Are You Willing To Wait On God?

“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

I am certain that you are familiar with this verse. Great verse with a great promise and a great visual.  But what comes with it is great difficulty. The reason – we don’t want to wait.  There is a great example of not waiting in 1 Samuel 13, about King Saul.

“As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. – 1 Samuel 13:7-14

So the prophet Samuel told King Saul to wait. He waited and when Samuel didn’t show – he panicked. Since Samuel wasn’t there to do what Samuel was supposed to do, Saul decided he would do it himself. He saw his men getting restless and the enemy getting closer.  It was time to take things into his own hands. He could kill an animal for a sacrifice. He could start a fire. He could pray. He knew what the prophet had told him, but maybe the prophet was misinformed. Not doing what God says to do – not keeping His commandment is a euphemism for sin.  We like to think that doing what God says to do is optional – actually it is.  We can choose to sin – just like King Saul.  We can choose to not trust God but trust ourselves instead.  There are always consequences for that.  I am reminded of my old friend – Proverbs 3:5-8

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.” – Proverbs 3:5-8

I have seen so many people – Christians – choose a way other than the way that God has made clear – because they did not want to wait.  They looked around them – what they saw caused fear to set in – and the did what they thought would allay their fears, only to find out that their problems were compounded. Don’t try to be a Lone Ranger Christian.  Thinking that you can live the life on your own. Don’t isolate yourself from the influence of other Christians and the local church.  You are part of a spirit body.  If a finger is separated from the hand – and the body – it cannot do what it was designed to do – work in harmony with the others fingers and thumb.  Refusing to engage with other Christians is really no different than what King Saul did.  Trying to do it on your own. 

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near…” – Hebrews 10:19-25

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Six Dregrees Of Separation

 “Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” – Matthew 14:25-27

I have been waiting for the violence in Haiti to settle before I travel to Jacmel.  I was supposed to go with a friend and partner in the Gospel, Pastor Doug Moyer from Comptche, CA. Comptche is 3 hours north of San Francisco.  I had told him that another friend, Pastor Alan Cross had recently moved to Petaluma, CA to pastor a church there.  Both men have served with us in Mississippi and Haiti.  Doug told me that he had taken Disaster Relief training at Alan’s church, before Alan was pastor there. Doug is a pastor and a first responder.  He said that he had noticed that the church had become a shelter for the people fleeing from the fires in Sonoma County.  Alan and I have been texting back and forth as he set the shelter up in his church.  Alan was recounting the time that we set up a shelter together in Ocean Springs after Katrina and reflected on how God has prepared him for this time.  I replied to Doug ….

“Just reading your email this morning - I am always amazed at how the Maestro conducts the symphony of believers – BTW, I believe Jesus is in the first chair 😊 Each orchestra member must follow the conductors lead, but is responsible for playing the right notes at the right time in the right way.  I have heard of six degrees of separation in social networks, but I think separation between two people is fewer with God – in fact I am certain it is.”  

“Six degrees of separation is the idea that any two people are six, or fewer, social connections away from each other. As a result, a chain of "a friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps. It was originally set out by Frigyes Karinthy (was a Hungarian author, playwright, poet, journalist, and translator. He was the first proponent of the six degrees of separation concept, in his short story, Chains) in 1929 and popularized in an eponymous 1990 play written by John Guare. It is sometimes generalized to the average social distance being logarithmic in the size of the population.” (Wikipedia)

Guare’s play was made into a movie in the early 90’s starring Will Smith and Donald Sutherland.  Although popular, I don’t think the theory has been proven scientifically. But even if it was, God is not bound by natural laws. Just like Jesus walking on the water and healing people that had been disabled all of their lives. 

Dr. Henry Blackaby in the study “Experiencing God” said that “God is at work all around us and wants us to join Him.” I can tell you from personal experience that God can and does bring things together in supernatural ways.  Ways that are beyond probability. 

We have been working with churches in close proximity to Houston (close as defined by Texans!) to encourage them to partner together in their communities to respond in unity to the needs of people affected by natural disasters.  Yesterday we visited a single parent who needs help with her home.

Something for you to chew on, I believe the only difference between a widow and a single mom is the manner in which the husband left the home.  The life challenges both women face are virtually identical.

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. ” – James 1:27

This woman had been referred to us by a case worker.  Through the course of our conversation with her, we discovered that she attends the same church that we have been working with to become part of the local disaster response church coalition. We were looking for a way to encourage the church to engage and now the Lord has led us to one of that church’s members.  We could not have arranged that.  In fact, we were surprised when she told us where she attended church because she is does not live close to the church in question.  

Elisha prayed that his servant’s eyes would be opened.  Paul prayed that for us as well.

“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding [hearts] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power…” – Ephesians 1:15-19

Look around my friends – God is at work all around you – if you will only open your spiritual eyes you will see some amazing things.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Our Problem With Forgiveness And Trust

“… The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.” – Matthew 18:26-30

Don’t you find people curious, maybe even perplexing? I have read the parable of the Unforgiving Servant many times but have seen it played out by people I know many more times.  We want forgiveness for what we do, but we don’t want to extend that same forgiveness to others.  I have written this many times before, but it bears repeating – the Bible is a spiritual book – the Word of God – what He tells us to do must have the power of the Spirit at its root – not the power of our will or won’t.

