Afraid to Look...

Acts 3:1-10 (Click on reference to read text)

I like to look the other way.  There I said it!  I was faced in a situation yesterday where I knew someone was in need.  Somehow, even before I knew all the details, I knew it would require sacrifice, laying aside my selfishness and I would need to give.... my time, my energy, my emotions, etc.  And I wanted to not just look away, I wanted to run away as fast as possible.  However, deep down I knew God was calling me, and after literal tears and reciting all the justifications for why I should not have to get involved, I obeyed.

Peter was also faced with a great need.  On his way to church to pray, he passed a man who was lame and who begged for a living.  It would have been easy to look away, to justify that action by reciting all the things he was doing right for the Lord (he was on his way to church!) but instead, the Scripture tells us that Peter "fixed his gaze on him" (vs. 4).  He was intentional and he was not afraid to see the pain in others around him.  He was not inconvenienced by the needs of others.

Secondly, after fixing his gaze on the needy man, he offered his hand.  "Seizing him by the right hand, [Peter] raised him up" (vs.7).  He was healed!  God used Peter to give this man the use of his legs for the first time!  If we want the power of God displayed in our life, we must fix our gaze on the needs of those around us and  lend them our hands!  God does not use onlookers!  God uses those who are unafraid to get dirty and be the literal hands and feet of Christ.

Lastly, because Peter looked and responded, this man began giving glory to God and created interest of God's miracles amongst those witnessing God's power (vs. 8 and 10).  What greater calling is there in this world that to bring Glory to our Great God?

Dr. T.S. Laniak states, "we need to know personally that our true home is in Heaven and that this earth is simply a place where we promote God's interests."  When we get comfortable and feeling at home here and now, it becomes hard to gaze at anything but ourselves. 

I don't know what God's plans are for me and this road I am about to walk.  I feel incapable of fulfilling what He has asked me to do.  I do know that His strength is made perfect in my weakness (2 Cor 12:9) and that He has giving me everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:4-8).  I don't know the future, and to be honest I am a little scared, but I do know the next step God is asking me to take and that He has promised that He is with me and that I don't need to be afraid.  Time to start looking and start lending a hand.

Human Sacrifice...

2 Kings 3:24-27 (Click on reference to read text)

I read this passage this morning and it literally made me nauseous. How could a grown man ever hang their child on a wall and offer them as a burnt sacrifice to a false god? And even if by doing such an act could induce this god to come to his aid, why would you ever serve a god that requires such cruel and grotesque means of worship? Yet, as always happens, in my moment of greatest judgment and self-righteousness, the Holy Spirit began to whisper to my heart. Nausea was replaced by tears as I realized, how can I so quickly offer my children as a sacrifice to my own desires and ambitions?

Although you would never see any children in a American being burned as an offering, there are families and children all across this country who live the lives of sacrifice to their parent's false gods. Children are forgotten or pushed off to various camps and day cares so that parents can get ahead, work longer, and not have to do the day to day rearing and training. TV has become the cheapest babysitter our generation has ever known. Quality family time has been replaced by busy schedules and pushing children to be great at sports, academics, and music pursuits at increasingly younger ages.

Each of these things in small increments can actually be beneficial. It is wonderful for our children to have the joy of sports, learn to play a musicual instruments, or for us as parents to work hard and provide for our family. However, we must make sure we are living a life of balance that is pleasing to the Lord. We must make sure we are living our lives in priority to His standards. I have been increasingly convicted of my schedule and what I allow to drive my day. As we pray about Christian ministry and what the Lord would have us do for Him, as a parent, those questions become painfully obvious. If you have children, the Lord has entrusted them to you, raise them in a way pleasing to Him! They must always be our first "ministry."

I am preaching to myself. Just today I was thinking about how I really "needed" time to myself, so I was all set to allow them to have a day of watching hours of television or whatever necessary so that I could appease the god of "me time." How quickly I justify my actions by cultural acceptablity and not my Heavenly Father's viewpoint. I pray that I will never sacrifice my children to gods that do not satisfy, that cannot truly bring peace and lasting reward, and that simply destroys my family and my children in the long run. Instead "in view of God’s mercy, may I offer my body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God for this is my true and proper worship. May I not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind. Then I will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. " (Romans 12:1-2).

A Sacrifice of Praise...

Genesis 29:21-35 (Click on reference to read text)

I have never read this story and felt bad for Leah. After all she is the nemesis, right? However, today my heart broke for her. She knew she was unloved. She knew she was seen as a mistake. She did everything in her power to win the love of her husband. Yet she could not succeed.

