Reassurance for the Tired and Afraid 9/5/2019

"Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, 'So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.' And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.  But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, 'It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.'  1 Kings 19:2-4

Have you ever done all that you think you can to lead a righteous life while doing the work of the Lord only to feel like you have accomplished nothing and still experience fear at the hands of your enemies?  This was Elijah's problem.

Elijah had just famously taken on 450 prophets of the god Baal in an epic "whose God is real" showdown and prevailed.  In so doing, Yahweh was proven to be alive, real and responsive and powerful.  This resulted in the demise of the false god's prophets and the turning of people's previously corrupt hearts.

Of course, the person who introduced the worship of Baal and therefore managed the prophets was the king's wicked wife Jezebel.  As might be imagined, she was none to happy about such a stunning loss.  She therefore threatened to end Elijah's life in the most vehement way she could.

Beloved, it was human of Elijah to run, hide and request to be removed from God's service. Depending on one's level of activity and commitment, the work of God is not for the faint of heart.  While many of us make excuses about not attending worship, sharing the gospel, helping our fellow human being or reading God's word, this man had stood alone with God against a king, 450 adversaries and an entire nation that was not rooting for him.  Even after prevailing, his life was in danger.  It is natural for us to become weary. This is particularly the case when those who claim to be members of the household of faith and should be standing with us, retreat or even array themselves against us. It is at times like these, however, that our faith must be at its strongest, because it is at times like these that God makes his presence felt most.

Elijah slept.  An angel from the Lord woke him and instructed him to eat, drink and refresh himself with nourishment the angel himself had provided.  Once done, Elijah laid down and the same thing happened again.  This time the angel told him about a great journey ahead of him and how he needed to strengthen himself for it.  The effects of this meal lasted 40 days.  And when the journey reached its conclusion, God met Elijah at the entrance to a cave in the form of a small whisper on the wind.

If you are tired and afraid, know that God has you, God provides for you,
God sustains you, God protects you, God still has work for you to do and in the end, God will meet you.

In pursuit of a transformed life,

Lee

(In prayer for my covenant brother)

A Change in Perspective 9/30/2019

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”  Colossians 3:1-4

I once knew a person who always seemed to be rooted, grounded, positive and happy.  It was not because he had enjoyed a trouble-free life in the lap of luxury.  On the contrary, he had been through storm after storm, yet was an example of how to keep one’s head up and remain faithful.  It was not that he was a perfect man; far from it.  But he never claimed to be more than he was and always seemed to re-route any praise given him, to God.

Upon being asked how he did it, particularly in view of some significantly painful life events, he gave an answer that made all of the sense in the world but was no less amazing in that it involved the most basic of Christian principles.  He said, “I not only believe in God, but I believe Him.”  By that he meant that it was easy to acknowledge God’s existence but through the course of his life, he had come to have a significant level of faith in Him due to his experience with God.  He therefore made every effort to surrender his own will in favor of God’s.  This being the case, he went on to say, “God has told us that this life is just a vapor and that the things we go through in our day to day lives are not worthy to be compared with the things that will be revealed and experienced in an eternity with Him.  I believe that with my whole heart, and that long-term view makes the limited trials of this life bearable and temporary.”

Beloved, this is the perspective that all children of God should have.  This is not to say that in our human condition, we do not occasionally worry, fret, hurt, get anxious or angry, but that we should always be brought back to who God is, what He has promised and our faith in Him.  Further, we should conduct our lives as those who accept all He has told us as established fact. Paul told the church at Colossae, and by extension all believers, that we are to “set our minds on things above and not on earth…for our life is hidden with God in Christ.”  How powerful in the Lord would we be if we truly embraced this directive?  How effective would the church be?

Let us, as spiritual beings, diligently shift our perspective to spiritual things.  Our burdens will surely be lightened and hearts made glad.

Pursuing a transformed life,

Lee

Looking a Gift Horse in the Mouth 9/22/2018

“But Naaman was furious and went away and said, ‘Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.  Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’  So he turned and went away in a rage.”  2 Kings 5:11-12

Naaman was the captain of the army for a king by the name of Aram.  By all accounts he was highly respected and a valiant warrior, but he had a problem.  Naaman was a leper.  Through a series of events, he found himself at the door of Elisha, a prophet of the living God to whom he was referred.  Elisha sent a servant to the door with a message to go and dip himself in the Jordan river 7 times and he would be clean.  As the Scripture records, he was incensed about the way he was treated as well as the prescription.  Is this not reminiscent of the popular “gift horse” colloquialism?

It is easy to be critical of Naaman until we take honest stock of our own behaviors.  How often do we put ourselves in jeopardy of not receiving our blessing because we are not satisfied with the method of delivery or the content?  We so often pray for deliverance from health, financial, relationship or other circumstantial situations but reject God’s means because they do not agree with what we expect or desire.  We are far more rigid than we think we are, even when we find ourselves in the greatest need. The rich young ruler famously asked Jesus for eternal life, but rejected the method by which he might acquire it, thus infamously losing it.