Have you ever heard someone say “I just can’t find it in me to forgive them!” Maybe you’ve said it yourself.  Don’t you think that God knows all about our human frailties and tendencies?

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. ” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Scripture is “God-breathed” or inspired through the Spirit of God. We were given that parable so we would know that we are to forgive in the same way that we have been forgiven by God by the power of God in us.  So let’s talk about trust. We are to forgive but that does not mean that we necessarily trust. The king who forgave would most likely not give the man more money.  Trust is an easy thing to lose and a hard thing to get back. Just because you forgive someone does not mean that you make yourself vulnerable to them. In my thinking, people must demonstrate repentance before they should be trusted.  God does not ask us to enable bad behavior. We can forgive without the offender being repentant. But we should not trust until they prove they are repentant. That failing is at the root of abusive relationships. The abused forgives and the abuser continues to abuse. 

Are you struggling with forgiveness – maybe you are refusing to trust even though the person has repented. If you look closely – you will find a lack of forgiveness at the root and a wanting for the person to be punished as the goal.  Just like the unforgiving servant.  Lord help us all!

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Our Problem With Sin After Salvation

“… through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…..  For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s [Jesus Christ] righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” – Romans 5:12,17-19

There are two types of people in the world.  There are those who are lost, born with the sin nature originating in Adam and those who once were lost and now are saved through faith in Jesus Christ.  Pretty simple when you think about it.  You can set all of our cultural  and ethnic differences aside.  (Difficult as that might be for some, I know.) When we stand before God – those differences won’t matter – only are you a sheep– born again – adopted into the family of God or a goat – lost and separated from God for eternity.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world… Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’…And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. ” – Matthew 25:32-34,41,46

Like I said – pretty simple.  But to the point of this devotion. Our problem with sin after salvation. Everyone reading this struggles with the temptation to sin and the fact that we continue to sin. There is a constant battle between our old sin nature and our new spiritual nature. You know that God has put His Spirit in each son and daughter at the point of adoption – or salvation through faith in Jesus. You know that God knows your heart – and those things that you commit to in your heart and maybe you do or don’t act out. There are aspects of your life that can remain hidden from others – but are plain as day to God. But because of Jesus – we are not condemned or rejected by God – because of our new nature – because Jesus is our righteousness. Because of God’s grace and mercy. Because we are saved by grace through faith and not human effort.  But let me hasten to say that I am not telling you that your day-to-day sins don’t matter – they do.

The guilt we feel when we sin is the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  God sent the Spirit to be a Helper – we cannot live our new life on our own – it is spiritual and requires the power of God through the Spirit by faith and obedience.  I would say that so long as we walk this earth, we will struggle with our sin nature. The sins that we commit may change but it will always be the same sinful root no matter what the sinful fruit.  Sins range from the “not so bad” to the unconscionable – unthinkable.  But at they have the same root – disobedience.  

Don’t trivialize your sin – decide that sin is unavoidable and therefore, somehow, acceptable. 

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” – Romans 6:1-3

We should have the attitude of King David.  David was guilty of an egregious sin – he had Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband, killed to hide the fact that David had an affair with Bathsheba and she was pregnant.  Nathan the prophet confronted David over his sin.  This was David’s response when he was forced to come face to face with what he had done.

“Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin…. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.”  – Psalm 51:1-2,10-13

Even though God forgave David, there was a consequence for his sin, just as it is for us. But when the Spirit of God convicts us of our sin – it should be our response as well. You cannot lose your salvation because of your sins – but you can lose your witness and quench the Spirit and the power of God within you.  What it is that you need to confess to the Lord? (1 John 1:9)

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

What Is It That Makes You A Christian

“if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9

What makes our faith unique from all of the other belief systems in the world? What we believe about Jesus Christ. We believe this.

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” – John3:16-18

Most Christians know John 3:16 – but most stop there.  I included verses 17 and 18 because they bring context and perspective on the magnitude of God’s grace and mercy.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),  and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:4-10

So many religions are about working your way to heaven or wherever it is that they believe someone goes after life on this planet.  We are saved by faith.

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas [Peter], then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

That is the Gospel as described by Paul.  It is simple but supernatural. It is rejected by the lost but embraced by the saved. Man cannot figure it out with human wisdom but the Truth is revealed only by God through the Holy Spirit.

“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’” – Matthew 16:13-17

Who Jesus is and our faith in what God has done through Him is what makes us Brothers and Sisters in the family of God.  Not denominational distinctives – not race – not geography – not nationality – not working for the same cause or attending the same church service. It is our faith Jesus alone.

