that Jesus better eat soon or He will die of starvation. Jesus has lost a lot of weight and probably didn't have that much to loose!
The bread is still only a temporary fix for this world. We need God's spiritual nourishment much more than we need more bread! We often use "situation ethics" to justify traffic violations, stealing from our employer, lying to hide our guilt in another situation, etc. Wrong is still wrong, even if others are doing worse things! Wrong is still wrong, even if you don't get caught! Jesus replies to Satan's temptation by quoting Scripture and citing God as His authority! Who is going to be your authority? When are you going to repent and stop trying to justify your wrong behavior? How about learning Scriptures that you can quote when you are tempted with certain temptations? That is what Jesus did!
Mentally – For this temptation, Satan transports Jesus to Jerusalem (we don't know if it was instantly or by foot) and challenges Him to take a flying leap off of the pinnacle of the Temple! If it is the temple building, that is a 60-foot jump. Both Satan and Jesus know that Jesus is God's Son. Here, Satan is challenging Jesus to display His power by "flying" down off of the Temple. Wouldn't you like to be able to fly off a building and land without getting hurt? This would prove that Jesus is more than a mere human being.
Satan even misquotes Scripture to try to fool Jesus into thinking that He would be justified to jump off and let the angels catch Him. Jesus knows Scripture better than Satan and corrects his out of context comment. Have you ever altered God's word to suit your circumstances? Have you ever tried to justify a feeling or belief with Scripture that you knew was wrong? Always check the context of a Scripture before you quote it!
Spiritually – Worship me and I will give you the whole world! Satan directly challenges Jesus' relationship to God. Jesus knows that He is supposed to be the King of the Jews and that His Kingdom will include the whole world. Satan offers Him a chance to make it happen now! Does Jesus know about the cross? Does He understand that His Kingdom is spiritual as opposed to a physical one? He can have it now instead of having to wait! He can have it now by worshipping Satan instead of struggling for three years and then dying by crucifixion and depending on a bunch of uneducated men to build a Kingdom for Him.
"Worship" means "bend the knee" which is an act of giving honor to another person. (Why some of us kneel when we pray!) This offer of "power" would be a temptation to many people. Satan does have the power to give Jesus this earth. However, Jesus knows that if He takes it this way, He will die spiritually and not be able to save us from our sins! If Jesus had bowed the knee to Satan, He and we would all spend eternity in hell! Jesus tells Satan to "take a hike"!
What would Satan have to do to get you to choose popularity, fame, glamour, glory or fortune over your relationship with God and Christians? Are you going to allow him to get away with such temptation in the future or are you going to put a stop to it and tell him to stop tempting you?
God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus!” Have a great day!
We have already seen much evidence that sin hurts us and it hurts other people. Famous names that have been caught succumbing to temptation include a former president, entertainers, sports celebrities, business owners and top executives. The truth of the matter is that everyone is tempted and most of us have areas in our life where we regularly give in to the temptation instead of saying, "That is wrong and I'm not going to do it." How do you find the strength to resist temptation and not give in to it?
We also have areas in our life where we are tempted and we regularly say "no" without having to think that much about it. What is the difference that helps us resist some temptations, yet fall victim to others? Since sin is what separates us from God, we don't want to sin. How do we stop giving in to temptation and gain victory over sin in our lives? Can Jesus help?
Jesus was tempted, but He didn't give in to the temptation. Can He help us learn how to resist temptation? The story is elaborated in Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13 and Luke 4:1-13. Jesus is tempted directly by Satan in three areas. Each time, He says "no" to the temptation and Satan looses. Lets see if there is anything in these situations that will help us fight temptation.
Physically – Satan challenges Jesus to make the stones into bread. This is a promotion of situation ethics. It is justified if the situation justifies it regardless of whether it is right or wrong. Satan knows that Jesus has gone for forty days without eating and is very hungry. They both also know that Jesus better eat soon or He will die of starvation. Jesus has lost a lot of weight and probably didn't have that much to loose!
