You have probably heard the verses ... you may even know them by memory - Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light." These were our memory verses in our Sunday School lesson for this morning. Jesus invites us to come to Him and find rest for our souls. That sounds really good. There is far too little rest in our world today - in ANY part of our lives ... physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. So what does "rest for your soul" mean?
People usually think Jesus is talking about finding calm and peace in an otherwise chaotic and overwhelming world. As such, it is an invitation to come to Him and just ... rest. But there is so much more here, and it is easily understood when you read these verses in their context. Going back to verses 25-27, Jesus says, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. What "things" was Jesus talking about? He was talking about the truth of His kingdom, of the good news that Jesus is the promised Savior. And He was calling people to repent - to turn away from sin and to find forgiveness and life in Him.
So many heard Jesus' teaching and saw His miracles, but they still did not believe. Like many today they claimed to believe in God, but their hearts were far from Him. They are like the people described by the prophet, Isaiah, in Isaiah 29:13: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." So Jesus thanks the Father for revealing the truth of sin and judgment and forgiveness and salvation to some, while hiding it from others. Some might think that unfair, but no one deserves mercy or grace. Remember, "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:10).
Who then, can be saved? How can ANYONE come to know God and receive this good news? Back to Matthew 11, verse 27: "All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him." Unless Jesus reveals the truth to you or to me through His Spirit and His Word, we are eternally LOST. We have no access to the Father. We would be like so many who do not know the true God, who make up their own "gods" and even claim to be Christians, but don't know Jesus! Remember Isaiah's words, "These people come near to me with their MOUTH and honor me with their LIPS, but their hearts are far from me."
No one - NO ONE, will find true rest ... rest from trying to live their lives for their own pleasure and purposes, trying to be happy, trying to get ahead, trying ... just trying and trying and trying and failing to find joy by finding REST!! So now, Jesus says, "Come to ME, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest!" How does Jesus give you rest? By bringing you to the Father! By helping you to FOCUS on the same thing Jesus did when He was here on the earth - pleasing His Father. "Take MY yoke upon you and learn from Me," Jesus says. Jesus lived to please the Father. He knew that was the purpose of His life, and it will be the purpose of those who know Jesus. "MY yoke is easy, and My burden is light," Jesus says. Living to please God brings REST because through faith in Jesus you KNOW that He is with you, that your sins are forgiven, that you HAVE eternal life, and HE is ALL you need!!
Oh, how I pray that for you and for me! REST ... you need it ... I need it, and Jesus invites you to come to Him and to find it.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
"The closest thing to heaven on earth ..."
Whatever happened to Sundays? I know I was extremely blessed to grow up in a small farming community in Iowa. I didn't realize how blessed I was at the time. Everyone I knew went to church on Sunday morning. I'm sure there were those who didn't go; and I'm equally sure that not everyone went for the right reasons. But there were no stores open on Sundays ... a restaurant or two in some places, but Sundays were for church and family for the most part. Often Sunday nights were spent visiting friends or relatives or fellow church members.
Now, I understand that things are different in the world today. There are just a lot more things to do. But it's a choice, isn't it? We don't HAVE to DO all those other things. Are we more rested? Are we happier? Are we closer to God and to one another, in the church, in our families, in our neighborhoods? Having all of these options, all of these things to do, has made us more self-centered, more focused on worldly, earthly things, more tired - exhausted, really. And that doesn't count the money we spend doing all these things.
What have we lost? What have we left behind? God, the church, community ... along with joy, peace rest and calm. You hear people asking the question, "Are we better off today than we were four years ago?" I have another question for you: "Are we better off today than we were FORTY years ago?" Perhaps every generation has asked that question, but no generation has seen the rapid changes we have seen in the past fifteen to twenty years ... even the past five to ten years. My mother used to say that the past was "the good old days." I don't say that. But I do believe that we are getting further and further and further from God's design and that the world is headed for judgment because of it. That's not my idea - that's what GOD says.
The prophet, Daniel, was told to "seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge" (Daniel 12:4). Knowledge is multiplying today like at no time in the history of mankind, but knowledge without wisdom brings destruction. "Their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." Fools think they know better than God. God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. Jesus said man wasn't made for the sabbath, but the sabbath for man. God gave the sabbath day to mankind to point to the rest we all need - rest from our labors and rest from sin. God gave the sabbath day to point us to heaven!!
The closest thing we have to heaven on earth is the gathering of God's people together in worship! That's what makes Sundays so special, and so necessary. Not only is God glorified as we gather together, but the body is built up and encouraged. I hear people say that they can do OK without gathering together on Sundays - that you can be a Christian without going to church. My question is, "SHOULD you be a Christian and not make gathering with your brothers and sisters in Christ a priority?" It's not, after all, what you and I think is best or what our "flesh" wants to do, it's what GOD says is best and what our spirits need and deep inside want. We NEED each other, we need worship, we need ... REST.
