timewithgod

Yesterday was a difficult day.  Everyone has to have one some time.  Anyway, I could use some of that prayer we talked about yesterday.  On the bright side, I did get a lot accomplished, and I heard the news that son Zac is buying a house!  God willing.   Pray for him and his wife Laurel that they would be guided by God to make the right decisions! 

Today’s Scripture reading is Nehemiah 6; Jeremiah 44; 2 Corinthians 12

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Today’s thought comes from 2Ti 2:1-7  You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2  And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3  You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5  And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6  The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7  Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

Three character qualities that are essential in leadership:  Loyalty, Integrity and Industry.  We will use the soldier as an example of loyalty to the cause.  A good soldier remains loyal regardless of the danger of battle or the allure of a life of ease.  The Athlete is an example of integrity.  A dedicated athlete will compete with all his heart, and if he’s a great athlete he will do everything he can to get an edge… except cheat (unlike many modern athletes).  A Farmer is an example of industry.  A diligent farmer will work doggedly from dawn to dark to get his crop in.  Yesterday we looked at a soldier’s main focus: spiritual warfare.  Today we will look at the Athlete and the Farmer.  The Athletes focus is the “Worthy Walk,” or should we say “run?”  No matter the sport, every athlete is scrutinized by coaches, referees, judges and fans to see if he’s competing according to the rules.  If you put lead in your boxing gloves or throw illegal spitballs, you will be disqualified, embarrassed, fined and perhaps banned from the sport when you are caught.  Don’t think that you’re not going to get caught!  The Christian is supposed to be as painstaking as the athlete to be sure he’s living a life of holiness.  Walk worthy of the calling of Christ.  The Farmer’s focus is on planting and harvesting.  We are to follow the agronomist’s example in our witness for Christ and in our discipleship of believers.  The seed is the Word, the field is the world.  We need to plow, plant, water, fertilize, weed and work from sunup to sundown if we want to reap.  The farmer patiently works his fields for the entire season before he is rewarded with the harvest.  Winning people to Christ and seeing them mature in Christ takes a long season.  God doesn’t hand out any instant miracle seed that springs up overnight!  The discipler must develop the mentality and character quality of industry and hard work if he is to see the crop ripen.  Three focuses of discipleship:  Spiritual Warfare, The Worthy Walk and Sowing & Reaping.  To accomplish this great task, be loyal, honorable and industrious.  Then you’ll get the crown, harvest the prize crop and receive praise for a job well done!

Dear Father.  I could use some work on my character.  I choose to be loyal to your cause.  Perfect my character and make me willing to pay the price to maintain my integrity even if all others lose theirs.  Take ease and laziness from my heart and replace it with industry and a desire to work hard for your kingdom. Amen.

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”-

Today I have kicked off “30 days of prayer for repentance and renewal.” During the month of February I’m asking you to make a commitment to begin and end every day with prayer… to make it the first and last thing you do. Please join me in setting aside this month as a time of repentance that God might bring renewal to us his people to his church and to this country. Perhaps you would also join me in fasting once a week, I suggest each Tuesday if you can, for the duration of the 30 days. Let me know if you will join me in one or more of these ways. Let’s pray together.

Today’s Scripture reading is Nehemiah 5; Jeremiah 43; 2 Corinthians 11 To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml

Today’s thought comes from 2Ti 2:1-7 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

“Onward Christian Soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; forward into battle see his banners go!” This old hymn portrays the church militant. It was one of my favorite songs when I was growing up, because, while the girls like to play dress up and dolls, I played cops & robbers and war! There is something about a battle that stirs the blood of a young man! Little did I understand then that battle scars leave wounds that penetrate deep into the soul! That war is a grim business of life and death. We have been recruited to recruit others and make disciples of all nations. We are in a spiritual battle for the hearts and minds of mankind. When you take up the challenge of discipleship, you will soon discover that in order to see life change, you must engage in spiritual warfare for the people you are trying to reach. Just what does this entail? Paul lists four traits of a good Christian Soldier. They each begin with E: Endure, Engage, Entangle, Enlist. #1 Endure Hardship. The enlisted man in the 1st century is done with the niceties of civilian life. He sleeps in the barracks or in the field and endures forced marches and uncomfortable armor. Spiritual Warfare requires that we be willing to share in the sufferings of the gospel. We may be persecuted, wounded and betrayed… steady! That’s what we signed up for. #2 Engage in Warfare. Spiritual Warfare is a battle for the hearts, minds and souls of mankind. To win it we must pull down the spiritual strongholds the enemy has set up, cast down every argument which is against God and bring every thought into captivity (2 Cor 10:3-5). We do that with the Spiritual Armor God has given us (Eph 6:12-18)… Truth, Righteousness, the Gospel, Faith, Eternal Security, the Word of God and Prayer. #3 Don’t Entangle yourself in civilian affairs. Romans soldiers were not allowed to marry, have a trade, business or engage in any civilian activity that would divert them from their duty. There are many activities that cry out for our time. Make the Kingdom of God and Discipleship your highest priority and just say no to any activity that diverts you from your duty. #4 Please your Enlisting Officer, Jesus. That’s what it’s all about. “Soldier!” Jesus commands, “Follow me into the thick of battle wherever I lead you!” “YES SIR!”

