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"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Tag: Blessing

Fragile Vessels

August 3, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4:7.

Chosen vessels, ministers of the gospel, as appointed to bear the glad news of salvation to others; called also earthen vessels, on account of their weakness and frailty. – Noah Webster.

Servant of the Living God, be reminded that we who carry within us His Spirit, called to proclaim His Gospel, are blessed yet unworthy vessels handpicked by our Father for such a weighty privilege. Yet compared to our Omnipotent God, we are infinitesimal creatures, like hummingbirds in a vast desert; we are small, fragile winged creatures called to carry the transplendent and incalculable weight of the Glory of God into inhospitable places on fragile, gossamer wings. “But God has selected [for His purpose] the foolish things of the world to shame the wise [revealing their ignorance], and God has selected [for His purpose] the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong [revealing their frailty].” –1Cor.1:27.

That God alone, not we, His earthen vessels, receive the glory. “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be. I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. –Isaiah 43:10-12.

We were not created to steal God’s proverbial thunder if you will. We are image bearers only—likenesses created to carry the thirst-quenching Presence of our Omnipresent God into a dried-up, arid world. “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.” –Isaiah 41:17-18.

And again, concerning God’s reviving Presence, Jesus said of Himself: “But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.” –John 4:14.

As Jesus’s disciples, we are called to lay down our lives as living sacrifices: our wants, desires, hopes, dreams, bodies, minds, wills, and emotions. Each surrendered fully at the feet of Jesus—each subject instead to His will, plans, and purposes. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]? 20 You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.” –1 Cor. 6:19-20. Though Paul specifically references sexual sin in this passage, it contains a broader Truth that applies to Christians.

You and I will undoubtedly fall and fail the moment we allow ourselves to see what God has called us to do as separate, somehow, from “our lives”—as though each thing is not inextricably one. This fallacious notion is deadly to the Christian because: “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” –Gal.2:20.

The second we fail to remember that we are not our own but have been called instead to be glory carriers for the Most High God, sin, as the Scriptures tell us, will have gained a toe hold in us.

By the power of this same Truth, that we are not our own but Christ’s, we mere earthen vessels, small, gossamer-winged, fragile creatures, are empowered to carry the weighty, life-saving Gospel of Jesus Christ into a parched, arid world. “You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” –2 Corinthians 4:5-8.

And so, by dying to our bulky, sin-full, and heavy-laden flesh, we are, by God’s amazing grace, made free by Christ, in Christ, to carry within us His Spirit, to proclaim His Gospel.

To be used by God to pour the Life-giving Water of God’s Inerrant Word over that one He is calling to Himself—cleaning them of those sins that “so easily beset them.”

As was done for us, we, too, must bring this same hope of new life into the most inhospitable of places. “…Freely you have received; freely give.” –Mathew 10:8.

We, frail friends, get to be used by the Omnipotent God of the universe, in whose image and likeness we were created.

May we, by His grace, both never forget and be ever grateful for this extraordinary, weighty privilege.

May God, in His loving kindness and tender mercy, remain ever mindful of our hummingbird-like frailty as He causes us, His Glory-carriers, to thrive in this inhospitable place—a world in which we, which you, beloved of God, are merely passing through. “The same way a loving father feels toward his children—that’s but a sample of your tender feelings toward us, your beloved children, who live in awe of you. You know all about us, inside and out. You are mindful that we’re made from dust.” –Psa.103:13-14.

Dear friend, are you the one I have been called to? Are you feeling dry? Are you uncomfortable living in a world that no longer feels welcoming? That is God calling you to come out of this world. To live free. Free of the weight of sin you’ve been carrying around—free from the weight of its shame and guilt. You were created for so much more. Won’t you cry out to God today, asking Him to make you His child, allowing you to carry His Glory to your family and friends—into this inhospitable world? “I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.” –Ezekiel 36:25-27.

Take Courage, Beloved! 2 Corinthians 1:4.