The bread is still only a temporary fix for this world. We need God's spiritual nourishment much more than we need more bread! We often use "situation ethics" to justify traffic violations, stealing from our employer, lying to hide our guilt in another situation, etc. Wrong is still wrong, even if others are doing worse things! Wrong is still wrong, even if you don't get caught! Jesus replies to Satan's temptation by quoting Scripture and citing God as His authority! Who is going to be your authority? When are you going to repent and stop trying to justify your wrong behavior? How about learning Scriptures that you can quote when you are tempted with certain temptations? That is what Jesus did!
Mentally – For this temptation, Satan transports Jesus to Jerusalem (we don't know if it was instantly or by foot) and challenges Him to take a flying leap off of the pinnacle of the Temple! If it is the temple building, that is a 60-foot jump. Both Satan and Jesus know that Jesus is God's Son. Here, Satan is challenging Jesus to display His power by "flying" down off of the Temple. Wouldn't you like to be able to fly off a building and land without getting hurt? This would prove that Jesus is more than a mere human being.
Satan even misquotes Scripture to try to fool Jesus into thinking that He would be justified to jump off and let the angels catch Him. Jesus knows Scripture better than Satan and corrects his out of context comment. Have you ever altered God's word to suit your circumstances? Have you ever tried to justify a feeling or belief with Scripture that you knew was wrong? Always check the context of a Scripture before you quote it!
Spiritually – Worship me and I will give you the whole world! Satan directly challenges Jesus' relationship to God. Jesus knows that He is supposed to be the King of the Jews and that His Kingdom will include the whole world. Satan offers Him a chance to make it happen now! Does Jesus know about the cross? Does He understand that His Kingdom is spiritual as opposed to a physical one? He can have it now instead of having to wait! He can have it now by worshipping Satan instead of struggling for three years and then dying by crucifixion and depending on a bunch of uneducated men to build a Kingdom for Him.
"Worship" means "bend the knee" which is an act of giving honor to another person. (Why some of us kneel when we pray!) This offer of "power" would be a temptation to many people. Satan does have the power to give Jesus this earth. However, Jesus knows that if He takes it this way, He will die spiritually and not be able to save us from our sins! If Jesus had bowed the knee to Satan, He and we would all spend eternity in hell! Jesus tells Satan to "take a hike"!
What would Satan have to do to get you to choose popularity, fame, glamour, glory or fortune over your relationship with God and Christians? Are you going to allow him to get away with such temptation in the future or are you going to put a stop to it and tell him to stop tempting you?
God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus!” Have a great day!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Run For Your Life!
For most of us, "Run for your life!" is a phrase applied to a playful game of getting away from the other team who is trying to catch us. Maybe it is a game of tag or football or trying to steal a base in baseball.
However, for others, "Run for your life!" has some very strong significance. This past year, in southern California, "Run for your life!" meant to leave your house because the forest fire was still out of control and your house was in the path and you were in danger of being burned to death. In the Midwest United States, there were some people who had to "Run for your life!" because their house was in danger of being flooded or in the path of a tornado.
In some parts of the world, "Run for your life!" means that there are people coming who want to kill you and you must flee and hide or you will be murdered! For those people, "Run for your life!" is not the result of a natural catastrophe, but the fear of being the victim of someone else's hatred!
There are several times when Jesus had to "Run for your life!" Today, I would like to look at one that is recorded in Matthew 2:13-18. Joseph and Mary had just been visited by the wise men that gave them some very wonderful and significant gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. That night, after the wise men had left, God tells Joseph in a dream to get Mary and baby Jesus and "Run for your life!"
Herod wants to kill the baby Jesus and the wise men were supposed to tell him where the baby could be found. However, God told the wise men to be wise and not tell Herod, so they went home by a different route to avoid Jerusalem. When Herod realizes that his lie, "I want to worship this baby who is a future king", has been exposed, he will go into a rage and kill every baby in Bethlehem up to two years of age!
Joseph and Mary don't have time to carefully box everything, call a moving van or rent a truck and load it. They don't even have time to hitch up a wagon and load their furniture in it. We don't know if they had a donkey to help carry some food, water and some of Joseph's tools or if they left with only the clothes on their backs and the gifts from the wise men. All we do know is that they left before morning and walked as fast as they could towards Egypt, some 155 miles away.