Dear Lord. I want to serve you well. I am willing to endure suffering and hardship if the battle brings it to me. I pray for our country that we would win the battle for the heart, mind and soul of this people. Keep me focused on the objective and help me to shed all other distractions to the cause of Christ so that I may please you. I will follow you wherever you lead!

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”-

Wow this has been a busy morning already! I was answering my skeptic relative on Facebook who posted a satirical video about God and the Bible. It took me quite a while to tell him that we have over 24,000 manuscripts of the New Testament dated within 150 years of writing and they have about a 99.9% agreement rate… leaving only 7 places or passages that we have questions about. The other 180,000 words of the New Testament are parallel Today’s Scripture reading is Nehemiah 4; Jeremiah 42; 2 Corinthians 10 To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com to subscribe go to http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com/rss.xml Today’s thought comes from 2Ti 2:1-7 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things. Four freshmen are discussing their future after University. The first says,” I want to be an athlete so I can compete in the Olympics and make my countrymen proud!” The second says, “I want to be a soldier so I can defend my countrymen.” The third says, “I want to be a farmer to feed my countrymen.” The fourth man gets up and shouts,” I want to be the countryman!” EVERYONE wants to be the countryman! You, know, the genteel soul that tools around his sprawling mansion while servants wait on him hand and foot. Funny, but that’s not one of the options in 2 Timothy! Christians are not supposed to get any too comfortable in life… we are bred to face hardship, compete seriously and work diligently for the cause of Christ. Life is not a bed of roses, but the American Dream is to make it so. We all want a very, very, very fine house, With two cats in the yard, Life used to be so hard, We want to make everything easy. Maybe that’s why so few sign up for Discipleship 201. After they get done with intro to 101, they’ve had enough! “I’m too busy! That’s too difficult! I have to provide for my family! Not enough time for recreation!” What did we sign up for? We are looking for a few faithful men and women who will teach others Discipleship 101! There are three characteristics that are noteworthy. #1 The Single mindedness of the soldier. The enlisted man in the 1st century is done with the niceties of civilian life. He sleeps in the barracks or in the field and endures forced marches and uncomfortable armor. We must be prepared to face hardship like a soldier so that our Captain can depend on us in the heat of battle. #2 The painstaking dedication of the Athlete. The athlete must not only train unrelentingly, he must learn the rules of the game and follow them. We have to know our playbook and follow it if we are to compete and win in God’s game of life. #3 the diligent toil of the farmer. Notice one thing about all three examples? They all require hard work. The farmer is no exception. If he is to reap a harvest he must plow and plant, and fertilize and weed and work from sunup to sundown. Only then does he get the prize. The Soldier gets a commendation, the Athlete gets the prize and the Farmer raises a prize crop. If you serve Christ the King as a faithful man or woman, you too will reap the rewards of discipleship. Well done! Dear Lord Jesus. You have enlisted me to serve you, and I want to serve you well. You have called me to compete seriously so I give myself to the Kingdom of God. And You have asked me to toil and labor like a farmer, and I have chosen to be diligent and hard working. You gave yourself to me, now I give myself back to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am

I am one tired puppy today!  I am not used to physical labor… whew!  Yesterday I built a set of steps and a landing.  It was fun, and Frankie and his brother both stopped in at different times to help me!  Thanks!  Let me tell you, that makes it go faster!  What nice guys.  Frankie has come to church a few times and I’m working on getting him into our growth group.  Pray for him!