March 7, 2020 /
“Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Now here we have a very peculiar source of consolation in suffering. The thought that the apostle’s suffering benefited others soothed him in his afflictions, and this is a consolation which is essentially Christian. Consider how the old Stoicism groped in the dark to solve the mystery of grief, telling you it must be, and that it benefits and perfects you. Yes, that is true enough. But Christianity says much more; it says, Your suffering blesses others; it gives them firmness. Here is the law of the Cross: “No man dieth to himself”; for his pain and loss is for others and brings with it to others joy and gain. –F. W. Robertson, M. A.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Look at this young girl’s face. Her countenance speaks volumes. Her face a billboard for one who came hoping to hear one thing, but instead, heard something quite the contrary. Her hope snatched out from under her just as quickly as a magician makes a quarter disappear. She is downcast. Questioning. Searching. Disheartened. Dare I say fearful? I have seen this same expression all too often as of late. Many in the Body of Christ have been wearing this very same face. God has sent me to you, beloved brother, dearest sister, to re-mind you that your loving Father is right by your side. His all-powerful right hand holding yours—lending you His strength in your time of weakness. Take Courage, beloved. El Roi, “the God who sees me” is with you. “We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives!” –2 Corinthians 4:8 MSG.

The enemy of our God—our soul, is keeping busy. We have been lulled, however temporarily, into forgetting that we live in a fallen world. Eden no more…

One in which we both reap what we sow and, are suddenly seized by the inevitable end-result of having lived at all. A world in which God never promised us a trouble-free existence. “I have spoken these things to you so that you shall have peace in me. You shall have suffering in the world, but take heart, I have overcome the world” –John 16:33. A world that is filled with people who will one-day leave their mortal coils in the very dust from which they were created. He, our enemy, wants us to forget about this part. Conning us into believing we’ll live forever. That death is for others, not for us. He does everything possible to shift our focus away from God, from pursuing a life in Christ, a relationship with Him. From beginning to prepare ourselves for those things God has clearly foretold will come to all mankind. The saved and unsaved alike. No race or social class left exempt. As with death, disease and trials, tribulations, and hardships are among the great equalizers of this, our one human race. It is a sure sign of Grace when a man can trust in his God, for the natural man, when afraid, falls back on some human trust, or he thinks that he will be able to laugh at the occasion of fear. He gives himself up to jollity and forgetful-ness, or perhaps he braces himself up with a natural resolution—”To take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them.” He goes anywhere but to his God. –Charles Spurgeon.

I’ve received reports of loved ones being suddenly struck ill. One minute healthy and smiling, the next in peril or pain. Cancers being diagnosed, brain tumors and shingles attacking bodies, strokes leaving once strong and virile men at the mercy of bodies they can no longer control. Being washed now, dressed too, and fed by the very woman they once took pride in gallantly protecting—providing for. Minds once sharp and quick now muddled, processing as slowly as molasses pours. Others still whose memories are being wiped clean by Alzheimer’s. So frustrating! Such heartbreak. And yet, it is to these very souls that we must go fellow Christian, and, with a touch as tender as a child’s, hearts bursting with compassion and the love of Christ, uphold these words we find in today’s scripture verse.

For us as Christians, tribulation, trials, and sudden hardships should be expected; a thing we know with certainty will come. Christ made it clear to us that they would. And He cannot lie. The only unknown is the ‘when’ of it. That is for God alone to know.  Yet, as I’ve stated, Christ expects us to go to, sends us to, these very souls hip-deep in sorrow, shredded by recent loss, dazed by the 1-2 sucker punch of their child’s, son’s, brother’s diagnosis, and encourage them to fear not. To re-mind them that God sees them, knows what has just happened to them and that He has a plan to bring some-thing, some future good, from this seemingly rotten, pain-full, confusing circumstance—if, they’ll but trust Him. If they’ll but leave the door of hope cracked just enough that He might come into this, their worst nightmare, and flood them with, overtake them with hope. Comforting them, offering His strength to endure, press on and into Him…

But how? How do I go to one so raw, so exposed? What can I possibly say to them to help ease their pain or return to them just a glimmer of the hope they just lost? How do you and I go and comfort, bolster, build-up, offer peace to the one whose world just got turned on its head? We can only do this, offer this because we have first experienced it for ourselves. More, because the Spirit of the Living God lives in us, enabling us. He alone gives us the words, His Words. His peace. We can do this because we have experienced it first-hand. We know it to be real. We simply offer our Truth. His Truth. As tenderly and surely and deeply, yet as confidently and powerfully as Jesus Himself would! Is doing through us. We who have felt Christ come and wrap us in a peace that should not exist amongst the chaos of the moment. Strength to stand and take the next step and the one after that, after leaving the last ounce of the strength we possessed discarded, at the feet of that terminal diagnosis.

