Trust, Hope and Love

But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us towards that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13. Love extravagantly, not stingily. Hope at all costs - hold fast to the course of hope. Trust always - constant - never stop. Three simple things that I need to remember. Trust (Faith), Hope and Love. May my life demonstrate these things in abundance. Solid Trust - Directed Hope - Huge Love

Risk of Faith

But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it. The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story. Jesus said to her, "Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you're healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague." A wonderful example from a desperate woman. She had exhausted her resources and was no better, but then extended her faith - active and living - and was made whole. Peterson records "you took a risk faith". Yesterday I listened to Pastor Jack speak of living the life of the miraculous, that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, with speaking in tongues, is an entry point of demonstration that God wants us to live a life of the miraculous.I do want to live a life where I see my risk of faith meet God's miracle working power. May I press into Him and all He is.

Stories By Jesus

With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots. Mark 4:33-34

Jesus fit the stories to their experience and maturity - that's a great model to follow. It would seem though if Jesus needed to sort out tangles and untie knots, His speaking left them with a few questions. When He was done speaking, they were thinking. I've got a lot to learn from The Master. I need to make sure that I am speaking in ways that people can understand - really hear - what I am saying. I also want to leave the people thinking, wrestling with questions that push them closer to God. And I pray that what I am saying is what God wants said.

God Forgives!

"Listen to this carefully. I'm warning you. There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven. But if you persist in your slanders against God's Holy Spirit, you are repudiating the very One who forgives, sawing off the branch on which you're sitting, severing by your own perversity all connection with the One who forgives." He gave this warning because they were accusing him of being in league with Evil. Mark 3: 28-30

Severing all connection with the One who forgives ~ that really is the issue. God is the only one who forgives our sin. We can forgive each other, but only God can forgive trespasses against Him. The Jews had it right when Jesus pronounced "Your sins are forgiven...". They were indignant because they understood that only God could forgive sin. I'm so thankful for a forgiving God. Thank you Lord for forgiving me. May I be a messenger of your forgiveness, letting others know they can be forgiven ~ just don't cut yourself off from God!

Psalm 27: 1-5. The Message

A David Psalm

Light, space, zest— that's God! So, with him on my side I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. When vandal hordes ride down ready to eat me alive, Those bullies and toughs fall flat on their faces.

When besieged, I'm calm as a baby.When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool.

I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet.

That's the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.

Snake Bite

Paul pitched in and helped. He had gathered up a bundle of sticks, but when he put it on the fire, a venomous snake, roused from its torpor by the heat, struck his hand and held on. Seeing the snake hanging from Paul's hand like that, the natives jumped to the conclusion that he was a murderer getting his just deserts. Paul shook the snake off into the fire, none the worse for wear. They kept expecting him to drop dead, but when it was obvious he wasn't going to, they jumped to the conclusion that he was a god. Acts 28:3-6

Paul, a prisoner, was willing to pitch in and help. A prisoner, ready to help and serve. And in the midst of serving, he is bit by a snake. He could have avoided this deadly snake bite if he wasn't helping ~ thats the attitude that I think I would have. If I had only let others do the work, I would be fine. Trying to help got me into this mess. But it actually ended up being opportunity to see the power of God demonstrated again, and enjoy a nice fire :) I need the attitude of a servant, no matter the cost, that people might see the power of God demonstrated.

Prison

After two years of this, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus. Still playing up to the Jews and ignoring justice, Felix left Paul in prison. Acts 24:27

Two years. I can't imagine. Two years seems like a long time, it probably seemed longer to Paul. However as H.B. London says "Bloom where you are planted". And so Paul bloomed. Being in prison didn't stop Paul, or the ministry, or the Kingdom of God from being advanced. So the question is, what stops me? It doesn't seem that it takes very much to stop me, or at least slow me down. Just not feeling so well, or having too much to do, or needing a break, or filling my life with non-essential things - and I quickly discover that I am in far more of a prison than Paul ever was. May NOTHING stop the gospel message through my life. Nothing.