Today’s Scripture reading is Nehemiah 3; Jeremiah 41; 2 Corinthians 9

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Today’s thought comes from 2Ti 2:1-7  You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2  And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3  You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 5  And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6  The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops. 7  Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

We’re looking for a few good men and women.  Faithful men.  Sometimes it seems like the faithful are disappearing off of the face of the earth.  Yet, faithfulness is an extremely important Christian quality.  Throughout the Bible, faithfulness eclipses fame as the mark of greatness.  Moses was considered “faithful in all God’s house,” and because of that God spoke to him face to face!  (Num 12:6-8).  Most prophets got dreams and visions, Moses got God’s very presence!  Why?  Because he was faithful. I just ran across a conversation the explains the difference between obedience (an important trait) and faithfulness.  One night two preschool sisters were overheard having a conversation at bedtime.  “Don’t do that! Mom and Dad said no playing!” “That’s OK…Mom and Dad aren’t here!” Cute… but clear.  Don’t just live like a believer when people are watching (obedience) live like it when no one is (faithfulness)!  Faithfulness is a heart condition…  It is the commitment of the heart to be true blue to God, persevering until death!  Ultimately, God is our highest example of faithfulness.  God remains faithful to us even when we mess up (2nd Timothy 2:13).  And faithfulness is the key that unlocks the door to additional blessings, further advancements and more of the stuff that everyone wants.  Luke 16:10-12 gives a progression of three certainties that depend on faithfulness.  #1 If you are faithful with the little things entrusted to you, you can be trusted with much more!  #2 If you are faithful in the stewardship of earthly things like money, you will be entrusted with spiritual wealth.  #3 If you are faithful in caring for other people’s property, you will be blessed with your own property.  The opposites are also true.  If you aren’t faithful in little things, you won’t be trusted with more.  If you don’t take care of earthly things, you won’t get spiritual blessings.  If you don’t take care of other people’s property you won’t get stuff of your own.  We are looking for faithful men and women who will be able to teach others.  When we consider the character of those fit for leadership we ask ourselves the “f” question… are they faithful.  Can we depend on this person to carry the torch of the faith, faithfully through life?  So we examine the little things, business dealings and how they care for other people’s stuff.  Sadly, what some people don’t realize is that by being selfish, lazy and careless, they have all but guaranteed that they won’t get the very things they crave!  …that’s why the “have not’s” never get more, and why the “have’s” always get more!  Lord make me faithful!

Lord, make me faithful.  I want to be a person that You can depend on.  I want my heart to be pleasing to you in all that I do.  Help me to be faithful in the little things, so I can do great things for you.  Help me to faithful in material things so that you’ll bless me with spiritual blessings.  And help me to be a faithful steward of other people’s property so that I will one day have my own to care for.  Most of all make me faithful to You.

Come unto me all you who are weary and heavily burdened and I will give you rest.

Now this is very cool!  Two years ago we started Awana.  This year little Tryson came.  He is a cute blond haired with a little bit of curl kid.  For a while he was bringing the “Family Bible!”  Which is about 12” X 18”! It was awesome!  His mom Aleesha went to our VBS when she was a kid!  Aleesha, Cody and Tryson began to attend morning service.  Susan and I invited them to our Growth Group.  We had every person in the group submit a question they’d like to ask God.  Last week we answered the question, “Am I saved.”  Yesterday I had the couple in my office for pre-marital counseling.  It turns out that this was Aleesha’s question and when I presented the Gospel to them and asked if she had trusted Christ she said, “Yes!”  I asked when.  She said that last week at Group when we talked about her question!  Is that a great story or what! 

Today’s Scripture reading is Nehemiah 2; Jeremiah 39; 2 Corinthians 7

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Today’s thought comes from 1 Thes 1: 6   And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7  so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8  For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.