Have you been here Brother? Sister? Church mother? Pastor? Friend? Is it you I was sent back to encourage today? You whose hand I might hold and say, “fear not, beloved one, God is nearer to you than you could ever imagine. Closer to you than your skin and breath…”

Is it you that I was sent to share my survival story with? My, suddenly-that-day-when-the-bottom-fell-out-of-my-world-too, testimony? Because I have one, I do. One where I not only survived but thrived and grew and, as a result of my suddenly moment, God stepped into the very center of it and saved so much more than this my mere flesh, this temporary tent I call me. Jesus walked right into the messy middle of my fractured mind and commanded it to reroute. He commanded the clot in my brain to cease from doing any further damage, and He then lavishly, lovingly, poured healing balm over every area of my brain, restoring it. Jesus saved the real me, His child; safe. He saved my immortal soul; healing my mind and emotions, and a brain fractured and failing as the result of a massive stroke. He came calming that fear that that would well up inside of me each time I so wanted to move the left side of a body, a side I could no longer control. In those instants, God came with His peace, His strength, and re-minded me that there was never a moment, not one second of my life as I’d known it, including that very second a blood clot ripped through my brain, that I’d ever been in control of, could stop from happening, what could happen to this earthly tent I call my-self. None of us has that ability. That is His alone. He alone is Sovereign.

But what we can do, are called to do, must do, is come to you and her and him amid your trials, your dis-eases, your crisis, whatever they may be and, right there in the messy middle of them, share the love of this same Jesus who met us, met me, dead center in my crisis. Assuring you, as only one who has experience, has a relationship with God, can. God is for you, beloved. He is right where you are, right now. He sees you and knows your fears and feels your pain. He once felt it all Himself. Remember, He is fully God, but Jesus when He walked this earth was also fully man. “He knows our pain all too well. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” –Hebrews 2:14-18.

Fear not beloved, all things, even those we label as, feel are, the worst possible things; our parents or children or loved ones becoming ill, must pass through the Sovereign hands of our loving, kind, just and mercy-full Father. And, know this: if He permits a thing, even some bitter thing, some circumstance or illness to touch our lives, their life, it is this same God who also holds your life, their life, in His hands. Whatever may come your way, God’s got you. Nothing. No-thing, no sickness, trial nor adversity can ever, nor ever will, separate you from God’s love for you. Ever. He has promised that to each of His children. If you are His today, then this promise is surely yours. You say, “I feel so dead and cold, I have not the spiritual vivacity and warmth and life that I used to possess. I used to come up to the Tabernacle and feel such joy and rejoicing in worshipping on God’s Holy Day, but now I feel flat and dull.” Oh, but do not be tempted to get away from Christ because of this! Who runs away from the fire because he is cold? Who, in summer, runs away from the cooling rook because he is hot? Should not my deadness be the reason why I should come to Jesus Christ?” – Charles Spurgeon.

Friend, if you or a loved one is experiencing a time of fiery affliction and you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, please, do not let today pass you by without asking Him to come into your heart as Lord and Savior. Invite Him into the middle of your pain-filled, messy circumstance, and then watch God do what only He can!

From Position to Possessions. 2 Samuel 5:12

December 9, 2018 /

 “Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.”

What had happened that caused David to know everything he’d been given, from position to possessions, had been given him that he might use it to bless others?

Who told him?

Did God whisper it in his ear?

Did he have a dream?

A divine revelation?

Perhaps it was an angel who had enlightened him?

Maybe he remembered Gods promise to Abraham: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing”—Genesis 12:2.

Or, had the sudden favor and acceptance that had been recently bestowed upon him stir this knowing awaking it within him? Did it stretch the smallness of his vision of tending sheep for the rest of his life—opening him to grasp the vast favor and provision of the future palace? Making room within to fully embrace his  God-given destiny…

Understand that though I am using this text reach out to us, the modern church concerning our responsibility for giving, blessing, sharing, caring, defending, loving Gods people, for accepting all that God has for us, its literal application is intended for the nation of Israel.

David was an underdog. A ruddy kid who smelled of sheep and sweat and was treated as a hired-hand by his father and brothers. Scripture tells us that when the prophet Samuel showed up at David’s fathers house in search of the new king God had sent him there to anoint—David’s father didn’t even acknowledge David as his child until the prophet pressed him by asking if all his sons were present? Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the flock.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.”—1 Samuel 16:11.