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” – 1 John 3:1

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

What It Takes To Know You Are In The Right Place

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” – Genesis 50:20

That, of course, is a quote from Joseph to his brothers.  Joseph found himself in many difficult – uncomfortable places during his life.  The conclusion that many of us come to – me included – when we don’t understand why we are where we are is – it is a mistake that we are there.  Surely this is not of God’s doing.  When we are in the center of God’s will – only good things are supposed to happen – right? Pastor Rick Warren said “God is more interested in our character than our comfort.” Ugh! That means that things may not always be pleasant but that does not mean there is not a godly purpose in those things.  It is so easy to judge the spiritual correctness of our circumstances based upon our emotions, ill-conceived ideas about what it means to serve God, or even our human understanding. When that happens – we will always be drawn to the wrong conclusions.  The Bible is replete with examples.  Here are a few to consider.

“When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. ‘Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?’ the servant asked. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’  And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” – 2 Kings 6:15-18

The army was very real – but the servant had no spiritual perspective on the situation.  When you find yourself in a difficult situation – it is so easy to turn to your own wit and experience and not look to God. We can acknowledge that God is everywhere and He is sovereign, but in the heat of the moment – in the midst of our circumstances – we forget all about God.

“A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ – Mark 4:37-40

Jesus was present in the boat. Some of these guys were seasoned fishermen. Being in a boat is what they did. They knew that they were in trouble.  And Jesus was sleeping in the midst of it. Why would they worry about what was happening when they were with Jesus? He is the Master of the sea – billows His will obey! It is so easy to forget. Like to the disciples to imagine that God is not aware of what is happening.

“I [Paul] rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him [Jesus] who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:10-13

When we find ourselves in a situation that we don’t understand – I am not speaking of a consequence of our sin – because although we probably won’t like what is happening as a consequence – it was of our doing – not God’s. We must repent and turn our hearts back toward God. But even then – God is not unaware. When you face trials in life – none of us will be spared from trials – know that you are a child of the King and trust that you are in the palm of His hand. What we need in those times is spiritual understanding and faith in the sovereign God of Heaven. 

When we were in the midst of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina – it was a very difficult place to be and we were in it for nearly 5 years – a volunteer asked me if I liked being in Mississippi.  I thought about it for a moment and then answered, “There is nothing better than being in the center of God’s will for your life. Geography has nothing to do with it. So, yes, in fact, I love being in Mississippi.”  And I would add that physical comfort or conformance with what I might think is right in a situation have nothing to do with being where God wants me either.  Lord that I could see life like Paul – Elisha – even Jesus. So, like Paul, I pray that that God would give you wisdom and revelation. That your eyes would be opened like Elisha’s servant. For His glory and your good.

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” – Ephesians 1:17-20

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Embracing The Grey Side Of Life – It’s Deadly

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” – Romans 1:21-23

In 1933 something called the “Humanist Manifesto” was written by Raymond Bragg, a Unitarian minister, and published with 34 signers [largely Unitarians]. The manifesto promoted “a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism [belief in the God of the universe] or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good.  In other words, there is no God only us and it is up to us to bring peace and harmony to the world.” So what does this have to do with anything? As I was pondering what I would write about this morning – asking the Lord to show me – Dr Francis Schaeffer (an American Evangelical Christian theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor) and his book “A Christian Manifesto” came to mind.  This book presents the Christian perspective of life, particularly in the areas of law, government and ethics, and contrasts it with the humanistic perspective [explicitly, the ideas promoted by the Humanist Manifesto]. A humanist world view that is the dominant one in our country and throughout the world today.  

Stay with me!

That led to me going back to the source of Truth – the Word of God.  [Be careful what you read – it must always point you back to the wisdom of God and not to the mere wisdom of men] Thus the quote from Romans.  What you see happening around you – the moral decay – the rampant sin – is because that is what the world is like when people reject God and trust in themselves as the source of all things and the determiners of what is wright and what is wrong.                        

“Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” – Romans 1:28-32

I believe that life begins at conception. So no matter what the reason that life is terminated before birth – it was still a life.  There are some very difficult issues associated with what I just wrote – and I do not intend to address them here – I am not trying to sway your view – just state my own. While we served in Haiti, I had the opportunity to preach in Haitian churches.  The Haitians call the United States – Money Land – and see our country as a “Promise Land” of sorts.  The population of Haiti was about 9 million people  at the time.  I asked the congregations if they knew that since 1973 more than 45 million babies had been aborted in the United States.  That was 5 times the population of Haiti.  When I told them – they always had a look of surprise. Why did I tell them that? Because I wanted them to know that sin knows no boundaries on this earth.  That the land they envied was trod upon by sinners just like the land that they trod.  That all have sinned – and everyone needs a Savior – even Jesus. I would ask them to pray for our country and its people.  Having money and lots of possessions is not proof of God’s blessing – it merely means that you have money and a lot of possessions.

Listen – there are good things about the United States – there are good things about every country.  While embracing the good, you may not be tempted to embrace what is starkly evil – but those things that are “not so bad”, those things in the grey – now that is a problem for all of us.  If you are living in dim light – in the grey, then your eyes will eventually adjust and it will become normal to you. If you are looking to your culture for validation of what is OK – as a Christian you are in spiritual trouble.  What is it that you have embraced in your life that, when laid up against the Word of Truth is sin? Pray about it!

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone