Tag Archives: obedience

December 6 – Unimpressive, Contemptible, and Blessed

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2 Corinthians 10-13

Paul seems a little defensive. He must have been receiving some pretty harsh criticism from some of the Corinthian Christians. They said his letters were “weighty and strong,” but felt he was “unimpressive” in person. They went as far as saying his speech was “contemptible.”

Ouch.

Paul admitted that he was not a great public speaker. But he made no apologies for the message he proclaimed. That’s what I think God would have us see today.

We might not all look like Beth Moore, or preach like Billy Graham, or sing like Big Daddy Weave. But God loves to do great things through the least of us. And He does every time we submit ourselves to Him and take those steps of faith.

When we fumble over our testimony over coffee with an unsaved friend, God is glorified. When we quietly shovel snow for our neighbor, or take soup to a sick friend, or sit with someone who is mourning, God is glorified. When people recognize that what we do or say can’t possibly be by our own power, God is glorified.

Paul told his critics, “you might not like how I talk or how I look but that will not stop me from telling you the Truth.” You see, it was the message that was important, not the messenger.

We might not even like the way we look ourselves. We may have no confidence in our abilities. But let God have His way and see what amazing things He can do through us anyway. He will be glorified. And we will be blessed… and a blessing!

December 5 – A “No Tithe” Zone

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2 Corinthians 5-9

What are your views on tithing? Is church-giving a subject talked about in your fellowship? What is your reaction when you read the sermon title in Sunday’s bulletin, and realize the subject is money… again? Do you hold to the opinion that what goes into that plate is between you and God (and maybe your accountant at tax time)?

The church in Macedonia was known for their generosity. 8:1-3 tells us this body of believers “… in a great ordeal of affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.”

Yes you heard it. Affliction, joy, poverty, and wealth all in the same sentence.

It seems they didn’t worry about what 10% looked like. They saw a need, and they gave beyond their ability.

My view on tithing? I think we should throw that mandate out the window. What if we really gave as God laid it on our hearts to give? What if we didn’t stop at 10% when God nudges us to give more?

Do you know what it costs to keep your church building and ministries running? You should. Then, with that number in front of you, maybe you should ask God what part of that He wants you to cover with the resources He’s given you. (I’m talking to myself as well)

But, you say, my kids need new shoes, my mortgage is due, I’m going to need a better car soon. I can’t give more than 10%. Sometimes that’s even more than I can give.

What if God used the same formula to bless us? What if we are receiving only 10% of what He is able to bless us? I’m not sure I want only 10% of His blessings. I’m not sure He wants only 10% of mine, either.

November 22 – Walk The Talk

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My reading plan had me reading the entire book of James this morning. Every verse in these five chapters is gold, as far as I’m concerned. So I sat here and asked God what was the one thing I should glean for the sake of this blog today. Here are my thoughts.

I think, as I look at the entire book of James, the author’s challenge to us is to live a consistent Christian life. What does that look like? Words like patient, steadfast, humble, self-controlled, fair, wise come to mind. The fruit of the spirit comes to mind.

The theme of the book might be found in 1:22:

But prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

Or in 2:17:

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

It’s one thing to profess faith in God, to believe that Jesus is the Savior. But the proof of that faith is lived out day by day, by the way we treat people, by the way we handle hardships, by what we say and how we say it. The Christian life isn’t lived in a closet.

I hope you’ll read James today and let God point out the things in your life that can use some refining. Let’s determine to not only wear the name of Jesus, but to live our lives in obedience. If you are a Christian, I pray you act like one.

 

November 19 – Growing The Church

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Acts 9-10

As I read these chapters today I thought, “Wow. Ananias was a brave man!” God told him to go heal Saul, the church-hater, the persecutor of Christians, the one who had come to Damascus to arrest anyone naming the name of Jesus. God told Ananias to go to Saul. And he did.

Was that an act of bravery? If it were me, I’m not sure I’d be feeling very brave approaching Saul. I’d be shaking in my boots (or maybe sandals).

No, I don’t think Ananias is so much an example of a brave man, as he is an example of an obedient man.

One thing I noticed, the thing that’s convicted me this morning, is that God didn’t send Saul to Ananias. And God didn’t tell Ananias to paint his house or hire a rock band to entice Saul to come to him. God told Ananias to get up off his couch and knock on Saul’s door in person.