They traveled for days until they arrived in Egypt and were able to find a place to live. Meanwhile, Herod realized that the wise men weren't coming back and went on his rampage killing all of the babies in Bethlehem. Although there may have been only 20-30 babies that were killed, because Bethlehem was a small village, the horrible act cause great grief, lament and agony over a considerable area because of how ruthless Herod was.
There were other times when Jesus had to "Run for your life!" that we may look at in the future. This one is very significant because He was at the mercy of His parents being obedient to God.
In many places in the world today, there are those who believe it is their right, privilege, even obligation to murder Christians. Their religion, or lack of respect for God and Jesus Christ causes them to think that they are justified in this murderous behavior. Our prayer is that you will never have to face persecution from those who hate Christians and want to kill them. However, if it ever happens, we pray that you will have sufficient warning to "Run for your life!"
We also pray that you will be aware of those who are trying to take away your Christian freedoms and prohibit you from your beliefs as taught in the Bible. Some want to remove the guilt for their sexual immorality. Some simply want to stop Christians from trying to influence the world for Jesus. Some want to murder Christians and force their own religion on those who have chosen to follow Jesus. Either way, we must be wise to know when and how to stand for our faith and pray for those who might have to "Run for your life!"
God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus”! Have a great day!
However, for others, "Run for your life!" has some very strong significance. This past year, in southern California, "Run for your life!" meant to leave your house because the forest fire was still out of control and your house was in the path and you were in danger of being burned to death. In the Midwest United States, there were some people who had to "Run for your life!" because their house was in danger of being flooded or in the path of a tornado.
In some parts of the world, "Run for your life!" means that there are people coming who want to kill you and you must flee and hide or you will be murdered! For those people, "Run for your life!" is not the result of a natural catastrophe, but the fear of being the victim of someone else's hatred!
There are several times when Jesus had to "Run for your life!" Today, I would like to look at one that is recorded in Matthew 2:13-18. Joseph and Mary had just been visited by the wise men that gave them some very wonderful and significant gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. That night, after the wise men had left, God tells Joseph in a dream to get Mary and baby Jesus and "Run for your life!"
Herod wants to kill the baby Jesus and the wise men were supposed to tell him where the baby could be found. However, God told the wise men to be wise and not tell Herod, so they went home by a different route to avoid Jerusalem. When Herod realizes that his lie, "I want to worship this baby who is a future king", has been exposed, he will go into a rage and kill every baby in Bethlehem up to two years of age!
Joseph and Mary don't have time to carefully box everything, call a moving van or rent a truck and load it. They don't even have time to hitch up a wagon and load their furniture in it. We don't know if they had a donkey to help carry some food, water and some of Joseph's tools or if they left with only the clothes on their backs and the gifts from the wise men. All we do know is that they left before morning and walked as fast as they could towards Egypt, some 155 miles away.
They traveled for days until they arrived in Egypt and were able to find a place to live. Meanwhile, Herod realized that the wise men weren't coming back and went on his rampage killing all of the babies in Bethlehem. Although there may have been only 20-30 babies that were killed, because Bethlehem was a small village, the horrible act cause great grief, lament and agony over a considerable area because of how ruthless Herod was.
There were other times when Jesus had to "Run for your life!" that we may look at in the future. This one is very significant because He was at the mercy of His parents being obedient to God.
In many places in the world today, there are those who believe it is their right, privilege, even obligation to murder Christians. Their religion, or lack of respect for God and Jesus Christ causes them to think that they are justified in this murderous behavior. Our prayer is that you will never have to face persecution from those who hate Christians and want to kill them. However, if it ever happens, we pray that you will have sufficient warning to "Run for your life!"
We also pray that you will be aware of those who are trying to take away your Christian freedoms and prohibit you from your beliefs as taught in the Bible. Some want to remove the guilt for their sexual immorality. Some simply want to stop Christians from trying to influence the world for Jesus. Some want to murder Christians and force their own religion on those who have chosen to follow Jesus. Either way, we must be wise to know when and how to stand for our faith and pray for those who might have to "Run for your life!"
God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus”! Have a great day!
Monday, January 19, 2009
God Uses “Nobodies!”
I was just pondering over the 12 Apostles and how God chose twelve obscure men to become the leaders of His Church. In Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16, He chooses twelve men who are to be given special training and then release them to do a job that would normally be considered only for the religious elite. They were to tell the world (evangelize) the good news (Gospel) about Jesus Christ coming to die for man’s sins and giving eternal life to all who repent and follow Him.