My Facebook friend Steve posted a question about an article in the Berean Call.  He wanted some clarification.  In it they state, “The chief error today in the evangelical church is that experiences (feelings, emotions, passions, intuitions, etc.) have become the guide for entering into and attempting to establish true spirituality… This puts the human imagination in the seat of judgment. That thought alone should provoke an emotion in the heart of every Bible-believing Christian: sheer horror!”  I almost always agree with Dave Hunt’s basic premise, I don’t always agree with the broad brush stroke he uses to apply it.  But this premise is right on!  The Word is the only sound guide for determining truth and true spirituality.  Experiential “spirituality” must be evaluated by what God says in His Word.  No mystical experience, no matter how much it makes us “feel close to God,” can be valid if it is anti-biblical.  Maybe you feel close to God while high on drugs, man, or maybe you can sense God’s presence while you are lying in the buff on a bluff with a dozen dudes and dolls… you get the drift.  The Spirit of God does not reward the seeker with his presence if you seek Him your own way.  It’s some other spirit!  And that’s a dangerous path to take!  I’m sure that the prophets of Baal and the adherents of every other wannabe god, had some spiritual adrenaline rush when they sacrificed children to wild flute music, castrated themselves, or had a wild orgy.  But God clearly condemned those practices.  The only way to true spirituality is God’s way through God’s Word.  The Thessalonians were praised for their faithfulness to the Word.  In 1 Thess 2:13 Paul stated, “when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”  In the model of Discipleship, we lead people to understand that The Word is our authority.  Stake your life on the FACTS of the Word.  That’s why we “sound forth the word to every place.”  Secondly we lead them to understand that we put our FAITH in the Word.  We have something to believe in that anchors the soul.  Our “faith toward God has gone out” for others to observe. Third.  We teach that FEELINGS are the caboose.  They tag along behind.  Feelings come and go, and feelings can be deceiving.  My hope is in the Word of God, it alone is worth believing.

Dear Father.  Thanks for the presence of Your Spirit in my life!  I want to know you in truth!  Help me to submit all my experiences, feelings and methods to your Word, and only to keep what is clearly from You.  For I know that the truth will set me free.  So, Lord, set me free to know You.

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me

Last week at Awana, we had one youth trust Christ as her Savior!  That was great.  Mike is really excited.  This week, Kyle spoke to the youth about baptism and what it means.  Two of them want to be baptized!  So Mike is going to contact their parents for permission and then we’d like to set it up for next Wednesday during our Group Time at Awana.  You just have to love the fact that a number of leaders, like Mike are taking their ministry seriously… to make sure the next generation of believers is growing up in Christ.

Today’s Scripture reading is Nehemiah 1; Jeremiah 38; 2 Corinthians 6

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Today’s thought comes from 1 Thes 1: 6   And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7  so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8  For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.

The Bad Example… “All in vain is splendid preaching, And the noble things we say, All our task is wasted teaching, If we do not lead the way.”  (Anon).  Leadership requires example.  People do not expect their leader to be perfect, but they do want someone who follows his own directions and lives up to his own standards.  Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not watching you!  They are!  As General George S. Patton, Jr. once remarked, “You are always on parade.”  Or the Pastor’s favorite metaphor about living in the Church provided parsonage:  “It’s life in the fishbowl.”  Everyone’s watching!  I love the urban legend about the grade school mom who was talking on the phone about her son’s abysmal performance in the school play:  “Danny really bombed last night!”  The listening ears of the CIA picked up on her words, the computer spit the conversation out, and just like that, the lady was listed as a possible terrorist.  Funny, or not?  But people are watching and listening.  Yesterday, Susie was visionary about the flip side of having followers when she commented on setting the example.  She said, “What if I do something wrong?  YIKES.  I don’t think I like that “responsibility”.  I think… Paul is asking us to aspire to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ.  That’s a high standard.”  People will emulate our negative characteristics as well as our positive ones!  That’s the sobering truth about leadership.  After we’ve been at the top post for a half a dozen years or so, we’ve no one else to blame but ourselves for the culture we created!  We allowed sloppiness or expected excellence… and that is what we got.  If you are going to be a disciple maker, the first thing you must do is get the example part down pat.  You must set the standards of behavior that are expected from a Christian.  And being an example means that we need to know what is expected of us!  I find four stages of growth in these verses.  #1.  Disciple.  “you became followers of us and of the Lord.”  #2 Example.  “you received the word in much affliction with joy… so you became examples.”  When a follower begins to mature in the Lord, his growth is observable.  #3 Discipler.  “From you the word of the Lord sounded forth.”  A growing individual will soon be teaching and discipling.  #4 Witness.  “in every place… Your faith toward God has gone out.”  And the discipleship process has now come full circle… now the disciple has become the discipler.  He is the one now raising up followers of Christ so they can grow to be examples of faith. 

Dear Lord Jesus.  I want to be an example of godliness.  I want to emulate your character so that when people follow me, they will see Jesus in me and follow you!  Leadership is a heavy responsibility.  Help me to get it down right! 