David wasn’t the kid who’d always had everything handed to him—Scripture will confirm this. Yet, Scripture also confirms that David had a deep and abiding love, some might call it a fierce and passionate love for the Lord God. We catch a tiny glimpse of this passionate devotion to God in his response to the Philistine giant Goliath’s taunting of the Israelite army (1 Samuel 17:26;45-47).David was a man after Gods own heart. And yet, anyone God blesses—any person He elevates into a position of leadership, will suddenly feel the exacting weight of the great privilege they’ve been afforded. We are not given the gifts and talents we’ve freely received, the jobs, homes, or resources, the time nor opportunities, for our benefit alone—rather, as with David, we are blessed by God that we’ll in-turn bless others. More accurately—we were blessed by God for that specific purpose. To be a blessing to others. Abundantly. There’s a Christian colloquialism for this Scriptural truth that states, “we’re blessed to be a blessing…”.

The modern Church is rich beyond measure. Even the smallest, poorest member of this Body is far richer than most folks’ wildest dreams! How you ask? Each member owns—if they know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the Pearl of great Price. Christ Himself. And, in Him, they have the fullness of the Father and the Holy Spirit. Hence, they have been honored, entrusted to share His great treasure, the Gospel—with all men. Yet, as I stated, with privilege comes great responsibility. Said Scripturally; “…much will be demanded from everyone who has been given much, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked” –Luke 12:48.

Now that you know this you can never un-know it. Now, you are responsible to spend your riches wisely, lavishly! Riches that can neither tarnish nor rot. Riches no thief can steal from you nor, if prized, the one you share them with, and, no faulty economy will ever be able to diminish its value…

Our God is no respecter of persons.

As with David, so anyone whom the world rejects, considers to be the least of theirs, a throw-away. If they know Jesus as Lord they’ve  been entrusted, as David was, with unplumbed wealth, True wealth. A mind-boggling treasure has been entrusted to them as surely and fully as if they were David! A treasure given that it may be spread around like so many seeds. And, though this spreading of the Gospel is our greatest responsibility, we are also responsible for using wisely each resource we’ve been afforded. From our money to our time, talents, and service to others, we must aid in “feeding” all those who are hungry…

They didn’t even acknowledge David as one of their own—Yet God had chosen him to be the King of His people, Israel while he was faithfully, wholeheartedly, selflessly caring for his father’s sheep…

Has God placed you among sheep for this season?

Are you feeling forgotten? Are you alone in some overlooked field tending someone else’s resources? If so, praise God! You are being prepared for who and what God has coming your way! Little did David realize that he was a king in a shepherd boys’ clothes! “David will forever have a descendant sitting on the throne of Israel” –Jeremiah 33:17.

Perhaps you need to ask God to give you His vision? Ask to see yourself as He sees you…

David had served faithfully, joyfully, with little to call his own. His long, lonely nights in the field, his father’s cold indifference, his brothers’ disdain and disregard, and his father’s sheep his constant companions. Yet David served them each faithfully. Giving all that he had to protect and defend them. And God was watching. We judge by outward appearances. God judges our hearts. God had placed David on the throne for the sake of His people and that His covenant promise to David would be fulfilled in the person of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. “And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever” –2 Samuel 7:16.

Yet, God sent a man of prominence to David specifically to bless him. To ensure that all David’s needs were more than taken care of! That he had surplus—an overflow. “Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David”—vs. 12, 2 Samuel 5.

David had been faithful with little. Now God was about to bless that faithfulness and fulfill His good purpose…

Our Scripture tells us that David knew that God had established him and blessed him. Yet, is it possible that the reason David’s knowing didn’t kick in until after his palace was completed is due to the fact that he’d had so little for so long? Did it take seeing the completed palace before he fully “knew” all that had been spoken over him, promised him, was now finally coming to pass? Had all those days of lack caused a deep chasm of fear to develop within him? Momentarily placing his faith just beyond his reach? Had David—like so many of us—incorrectly believed that God was certainly able to bless anyone He chose. Abundantly. Lavishly even—just not him? Not me— and certainly not you! That kind of blessing belonged to others. After-all we, like David, have witnessed it all our lives. Others being richly favored that is. Others living in overflow. But not us. Never us. We live among the sheep, our cloaks wrapped tightly around us—as protection. Heads down, serving where we’ve been placed, blessing those whom we meet—giving to all that are in need, grateful to God for this tiny square of earth, this room, apartment, house, gift, talent, dollar, job we’ve been afforded. Yet hoping, always hoping, that we’ll be next…

Or, was there a more practical reason for David’s “knowing”? Was it merely a clue into the mindset of his time and culture? “Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house” –Psalm 24:27. David had this first part down. He’d tended and looked after. Built-up and cared for. Multiplied for the good of His father, for others. He ‘d been a good steward. Now, it was time to build his own house. Let those that have ears hear…

Let us never forget that it was God who blessed David just as surely as it was God who gave David both the heart and desire to bless all those his life touched. Even if it cost him the palace. All that we have is a gift from God. David knew this. He knew nothing was his own.Freely it has all been given, so freely give all. Lavishly…

“But King David said to Araunah, No, but I will buy it of you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God of that which costs me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver” –2 Samuel 24:24.