I know a lot of people (even myself at one time) who felt inferior because…(you can fill in the reason here). I have since grown to realize that God loves to use the person, who seems least likely by man’s standards, to do His greatest work.
David was the youngest and smaller of Jesse’s sons, yet he was chosen to be king. Several of the prophets were obscure men, farmers, ordinary citizens, yet they wrote great prophecies. Joseph was treated cruelly, physically and emotionally abused by his brothers, yet he is the one God blessed. Ruth was a poor foreign widow, yet she became the grandmother of a King. Esther was a young foreign woman, yet she became a King’s wife and saved her people from slaughter. Nehemiah was a King’s cupbearer. Hosea was married to a woman (prostitute) who cheated on him throughout their entire marriage. Amos was a farmer, yet God called him to prophecy!
Let’s look at the New Testament. Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. They were not Bible college, seminary or theology graduates. Though they did well with their fishing business, they were not rich or affluent leaders in the community. Peter was quick to speak up without thinking. James and John were called “Sons of Thunder”, but it is not known if that is because of their mouths or their fists! Thomas was always questioning. Matthew was considered by most Jews to be a traitor because he collected taxes for the Romans and often overcharged his fellow Jews. Simon was a Roman hating guy who wanted to fight Romans more than reason with them, yet he is included in the same bunch as Matthew.
The point that I want to promote is that GOD CAN USE YOU TO DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIS KINGDOM!!!! You don’t have to be specially educated, rich, famous, a recognized leader or celebrity to be powerful in the Kingdom of God! The people that God is able to use the most are those who are most willing to be used by Him and are not seeking their own greatness.
Often when we start comparing ourselves to others, it is either out of envy or ego. We are either looking at their talent or complaining because we don’t have the same talent or we are looking at how they are doing something that is wrong or different than how we would do it. Such comparisons are self-destructive and hurtful to our walk with Jesus. They keep us from dealing with our issues as we are working on becoming more like Christ.
The best way to find your niche is to take an inventory of your education, talents and interests. Add to that what other people compliment you for and anything that you feel strongly that you would like to do with your life. Refine this information into a one or two sentence life mission statement and then get two work making it happen.
Most of all, when you get down, depressed or feeling sorry for yourself, stop comparing yourself to others and remember what God did with those who were humble and willing to be obedient and use their talents for His glory.
Twelve unknown, and uneducated men took a simple message and did something all the armies of the world put together could not do. They changed the world for Christ. This project isn’t over and God could really use you to do something special right there where you live and work. You don’t have to raise a bunch of money and go somewhere else to be used by Him for His glory. Who are your neighbors? Where do they go to church? What are the needs and issues that they are struggling with that you might be able to help them with?
How about where you work? Who are your co-workers? Do they know that you are a Christian? Does it show in the language you use and the quality of work that you do? Do they respect you as a person who is striving to follow Jesus?
How about where you shop, get your car maintained or repaired? What kind of movies or other kinds of entertainment do people see you watching? I have discovered that Christians can have lots of fun and it doesn’t have to be immoral, risqué, dirty or evil. Since our life is a reflection of how Jesus has changed us from doing bad things to doing good things, how are we doing in living that out?
God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus”! Have a great day!
I know a lot of people (even myself at one time) who felt inferior because…(you can fill in the reason here). I have since grown to realize that God loves to use the person, who seems least likely by man’s standards, to do His greatest work.
David was the youngest and smaller of Jesse’s sons, yet he was chosen to be king. Several of the prophets were obscure men, farmers, ordinary citizens, yet they wrote great prophecies. Joseph was treated cruelly, physically and emotionally abused by his brothers, yet he is the one God blessed. Ruth was a poor foreign widow, yet she became the grandmother of a King. Esther was a young foreign woman, yet she became a King’s wife and saved her people from slaughter. Nehemiah was a King’s cupbearer. Hosea was married to a woman (prostitute) who cheated on him throughout their entire marriage. Amos was a farmer, yet God called him to prophecy!