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.  Trust in the LORD forever, For in the LORD, is everlasting strength

Susie writes… “I was recently told by a close friend “people are watching your life”.  Wow!  That is a SCARY prospect.  What if I do something wrong?  YIKES.  I don’t think I like that “responsibility”.  It is difficult enough at work, where I know my employees are watching me to see how I react to situations.  But, for those of us in church leadership….the consequences are much greater and long lasting.  But, I think that is what Paul is asking us to aspire to….live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ.  That’s a high standard.  I pray that we will all allow the Holy Spirit to work in us so that the name of Jesus is not put to shame, as people watch our lives and see what it means to be a Disciple of Christ.”  That’s the flip side of people following us!

Today’s Scripture reading is Ezra 10:18-44; Jeremiah 37; 2 Corinthians 5

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Today’s thought comes from 1 Thes 1: 6   And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7  so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8  For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.

Leonard Ravenhill wrote, “The early church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today it’s prosperity, personality, and popularity.”  Why does the church raise up more disciples in difficulty than in prosperity?  The Thessalonians received the word “in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit!”  No wonder their example was so effective.  It is counter intuitive to bundle joy and affliction in the same life package.  I do joy when life is going well BUT I do crankiness when facing affliction.  I’m not so good at singing “Joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart!” after I’ve hit my thumb with a hammer.  Nor do I “smile, God loves you,” after verbal attacks or a good chewing from my boss.  When facing poverty, prison and persecution I’m not likely to perk up and shout, “Praise the Lord anyhow!”  And I don’t think I’m alone!  Human nature is sour on sadness and giddy on goodness.  So when one of us little fish goes against the flow and swims upstream against all odds, it’s no wonder that the world presses their eyeballs against the fishbowl!  It’s odd!  It’s unnatural!  It’s Supernatural!  It’s “joy of the Holy Spirit!”  Let’s face it.  The church is filled with depressed housewives and discouraged men folk.  There are hurting people everywhere.  Whatever happened to the powerful faith of the early church that endured affliction with joy?  It got thrown out the window with the wash water and has been replaced with earthly values of success, materialism and self-affirmation.  How many times have you said, “I didn’t sign up for this!”  Let me tell you, that’s exactly what you signed up for.  Haven’t you read the small print?  “In the world you shall have TRIBULATION!  But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world!”  The sign of a mature Christian is that when all hell breaks loose, we work our way through sorrow, anxiety, and depression to JOY.  That’s some example.  That’ll turn a few heads.  If you can keep your head while all the world is losing theirs, people will perk up and some will say, “I want what you’ve got!”  So, my friend, have you got what they need?  Have you got joy in affliction?  If so, you are a powerful example of faith.  People will follow a fish like that… even if they have to swim upstream. 

Dear Father.  Every life must face difficulty and sorrow, and so must I, I am sure.  And so I ask for the gift of joy in affliction and cheer in tribulation because I know that you have overcome the world.  I know that this life is only a brief skirmish with trouble before an eternity of peace, joy and hope.  So help me to keep my eyes on the prize and hold my head up and trust that you know what you are doing!  If you go with me, I can make it!

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”

We held our second Growth Group yesterday.  It was great.  The first week we asked them, “If you could ask God one question, what would it be.”  Yesterday’s question was, “Am I saved?”  It was a really great group.  We had great fun learning about one another.  When we went over the “good person test,”  we were all very convicted about how far we fall short of God’s standards.  If you want to take the good person test… email me and I’ll send it to you!  After our group a number of us hung around for a long time!

Today’s Scripture reading is Ezra 10:1-17; Jeremiah 36; 2 Corinthians 4

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Today’s thought comes from 1 Thes 1: 6   And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7  so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8  For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.