Brothers and sisters know that our Father has many blessings stored up for you. Be on the look out for The One who is coming to deliver them…

If you are here today and have not yet asked Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior, today is the day, now the time! Soon and very soon He’ll come—bringing with Him His reward. Are you ready to receive Him?

 

Complete Submergence. Luke 12:50

September 16, 2018 /

 “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how it consumes me until it is finished!”

A new season is being birthed. And, birthing is a very, messy and painful business. But oh, when that baby comes!

I’d heard it said recently that there’s a moment in each believer’s life where their faith must cross over from doctrinal, head knowledge, a learned faith—into a practical, determined faith. A faith that’s been tested. One that’s been tried in the fire of adversity, of loss. Tried when God says no. When doors are closed and no hint of God’s voice can be heard nor His presence felt.  Faith formed in moments of being pruned so deeply there is no end to our tears. The awakening of such tenacious faith however, often occurs only in the crucible of adversity…

Crucible. A Word that dropped into my Spirit back in early July of this year. And it’s been sitting in my belly until now. It’s defined as follows: a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new: a severe test: a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development.

I am in such a crucible now. Many of us are. It’s one of those seasons when God is requiring us to dig deeper.  When the “fluff” of casual faith is being sifted away; leaving behind instead, a tried and tangible faith. Truth is, it’s so much easier to preach the Cross of Christ—teach about His Cross—than it is to heft it up on our own all too fragile shoulder and carry it. And yet, for those of us found in Him—called by His glorious name, we are expected to do just that. Carry our Cross that is. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me…” –Matthew 16:42. And, although His life-extracting Cross was His alone to carry Jesus was never alone. The Father had ensured He’d been given a helper. Someone who would help Him carry the weigh of His cross. He does the same for us as well. “And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus” –Luke 23:26. The weight of our cross forces us to release the last vestiges of our will. Gods finger on any area of our lives will have that affect on us. And, in our moments of complete surrender the Holy Spirit comes. Our Helper places His shoulder under the weight of our cross. Making the carrying of it possible, sufferable.

So why then, are we so befuddled—feel so betrayed, let down when we’re asked by God to pick up our cross and carry it for a season? Why is this such a shocking thing to us? I by no means know the full answer to the question I’m posing. My purpose in asking it at all is simply to provoke us to think. To drive us into seeking the Lords answer in prayer. To go searching the Scriptures for answers. To start a conversation that might shake us from our sleep. Re-minding us that we were each told one day we’d have a cross of our own to carry. But we forget. Become comfortable in our every-day-ness until the moment that is that our waters are troubled!

Yet there is one thing I know about cross carrying. Of being asked to carry a cross I mean. And it’s this: It is all about Love.  His great Love for us. The Cross is a tangible reminder of love having come and revealed Himself to us—to me. It’s a privilege too. The Cross is our highest example. The most complete definition of Love we have—or will ever know. And we are blessed—honored, to be trusted in having any part of it all…

To be a partaker of His Cross is like witnessing a dad sitting across from his beloved child and, while looking them straight in their eyes, pouring out his heart to them. Filling their ears with every desire he has for them. Every hope and dream he’s ever thought towards them. Lovingly detailing every iota of promise, purpose, and potential he sees within them and all that he would do and give to help draw it out of them; being blessed himself by witnessing their gifts and talents used to change the world He alone created for them, one person at a time. But don’t take my word for it. Pick up your Bible and check out the conversations for yourself. Read the part that details the greatest definition of love ever written: “For God so loved the world…”.

Jesus knew the Cross would be agonizing. Extracting. He knew in the end it would kill Him. Rather, it would kill His flesh…

Nothing could touch His Life. From the beginning that has always been One with the Father. Guarded for all eternity. A sure promise. An Amen. But His flesh, His flesh would have to die in order that the purpose of His birth be accomplished, fulfilled. He would have to completely immerse His will into the Fathers. There is no other way to accomplish the perfect will of God. No half measure will ever suffice. “It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process” –Hebrews 10:14 MSG Bible. So too it is—must be, with us. A relationship with God is all or nothing. Done correctly, it’s an “all-in” commitment. The two become One flesh. His Flesh. Our crosses are intended to kill our flesh that we might, like gold being refined in the fiery furnace, be poured out, rid of those impurities that tarnish—preventing the pure image of Jesus from being seen in and through us to a lost a dying world.