Let’s look at the New Testament. Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen. They were not Bible college, seminary or theology graduates. Though they did well with their fishing business, they were not rich or affluent leaders in the community. Peter was quick to speak up without thinking. James and John were called “Sons of Thunder”, but it is not known if that is because of their mouths or their fists! Thomas was always questioning. Matthew was considered by most Jews to be a traitor because he collected taxes for the Romans and often overcharged his fellow Jews. Simon was a Roman hating guy who wanted to fight Romans more than reason with them, yet he is included in the same bunch as Matthew.
The point that I want to promote is that GOD CAN USE YOU TO DO GREAT THINGS FOR HIS KINGDOM!!!! You don’t have to be specially educated, rich, famous, a recognized leader or celebrity to be powerful in the Kingdom of God! The people that God is able to use the most are those who are most willing to be used by Him and are not seeking their own greatness.
Often when we start comparing ourselves to others, it is either out of envy or ego. We are either looking at their talent or complaining because we don’t have the same talent or we are looking at how they are doing something that is wrong or different than how we would do it. Such comparisons are self-destructive and hurtful to our walk with Jesus. They keep us from dealing with our issues as we are working on becoming more like Christ.
The best way to find your niche is to take an inventory of your education, talents and interests. Add to that what other people compliment you for and anything that you feel strongly that you would like to do with your life. Refine this information into a one or two sentence life mission statement and then get two work making it happen.
Most of all, when you get down, depressed or feeling sorry for yourself, stop comparing yourself to others and remember what God did with those who were humble and willing to be obedient and use their talents for His glory.
Twelve unknown, and uneducated men took a simple message and did something all the armies of the world put together could not do. They changed the world for Christ. This project isn’t over and God could really use you to do something special right there where you live and work. You don’t have to raise a bunch of money and go somewhere else to be used by Him for His glory. Who are your neighbors? Where do they go to church? What are the needs and issues that they are struggling with that you might be able to help them with?
How about where you work? Who are your co-workers? Do they know that you are a Christian? Does it show in the language you use and the quality of work that you do? Do they respect you as a person who is striving to follow Jesus?
How about where you shop, get your car maintained or repaired? What kind of movies or other kinds of entertainment do people see you watching? I have discovered that Christians can have lots of fun and it doesn’t have to be immoral, risqué, dirty or evil. Since our life is a reflection of how Jesus has changed us from doing bad things to doing good things, how are we doing in living that out?
God bless you as you are “Getting To Know Jesus”! Have a great day!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Amber Alert – Jesus Is Missing! – 010
Ever since the abduction, abuse and subsequent murder of Amber Fry, the United States has recognized the ability, value and importance of alerting the local community when there is evidence that a child has been abducted. Such alerts have already saved the lives of many children as citizens spot the suspect vehicle and call the police.
They didn’t have amber alerts in Jesus’ day. They very likely seldom had child abduction because people held to a higher code of ethics and respect than what is found today. However, I am reminded of one situation that would certainly warranted an amber alert concerning Jesus Himself.
When Jesus was 12 years old, the trip to Jerusalem for the annual Passover Feast took on a different understanding. Though He had gone with His parents to Jerusalem every year before, now He was more of a participant than a spectator. Jesus was now a man by Jewish Law, instead of a child as before. His interest in things about God took on a whole new perspective! Dr. Luke tells about it in Luke 2:41-52. Let’s see what happens!
Responsible Parent’s Make Mistakes Too – Luke 2:41-44
After the Feast of the Passover is over, Joseph, Mary and Jesus’ brothers and sisters leave with a large caravan of fellow Jews to travel down the Jericho Road on their way back to Nazareth. There will be several hundred, if not over a thousand, people traveling back home from the feast and since there is safety in numbers. That is the preferred way of travel when it is available. Knowing how children like to run and play, Joseph and Mary presume that Jesus is with the brothers, sisters and many of the other children running ahead or catching up from behind, but traveling along with the crowd. It never occurred to them that He might stay behind or get lost.
Some of you have been there, so you will identify with Joseph and Mary in a very strong way! You have accidentally left a child in a bathroom when on a family trip and had to drive hours back to the place to redeem the lost child! You can understand the anxiety, coupled with the fact that this is GOD’S SON that is missing and they are responsible for His care and protection!