Ok, God. I hear You. This is how You intend to grow Your Church, one obedient person at a time. Forgive us if we depend on our pastors to do the legwork, and the praise team to draw people into our services, or our programs to get people into our doors. So often in Your Word You tell US to GO. Jesus went to the people. Philip went to the Ethiopian eunuch, Peter went to Dorcas, then to Cornelius. I don’t hear any of them inviting people to come to church. Rather, I hear them inviting them to know Jesus. I hear You saying the same thing to me. May I help grow Your Church today, as I obey Your leading to GO.

November 9 – Break Me

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Matthew 26; Mark 14

Peter wanted to do it right. He loved Jesus. He believed Jesus. He was a follower, a disciple of Jesus. And if you’d asked Peter, he’d have told you in no uncertain terms that nothing would ever change his devotion to Jesus.

But as determined as Peter was to stay true to the Lord, he failed miserably. Three times.

Sometimes I feel like Peter must have felt when he told Jesus he’d never betray Him. Especially after a Sunday morning sermon that challenges and blesses me, or time in God’s Word when He strengthens me or gives me that spiritual hug. I am as determined as Peter was to stay close to my Savior and never, ever betray Him.

But then I fail miserably like Peter, too.

When Peter realized what he’d done, he didn’t make excuses, or rationalize his behavior. He recognized his sin, and he wept. Bitterly. He was a broken man.

I want to be like Peter in that way, too. When faced with my sin – every sin no matter how small I may want to convince myself – I want to be broken before Jesus. I want to repent, to receive His forgiveness, to be able to fellowship with Him with nothing in between.

So, Lord, point out those sins in my life. Break me. Drive me to my knees so that I will repent and let You cleanse me. Thank You for wanting to.

November 8 – Bridesmaids Unprepared

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Matthew 25

How are you getting ready for Jesus’ return? Have you prepared your heart, used the gifts and abilities He gave you in service to Him, showed His love to others in tangible ways? Jesus is coming again. And whether we meet Him in the air at the sound of the trumpet, or experience death first, we will stand before Him on that day!

My prayer is that, most importantly, God has your heart. I pray that you have asked Him to forgive your sin, to be your Savior. Then I pray that you have nurtured the gifts He’s given you, and used them to win lost souls for His kingdom.

Are you a faithful servant? Do you put His love in action by caring for all people, giving of your time and resources?

I hope you’re not like five of the bridesmaids we read about today who did just enough to be able to say they were part of the company. But that wasn’t enough. And they couldn’t depend on anyone else to get them ready to meet the Bridegroom.

And neither can we. Our relationship with God is personal. Our accountability to Him is dependent on our own actions.

I pray you will not put off getting right with God. When the Bridegroom comes, and He will, it will be too late to put oil in that lamp.

November 7 – The Many

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Matthew 24

Jesus’ disciples asked Him what the signs would be announcing His second coming, and the “end of the age.” The Lord told them there would be people claiming to be Him, wars, famines, earthquakes.

He said life will be hard for His followers. They will experience tribulation, will be hated and killed because they follow Jesus. Some of His followers will fall away and turn on each other. They’ll be mislead by false teaching, and lawlessness will increase.

Was He describing 2016?

But then He said half of a verse that broke my heart. 24:12b:

most people’s love will grow cold.

The word “most” makes me sad. Makes me wonder how many of the people who attended church yesterday would be able to say their love for God is the burning passion of their lives? Or is their love like that for a buddy? Comfortable, warm, but not consuming?

Also makes me wonder about the temperature of my own love of my Savior. Is it the driving force behind my every thought and action? Is it a passion that burns every minute of every day, that ignites me to serve Him with purposeful enthusiasm?

Jesus said that before He returns, MANY of His people’s hearts will turn cold toward Him. I do not want to be counted among the “many.”

November 6 – 15 Minutes!

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Mark 13

My mom was a stay-at-home mom until I was in the seventh grade. She got a full time job when all of us girls were finally in school. Every day she’d leave us with the expectation that we were not supposed to sit in front of the TV when we got home. Beds were to be made, dishes done, clothes picked up, homework completed, and whatever chores she left for us to do were to be done before she got home from work at 4:20.

I wish I could say we were diligent in our chores. We’d usually find ourselves in front of the TV, or playing Barbies, or reading,  instead of doing what we knew we should be doing. Until one or another of us would notice the time and shout:

“15 minutes!”