After every son was born, she says, "surely now my husband will love me" (vs. 32 & 34). Finally, after her fourth son was born she says, "This time I will praise the LORD. Therefore, she named him Judah" (vs. 35). She stopped looking at what she didn't have, and started praising the Lord. Leah learned the secret of Hebrew 13:15 - offering a sacrifice of praise. It is called a sacrifice because you are making the conscious choice to praise God before the circumstances change. In the midst of your pain. Your heart shifts from trying to manipulate the situation like you want it, to just giving God glory and submitting to His sovereignty. It is in the hard moments, where you lay down your desires and take on His, that He begins to change your life and give you the strength to keep going.

We all know that from Judah came the Kings of Israel, starting with David and going all the way to Jesus. What a sweet picture of Romans 8:28 - "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Praise that Lord that even when bad things happen to us, God is still in control and can turn those hurtful things into great blessing!

Whose affection are you trying to win? Are you striving with all your might to earn favor, to gain esteem, to feel loved? "Cease striving and know that He is God. The Lord of hosts is with you" (Ps 46:10-11). "How great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God" (1John 3:1). That is what you are... the beloved child of the King.

I urge you to start making your sacrifice of praise... TODAY. NOW. EVEN BEFORE your circumstances change. Those sacrifices, He will not deny. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (Ps 51:17).

Life Giving Water...

John 4:7-27 (Click on reference to read the text)

The Lord overflows into our life His presence, grace, compassion, and mercy not based upon our own merit, but based upon our own need.

Jesus is our living water and He is our unfailing stream. Everything else will dry up eventually, everything else will stop satisfying our souls, but Jesus is seeking you out just like we see Him seeking out a lost woman in order to offer her something she cannot refuse: Himself!

The First thing we see is that Jesus seeks out those that need Him the most. This woman was not a woman that we would have found in the temple worshipping God. She was from an area that people avoided and she was living in sin. In verse 9 the woman is clearly confused that Jesus, whom we know to be the Mesiah, is even speaking with her: "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." You see, Jesus forgave when everyone around Him would have called Him crazy. He showed grace to everyone, regardless of their situation, nationality, or sin. He knew the woman's situation and the grievious sins she had committed against Him before He ever uttered a word. Yet Jesus chose to go against cultural norms to bring about the reconcilation of this girl and her family. Which leads me to ask...do I go to this trouble? Do I seek out the one that is lost?

Second we see that Jesus asks us for what He doesn't need so that our greatest need can be fulfilled in Him (vs. 7-9). He is God. He could have made it rain, he could have called down the angels to supply Him with water...but He didn't. He chose to ask this woman so that her life would forever be changed. The only thing she had to offer Him was a drink of water that would eventually no longer satisfy His thirst. Yet He could offer a living water that would satisfy the deepest needs of her, and your, soul for all time. All God needs from us is a receptive Spirit (vs. 11). We must come to Him with nothing. We can't tap into His overflowing Spirit with any talent or possession. He must do all the work.

Finally in verse 13-18 we see what life is like for those that try to get an overflowing satisfaction in their life apart from Christ. Her life is a story of broken and failed relationships, abandonment, and instability because everything apart from His grace and salvation is bondage. Ray Stedman writes, "Jesus breaks the shackles of evil habits in our lives. He sets us free from the dependencies that we have allowed to harrass us, to shackle us, and limit us... We are all sinfully dependent people. We have all been shackled by evil of some sort or another." Sin does not offer you freedom. Sin offers you an illusion of freedom. Sin always always creates dependency. You will always crave more (i.e. drugs always make you crave more drugs, an idol of a relationship always leaves you craving for more attention or affection, a Starbucks Latte will always leave you wanting more, etc. Sorry, that last one was a little too personal!) Ask yourself this, is there anything in my life that I am dependent upon in order to "make it through the day" or in order to make me"happy?" If the answer is anything but Christ then that is a clear indication of a sin or idol in your life!

No matter where you find yourself, know this... The Lord will overflow into your life His presence, grace, compassion and mercy not based upon your own merit, but based upon your own need. Galatians 5:1 states, "It is for freedom that Christ set you free. Stand firm then and do not be burdened again by the yoke of slavery." Just allow Him to set you free. You have nothing to offer Him, but everything to gain.

Show a Little Love...

Matthew 10:24-39 (Click on Reference to read text - focus on vs. 37-38)

I recently watched John Piper commenting on his book, "Don't Waste Your Life." He made a comment that has impacted me greatly (this is probably not word for word, but the basic gist): "Love is not helping people feel good about themselves, love is showing a dying soul the life giving beauty of the glory of God so that they forget about themselves."

