Worth Repeating - August 21, 2017

Ephesians 6: 13-17 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that . . . you may be able to stand your ground . . . Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition . . . take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (NIV)

The Bible is replete with weapons through which we can defeat our common enemy.*

This passage reminds me of my husband’s ritual as he prepares to go play hockey. He tapes his ankles, dons padded pants, elbow pads and a helmet, all to protect himself from injury. Just like the armor of God, all his equipment is for defensive purposes – until he picks up his stick.  Like that hockey stick, the sword of the Spirit is the only offensive device in our arsenal.

As Christians, we are constantly under attack. We stand our ground, armed with truth, righteousness, readiness, faith and salvation. When it comes time to attack we wield the sword of the Spirit. This is a magical sword because it is empowered by the Spirit of God. We must train with it, just as the ancient soldiers prepared for battle with rigorous practice in the proper use of the weapon. It is important for us to be insulated from Satan’s attacks, but we must be ready to fight back. Know the word of God, know the God of the word, and let the Spirit of God guide your sword.

If you want to motivate Christians to learn to use their weapons of warfare, put them on the front lines.*

Worth Repeating - August 20, 2017

Hebrews 12: 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (NIV)

A race has been set before me; and it is my duty to find out what that race is, and run it, and not waste life in regrets that I cannot run a different one, or life's energies in unsuccessful attempts to do so.*

I was never one of those girls who dreamed of being a cheerleader. Perhaps, even as a small child, I knew instinctively that I didn’t have the perky personality or the physical coordination required to join their ranks. Often it is obvious that those bouncy girls are just there to be seen, but we have all witnessed those rousing moments when the enthusiastic roar of the crowd seemed to make a difference in the outcome of the contest.

As Christians, we are surrounded by a crowd of cheerleaders – the saints who have gone on ahead of us who would like us to know that it is all worth it. We may not be able to hear their voices, but their stories cheer us on as we run our own race of faith. In Hebrews chapter eleven, the writer reminds us of these heroes who demonstrated the faith without which it is impossible to please God. Characters such as Abel, who offered a better sacrifice (4: 2-5); Enoch, who was commended as one who pleased God before he was “taken away” without experiencing death (Genesis 5: 21-24); the Israelites who crossed the Red Sea on dry land (Exodus 14); and those not named who were tortured for their faith “so that they might gain a better resurrection;” and so many more, remind us that God honors our faithfulness with his own.

The writer of Hebrews says that the race is already marked out for us. Let go of the cares of life that slow you down. It turns out that those things we carry around are not so important after all. Run the race with the confidence of a sure winner. And listen to the roar of the crowd!

Our choices are not always between right and wrong, but between something that may hinder us and something else that may not.*

Worth Repeating - August 19, 2017

Revelation 3: 19, 20 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So . . . repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him . . .” (NIV)

Failing to connect with God cuts us off from our most basic and necessary source of strength.*

We’ve all seen the painting of Jesus, standing at the door with his hand raised to knock on it. I’m certain I’m not the only one who pairs the picture with this verse and thinks about all the lost people on the other side of the door. Except he isn’t knocking at the heart’s door of the lost; this passage was written to the church – the people who have already accepted Jesus as their Savior.*

These verses are part of the message John delivered to the church in Laodicea who are infamous for being lukewarm. They were in danger of being spit out of God’s mouth because they behaved as if they didn’t need him. Now he tells them of their opportunity to repent and re-establish a close relationship with Jesus. Open the door, he says, and I will come in and eat with you.

Have you wandered away from your relationship with the Lord? Have you neglected him because your life is going smoothly, leaving you to think that you don’t need him right now? Do you still identify yourself as a Christian while nothing in your walk provides evidence of it? Perhaps you’re still a “good person” but you are too busy right now to be involved with your church family. Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart. Let him back in before your lukewarm temperature causes God to gag and spit you out. Repent while he is still knocking.

The same one who saved your soul longs to remake your heart.*

Worth Repeating - August 18, 2017

I Kings 9: 11-13 King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and pine and gold he wanted. But when Hiram went . . . to see the towns . . . he was not pleased with them. “What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?” he asked. And he called them the Land of Cabul . . . (NIV)

Could it be that we define the value of someone’s life in terms of that which is useful to me or to society rather than to God?*

Who hasn’t bought something only to find that it was not the high-quality product you were expecting? In this story, King Solomon gives twenty towns to Hiram, king of Tyre, because Hiram had been so generous with the cedar, pine and gold that Solomon wanted. When Hiram went to inspect the towns, he found them to be of inferior quality. I don’t know what he was expecting but he renamed the area and called it Cabul – which means “good for nothing.”

In case you didn’t realize it: these towns were located in the Promised Land. What Hiram regarded as worthless was actually part of the land that God had given to the Children of Israel and for which they had fought and died. Maybe the towns themselves were not strategically placed or prosperous, but it was this area which Jesus later chose as the early focal point of his ministry,* proving they were good for something!

The Bible contains many examples of how God’s idea of value differs from man’s. These twenty towns may not have been worth much by human standards, but things that men look down on can be made valuable by Jesus – because he values them. And there is nothing that Jesus values more than human souls. All of them. Not just the productive, attractive or creative ones.

If you find yourself questioning your worth, remember that Jesus died for you. You were bought at the price of Jesus’ blood and your price-tag reflects your value. 

We must derive our sense of self-worth from Biblical values.*

Worth Repeating - August 17, 2017

I Samuel 3: 19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. (NIV)

The king’s herald is to deliver the king’s message as clearly as possible without altering it.*

“Don’t waste your breath,” they say when your words are about to be ignored. If I could take all those wasted breaths and tag them on at the end of my life, I could increase my lifespan by several more years. There are few things that I dislike more than talking to the air.

When the Bible says that God let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground, it probably doesn’t mean that everyone listened to everything he said. As a matter of fact, we know that even his own sons didn’t pay much attention to what he said. In I Samuel 8: 3, is reported the sad news that they “turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.” But God spoke through Samuel, whether anyone listened or not. He gave him words of power and truth.

We should seek this same blessing for our own words. Ask God to speak through you. Ask to speak the truth boldly. As a writer and a group leader, I often pray that my words will be God’s words and that they will change lives. And even though we may never know if what we say makes any difference in the world, we should desire that God bless us as he did Samuel and allow none of our words to fall to the ground.

Our responsibility is not to convert the world. Our responsibility is simply to hold out the message of the kingdom.*

Worth Repeating - August 16, 2017

Mark 10: 17-22 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered. . . . “You know the commandments . . .” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go sell everything you have and give to the poor . . . then come follow me.” At this, the man’s face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth. (NIV)

If you’re trying to prove your heart is in the right place, it isn’t.*

We aren’t given much information about this man who waylaid Jesus. Besides not providing us with his name, Mark doesn’t even tell us he was young; we learn that from Matthew and Luke. But besides his personal data, there are other things I would like to know about him: 

· Did he believe that Jesus was who he said he was? 

· What did he really want from Jesus? Was he truly seeking answers or did he just want a pat on the back for his years of being a law-abiding citizen? 

This story has always left me wondering, too: if he had kept all the commandments, wouldn’t he already qualify for eternal life? Why was he even asking? 

What we do learn from Mark is that Jesus looked at the man and loved him. He knew him, he knew his motives, and he knew if he was really as good as he said he was. With this in mind, we can make some fairly safe assumptions about him. First: If he kept the commandments but wasn’t willing to do what Jesus asked, his obedience was like that of the Pharisees. His heart wasn’t engaged. Second: His focus was on what he should do. He thought eternal life was something he could earn or deserve.* When Jesus’ answer didn’t meet his expectations, Mark says that he went away sad; and as someone else has observed: “Jesus didn’t chase him down and hound him; he let him go.”* 

We can find plenty of personal applications in this story, some of which are: 1) Jesus looks at us and loves us even though he also knows us – and our true motives; 2) we can’t earn our salvation; 3) when Jesus offers us salvation, it is up to us to accept it – he won’t force himself on us. 

Don’t walk away from Jesus. He might not ask you to give up your wealth but he will ask you to give up something. If you aren’t willing to surrender the things that keep you from him, you will walk away sad and he will let you go.

Since we are rebels, God makes one offer of peace. . . We can take it or leave it, but we can never change it.*

Worth Repeating - August 15, 2017

Philippians 2: 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. (NIV)

How many times has your plan to serve God prevented you from God’s plan for you to serve?*

Many years ago I was asked to be the leader of a women’s group at our church. The first thoughts that popped into my head had to do with what people would think and would anyone be impressed if I said yes. Ashamed of my vanity, I said that I would agree to do it if they couldn’t find anyone else. They were able to fill the slot without me, but a year later I was approached again. I must have matured over those next months because this time I was able to say that I would be happy to lead a group, with no troubling doubts about my motives.

I tell that story in order to bring up this question: Does Paul really mean “do nothing” if our motives aren’t pure? He provides a partial answer to the question earlier in this letter. He is discussing some people who were preaching Christ out of selfish ambition, without sincerity, and, in fact, were hoping to cause trouble for him. He says, “But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached.” (Philippians 1: 18)

What if there had been no one else willing to lead a group that first year when I was so shallow? I could have done it and no one would have suspected a thing. Nor would I have really been doing it for the wrong reasons – my willingness to serve did not hinge on whether or not anyone was impressed. God could still have used me to be a blessing to others in spite of my superficiality. But he wanted more for me - and from me - than that. He wanted to protect me so that he could perfect me. 

You pour your heart and soul into saying a good word for Jesus, but no matter how hard you try, you get in the way.*