Friday, August 15, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Jesus leaves us in the world to be a witness to the world.
Rabbits are timid creatures that pop out of their holes every morning, try to avoid everything (except other rabbits), eat their food, and jump back into their holes in the evening. "Whew! We made it through another day," they'd say if they could talk.
Rabbit-hole Christians are a lot like that. They eat lunch with other Christians at work and relate almost exclusively with fellow-believers in their church. They avoid socializing with unbelievers and wouldn't think of accepting an invitation to one of their parties. No wonder unbelievers equate being a Christian with a kind of aloof self-righteousness.
No one could say that about Jesus. He actually invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus, a notorious tax collector. His congeniality among disreputable people earned Him the title of "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matthew 11:19). He reached out to such people because He knew He couldn't help them without becoming their friend. Jesus never said anything He shouldn't have said, nor did He laugh at off-color stories. He won people's respect by caring for them.
Jesus has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and assured us that He'll be with us so we can follow His example. Let's guard against being rabbit-hole Christians. —Herb Vander Lugt
Help us, O Lord, to live our livesSo people clearly seeReflections of Your caring heart,Your love and purity. —Sper
Rabbit-hole Christians are a lot like that. They eat lunch with other Christians at work and relate almost exclusively with fellow-believers in their church. They avoid socializing with unbelievers and wouldn't think of accepting an invitation to one of their parties. No wonder unbelievers equate being a Christian with a kind of aloof self-righteousness.
No one could say that about Jesus. He actually invited Himself to the home of Zacchaeus, a notorious tax collector. His congeniality among disreputable people earned Him the title of "a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matthew 11:19). He reached out to such people because He knew He couldn't help them without becoming their friend. Jesus never said anything He shouldn't have said, nor did He laugh at off-color stories. He won people's respect by caring for them.
Jesus has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and assured us that He'll be with us so we can follow His example. Let's guard against being rabbit-hole Christians. —Herb Vander Lugt
Help us, O Lord, to live our livesSo people clearly seeReflections of Your caring heart,Your love and purity. —Sper
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Waiting on the Holy Spirit: Dependence on Him
(By Howard Culbertson)
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." -- Psalm 27:14
Sometimes we highly-motivated types want to rush out to serve the Lord using not much more than our own thoughts, ambitions, actions and desires. We need to reflect a bit on the stern warning given in Isaiah 30 to those who develop plans without bothering to ask if they fit the mind and will of God.
The discipline of waiting on the Holy Spirit is a powerful reminder to me that I'm not to be the one ultimately in charge. I need to be reminded of that often. When we truly learn to wait on God, we discover how great He is, how immense His love is toward us, how powerful He is and how involved He wants to be in our lives.
Years ago Andrew Murray wrote a devotional book called Waiting on God. In these 31 devotionals Murray pours out his message that an adequate knowledge and understanding of the ways of God only comes to those who know how to patiently wait. So, in some ways, our willingness to wait on the Holy Spirit can be a measure of whether we have recognized the real source of power and cleansing and strength.
In one of his books, Henri Nouwen recounts a spiritual insight that came to him through a friendship he had struck up with the Flying Rodleighs, famous German trapeze artistes. Nouwen spent a week in Germany with this group of South Africans and Americans. One day the trapeze group leader told Nouwen: "As a flyer, I must have complete trust in my catcher. The public might think that I am the great star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher. He has to be there for me with split second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump. . . The secret is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. . . The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. . . .A flyer must fly and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him."
What a great picture of what God asks us to do. We are the flyer and He is the catcher. We are as dependent on Him as the trapeze flyer is upon his catcher. People may see us and think how great we are but the real star of this is our Lord, not us. On this day, as you swing through the air seemingly far, far above safety, you must trust in the the Lord to be your catcher. Wait for Him; He will be there for you...
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." -- Psalm 27:14
Sometimes we highly-motivated types want to rush out to serve the Lord using not much more than our own thoughts, ambitions, actions and desires. We need to reflect a bit on the stern warning given in Isaiah 30 to those who develop plans without bothering to ask if they fit the mind and will of God.
The discipline of waiting on the Holy Spirit is a powerful reminder to me that I'm not to be the one ultimately in charge. I need to be reminded of that often. When we truly learn to wait on God, we discover how great He is, how immense His love is toward us, how powerful He is and how involved He wants to be in our lives.
Years ago Andrew Murray wrote a devotional book called Waiting on God. In these 31 devotionals Murray pours out his message that an adequate knowledge and understanding of the ways of God only comes to those who know how to patiently wait. So, in some ways, our willingness to wait on the Holy Spirit can be a measure of whether we have recognized the real source of power and cleansing and strength.
In one of his books, Henri Nouwen recounts a spiritual insight that came to him through a friendship he had struck up with the Flying Rodleighs, famous German trapeze artistes. Nouwen spent a week in Germany with this group of South Africans and Americans. One day the trapeze group leader told Nouwen: "As a flyer, I must have complete trust in my catcher. The public might think that I am the great star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher. He has to be there for me with split second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump. . . The secret is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. . . The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. . . .A flyer must fly and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him."