We as a church are great at not making people feel bad about themselves. We try to show the world the "love of Christ" and dance around the Gospel so that we don't offend anyone. We want people to feel good about themselves so that they can feel good about Jesus too. Satan has used this watered down philosophy so much in our life, in my life, that I forget about God. I forget about eternity. I care more about a person's present comfort and world view, then where they spend eternity. This is not showing the love of Christ.

In the Bible we see countless examples of the Biblical view of love: "See how great a love the Father has lavished on us, that we might become children of God" (1 John 3:1), "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the atonement for our sins" (1 John 4:10), nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:32-39), Love is patient, kind, not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take in account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, love never fails (1 Cor 13:4-8).

The Biblical view of love is complete self sacrifice. That God gave everything so that we may be reconciled to Him. That without His love we would spend eternity away from our Heavenly Father. Satan wants us to believe and act upon the idea that it is not loving to preach the Gospel straight. That the Gospel is too narrow, to restricted, that since it does not allow all permissive behaviors, it is hateful and unkind. However, we know differently. We know that God gave everything so that we can be reconciled to Him, that the permissive behaviors the world likes to lift up are harmful, destroy the body and the soul. We know that true self worth can only be found in the lasting identity of being a child of God. We know that true peace can only be found in the eternal hope of His kingdom.

John implores the church, "do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God lives for ever" (1 John 2:15-17). Don't give in to the lies of Satan regarding the definition of love. We know that Satan is a deceiver and a liar, that love is not found in him but that he is out to kill, to steal and to destroy life (John 10:10, John 8:44). Love your lost family, your lost friends, people who cross your path with the love of Christ and share the Good News! Aren't you glad that someone loved you enough to make you feel a little uncomfortable at first, but with the end result of eternal salvation?

It is not our job to make people feel good about themselves. Anything we do is only temporary. It is our job to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19) and to be God's witnesses "both in Jerusalem (your city), and in all Judea and Samaria (your country), and even to the remotest parts of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Who does God want you to love today?

Why does God Allow Bad to Happen?

Philippians 3:7-20 (Click on reference to read text)

One of the most common arguments against Christ is, "how could a loving God allow such bad things to happen to good people?" I have heard this argument countless times. Maybe you have thought this question to yourself regarding your own personal circumstances. When bad things happen, often times we begin to question God's total sovereignty, we wonder if maybe somehow Satan got the victory in that circumstance. But what if we were able to step back and listen? What might Christ be trying to tell us?

Paul understood trying times, (read 2 Cor 11:24-27 if you want a taste of what he went through) yet through it all, he writes to the Philippians, "I count all things loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ" (vs.8). Through his sufferings, his goal was to gain Christ, to know HIM (vs. 10). He did not seek Christ's blessings, his hand working on behalf of his circumstances, not even his will and direction for the future, but Christ as a person... just who He is! Can you say this? Can you say that in your trials you are seeking the "righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that you may KNOW HIM and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings?" (vs.9-10).

However, instead of responding like Paul we often begin to question if Satan won. If somehow he bested God and won. Let me tell you, the only way that Satan can get victory in your life if you are a Child of God and washed in the blood of the Lamb, is if YOU LET HIM! As soon as we give in to how we feel and become bitter or angry at God, it is at that moment that Satan wins. It is Satan's goal to steal, to kill and to destroy the saints of God (John 10:10). It grieves the Holy Spirit when we harbor bitterness in our hearts (Eph 4:30-32) and God commands that we do not allow a root of bitterness to spring up in our life (Heb 12:15), because a bitter and broken spirit just takes the life out of you (Prov 17:22). God desires us to have life and life to the full! Beware of becoming like Job's wife, who said to Job, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!"(Job 2:9). Hold on to your integrity, hold on to God, because I promise He is still holding on to you!

So why? If Satan did not get the victory, and God is truly sovereign over the details of my life, why? I believe if nothing else, than for this one simple truth: if bad things never happened, we would never long for Heaven. We would never focus on the eternal, we would never long for the presence of our Heavenly Father who gave everything for us. Just imagine if all was well, everything was wonderful and you lived a life of no fear, no worry, no hardship... would you ever long for Jesus and the home He has prepared for you?

If you are like me, you are asking, "well, okay, what now?" Sing a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15). I know you don't feel like praising God. My heart did not want to praise God when he took my Daddy suddenly home to Heaven this past Christmas Eve, my heart did not want to praise God when I talked to my brother just three months later as he was watching his newborn son lying in the NICU, but we must. God loves us too much to let our hearts love this world. He loves us too much to allow us to spend our lives focusing on things that are temporal and not the eternal. Remember, He gave everything to reunite us to Him!

Let us echo Paul in Philippians 1:21, "to live is Christ." Christ was crucified. Christ sacrificed His life for the purpose and will of the Father. However, Paul goes on to say, "to die is gain"... gaining our eternal reward, with our Eternal Father.