How many followers do you have?  Does that question make you uncomfortable?  It seems like these days the only people concerned about their followers are Twitter users and direct sales moguls.  “Well??? should I be out there looking for my own followers or not???” I’m not really comfortable asking people to be “my followers.”  I wonder if Paul had any discomfort with it.  He told the Thessalonians, “You became our followers…”  Oh yeah and then he added, “and the Lord’s.”  That’s an important qualifier.  Paul told the Corinthians to “become a follower of me as I am of Christ.”  Or “imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1).  Paul was simply following the modus operandi that Jesus set up.  Jesus, like the Jewish Rabbi’s of his time, called his disciples to follow him and learn his doctrines and way of life.  After Jesus left, the Apostles did the same thing.  They called people to follow them in a discipling relationship.  The most profitable way to transmit Christian values is for people to associate with us closely in an intimate community of believers so they can watch us, listen to us and imitate us… a relationship not unlike a family where the children naturally pick up the habits, mannerisms and knowledge skills of their parents, for good or for bad.  We are called to follow Jesus.  We are also called to call others to follow us, as we follow Jesus.  So do you have any followers?  Right.  How am I going to get and takers who will become followers?  Who would follow me?  How would I do it?  THE answer… give out the Word.  Partner with someone to study the Word together.  You don’t have to be a Theological genius, you just have to want to follow Jesus and remain faithful to His Word.  “Hey, how would you like to be my accountability partner, prayer partner, Bible Study partner… how would you like to do a Bible Study with me?”  Find another individual or another couple and let the discipleship begin.  You don’t have to have your Masters in Theology so that you can utter profound truths, you just follow the Master and let Jesus disciple you both as he utters profound truths from His Word.  Sit at the feet of the Teacher, the Holy Spirit and let Him illuminate His Word and you’d be surprised who will follow you as you follow Jesus.  Go therefore and make Disciples!

Dear Lord and Master, disciple me!  I want to make disciples.  I’m not certain that I have much to offer, but I am willing to ask others to follow me as I follow Christ.  If this is what you want, I will disciple others as you disciple me from Your word!

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”

Darryl Jordan called me yesterday.  I’d been trying to get into contact with him for over a week.  He just had a prostrate operation and is recovering nicely.  He is headed to Roseburg today for some R & R.  Probably will just lay low for the time he is here.  I hope to see him Tuesday at Breakfast with John… (Oh, John, is it OK if I invite him?)  I guess all of you could come if you want!  How many want to go to breakfast Tuesday?

Today’s Scripture reading is Ezra 9; Jeremiah 35; 2 Corinthians 3

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Today’s thought comes from 1Corinthians 12:1-7  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2  You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3  Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4  There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5  There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6  And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7  But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:

Are you “man centered” or “God centered?”  It’s difficult not to be man centered because “I are one!”  Being man centered is really being “me centered.”  We’re really pretty good about focusing on self… after all, we live with us.  When I get hungry I seek food for SELF.  When I am cold, I want to turn up the heat for ME, and grumble under my breath if everyone else is hot.  I go on vacation to places I like.  My job is all about MY career.  If I don’t like it, I look for another.  Sure we have to settle for compromises in life, but only because we have to.  If we had enough cash or clout, we’d spoil ourselves!  But the Gospel calls us to be God Centered, and that requires self-denial.  The Christian life is not all about me, it’s all about HIM!  It’s the same with Spiritual Gifts.  Some people present the concept of Spiritual Gifts from a man centered philosophy.  Find where YOU fit… and to some degree it’s a true statement… but only where you fit in HIS PLAN.  Spiritual Gifts are not primarily for self-fulfillment!  They are to be used to Glorify God, Build up the Body of Christ and Reach the World.  Spiritual Gifts were given, not so we could bask lazily on the sunny beach of personal self gratification. They were bestowed so that you could roll up your sleeves and get dirty in the trenches of combat and service for your Master.  Check out verse 3.  Strategically placed at the beginning of the discussion on Spiritual Gifts is the statement “no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.”  Now, I suppose you could mouth the words in mock ridicule, but no one can sincerely and enthusiastically say them and mean it without the Holy Spirit’s prompting.  Every believer should be led to verbalize and humbly submit to the Lordship of Christ.  And when you do, it is an evidence of self-denial and Holy Ghost empowerment.  What does this have to do with Spiritual Gifts?  Everything!  The Gifts only operate effectively through the power of the Spirit.  Only when you submit to His Lordship can you serve with Spirit gifted empowerment.  It is all about HIM, not me.  The gifts are really an expression and extension of God’s Spirit… so says verse 7.  They are “the manifestation of the Spirit.”  Try serving on your own, without God.  How’s that working for you?  It’s the difference between a hand tool and a power tool.  Maybe it’s the difference between using a power saw by itself or you could plug it in and turn it on!  Now, that works better!  A thousand times better!  Since it’s all about him, you MUST get plugged in to the Spirit in submission and prayer, and that will enable you to serve others.

Dear Lord Jesus.  I submit myself to You.  I do confess You as my Lord and Savior.  I want to know You, humbly obey You and serve You with all my heart.  Help me to deny myself, and turn away from a self serving focus.  I long for the empowerment of the Spirit in my life!

You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”-