A dear godly woman went to be with the Lord this week. She was not alone. Other believers entered the gates of glory this week, to find rest. Others died, thinking they were entering rest, but found out otherwise. For those who know Jesus, the words of the Psalmist must ring true: "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD'" (Psalm 122:1). I hope I'll see you in church tomorrow - or that someone will see you in church tomorrow. And I pray that you will find rest as you join with the saints in worship, knowing that this is the closest thing to heaven on earth."
Now, I understand that things are different in the world today. There are just a lot more things to do. But it's a choice, isn't it? We don't HAVE to DO all those other things. Are we more rested? Are we happier? Are we closer to God and to one another, in the church, in our families, in our neighborhoods? Having all of these options, all of these things to do, has made us more self-centered, more focused on worldly, earthly things, more tired - exhausted, really. And that doesn't count the money we spend doing all these things.
What have we lost? What have we left behind? God, the church, community ... along with joy, peace rest and calm. You hear people asking the question, "Are we better off today than we were four years ago?" I have another question for you: "Are we better off today than we were FORTY years ago?" Perhaps every generation has asked that question, but no generation has seen the rapid changes we have seen in the past fifteen to twenty years ... even the past five to ten years. My mother used to say that the past was "the good old days." I don't say that. But I do believe that we are getting further and further and further from God's design and that the world is headed for judgment because of it. That's not my idea - that's what GOD says.
The prophet, Daniel, was told to "seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge" (Daniel 12:4). Knowledge is multiplying today like at no time in the history of mankind, but knowledge without wisdom brings destruction. "Their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools." Fools think they know better than God. God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. Jesus said man wasn't made for the sabbath, but the sabbath for man. God gave the sabbath day to mankind to point to the rest we all need - rest from our labors and rest from sin. God gave the sabbath day to point us to heaven!!
The closest thing we have to heaven on earth is the gathering of God's people together in worship! That's what makes Sundays so special, and so necessary. Not only is God glorified as we gather together, but the body is built up and encouraged. I hear people say that they can do OK without gathering together on Sundays - that you can be a Christian without going to church. My question is, "SHOULD you be a Christian and not make gathering with your brothers and sisters in Christ a priority?" It's not, after all, what you and I think is best or what our "flesh" wants to do, it's what GOD says is best and what our spirits need and deep inside want. We NEED each other, we need worship, we need ... REST.
A dear godly woman went to be with the Lord this week. She was not alone. Other believers entered the gates of glory this week, to find rest. Others died, thinking they were entering rest, but found out otherwise. For those who know Jesus, the words of the Psalmist must ring true: "I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD'" (Psalm 122:1). I hope I'll see you in church tomorrow - or that someone will see you in church tomorrow. And I pray that you will find rest as you join with the saints in worship, knowing that this is the closest thing to heaven on earth."
Friday, September 28, 2012
"Is THIS life as God meant it to be lived?"
As I was looking at the list of those who have read my blog in the past week, there were ten countries listed, including the United States. So if you are reading this from Russia or China or the United Kingdom or somewhere else, I pray that God will speak to you through His Word. It is a privilege to be able to share these daily posts with you and I would love to hear your comments. The body of Christ is a wonderful thing. There is only one true religion and it is what is described in the Bible, the very Word of God. In it God reveals where we came from and where we are going, and also why we are here. The Church is the "ekklesia," the "called-out ones," who have been chosen and called by God to be His ambassadors in the world. No one else can share the good news of the Gospel except those who have experienced the power of His Spirit and who have come to know Jesus, (the One who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven), as their Savior and Lord ... only these can testify concerning the truth to those in the world.
And God has His people everywhere. But not all those who claim to be Christians are. Some who claim to be Christians and are part of the visible church do not trust in Jesus and do not proclaim His Word. Instead, they come up with their own theories and theological schemes. "To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace" (Hebrews 6:6). Don't dislike the Church because there are some in the "church" who are not following Jesus. God is at work in and through His people. My concern is that in our culture here in the United States life has gotten too ... well, busy, hectic, chaotic, and therefore the Church is not fulfilling its calling to make God known and to proclaim Jesus as Savior and Lord, to share the Gospel with those who haven't heard.
Jesus told His disciples to go and make more disciples, baptizing them and teaching them all that God has called believers to be and to do. This takes TIME, and it takes effort. Increasingly, Americans in general don't have time or energy to be engaged in discipling others. We barely have time to seek God ourselves, let alone help someone else to do so. "Evangelism" is avoided like the plague, partly because people don't have time and mostly because people don't know what they would say if they got in a spiritual conversation with someone. Yet, isn't this what Jesus wants His followers to do?
The early believers spent time together in worship, in their homes, in prayer and in serving one another. Increasingly here in America people spend the bulk of their "free time" doing what they want to do (making their lives busier than they were already), and if they can squeeze in a little time for "body life" they'll do so, but otherwise, their faith and life are kept in a safe box, to be taken out on special occasions. If it sounds like I'm being hard on American Christians, that's not my intention. As a pastor for 35 years, these are my observations. And my questions is this: "Is THIS life as God meant it to be lived?"