Who is Lord of Your Imagination?

Isaiah 26:3-4 (Click on reference to read text)

July 4th, 2008, our little family of three at the time, went to a concert in a ball park in town. It started out as a beautiful day, when all of a sudden a horrible storm rolled in. We immediately ran into the concourse and huddled against the wall. The sky was turning green, lightening struck the ballpark putting us in complete darkness, it was pouring and the wind was tremendous. So here I was with my husband, my little baby (7 mos. old at the time), wondering if we were about to get sucked up into a tornado. However, the most beautiful thing happened... our baby girl fell asleep in my husband's arms. Yes, the storms were raging all around her, yet she slept. She knew her Daddy had her, so she was going to be okay, despite her circumstances.

In Isaiah 26, our Heavenly Father promises to keep us in perfect peace, if we keep our mind steadfast on Him (vs. 3). To remain steadfast is not to waiver, doubt or worry. The revised version uses the wording, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose IMAGINATION is stayed on Thee." We must keep our thoughts and even our day dreams stayed on the solid rock. It will do no good to wonder about the what ifs, to imagine ever possible scenario and outcome of our situation, to try to figure out every possible answer to anything that might arise... just keep your mind, your thoughts and imagination stayed on the Father above. The Lord commands us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:5).

So what do we think about? How do we control the roller coaster of our imagination and our what ifs? Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, 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." Don't worry about the future. What is true in your life right now? Praise Him for it. (For example: are you worried about losing your job? Praise him for the truth that right now you have a job) It is our choice. We must choose to trust in the Lord FOREVER, for He is our Rock eternal (vs. 4).

If the "what ifs" happen, and sometimes they will, believe that He is good. PERIOD. God is good, period. He loves you, has your best interest at heart, and promises to use that situation for your ultimate good (Ro. 8:28). Say it with your mouth until you believe it in your heart.

I could cry thinking about my baby girl asleep in her Daddy's arms and then picturing myself in perfect peace in my Heavenly Father's arms. During these crazy times that we are living in now, it is so easy to freak out and feel so disturbed and full of unrest, for there really are some serious storms raging around us. Yet WE ARE IN OUR FATHER'S ARMS!!! So rest, your Daddy is in control!

Obedience or Sacrifice?

Genesis 22:1-18 (Click on reference to read text)

Some of our trials and tests are brought on by God. This may seem harsh, but the opposite is true. He uses these trials to refine us to make us more like Himself and to reveal to us just exactly who He is and what He is made of! Abraham was a perfect example of this truth!

Abraham was a follower of God if there ever was one! He lived in a state of readiness: spiritually, physically and emotionally. When God called, he answered immediately (vs.1). Yet, God asked this great man of Faith to do something that seemed unfair and horrible, to sacrifice his own son... the fulfillment of a promise from God.

Instead of running away, we see Abraham following the Lord and trusting Him (vs. 4-8). He did not begin to act in obedience and then stop when He did not see God providing an escape. No! He trusted God the entire time and was going to be obedient above all else. Even if it meant sacrificing what he held most dear. I think one of the reasons he was willing to walk in obedience is because he KNEW God. He knew God was compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love (Psalm 103:8). He knew God could be trusted because God loved him passionately. Abraham had the faith that God would give Isaac back to him. When he left the servants to go on with Isaac, he said to the servants, “We will go and sacrifice” and then “WE will return" (vs.5). Abraham knew that God would not go back on His promise of his son, even though current circumstances did not show it.

However, there is a huge point from this story that we cannot miss. When God called Abraham to stop and sacrifice the ram instead... Abraham listened! (vs. 12-14). Abraham could have gone ahead and slain Isaac, because after all, at some point didn't God tell him to? When God said you don't have to do this, Abraham could have responded in the flesh, saying "I will show my devotion to God by killing my son, my most precious blessing." As important as it is to instantly obey God and be willing to sacrifice to Him all you hold dear, it is just as important to listen to the voice of God and not sacrifice on the altar what He does not require of you. This is why to obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). It is not about the object of the sacrifice we lay down, but the attitude of our hearts. The world looks on the outside, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Are we truly willing to give everything to the Lord? Our hopes, dreams, possessions, jobs, family, children?

God's timing is perfect. He is never too early and never too late, despite what we think (2 Peter 3:9). Even though Isaac was never sacrificed, God says to Abraham, "Because you have not withheld your only son whom you love" (vs. 12). To God, the act of putting his son on the altar and raising the knife WAS not withholding his own son. What is God asking you to give over to Him? Are you holding on tightly in fear? Trust that He loves you and has your eternal best at heart!