Worth Repeating - September 7, 2017

Luke 5: 4-6 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. (NIV)

Trust always begins with one side taking a risk.*

I don’t know how long Peter (Simon) had been a fisherman but it was probably long enough that he could have resented Jesus’ recommendation. “I’m a professional,” he might have thought. “I know how to fish.” Was he just humoring Jesus when he agreed to try something different? Or did he give Jesus’ word higher authority than his own experience, as John Maxwell suggests?*

As humans, we may become experts in many areas, but as Christians we often have to set aside what we know from experience, training and intuition, and do something illogical - because Jesus asked us to. If we are Spirit-filled and Spirit-led, we will find ourselves making choices that defy reason. Faith and common sense do not go hand-in-hand.

Being asked to fish in deeper water may not be as risky as taking your seven children to live in a middle-eastern country to minister to Muslims (as my friends have done), but Jesus does not always require us to follow him into danger – only to trust him with every step we take.

The Christian may find himself in situations in which it appears impossible for God to keep His word. Satan would have us trust our senses. He assures us that faith is contrary to right reasoning.*

Worth Repeating - September 6, 2017

Psalm 71: 18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your might to all who are to come. (NIV)

God never gives us back our youth.*

I have a friend who has always been the one that people call when they needed something – a meal, a ride, a hospital visit – but she is a widow, in her 80s, and her body is not as sound as it used to be. The day is coming when she will be the one who needs a meal, a ride, a hospital visit. She has confided that she misses the sense of purpose she once had.

Does the psalmist fear that God will forsake him just because he has grown too old to be useful? I suspect his concern involves his awareness that there is so much to do and so little time. Some senior Christians may need to be reminded that their works don’t save them, but most have spent their lives in service because they are saved, not as their hope of obtaining salvation. It is their spiritual act of worship – and so now they are faced with learning a new way to worship.

What words of comfort can we offer to aging saints whose days of productive service are dwindling away? We might remind them that they, as older people, have “a peculiar privilege: the chance to see God’s faithfulness over a lifetime.”* Their lifetime of faithfulness can be a testimony to God’s faithfulness, a legacy to pass on to the next generation. A senior saint should also recall how blessed she was by being a blessing to others and how she has become a vehicle of blessing by allowing others to serve her. This is truly the circle of life!

A final reminder for every stage of life: God loves us because we are his, not for what we do and not for how we feel. Busyness – even in Kingdom work – distracts us from developing our relationship with the Lord. Feelings - of guilt, inadequacy, purposelessness, self-pity, unworthiness - hinder our spiritual growth.  As we age and weaken physically, we should rejoice that, spiritually, we are now in the growing season. 

Bringing enjoyment to God . . . is the first purpose of your life. When you fully understand this truth, you will never again have a problem with feeling insignificant. . . . If you are that important to God, and he considers you valuable enough to keep you with him for eternity, what greater significance could you have?*

Worth Repeating - September 5, 2017

Revelation 5: 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (NIV)

The prayers of God’s people are as sweet to Him as incense.*

Incense was an important part of worship in the tabernacle. So important that when God gave Moses the recipe, he warned him that concocting a batch for your own pleasure would result in your being “cut off” from your people (Exodus 30: 34-38). The Old Testament is full of references to incense. David’s prayer in Psalm 141: 2 is a poetic picture of its symbolism: “May my prayer be set before you like incense.” Like God’s favorite fragrance, our prayers rise up to Heaven for his pleasure.

Picture a bowl in Heaven. It’s got your name on it. Every time you pray, your prayers go in the bowl. What do those prayers smell like? I have to admit that my whiny selfish prayers probably don’t smell so sweet. What are the ingredients for a sweet-smelling prayer? I believe the formula would include qualities such as humility; faith; affection; fervency.* Since discovering this verse, I have been more intentional in offering prayers of praise and intercession. I recommend it!

There is an exquisite beauty in this thought that true prayer is fragrance to God. The pleadings and supplications of His people on the earth rise from lowly homes, from sick rooms, from darkened chambers of grief where loved ones kneel beside their dead, from humble sanctuaries, from stately cathedrals, and are wafted up before God as the breath of flowers is wafted to us in summer days, sweet fields and fragrant gardens. And God “smells a sweet savour.” Prayer is perfume to Him.*

Worth Repeating - September 4, 2017

Psalm 78: 70-72 He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. (NIV)

Completing a small job with excellence is of eternal value.*

My cousin began his career at Delta Airlines as a baggage-handler and ended it, years later, as the station manager at a busy city airport. He was able to work his way through the ranks because he had what the company was looking for and the company was savvy enough to recognize what he had to offer. If my job-hunting experience is any indication, there aren’t many businesses today who are looking to grow their employees from bottom to top.

God is an employer who recognizes the value of investing in his staff. He took David from his humble, blue-collar background – herding sheep – and shaped him into a military commander and then crowned him king. It is interesting that it was in his lowly job as a shepherd that God prepared David for his ultimate destiny.

I can safely say that none of my readers is being groomed by God to be the king of anything, but I believe that he wants to use each of us to accomplish great things for his kingdom. So what can we learn from David’s example that will help to prepare us for our future assignment?