Beloved, we must be people of faith at all times.  This means trusting God with all of our hearts and not leaning on our own understanding (Prov 3:5).  When we only trust God “so far,” and resort to our own means when He does not deliver on our timetable or by our preferred method, we demonstrate faithlessness.  In so doing, we put ourselves in danger of not receiving the blessing that God so graciously offers.

Naaman’s servants rhetorically asked if Elisha had required some herculean task of him, would he not have done it to be rid of his leprosy.  Fortunately, he got the point, complied with the instructions and was cured as he was told he would be.  When we go to God, let us do so in humility and be willing to accept His will in whatever form it may come.  There may even be a blessing in a “no”; however, let us not cost ourselves a “yes”, knowing that in God, all things work together for our good.

In pursuit of transformed life,

Lee

Just Do It 8/9/2019

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
Which of the two did what his father wanted?”  Matthew 21:28-31

The colloquialism that comes to mind today is that it is "easier said than done."  It is a saying that we are all familiar with because it is true.  We can claim to be willing or able to do anything until it is actually time to perform.  That, as they say, is where the rubber meets the road.

Far too often in our spiritual lives, we are guilty of saying or otherwise representing our faith, hope, trust and belief in God while our actions prove otherwise.  It may very well be that we have the best of intentions.  I have heard it said that the road to hell is paved with those.  Nevertheless we speak forth or otherwise represent our greatest aspirations of obedience and alignment with the will of our Father, but, as it is human to do, we sometimes fall short.  We say that we will study our Bibles more, give more, attend more, pray more and be a better example at work, home and community, but do we?  We must ask ourselves why we make such claims.  Is it to maintain appearances?  Is it a type of self-motivation to do the things we ought?  Is it because we feel it is expected of us by those in our various circles?  Or is it that we do try but fail?  We must all produce our own answers.  The question we must really consider is, what good is profession without production?

Beloved, Jesus famously stated, "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter," Matt 7:21.  You see, even then, people were saying one thing and doing another.  You also see the grave consequences associated with living a life long on "show" and short on "do."  You will recall the most terrifying example of this in the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  Let us never underestimate the importance of doing.  God has given us well documented commands by which we must endeavor to live daily.  He has not done so idly, for with, by and from Him, there is always purpose and that, exclusively for His glory and our well being.

Is it all easier said than done?  Certainly, however, the more we do, the easier it gets.  God has promised that the rewards for doing so our literally out of this world.

In pursuit of a transformed life,

Lee

Worship: Not a Spectator Sport 9/27/2018

"Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.7 For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you would hear His voice, 
Do not harden your hearts," Psalm 95:6-8

Last week, I ran into two different people, both former members of congregations that now "worship at home."  Perhaps you know of someone or several someones who fit this description.  Now, rather than going to the assembly on the Lord's day, they listen to the local Christian radio station, or watch one or more of the televangelists on cable, or do nothing at all.  Of course our brothers and sisters say they still love God, still believe in Him and pray regularly but just do not currently "go to church."

There are a variety of reasons why people pursue this avenue.  Some disagree with the way things are done at their local congregation.  Some have suffered hurt associated with someone who attends.  Some have looked into the mirror of their lives and found themselves unfit, lacking the ability to forgive themselves despite believing that they have been forgiven by God.  And some just flat out do not think it is necessary.  There are many other reasons that people give for such a tragic departure.

Beloved, I will be the first to tell you that the work of the church is not primarily done inside the church building but outside.  I would likewise say that worship is not confined to the church building in that we should all be in a constant state of worshiping our God.  But I will say that the assembly is a necessary component of our relationship with God and with each other.  Let me share with you just a few scriptures that bear this out.

• Acts 2:40-47-From its inception, the church (more accurately phrased "the assembly") has been about the people of God being and doing together
• Ephesians 4:11-16-We together form one body, made so by divine will for a divine and beneficial purpose
• John 10:14-16-Being identified as flock whose shepherd is Jesus, our togetherness is implicit
• 1 Corinthians 12:12-27-Each of us has a role in the body/assembly that we are gifted to fulfill and on which others depend
• Hebrews 10:24-26-The assembly is as much about others as it is about us and we should not forsake it

This is by no means an exhaustive list.  The word of God consistently speaks of believers as a people, a body, a flock and a church that is designed to be together in word, thought, deed and most certainly in worship.  While some televangelist have their uses, if a person is watching one, they are watching not just the preacher but those who are members of that congregation who have gathered together to worship.  Worship is not about spectating, but participating.  

May this be an encouragement to you and may you share it with those who you know that have forsaken the assembly.

Building God's family,

Lee