We want the benefits of such a love: the salvation He died to offer us. The blessings and favor and forgiveness a relationship that results from such a love offers. But in our humanity, we run from—reel under, the weight of carrying its cross. We lose sleep. We’re tormented. We question and plead, bargaining with God to remove this cup of suffering from us. I know I did. Jesus understands this about us. He knows our weakness. Knows that though we love God—want to follow Him, we’re weak, frail, incapable, outside of Him to do anything—carry anything, of eternal value. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin” —Hebrews 4:15. He understands that the harassment and oppression of anticipation can be as heavy, sometimes more so, than the real thing itself. He understands we just want it to be over. To have passed our test. To have this season behind us. He understands that though we want to do the will of God, the journey towards its end is agonizing. He, better than us all, understands agony. Hence, our Scripture verse today. “But I have a baptism to undergo, and how it consumes me until it is finished!” –Luke 12:50

He understands we want to do the will of God all-the-while hoping that His will might somehow be fulfilled minus the pain. “And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire” –Matthew 26:39. Yet it’s through Jesus’ impending death, in His total surrender, that we learn some of our greatest lessons about how to truly live. “…not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire.” Jesus teaches us just how to drink of the cup that has been passed to us. A cup which, regardless of its bitterness, we are blessed to partake of. “Jesus told Peter, “Put your sword away. Shouldn’t I drink the cup [of suffering] that my Father has given me?” –John 18:11

After we have prayed, we must obey. And as surely as Sunday morning came and His tomb was found empty, so too are we guaranteed our own victory over all suffering. But first—we must completely submerge our will, ourselves, into Him…

Friend, if you have not repented of your sins, not asked God into your life as your Lord and Savior, please do it today! He loves you regardless of the sins you’ve committed. I am sure of this because His Word is True. Because He forgave one such as me, with all of my many sins. Call out to Him today…

 

“Proper Use” For” 1 Corinthians 7:31

November 5, 2017 /

 …” and those who use the world [taking advantage of its opportunities], as though they did not make full use of it. For the outward form of this world [its present social and material nature] is passing away.” 1 Corinthians 7:31

 Before we get into today’s teaching, let’s first define the word, use.  The proper ‘how to’ of using a thing, as referenced in our Scripture verse.

Use:The privilege or benefit of using something…

In Chapter Seven, Paul deals with questions asked him in a letter by the Christians in Corinth.

Today, for the purpose of this teaching, we’ll focus only on verse 31 of this informative, ‘how-to’ Chapter. We’ll look at how our hearts and minds ought to view the ‘things’ we’re given—even those, especially those, that are pleasant and seem good to us. And, how the viewing of them, these, ‘things’, directly affects how we ought to be experiencing the passing of time…

This topic, the proper use of things, is one the Holy Spirit has dealt with me on. And, as with all messages He gives, they’re first run, as a heart check, through me, and only then, passed on to you. My prayer for you before we move on is that you allow God to have His perfect way in you. Accomplishing all that He wills in and through you as you read on, and always…

So, now, as we jump in, Scripture, as it should always be, will be our guide today. Our foundation, our facilitator, in getting us started in the right direction. Paul, in part, is teaching us in this chapter to have, ‘imminent thinking’, just as he has had. To be ever aware that at any moment, quite literally, Jesus will return. It’s not a, ‘He might’ thing—rather, it’s a He will!

It’s written in Stone…

Paul cautions us in today’s verse to be vigilant—always at the ready! He is simply reiterating for us what Jesus said to us in Matthew 24:44: “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

So let me ask you, “Are you ready to meet Jesus? If not, now, today is being afforded you the opportunity to!…

As Christians—followers of Christ, He calls us to live our lives in imminent expectancy—Listen: “Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor” (Psalm 39:5, emphasis my own). In other words, regardless of how long you may live—it’s only but a moment when compared to our eternity…

Once we—through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, grasp just how fleeting our time on earth is, it should bring about a change in the way we desire to use this time we’ve been blessed with. Though we’re free to choose how we use what we’ve been given, if you call yourself a Christian—if you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you should always—in all you do, (not just in marriage, as Paul was referring, but also in relationships, work, good deeds, with your possessions, or within your ministry), have your eyes focused on eternity. On Jesus. Being good stewards of whatever time we’ve been given. So, now that we have a biblical direction in place pointing us towards—our due north, concerning how it is we should wisely use our time, let’s look next at how we ought to be regarding—dealing with, the ‘things’ in our lives.