Make Room for the Harvest

I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. Lev. 26: 9-12

This promise was to Israel IF they obeyed His commands, abstained from idolatry, kept His Sabbath, and reverenced His sanctuary. When I think of obeying the Lord's commands, I think of living a "holy" life, a life of loving God, and a life of loving people. To be kept from idolatry has to do with not allowing my life to be dictated by the gods of this world (money, sex, power, materialism, leisure, selfishness, greed, pride, etc.). To keep His sabbath is not only a day, but an attitude. And to revere His sanctuary - the meeting place set apart for God - my life, not a building. His presence, not a room. May He send such a blessing that I'm not done with His last blessing before the new one arrives! And may I remember, I'm blessed to be a blessing!

Demonstrated Trust: REST

Keep my decrees and observe my laws and you will live secure in the land. The land will yield its fruit; you will have all you can eat and will live safe and secure. Do I hear you ask, 'What are we going to eat in the seventh year if we don't plant or harvest?' I assure you, I will send such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. While you plant in the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and continue until the harvest of the ninth year comes in. Lev 25:18-22

I assure you - I will send such a blessing. When we are obedient to God - to rest - we can be confident that His blessing will be enough. Rest is really living out trust. How much do I trust God? Well - how much do I rest? Not lazy, not relaxed, not simply kick back - but rest. I will give generously because I can't out give God. I will sleep at night because God works the night shift. I will give Him first of my time for He can help me make more of the time I have left. Otherwise, we collapse.

Through Obedience

When we heard that, we and everyone there that day begged Paul not to be stubborn and persist in going to Jerusalem. But Paul wouldn't budge: "Why all this hysteria? Why do you insist on making a scene and making it even harder for me? You're looking at this backward. The issue in Jerusalem is not what they do to me, whether arrest or murder, but what the Master Jesus does through my obedience. Can't you see that? Acts 21:12-13

As much as we applaud Paul for his writings and the advancement of the gospel message, I don't think I've ever been more impacted by him than though this statement. He demonstrates that he is a servant of Christ. Paul would write "Follow me as I follow Christ". I want to follow this example - it doesn't matter what happens to me, it matters what Jesus does through me - specifically through my obedience. It is key - my obedience. Not just what He does through me, but through my obedience. Lord, please help me obey Your Word, Your Will, Your Voice, Your Spirit, Your Way.

A New Kind of Devotion - The Spoken Word

A great start to the day, although it may have been greater if I would have slept better. I was awake by 5:15 AM, but didn't need to get up until 5:45AM. I dropped off Douglas at the gym so he could work out with Jacob and crew, and came directly to the office. It amazes me at 6:30 AM how many cars are on the road. I chose to listen to the daily readings online, in the NIV 2010 edition. I followed along at points with the old NIV, and then glanced at Todays NIV. Both were slightly different. I found listening to God's Word helped slow me down. I can read faster than the narrator, so it forced me to slow down and read more carefully. I think this was helpful.
I was particularly mindful of the text "So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers" Acts 16:5
Strengthened in the faith. If the church could be strengthened in the faith, there is an implication of the possibility that the church could remain static in the faith, or even be weakened in the faith. I want to intentionally strengthen our church, and our unit of churches, in the faith. Further - the church grew daily in numbers. I don't look at daily, I look at weekly, monthly, or even yearly. Paul recorded daily. What a vibrant thought! The church he refers to grew not only in maturity of the faith, but numerically - daily. I understand daily may not indicate every single day without exception, or that somehow there was a roll that was being kept (other than the heavenly roll), but it certainly points towards a common and natural daily occurrence - the norm was that the church was constantly in a state of numerical growth. It doesn't seem this was the goal (more numbers) but was the result of the penetrating power of the gospel in the culture and the church's response to the great commission.