(I wonder if Joseph and Mary engage in any “finger pointing” and blaming on their way back to Jerusalem or if they put that aside and simply concentrated on the task of finding their missing son? So many of us would say, “It’s your fault” to the spouse and blame instead of concentrating on the solution to the problem. It doesn’t really matter whose fault it is when such a crisis occurs. The only issue is to do what is necessary to solve the immediate problem – retrieve the missing child! I would like to hope that Joseph and Mary didn’t blame, but worked together in love and harmony to find Jesus and get back home as a family.)
Parents Work Together To Solve Problems – Luke 2:45-46
Joseph and Mary have traveled all day (day 1) and are setting up camp for the night before realizing that Jesus isn’t with the others. It is too late and too dangerous to travel back UP the Jericho Road (especially at night with robbers abounding) and they are too tired from a day of travel as it is. Joseph and Mary get a good night’s rest and then travel back to Jerusalem the following day (day 2) to try to find their missing son. The road to Jerusalem is uphill all the way and that journey will also be very exhausting. It takes them a full day to return and by the time they arrive, again, it is late and they are very tired. They rest for the night and begin the search early on the next day (day 3). Somewhere during the course of the day, they get to the Temple and notice a crowd gathered around and intently listening to someone. They may have approached the crowd to inquire if anyone had seen their son, but soon recognize that Jesus is the center of attention!
Today, we can be grateful for modern technology that can help us search for missing children. However, it still has to be a traumatic experience when your child is missing. How do we find him? How do we get him or her back? What kind of parents are we to leave our only child behind and not miss him for a whole day? As God trusted Joseph and Mary, in spite of their imperfections, He can trust you with your faults. Don’t waste time criticizing and condemning, but work on solving and building towards solutions. Parenting is a practice, not a science.
Children Can be Taught to Make Good Choices – Luke 2:47-50
Jesus was so interested in the teachings of the Law and Prophets that He had engaged the religious leaders in a deep conversation. His understanding was so profound that He is teaching them as much, if not more, than they are teaching Him.
CANCEL THE AMBER ALERT – JESUS HAS BEEN FOUND SAFE AND SOUND IN THE TEMPLE WHERE HE WAS LEARNING MORE ABOUT HIS REAL FATHER! Joseph and Mary interrupt this conversation to express their deep concern for Jesus not being with them. His reply to them is as profound as the conversation with the elders, priests and scribes. He was merely discussing His REAL Father! Joseph and Mary are left without much to say because they know who the Father of their Son is!
When you teach your children about God and about being responsible, you shouldn’t be surprised when they take their responsibilities seriously. Jesus understood that He needed to know more about the Law and had spent the last few days talking to the priests and Scribes. Joseph and Mary didn’t find Him goofing off or being selfish. He wasn’t rebellious or defiant. He was simply pursuing what He understood He was to do. That is a positive reflection on His parents. What do your children reflect about your parenting?
Children Can be Taught to Make Good Choices – Luke 2:51-52
We see here that Joseph and Mary had taught Jesus well. He was a trustworthy and responsible son. That’s why they didn’t think to worry about whether Jesus was with them on the way home. Now He returns home with them and continues to grow as a man of God.
What a relief to find that your child is safe, has not been molested or killed or in any real danger! Can you imagine Joseph and Mary’s relief? If you left a child behind or had a child disappear or get lost, you will have an idea how Joseph and Mary felt when they found Jesus alive and well after being missing from them for three days.
God bless you and have a great week!
They didn’t have amber alerts in Jesus’ day. They very likely seldom had child abduction because people held to a higher code of ethics and respect than what is found today. However, I am reminded of one situation that would certainly warranted an amber alert concerning Jesus Himself.
When Jesus was 12 years old, the trip to Jerusalem for the annual Passover Feast took on a different understanding. Though He had gone with His parents to Jerusalem every year before, now He was more of a participant than a spectator. Jesus was now a man by Jewish Law, instead of a child as before. His interest in things about God took on a whole new perspective! Dr. Luke tells about it in Luke 2:41-52. Let’s see what happens!