First, treat today’s assignment as if it as important as tomorrow’s. Because it is. Tending sheep may be a humble occupation but to the sheep in your care, it’s a vital task. Second, carry out the duties of your lowly calling with integrity of heart. David was called “a man after God’s heart.” We should seek after God’s heart in order to maintain a right heart within ourselves. And third, perform your job with excellence. When the psalmist writes that David led them with “skillful hands,” he was talking about the sheep. He didn’t save his best efforts for the prestigious job he hoped was in his future; he gave his best to his current calling.

Whether in a secular job or a ministry, these principles are applicable. God may not choose to take you from the sheep pens, but he will bless you and your sheep when you follow David’s example.

This job has been given to me to do. Therefore it is a gift. Therefore it is a privilege. Therefore it is an offering I may take to God. Therefore it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.*

Worth Repeating - September 3, 2017

Luke 22: 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (NIV)

Had any of God’s chosen ever understood why the Lord’s answer to a prayer was not exactly as anticipated?*

My friend probably echoed this prayer for a couple of years. Beginning with the discovery of breast cancer, she endured surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Before she could savor a victory, she faced a new crisis – one after another. She was a bright light of faith in the dark world of cancer sufferers and she was surrounded by an army of prayer warriors. But at the end, she knew that the answer to her prayers was “no.” What I am about to say would have provided little comfort in the midst of her misery: We can ask God to deliver us from our troubles and we have faith that he is able; but if he denied the request of his beloved Son, how can we expect our cup of suffering to be taken from us?

 So why pray? Why did Jesus pray? He already knew what the answer would be. He had lived his whole life knowing what to expect and yet he begged to be released from his horrible fate. He knew it had to be done but still he implored his Father to find some other way. What can we learn from our Savior’s anguished cries in the garden that night?

First, we see Jesus submitting to his Father’s will. Before and after his request, he expressed his willingness to submit. Second, we see that Jesus was not hesitant to tell God what he wanted. Even knowing what he knew, and what he knew that God knew, he clearly expressed what he wanted from God for himself.

And finally, we learn the most important lesson from Jesus’ prayer: the true purpose of prayer. Jesus didn’t pray to get stuff from God; he didn’t pray because God didn’t know what he wanted. Jesus prayed because he and the Father needed to spend time together. When we spend time with our loved ones, we talk; and God, a jealous God, wants our undivided attention. He wants to draw us so close to him that we are compelled to spill our guts to him – to purge ourselves of what we want and binge on what he wants.

From scripture, we can compile lists of what we should pray for, how we should pray, and whose prayers are answered. But we look to the life of Jesus to see that the true purpose of prayer is . . . prayer.

To be a master of the mystery of prayer one must pray, pray continually, pray hourly, pray at all times, pray without ceasing.*

Worth Repeating - September 2, 2017

Philippians 1: 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. . .  (NIV)

There are times I believe I should be something special in order to be a preacher of God’s Word.*

There’s no such thing as bad publicity. Do you think that’s true? I tend to disagree with the philosophy, but in this verse it seems Paul might go along with it. Word has come to him that there are people who are preaching the gospel with less than honorable motives – envy, ambition, and a desire to stir up trouble for Paul – but Paul is just happy that the word is getting out.

I find Paul’s outlook a little surprising because I thought that doing the right thing for the wrong reason was a bad thing. But here is Paul, contradicting my long-held belief. Paul doesn’t care about motives – he cares about truth. Motives take second place to preaching the true gospel.

But what about the lifestyle of the preacher? What if he is well-known for his dishonesty, or he is openly gay? He beats his wife and gambles away his paycheck? Shouldn’t the messenger match the message?

If a man rescues your child from a burning building just to get a reward, should we object to his not having the right motives? What if that child needed medical attention but the rescuer was not an EMT? Should he have left your child in the fire? This hero is not a trained professional, his motives are not pure, and his rescue is incomplete because he doesn’t know CPR. Your child’s life may still be at risk but at least he is safe from the fire. Should we not rejoice?

Can we better understand Paul’s attitude now? I think he would say that desperate times call for emergency procedures. He was in prison and so his freedom to preach was limited. But jail and wrong motives will not hinder the gospel. “God’s work was still getting done, and that was cause for rejoicing.”*

That gospel has lost none of its power.*

Worth Repeating - September 1, 2017

Habakkuk 2: 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; . . . Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. (NIV)

The waiting is the hardest part.*

In our minds, a delay is a matter of inconvenience – not a matter of centuries. But, if we know anything about God, we know that his schedule is not the same as ours. Not only is his schedule a mystery to us, what he reveals isn’t always what we expect. In Habakkuk’s case, God’s first promise was to send the Babylonians to punish Judah. Not what the prophet wanted to hear at all! When Habakkuk complained about the news, God revealed that he would eventually take care of the evil empire as well, but Habakkuk would just have to wait until the time was right.

The promise God made in this time and place is a promise that we can claim as well. In Hebrews 10: 36, it is written, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (And the next verses go on to quote Habakkuk!)

Like Habakkuk, we may have to wait awhile for the fulfillment of God’s promise. He does what he does when the time is right. Sometimes his delays allow him to do more for us than we expected.* But his most compelling reason for delaying can be found in II Peter 3: 9: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

I am thankful that God is in charge of his own schedule!

Sometimes God answers quickly. Other times he leads us to a prolonged season of waiting.*