On cue, the TV would be turned off, and we’d all go into stealth mode. Dishes would get done, beds made, clothes put away, dusting or sweeping done. We got pretty good at rapid housecleaning.

I thought of that today when I read this chapter in Mark. Jesus tells us to be ready when He returns. We don’t know when that will be. He just wants us to be diligently doing what He’s asked us to.

And we won’t get a fifteen minute warning. Some people act like they’ve got all the time in the world. After all, He hasn’t come back in 2,000 years, they rationalize. The chances are He won’t come back today. So they put off surrendering to Him. They don’t obey His voice to speak to that friend about their need of a Savior. They figure they’ve got time to live like they want to live. They’ll do the “Christian” thing when they get older.

Jesus doesn’t seem to take too well to that idea. He tells us God could come back at any time. Any. Time. The only one who knows when that will be is God Himself. And when He comes, it’ll be too late to obey Him.

Our Savior tells us to live today like this is the day He’s coming back. Live today with the same focus and determination my sisters and I had those 15 minutes before Mom came home. He’s left us with some instructions, some chores to do before He gets back.

Will He find us faithful? Or will we be caught unprepared?

November 5 – All She Had

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Matthew 23; Luke 20-21

Years ago I was at a congregational meeting of the church where I was a member. Among other positions like trustees and Sunday School superintendent, we were going to vote on a new president of our women’s ministry. The dear lady who had held that position for years had felt it was time she stepped down.

We sat there and listened to her give her last yearly report, then read her resignation. It wasn’t a flowery speech. Concise and to the point, she ended with a verse taken from Jesus’ parable about the widow’s gift. I’ll never forget it.

“She gave all she had.”

Whether we are given much or little, God blesses those who give it all back it Him. Whether wealth or talent, compassion or intellect, Christians should hold nothing back in service to our Lord.

Makes me wonder if I’m holding anything back. Family? Health? My time?

At the end of my life, I would like to be able to look into Jesus’ eyes and tell Him honestly that I gave all I had, that I wore myself out serving Him.

Generous Father, You have blessed me so much. I can’t begin to thank You. Forgive me when I take any of it for granted, or hoard it, or squander it. God, I want to hold my hands out to You and ask You to empty me. Whatever I have, I give it to You. Show me those things that I’m holding on to, or misusing. I want to confess, to repent, to give it all back. Not because I want anything in return. You’ve already given me more than I deserve.

October 28 – In Praise of a Dishonest Steward

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Luke 16-17:10

The first part of chapter 16 is subtitled, “The Unrighteous Steward” in my NASB. At first glance it might appear that God is congratulating the dishonest man for his ingenuity, then telling us to be more like him. (8-9) Is God really saying it’s ok to cheat people if our intentions are good?

I read several commentaries this morning trying to get a handle on this parable, and the interpretations are widely varied. So I’ve sat here for a few minutes considering all the opinions, and asking God to show me what He wants me to know today. This is my take-away:

God has entrusted His people with the riches of His glory. He gave us His only Son, gave us access to the Throne Room, and has opened the doors of Paradise to us. He has given us Himself. The riches we hold cannot even be counted.

But we, like the dishonest steward, have squandered God’s riches. We continue to sin. We don’t always obey Him or share Him with unsaved friends and loved ones. We don’t always represent Him well in the workplace or at the ballgame. We take our salvation for granted, even though we know what it cost Jesus to give it to us.

I think God would have us consider the fact that, whenever we squander an opportunity to use the riches of His glory, we have lost that opportunity forever. We will never get yesterday back.

The steward in the parable didn’t continue to squander the master’s riches. In fact, he made opportunities to serve his master. The steward didn’t wait for the people to come to him. He sought them out.

And that’s my take-away. I stand here before you a dishonest steward. I have to admit that there have been way too many times I have not protected or used that which God has entrusted to me.

I stand before God and ask Him to forgive me, to show me opportunities to serve Him. I don’t want to sit in my recliner today when there are people I know and love who need to see Him in me. Maybe I need to have lunch with one of them this afternoon, or pick up the phone to reconnect with another.

I hold in my heart the riches of God’s glory. Am I going to waste it, or use it for His sake? I can beat myself up about lost opportunities, or I can forget what is behind and press on toward the goal of being a good steward of God’s riches.

I know that there is more to this parable than what I’ve shared today. There are more lessons to learn from these verses. But that dishonest steward has convicted me today. If he can get on the ball and work for his master, I have so many more reasons to get out there and work for mine.