Responsible Parent’s Make Mistakes Too – Luke 2:41-44
After the Feast of the Passover is over, Joseph, Mary and Jesus’ brothers and sisters leave with a large caravan of fellow Jews to travel down the Jericho Road on their way back to Nazareth. There will be several hundred, if not over a thousand, people traveling back home from the feast and since there is safety in numbers. That is the preferred way of travel when it is available. Knowing how children like to run and play, Joseph and Mary presume that Jesus is with the brothers, sisters and many of the other children running ahead or catching up from behind, but traveling along with the crowd. It never occurred to them that He might stay behind or get lost.
Some of you have been there, so you will identify with Joseph and Mary in a very strong way! You have accidentally left a child in a bathroom when on a family trip and had to drive hours back to the place to redeem the lost child! You can understand the anxiety, coupled with the fact that this is GOD’S SON that is missing and they are responsible for His care and protection!
(I wonder if Joseph and Mary engage in any “finger pointing” and blaming on their way back to Jerusalem or if they put that aside and simply concentrated on the task of finding their missing son? So many of us would say, “It’s your fault” to the spouse and blame instead of concentrating on the solution to the problem. It doesn’t really matter whose fault it is when such a crisis occurs. The only issue is to do what is necessary to solve the immediate problem – retrieve the missing child! I would like to hope that Joseph and Mary didn’t blame, but worked together in love and harmony to find Jesus and get back home as a family.)
Parents Work Together To Solve Problems – Luke 2:45-46
Joseph and Mary have traveled all day (day 1) and are setting up camp for the night before realizing that Jesus isn’t with the others. It is too late and too dangerous to travel back UP the Jericho Road (especially at night with robbers abounding) and they are too tired from a day of travel as it is. Joseph and Mary get a good night’s rest and then travel back to Jerusalem the following day (day 2) to try to find their missing son. The road to Jerusalem is uphill all the way and that journey will also be very exhausting. It takes them a full day to return and by the time they arrive, again, it is late and they are very tired. They rest for the night and begin the search early on the next day (day 3). Somewhere during the course of the day, they get to the Temple and notice a crowd gathered around and intently listening to someone. They may have approached the crowd to inquire if anyone had seen their son, but soon recognize that Jesus is the center of attention!
Today, we can be grateful for modern technology that can help us search for missing children. However, it still has to be a traumatic experience when your child is missing. How do we find him? How do we get him or her back? What kind of parents are we to leave our only child behind and not miss him for a whole day? As God trusted Joseph and Mary, in spite of their imperfections, He can trust you with your faults. Don’t waste time criticizing and condemning, but work on solving and building towards solutions. Parenting is a practice, not a science.
Children Can be Taught to Make Good Choices – Luke 2:47-50
Jesus was so interested in the teachings of the Law and Prophets that He had engaged the religious leaders in a deep conversation. His understanding was so profound that He is teaching them as much, if not more, than they are teaching Him.
CANCEL THE AMBER ALERT – JESUS HAS BEEN FOUND SAFE AND SOUND IN THE TEMPLE WHERE HE WAS LEARNING MORE ABOUT HIS REAL FATHER! Joseph and Mary interrupt this conversation to express their deep concern for Jesus not being with them. His reply to them is as profound as the conversation with the elders, priests and scribes. He was merely discussing His REAL Father! Joseph and Mary are left without much to say because they know who the Father of their Son is!
When you teach your children about God and about being responsible, you shouldn’t be surprised when they take their responsibilities seriously. Jesus understood that He needed to know more about the Law and had spent the last few days talking to the priests and Scribes. Joseph and Mary didn’t find Him goofing off or being selfish. He wasn’t rebellious or defiant. He was simply pursuing what He understood He was to do. That is a positive reflection on His parents. What do your children reflect about your parenting?
Children Can be Taught to Make Good Choices – Luke 2:51-52
We see here that Joseph and Mary had taught Jesus well. He was a trustworthy and responsible son. That’s why they didn’t think to worry about whether Jesus was with them on the way home. Now He returns home with them and continues to grow as a man of God.
What a relief to find that your child is safe, has not been molested or killed or in any real danger! Can you imagine Joseph and Mary’s relief? If you left a child behind or had a child disappear or get lost, you will have an idea how Joseph and Mary felt when they found Jesus alive and well after being missing from them for three days.
God bless you and have a great week!
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