What a great picture of what God asks us to do. We are the flyer and He is the catcher. We are as dependent on Him as the trapeze flyer is upon his catcher. People may see us and think how great we are but the real star of this is our Lord, not us. On this day, as you swing through the air seemingly far, far above safety, you must trust in the the Lord to be your catcher. Wait for Him; He will be there for you...
Wherever a human being exists, there is an opportunity to do a kindness. —Seneca
When my son Steve came home from a concert recently, he had with him a free T-shirt and a brochure for an organization that helps needy children in a far-off continent. Apparently, one of the singers had issued a challenge.
"We wanted to change the world with our music," he said, "but often all we do is sing. We decided that we were going to take action to change some lives, so we started supporting some needy kids." Then he set forth the challenge, which Steve accepted. He then talked with his Bible-study group at church about supporting a child each month.
Most of us want to change the world for the better, but the job seems too big. So what if we decided to do at least one thing to change just one person's life? In the name of Jesus, who said that providing physical help would be the same as helping our Savior Himself (Matthew 25:35-36), what if we reached out to one person with food, or clothing, or transportation? And what if that person, wondering about our motive, asks why we helped? We could then help change that person's life for eternity by introducing him or her to the Savior.
Change the world? Let's start with changing one person in Jesus' name. —Dave Branon
Do a deed of simple kindness,Though its end you may not see;It may reach, like widening ripples,Down a long eternity. —Norris
"We wanted to change the world with our music," he said, "but often all we do is sing. We decided that we were going to take action to change some lives, so we started supporting some needy kids." Then he set forth the challenge, which Steve accepted. He then talked with his Bible-study group at church about supporting a child each month.
Most of us want to change the world for the better, but the job seems too big. So what if we decided to do at least one thing to change just one person's life? In the name of Jesus, who said that providing physical help would be the same as helping our Savior Himself (Matthew 25:35-36), what if we reached out to one person with food, or clothing, or transportation? And what if that person, wondering about our motive, asks why we helped? We could then help change that person's life for eternity by introducing him or her to the Savior.
Change the world? Let's start with changing one person in Jesus' name. —Dave Branon
Do a deed of simple kindness,Though its end you may not see;It may reach, like widening ripples,Down a long eternity. —Norris
Conscience is a trustworthy compass when God's Word is your true north
The much-loved children's story Pinocchio is about a wooden puppet whose nose grows long when he tells a lie. His friend Jiminy Cricket chirps, "Let your conscience be your guide." Pinocchio follows his advice, repents, and returns to Geppetto his creator, where he is given a heart of flesh and is freed from his strings.
There's a principle in this story for God's children. If we don't listen to that voice deep down inside that tells us what we should and should not do, we live in bondage. But a cleansed conscience brings freedom.
Some people have no strong basis for making godly decisions. Their conscience is weak, and they can be easily swayed by the behavior of others. Then there are those whose conscience is defiled. The standard by which they measure good and evil is corrupted, polluted, and impure (Titus 1:15). But saddest of all are those who have a "seared" conscience (1 Timothy 4:2). They have resisted that inner voice for so long that they no longer hear what it has to say.
But you ask, "How can we have a cleansed conscience?" We must repent of our sin and return to our Creator. We must ask Him to conform our desires and behavior to His Word and then be careful to obey it. —David Roper
There is a treasure you can ownThat's greater than a crown or throne;This treasure is a conscience clearThat brings the sweetest peace and cheer. —Isenhour
There's a principle in this story for God's children. If we don't listen to that voice deep down inside that tells us what we should and should not do, we live in bondage. But a cleansed conscience brings freedom.
Some people have no strong basis for making godly decisions. Their conscience is weak, and they can be easily swayed by the behavior of others. Then there are those whose conscience is defiled. The standard by which they measure good and evil is corrupted, polluted, and impure (Titus 1:15). But saddest of all are those who have a "seared" conscience (1 Timothy 4:2). They have resisted that inner voice for so long that they no longer hear what it has to say.
But you ask, "How can we have a cleansed conscience?" We must repent of our sin and return to our Creator. We must ask Him to conform our desires and behavior to His Word and then be careful to obey it. —David Roper
There is a treasure you can ownThat's greater than a crown or throne;This treasure is a conscience clearThat brings the sweetest peace and cheer. —Isenhour
All I Want Is To Be With You
So many times my mind was full - occupied with things that were going on in my life. From the very first minute when I woke up in the morning, I started to think about what I had to do for the day and not remembering to greet You and communicating with You Or even just giving thanks for the new day that You had given. At the end of the day, as I rested in a quietness, I did not know why I felt emptiness in my heart - As if feeling like in a desert and there was no way out. All my strength was swept away and I felt weary. I thought all I need was just a little rest. Instead, I looked for entertainment that could bring me joy. However the joy was only temporary And I even feel more despaired. Then You gently called me to walk out from the desert to the living water. You filled the emptiness in my heart with the joy of being in Your presence. It seemed You never taken my absences into account. You are always faithful, waiting for me to come to Your presence. You embraced me with your love and restored my broken heart. All my worries and fear were taken away from me. And I felt so secure. It will always be the longing of my heart. To greet you every morning when I wake up. To celebrate Your goodness during the day. To count Your blessings at the end of the day. I could not describe with words of how grateful I am for Your everlasting loving kindness. But I just want You to know that all I want is to be with You.
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