I wonder how people in other parts of the world live. I have had the opportunity to travel to Cambodia, Haiti, Guatemala, Italy ... and I have seen how some people in these countries live. I have found that there are some who live with the same hectic schedule we have here in our country. But I have also found that some have learned how to slow down and focus on the "important" things of life. Of course, we have to come to an agreement of what is important and what is not? Who should determine that? Can any person determine for someone else what is important, what should have the priority in life, and what shouldn't?
God can, and He has. The Word of God holds the key to God's priorities for those who are His children, who are disciples of Jesus. Since it is God's desire that we should be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29), we should be living as Jesus did. Jesus lived His life in relationship with the Father, which required time spent in prayer and fellowship. And Jesus lived life as a servant, saying, "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). THIS is life as God meant it to be lived.
Throughout the books of the New Testament God instructs His people in godly living, Christ-centered living, Holy Spirit-empowered living. Even at the age of 12, Jesus told His parents that He needed to be about His Father's business. As our Father's adopted children, WE need to be about our Father's business. If we are too busy for fellowship with the body and serving others, both within the body and outside of the body, we're too busy. If we struggle with giving up things WE want to do, and rarely think about what GOD wants us to do, what are we saying to the One who sacrificed Himself for us on the cross?
Frequently, I ask God to show me where I am falling short in living the life He has called me to live. I fall short often! His Spirit continues to teach me through His Word, and I try to pass on that knowledge to others, as I am doing in this blog. I would encourage you to ask yourself this question often: "Is this (the way I am living today) LIFE as God meant it to be?" If not, then ask God to help you to restructure your schedule, to examine your priorities and to set your eyes and your heart on Jesus, who is able to help you make the necessary changes. Here is something worth praying about. And why wouldn't God hear you? "Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened!" God will help you to live your life, HIS life, as HE meant it to be lived!
And God has His people everywhere. But not all those who claim to be Christians are. Some who claim to be Christians and are part of the visible church do not trust in Jesus and do not proclaim His Word. Instead, they come up with their own theories and theological schemes. "To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace" (Hebrews 6:6). Don't dislike the Church because there are some in the "church" who are not following Jesus. God is at work in and through His people. My concern is that in our culture here in the United States life has gotten too ... well, busy, hectic, chaotic, and therefore the Church is not fulfilling its calling to make God known and to proclaim Jesus as Savior and Lord, to share the Gospel with those who haven't heard.
Jesus told His disciples to go and make more disciples, baptizing them and teaching them all that God has called believers to be and to do. This takes TIME, and it takes effort. Increasingly, Americans in general don't have time or energy to be engaged in discipling others. We barely have time to seek God ourselves, let alone help someone else to do so. "Evangelism" is avoided like the plague, partly because people don't have time and mostly because people don't know what they would say if they got in a spiritual conversation with someone. Yet, isn't this what Jesus wants His followers to do?
The early believers spent time together in worship, in their homes, in prayer and in serving one another. Increasingly here in America people spend the bulk of their "free time" doing what they want to do (making their lives busier than they were already), and if they can squeeze in a little time for "body life" they'll do so, but otherwise, their faith and life are kept in a safe box, to be taken out on special occasions. If it sounds like I'm being hard on American Christians, that's not my intention. As a pastor for 35 years, these are my observations. And my questions is this: "Is THIS life as God meant it to be lived?"
I wonder how people in other parts of the world live. I have had the opportunity to travel to Cambodia, Haiti, Guatemala, Italy ... and I have seen how some people in these countries live. I have found that there are some who live with the same hectic schedule we have here in our country. But I have also found that some have learned how to slow down and focus on the "important" things of life. Of course, we have to come to an agreement of what is important and what is not? Who should determine that? Can any person determine for someone else what is important, what should have the priority in life, and what shouldn't?
God can, and He has. The Word of God holds the key to God's priorities for those who are His children, who are disciples of Jesus. Since it is God's desire that we should be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29), we should be living as Jesus did. Jesus lived His life in relationship with the Father, which required time spent in prayer and fellowship. And Jesus lived life as a servant, saying, "The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). THIS is life as God meant it to be lived.
Throughout the books of the New Testament God instructs His people in godly living, Christ-centered living, Holy Spirit-empowered living. Even at the age of 12, Jesus told His parents that He needed to be about His Father's business. As our Father's adopted children, WE need to be about our Father's business. If we are too busy for fellowship with the body and serving others, both within the body and outside of the body, we're too busy. If we struggle with giving up things WE want to do, and rarely think about what GOD wants us to do, what are we saying to the One who sacrificed Himself for us on the cross?
Frequently, I ask God to show me where I am falling short in living the life He has called me to live. I fall short often! His Spirit continues to teach me through His Word, and I try to pass on that knowledge to others, as I am doing in this blog. I would encourage you to ask yourself this question often: "Is this (the way I am living today) LIFE as God meant it to be?" If not, then ask God to help you to restructure your schedule, to examine your priorities and to set your eyes and your heart on Jesus, who is able to help you make the necessary changes. Here is something worth praying about. And why wouldn't God hear you? "Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened!" God will help you to live your life, HIS life, as HE meant it to be lived!
Thursday, September 27, 2012
"When God opens doors ..."
"And pray for us ... that God may open a door for our message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ" (Colossians 4:3). What IS the "mystery of Christ"? "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). God has revealed that through the power of His Spirit He brings the dead to life and lives within those who believe!! HE is alive ... and we who believe are ALIVE ... forever!! We live with Him now and WILL live with Him FOREVER!!! JESUS is the Way, and the Truth and the Life and we come to the Father through faith in Him. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!!
It is for this reason that the true Church exists! We pray for open doors to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ to ALL people, whether they are across the street or around the world. One year ago on Wednesday, September 26th, the congregation of Lighthouse Community Church, after months of prayer and study and sharing and discussing - and more praying, voted to become a non-denominational congregation. It was and is our desire to take down denominational barriers. Christ came to establish ONE Church and He will come again to gather His ONE Bride, the true Church. This body is not any one denomination, or even several, but one people from every tribe, nation and tongue. Those who confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, believing that He is true God and true man, that He paid the penalty for sin in His suffering and death on the cross, that He rose again and ascended into heaven and that He is coming again in power to establish His kingdom on the earth - those who trust in His finished work in their place - THESE are members of the one, true Church!!
Believing that God calls us to proclaim this message, we cannot compromise the truth that God has revealed in His Word. So we stand on His Word and continue to hold to the historic confessions of the Reformation, believing that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone!! God has chosen us to be obedient to His call and that is our heart's desire. So one year ago on September 26th we voted to become non-denominational. And yesterday, exactly one year later, we signed papers for property on which we hope, by God's grace, to erect a new facility in which to worship, to grow, to serve, to minister to our community, to send out those whom God calls to the corners of the world to proclaim the glorious message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All this will be done in His time, as He provides. Today, we rejoice in what God is doing among us!
It is humbling to serve the God who holds all things in His hands and to be His instruments. So many today have forgotten what the Church is all about, why we are here and what we are to be doing. God has shown Himself faithful to those who trust in Him. As you serve the Lord Jesus Christ, do not doubt what God is able to do. As the the Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians he declares, "To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us (Christ IN you, the hope of glory!), to HIM be glory IN THE CHURCH and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21). So let it be.
Pray for open doors for all who know and love Jesus. Serve Him with passion and zeal. May His kingdom come and His will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. "Blessed be HIS Name!"
It is for this reason that the true Church exists! We pray for open doors to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ to ALL people, whether they are across the street or around the world. One year ago on Wednesday, September 26th, the congregation of Lighthouse Community Church, after months of prayer and study and sharing and discussing - and more praying, voted to become a non-denominational congregation. It was and is our desire to take down denominational barriers. Christ came to establish ONE Church and He will come again to gather His ONE Bride, the true Church. This body is not any one denomination, or even several, but one people from every tribe, nation and tongue. Those who confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, believing that He is true God and true man, that He paid the penalty for sin in His suffering and death on the cross, that He rose again and ascended into heaven and that He is coming again in power to establish His kingdom on the earth - those who trust in His finished work in their place - THESE are members of the one, true Church!!
Believing that God calls us to proclaim this message, we cannot compromise the truth that God has revealed in His Word. So we stand on His Word and continue to hold to the historic confessions of the Reformation, believing that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone!! God has chosen us to be obedient to His call and that is our heart's desire. So one year ago on September 26th we voted to become non-denominational. And yesterday, exactly one year later, we signed papers for property on which we hope, by God's grace, to erect a new facility in which to worship, to grow, to serve, to minister to our community, to send out those whom God calls to the corners of the world to proclaim the glorious message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All this will be done in His time, as He provides. Today, we rejoice in what God is doing among us!
It is humbling to serve the God who holds all things in His hands and to be His instruments. So many today have forgotten what the Church is all about, why we are here and what we are to be doing. God has shown Himself faithful to those who trust in Him. As you serve the Lord Jesus Christ, do not doubt what God is able to do. As the the Apostle Paul writes to the Ephesians he declares, "To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us (Christ IN you, the hope of glory!), to HIM be glory IN THE CHURCH and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen" (Ephesians 3:20-21). So let it be.
Pray for open doors for all who know and love Jesus. Serve Him with passion and zeal. May His kingdom come and His will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. "Blessed be HIS Name!"
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
"One day at a time, Lord ... "
"One day at a time, sweet Jesus ... that's all I'm asking from You ... " My Dad liked the words of that song, especially in the last months of his life as he battled with cancer. That was 18 years ago, but the words of the song come back to me every once in a while. Actually, the words are based on the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6. Jesus says in verse 25: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." And in verse 32: "Your heavenly Father knows that you need them" (certain earthly things like food, clothing and shelter).
So Jesus says in verses 33-34: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
"On day at a time, sweet Jesus ... that's all I'm asking from You ..." The writer of the song was expressing his trust in Jesus to give him strength for what he needed to face that particular day. He wasn't looking any further, just one day at a time. Some have taken that to mean that we should just live "by the seat of our pants," that we don't need to plan for the future because it's all up to God anyway. But while it is true that the future is in God's hands and He's already there ahead of us, God also expects us to use the brains and wisdom He has given us by His Word and Spirit to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness," looking ahead and discerning where God is leading and seeking to follow His guidance.
The problem comes when we look ahead too far and don't include God in our plans. When that happens, we make our plans and then ask God to bless them. When something happens that doesn't fit with our plan, we get in an uproar, even questioning God and asking, "Why?" Jesus said, "Each day has enough trouble of its own." That doesn't seem very optimistic, does it? Thousands of people listen to pastors like Joel Osteen, pastor of a "mega-church" in Houston, Texas, because he is optimistic about everything. He proclaims that your best days lie ahead and that God wants you to have only the best of all that the world has to offer. Robert Schuller, former pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, proclaimed the "positive thinking" gospel for half a century. And he was not the first. Before him Norman Vincent Peale was the "founder" of positive thinking as he pastored the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City for many years.
Now, there's nothing wrong with positive thinking - if you know what God says about it. Paul was certainly telling the believers how to think positively in Philippians 4:4-9. He told them that they should not be anxious about anything, but rather, rejoicing in the Lord, praying and giving thanks, and then God's peace would be theirs - the peace that passes understanding! He said, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" (verse 8). But that's not what the "positive thinkers" are talking about. They want you to believe that by thinking about positive things only positive things will happen - only good things. God will give you whatever you set your heart on (even if it's not good for you!). After all, He wants you to be happy. God wants your life to be easy and every day filled with only positive, good things. That's a lie. It doesn't "work." And it doesn't take into account that God knows better than we do what is "good" for us and what will bring Him glory and praise.
Jesus said "each day has enough trouble of its own." There are many believers all over the world for whom this has been a hard day. It has had "its share of troubles." When God blesses with a really great day, what does that look like? For some it means that everything goes right, just the way they wanted it to go, just the way they planned it to go. But what if that isn't a "great day" in God's sight? What if a great day is a day when you face the troubles of life with faith and hope and peace and joy, and God used you as a witness for Him to others that His grace is sufficient, that His strength is what held you together and held you up?
You see, God's grace is like the manna in the wilderness. God provided the Israelites all they needed for one day at a time. If they tried to collect more so they wouldn't have to go out to collect any the next day, it turned rotten overnight. God wanted them to come to Him every day for what they needed, and He promised to meet their need. The same is true for our spiritual needs. God gives us what we need one day at a time. When you and I feel overwhelmed and it seems that I've run out of strength before the day is over, it is because I have "borrowed" some of tomorrow's problems. God will give me strength for tomorrow's problems tomorrow. He gives us enough grace and strength for today, and I know He will do the same tomorrow. That's what it means to be one of His children and to know He loves you.
Paul writes in Romans 8:32: "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things." Everything I need, He will provide. I'm glad He doesn't give me everything I WANT. I'm glad every day isn't so easy that I can live it by my own strength and not seek Him. It was when things were going well that the people of Israel drifted away, or turned away from God. Somehow, they didn't think they needed Him that day. The same can happen with you and me.
So the words of the song are a good reminder: "One day at a time, sweet Jesus ... that' all I'm asking from you." His grace is sufficient. In Christ, I HAVE all I need, for I have the love of my Father in heaven and the empowering presence of His Spirit. I hope you do, too. If you don't, you can seek Him and find Him today ... just get on your knees and pray in the name of Jesus. He'll hear you, and He'll answer!
So Jesus says in verses 33-34: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
"On day at a time, sweet Jesus ... that's all I'm asking from You ..." The writer of the song was expressing his trust in Jesus to give him strength for what he needed to face that particular day. He wasn't looking any further, just one day at a time. Some have taken that to mean that we should just live "by the seat of our pants," that we don't need to plan for the future because it's all up to God anyway. But while it is true that the future is in God's hands and He's already there ahead of us, God also expects us to use the brains and wisdom He has given us by His Word and Spirit to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness," looking ahead and discerning where God is leading and seeking to follow His guidance.
The problem comes when we look ahead too far and don't include God in our plans. When that happens, we make our plans and then ask God to bless them. When something happens that doesn't fit with our plan, we get in an uproar, even questioning God and asking, "Why?" Jesus said, "Each day has enough trouble of its own." That doesn't seem very optimistic, does it? Thousands of people listen to pastors like Joel Osteen, pastor of a "mega-church" in Houston, Texas, because he is optimistic about everything. He proclaims that your best days lie ahead and that God wants you to have only the best of all that the world has to offer. Robert Schuller, former pastor of the Crystal Cathedral, proclaimed the "positive thinking" gospel for half a century. And he was not the first. Before him Norman Vincent Peale was the "founder" of positive thinking as he pastored the Marble Collegiate Church in New York City for many years.
Now, there's nothing wrong with positive thinking - if you know what God says about it. Paul was certainly telling the believers how to think positively in Philippians 4:4-9. He told them that they should not be anxious about anything, but rather, rejoicing in the Lord, praying and giving thanks, and then God's peace would be theirs - the peace that passes understanding! He said, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" (verse 8). But that's not what the "positive thinkers" are talking about. They want you to believe that by thinking about positive things only positive things will happen - only good things. God will give you whatever you set your heart on (even if it's not good for you!). After all, He wants you to be happy. God wants your life to be easy and every day filled with only positive, good things. That's a lie. It doesn't "work." And it doesn't take into account that God knows better than we do what is "good" for us and what will bring Him glory and praise.
Jesus said "each day has enough trouble of its own." There are many believers all over the world for whom this has been a hard day. It has had "its share of troubles." When God blesses with a really great day, what does that look like? For some it means that everything goes right, just the way they wanted it to go, just the way they planned it to go. But what if that isn't a "great day" in God's sight? What if a great day is a day when you face the troubles of life with faith and hope and peace and joy, and God used you as a witness for Him to others that His grace is sufficient, that His strength is what held you together and held you up?
You see, God's grace is like the manna in the wilderness. God provided the Israelites all they needed for one day at a time. If they tried to collect more so they wouldn't have to go out to collect any the next day, it turned rotten overnight. God wanted them to come to Him every day for what they needed, and He promised to meet their need. The same is true for our spiritual needs. God gives us what we need one day at a time. When you and I feel overwhelmed and it seems that I've run out of strength before the day is over, it is because I have "borrowed" some of tomorrow's problems. God will give me strength for tomorrow's problems tomorrow. He gives us enough grace and strength for today, and I know He will do the same tomorrow. That's what it means to be one of His children and to know He loves you.
Paul writes in Romans 8:32: "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things." Everything I need, He will provide. I'm glad He doesn't give me everything I WANT. I'm glad every day isn't so easy that I can live it by my own strength and not seek Him. It was when things were going well that the people of Israel drifted away, or turned away from God. Somehow, they didn't think they needed Him that day. The same can happen with you and me.
So the words of the song are a good reminder: "One day at a time, sweet Jesus ... that' all I'm asking from you." His grace is sufficient. In Christ, I HAVE all I need, for I have the love of my Father in heaven and the empowering presence of His Spirit. I hope you do, too. If you don't, you can seek Him and find Him today ... just get on your knees and pray in the name of Jesus. He'll hear you, and He'll answer!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
"He hears us when we pray ..."
Does God hear us when we pray? Do our prayers really matter? If God is sovereign, if He is in control of all things, if He has a plan and knows all of the details before they happen, then do our prayers really matter? The answer to that is, "YES!" But how can that be?
This morning I received a call from my brother and fellow-pastor in Pakistan. Because of all that is going on there they have had no electricity for some time. He always shares several prayer requests when he calls me and today he asked me to pray specifically that the electricity would be turned back on by the government because people were not able to go to work or do anything. So I prayed. About 30 seconds after I hung up, the phone rang. It was my brother in Pakistan. He was laughing, overjoyed, and there was shouting in the background. He shared that after we had prayed and said goodbye, the electricity went on!! The people around him were weeping, overjoyed at God's answer to our prayer.
OK, did my prayer make the electricity go on in Pakistan? Understand, the electricity was not off because something was not working, but because it was turned off by the government. Did my prayer make a difference? Notice, I didn't ask if I made the electricity go on, but rather, did my prayer make the electricity go on ... is prayer really that powerful? The answer to that question is in God's Word. One of the texts I used on Sunday was Deuteronomy 4:1-8. In verse 7, Moses asks, "What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to Him?" He was talking about Israel, God's chosen people. God had made a covenant with them and had promised to hear them when they prayed. What we need to understand, to believe, is that the same God has made a covenant with us through the "Seed of Abraham," JESUS!
Jesus told His disciples to "ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). In Luke 18 Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow who kept crying out to the judge for justice and he finally heard her and gave her what she wanted. Luke writes in verse 1: "Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." We are not the nation of Israel, but God says that through faith in Jesus Christ we are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" (I Peter 2:9). As God heard His people in the past when they prayed, so God hears US when we pray. There are countless exhortations to pray throughout the letters to the churches in the New Testament.
So did the electricity really go on in Pakistan because I prayed? Weren't there other people praying, too? How can ONE prayer make a difference? You and I keep trying to figure out God - and failing. God says, "PRAY!" And He promises to answer, in His time and in His way and for His glory. Sometimes it will SEEM as though God didn't hear or didn't answer. But God tells us in His Word that when we come to Him humbly seeking Him and giving thanks, He hears us. He ALWAYS hears us. And He tells us that our prayers matter, that they make a difference, that they move Him. How can that be if He already knows the details of the future before they happen? Our prayers make a difference because they are actually PART of God's plan!!! It is the very Spirit of God that moves us to pray at the express time that we pray for the specific thing for which we pray. God is at work in us, in our prayers and in our world in ways beyond what we can understand. It is not for us to understand, it is for us to pray, to seek Him, to acknowledge His goodness and faithfulness ... and to ASK!!
I love I John 5:13-15: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we KNOW that He hears us - whatever we ask - we KNOW that we have what we asked of Him." God tells us to ask and to give thanks for His love and faithfulness, to draw near to Him, believing His promises to be with us, to strengthen us, to help us in our times of need. We have a faithful High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God, who prays with us and for us. The Father hears us when we pray, so pray earnestly, pray humbly, pray often and pray persistently and specifically and see what God will do. He may even move a government official in Pakistan to turn on the electricity. That wasn't ME - it was God!! It's always God ... but when He moves you to pray, pray believing and you may be surprised at what God will do!!
This morning I received a call from my brother and fellow-pastor in Pakistan. Because of all that is going on there they have had no electricity for some time. He always shares several prayer requests when he calls me and today he asked me to pray specifically that the electricity would be turned back on by the government because people were not able to go to work or do anything. So I prayed. About 30 seconds after I hung up, the phone rang. It was my brother in Pakistan. He was laughing, overjoyed, and there was shouting in the background. He shared that after we had prayed and said goodbye, the electricity went on!! The people around him were weeping, overjoyed at God's answer to our prayer.
OK, did my prayer make the electricity go on in Pakistan? Understand, the electricity was not off because something was not working, but because it was turned off by the government. Did my prayer make a difference? Notice, I didn't ask if I made the electricity go on, but rather, did my prayer make the electricity go on ... is prayer really that powerful? The answer to that question is in God's Word. One of the texts I used on Sunday was Deuteronomy 4:1-8. In verse 7, Moses asks, "What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to Him?" He was talking about Israel, God's chosen people. God had made a covenant with them and had promised to hear them when they prayed. What we need to understand, to believe, is that the same God has made a covenant with us through the "Seed of Abraham," JESUS!
Jesus told His disciples to "ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matthew 7:7). In Luke 18 Jesus tells the parable of the persistent widow who kept crying out to the judge for justice and he finally heard her and gave her what she wanted. Luke writes in verse 1: "Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." We are not the nation of Israel, but God says that through faith in Jesus Christ we are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God" (I Peter 2:9). As God heard His people in the past when they prayed, so God hears US when we pray. There are countless exhortations to pray throughout the letters to the churches in the New Testament.
So did the electricity really go on in Pakistan because I prayed? Weren't there other people praying, too? How can ONE prayer make a difference? You and I keep trying to figure out God - and failing. God says, "PRAY!" And He promises to answer, in His time and in His way and for His glory. Sometimes it will SEEM as though God didn't hear or didn't answer. But God tells us in His Word that when we come to Him humbly seeking Him and giving thanks, He hears us. He ALWAYS hears us. And He tells us that our prayers matter, that they make a difference, that they move Him. How can that be if He already knows the details of the future before they happen? Our prayers make a difference because they are actually PART of God's plan!!! It is the very Spirit of God that moves us to pray at the express time that we pray for the specific thing for which we pray. God is at work in us, in our prayers and in our world in ways beyond what we can understand. It is not for us to understand, it is for us to pray, to seek Him, to acknowledge His goodness and faithfulness ... and to ASK!!
I love I John 5:13-15: "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we KNOW that He hears us - whatever we ask - we KNOW that we have what we asked of Him." God tells us to ask and to give thanks for His love and faithfulness, to draw near to Him, believing His promises to be with us, to strengthen us, to help us in our times of need. We have a faithful High Priest, Jesus, the Son of God, who prays with us and for us. The Father hears us when we pray, so pray earnestly, pray humbly, pray often and pray persistently and specifically and see what God will do. He may even move a government official in Pakistan to turn on the electricity. That wasn't ME - it was God!! It's always God ... but when He moves you to pray, pray believing and you may be surprised at what God will do!!
Monday, September 24, 2012
"A friendly warning ..."
Every Christian should know certain things. The Bible is quite clear about life and its struggles. Jesus said it in His Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Of course, we know that Jesus is the gate (John 10:7,9), and through faith in Him we enter God's kingdom. "By grace you have been saved, through faith" (Ephesians 2:8).
Deception, however, does not stop at the church door! There were some in the church at Corinth who identified with the body, but who were living in such a way that their confession was in question. So Paul wrote the following to them in his second letter, chapter 13, verse 5: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test." What "test" was Paul talking about? From what he had said to them in his previous letter and in II Corinthians, we could list several things: arrogance, immorality, divisiveness, tolerance of false teaching, and others. Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them," and God gives us some things to look for. In II Corinthians 13:10, Paul writes, " ... and our prayer is for your perfection."
The Christian life is one of striving, of seeking God and desiring to be like Jesus. True believers know that they are weak in themselves. That is actually the subject Paul is addressing in II Corinthians 13 - that it's OK to be weak. In verse 4 he uses the example of Christ, who "was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God's power." Then he adds, "Likewise, we are weak in Him, yet by God's power we will live with Him to serve you." Paul himself had learned that lesson through his "thorn in the flesh" (Chapter 12). Three times he had prayed that God would take it away, but God had said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (vs. 9).
Here's one of the most important lessons to be learned in following Jesus Christ: you can't do it!! That's right, you can't do it ... by yourself. You need Christ, you need His Word and you need His Spirit ... AND, you need other believers ... and they need you. The true Church is called the "body of Christ" for a reason. That's more than a cute illustration - it's FACT! The writer of Hebrews lists a number of things we need to do as we confess Christ as Savior and Lord: "draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith; ... hold unswervingly to the hope we profess; ... spur one another on toward love and good deeds; ... and do NOT give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but ... encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:22-25).
And we DO see "the Day approaching," don't we? The change in our nation and in the world in the past 15-20 years, even the past 5-10 years, is astounding to those who have eyes to see. It's not just me growing older that makes me realize that the world we live in today is not the same world I grew up in. Change is so rapid that no one can keep up with it. There is no moral foundation upon which to stand. There is no moral compass to guide those who don't know Christ. The percentage of those who claim to be Christians may be steady or even increasing, but the percentage of those who accept the Bible as the Word of God and who seek to live by it is declining rapidly. More and more people are "failing the test" in the basics of what it means to follow Christ.
And here's the worst thing, when I or others try to issue a "friendly warning," it is met with rebuke, anger or even mocking. In itself, that is not surprising. Jesus said it would be so. Paul warned it would be so. Peter predicted it would be so. But it does grieve the soul when you love someone and remind them of what God says about the importance and necessity of "body life," of living life together with other believers, and they don't receive your concern in love, or just ignore it. I'm not talking about being a "busybody" and snooping into other people's business, but here's the thing: when Cain asked God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" ... the answer was and is, "YES!"
We can all use a "friendly warning" once in a while. I've received some from brothers and sisters in Christ that I respect and I trust that I have received them in love and examined my heart and life. I encourage you to do the same. When someone with whom you have a relationship in the body of Christ expresses their concern for you, receive it as from Christ. Examine what they have said in the light of God's Word. If their counsel is good, receive it in the spirit it was given; if it proves otherwise, thank them for caring enough to express their concern and share your heart with them. Accountability is a good thing - it is a necessary part of being a member of the body of Christ.
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).
Deception, however, does not stop at the church door! There were some in the church at Corinth who identified with the body, but who were living in such a way that their confession was in question. So Paul wrote the following to them in his second letter, chapter 13, verse 5: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test." What "test" was Paul talking about? From what he had said to them in his previous letter and in II Corinthians, we could list several things: arrogance, immorality, divisiveness, tolerance of false teaching, and others. Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them," and God gives us some things to look for. In II Corinthians 13:10, Paul writes, " ... and our prayer is for your perfection."
The Christian life is one of striving, of seeking God and desiring to be like Jesus. True believers know that they are weak in themselves. That is actually the subject Paul is addressing in II Corinthians 13 - that it's OK to be weak. In verse 4 he uses the example of Christ, who "was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God's power." Then he adds, "Likewise, we are weak in Him, yet by God's power we will live with Him to serve you." Paul himself had learned that lesson through his "thorn in the flesh" (Chapter 12). Three times he had prayed that God would take it away, but God had said to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (vs. 9).
Here's one of the most important lessons to be learned in following Jesus Christ: you can't do it!! That's right, you can't do it ... by yourself. You need Christ, you need His Word and you need His Spirit ... AND, you need other believers ... and they need you. The true Church is called the "body of Christ" for a reason. That's more than a cute illustration - it's FACT! The writer of Hebrews lists a number of things we need to do as we confess Christ as Savior and Lord: "draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith; ... hold unswervingly to the hope we profess; ... spur one another on toward love and good deeds; ... and do NOT give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but ... encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:22-25).
And we DO see "the Day approaching," don't we? The change in our nation and in the world in the past 15-20 years, even the past 5-10 years, is astounding to those who have eyes to see. It's not just me growing older that makes me realize that the world we live in today is not the same world I grew up in. Change is so rapid that no one can keep up with it. There is no moral foundation upon which to stand. There is no moral compass to guide those who don't know Christ. The percentage of those who claim to be Christians may be steady or even increasing, but the percentage of those who accept the Bible as the Word of God and who seek to live by it is declining rapidly. More and more people are "failing the test" in the basics of what it means to follow Christ.
And here's the worst thing, when I or others try to issue a "friendly warning," it is met with rebuke, anger or even mocking. In itself, that is not surprising. Jesus said it would be so. Paul warned it would be so. Peter predicted it would be so. But it does grieve the soul when you love someone and remind them of what God says about the importance and necessity of "body life," of living life together with other believers, and they don't receive your concern in love, or just ignore it. I'm not talking about being a "busybody" and snooping into other people's business, but here's the thing: when Cain asked God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" ... the answer was and is, "YES!"
We can all use a "friendly warning" once in a while. I've received some from brothers and sisters in Christ that I respect and I trust that I have received them in love and examined my heart and life. I encourage you to do the same. When someone with whom you have a relationship in the body of Christ expresses their concern for you, receive it as from Christ. Examine what they have said in the light of God's Word. If their counsel is good, receive it in the spirit it was given; if it proves otherwise, thank them for caring enough to express their concern and share your heart with them. Accountability is a good thing - it is a necessary part of being a member of the body of Christ.
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).
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