We should never lose sight of why we are here and what God’s purpose in having given us— gifted us, with anything, is truly for.  And that is to be used to advance the will of God and His Kingdom. They were not given, these blessings and talents, so that, he with the most toys at the end wins! Quite the contrary. Everything we have been given, and all that we do with it should bring glory to God. Everything. “So then, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of [our great] God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

I don’t know about you, but I have a propensity—a bent, towards allowing stuff, things, possessions, even time, to get the best of me. Let me explain…

If I am not watchful, and too often, if I’m being transparent here, I’m not, I allow the enemy to slip in through the crack in the door my lack of humility creates. Next thing I know I find myself thinking that all the stuff in my life (for the sake of this teaching I’ll focus on material, tangible, things such as my home, furniture, car, possessions) is actually mine. And, mind you, to a certain degree it is mine. But not for the reasons the enemy is promoting. Pride in self, in my accomplishments, in what I’ve done. Think King Nebuchadnezzar here, you can read it for yourself if you’re not familiar (Daniel 4:28-30). Rather, everything is mine because God in His infinite love and through His provisional care, choose to bless me with it—has provided it for my use. And it is, and forever will be, His choosing to bless me, not anything I’ve done or given to myself, that has brought any of it into existence—contrary to how strenuously the world may disagree with that line of Truth… “O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours” (1 Chronicles 29:16).

Yes we work. We partner with God. But before we were ever able to do so, He had to have first equipped us to do so. Who provided us the job? Deeper, who gifted us with the talents and abilities to do said job once it was given to us? You get where this is going? Which  brings me to the root of this teaching. The ‘how to’ of using the things God has given us—gifted you and I with.

And more, deeper still, the ‘heart-attude’ in which they should be honored…

As with all things given us by the Lord we should hold our belongings loosely—with an open hand.

How we hold what’s given us mirrors back at us the condition of our hearts…

The posture of our heart is a direct indication whether we’re grateful, faithful, and trusting in God. Whether we’re looking for ways—opportunities, to share with others, all that God has blessed us with. Is our hand open to allow ‘all who will’ to partake(Revelation 22:17 )? Do we see—think of, all that we’ve been freely given rightly—through the Perfect lens of Scripture? Do we view every-thing we’ve been blessed with as a tool to be used, in some small or great way, for advancing The Kingdom of God?

As a key that unlocks the blessings for future generations?

Do we use everything to demonstrate the love of Jesus to a lost, a dark, and a dying world? Or, are we, like the world, blinded by a heart whose roots got tangled up in the wrong soil? Producing within us the fruit of selfish ambitions? Have we allowed so much of the world to seep in, that we’ve lost sight, however briefly, of eternity? Are we scared that if we share—give of what we have, we might run out ourselves? Ugly I know, but is it possible that our  perceived or perhaps tangible tastes of lack have allowed us to believe that we might lose all that we’ve wrongly chosen to hold dear? That if we don’t keep our hand closed, perhaps someone else will come and steal it—what’s ours! And so, in fear, we close—ball up our hand into a fist. We close off any chance of anyone taking anything that’s ours…

The problem with that isn’t so much about the posture of the hand, though wrong and harmful, as it is the posture of the heart…

Fix the heart and the hand will follow. Time is short. Any ‘thing’ that you’ve ever called your own is a gift from God. Ask the Holy Spirit to do a heart check in you today. Use the tools  you’ve been blessed with wisely—keeping your eyes fixed on eternity always…

I remind you of this Truth today because the Holy Spirit first reminded me…

My hand is open to you, come, take what you will. As I’ve been given, I freely give. “Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend [to show rage or worthy purpose]” (Proverbs 27:17).

If you have not asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, now is the acceptable time. If you’ve felt Him tugging at your heart as you read these words today, please friend, answer Him with a resounding and heartfelt, “Here I am Lord!”

“Are You Mephibosheth, Pt. 1?” 2 Samuel 9

October 15, 2017 /

 “And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house (family) of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 There was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, so they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there no longer anyone left of the house (family) of Saul to whom I may show the goodness and graciousness of God?” Ziba replied to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan, [one] whose feet are crippled.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba replied to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent word and had him brought from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell face down and lay himself down [in respect]. David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” 7 David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will certainly show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall always eat at my table.” 8 Again Mephibosheth lay himself face down and said, “What is your servant, that you would be concerned for a dead dog like me?”

Mephibosheth thought himself a sure enemy of David’s—this new king.

You see custom dictated that when a new king was installed—each of the former king’s family members were to be put to death. The thought was, if any relatives were left alive—contrary to age, they may one day get it in their head’s to attempt to retake the throne from the new reigning king. So, doing away with any vestiges of the former king’s family was the only sure way to stave off a future wanna-be from executing a coup. But not so with this King David. He was gracious and kind. Even though the former king—King Saul, had lost his mind and attempted, on numerous occasions, to kill him, David nevertheless remembered his oath—the promise he had made, to King Saul’s son—his dearest friend, one like a brother, Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:14-16).

And, it is because of this oath, that Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, is called out of hiding from Lo Debar and brought before the king. An obscure dwelling place Lo Dabar was—a place of lack, and of barrenness—there was nothing green or growing there. There was little hope…

We first hear of this man with the tongue-twister of a name in 2 Samuel 4:4, listen: “Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth. He was five years old when the news came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed. The woman who cared for Mephibosheth picked him up and ran away. But while running away, she dropped the boy, and he became crippled in both feet.”

And now his hiding place— this Lo Debar, ascetic as it may have been, has been exposed by an old family servant of Mephibosheth’s grandfather (vs.4).  When he’d heard the news that he was to be brought before King David surely his first thought was that his death was imminent—that these were certainly his last hours on earth (vs.7)! Imagine the fear in this man who had once been in line to be a King himself? You can almost see his face growing pale with panic! Now too, imagine his shame? Being  crippled from such a young age, Mephibosheth undoubtedly grew up being bombarded with cruel and demeaning insults. We see evidence of his scars in his reply to David’s offer of unfathomable grace and restoration. Of restored dignity…

“What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me” (2 Samuel 9:8; emphasis my own)? It’s impossible to miss Mephibosheth’s deep wells of fear and insecurity. Those wounds left by cutting name calling and lashing insults, by isolation. Yet, despite all he has endured, we witness this great display of humility coming from Mephibosheth.  He, in a display of reverence, lays prostrate and utterly vulnerable at the king’s feet (vs.6).

In many middle-eastern communities of ages past, and some yet today, dogs were thought of as, ‘a vile and contemptible animal’, ‘the most ignoble and contemptible of animals’, despised and generally wretched.’ So, if being called a dog, more—a useless dead dog, was just one of the wicked slurs—the barbed, verbal lashes that assailed Mephibosheth as a young child—is it any wonder he cringed in fear and shame before this illustrious, ruddy King?

For years Mephibosheth lived in anonymity. His physical disability, paired with his equally crippling fallacious beliefs kept him bound—separated from the slightest possibility, from any hope of—wholeness and restoration. He had yielded to, been taken under by, the prevailing weight of reality—as he understood it. The weight of separation, lack, disfigurement—brokenness.

And now, the very man He recognizes as having the power of life and death over him tells him he will not die but live! And, as if allowing him to live were not blessing enough, not an unfathomable demonstration of grace and mercy, everything that he had been in line to receive as the child of Jonathan will also be restored to him—and, there’s nothing he must do to earn this! No strings attached. A place was set for him at the King’s table—unlimited provision, he is now accepted, fully restored to son-ship. And, in yet a further act of mercy, this king assigns servants to work the land that’s been restored to him. David knew Mephibosheth’s limitations. And so, without Mephibosheth’s even having to ask, he graciously, practically, made provision for his every need. David knew that this blessing would require laborers to help Mephibosheth do what he wasn’t able on his own (Matthew 6:8). There was no need for Mephibosheth to have to ask David for help. By virtue of his sonship having been restored, David brought others alongside him to provide the help he’d need to care for all that this king had blessed him with..

David was a kind and gracious king. A king who remembered the vow he’d made to his beloved Jonathan. And he ensured it was carried out, even unto the least of those left to be blessed. More, David remembered the favor of the Lord in his own life. He remembered the mercy, kindness, grace, and, undeserved favor and David’s heart, his great desire, was to give nothing less than he’d once been given in return…

Join us next week as we’ll delve a bit deeper into the story of David and Mephibosheth. We’ll witness Jesus, and transfor, you wmaive power of love, you won’t want to miss it! Who’s to say you won’t see your story peeking through the cracks of Mephibosheth’s? Perhaps there’s a blessing of restoration coming to you! Join us on 10/22 and find out…!

 

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