Tag: Joy

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Sharing the Gospel at Christmas

Sharing the Gospel at Christmas

Sharing the Gospel at Christmas is at the top of the Christmas to-do list for most Christians. It is the ideal time both because of the season and the company. We celebrate Christmas with those we love. Many of those people need to hear the Gospel.

Presentation

Sharing the Gospel at Christmas can be daunting when celebrating with non-believing relatives and friends. Conventional Christian wisdom says we start with God as the creator of all things; we then talk about the garden, man’s fall, and Christ’s salvation. This is a complicated conversation to glide into between courses at the table. But Christmas seems to be the perfect time for this.

Romans 10:14-15, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them, and how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Alternatively, we could grab everyone’s attention by telling the story of Christmas. We can start with Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection, then end with our reconciliation. Again, this might be a bit awkward to an audience that didn’t come for a performance. So how do we use this opportunity to spread the good word?

Philippians 2:7, “rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

There might be a more straightforward approach. But first, we need to recognize the players. The author of the story is God. He chooses the people for salvation (Thessalonians 1:4). The author of our salvation is Christ. He is the only one who can save (Thessalonians 1:10). There is our role; we communicate the Gospel through our words and actions (Thessalonians 1:5). There is the Holy Spirit that empowers us; it gives us the gift of effective communication (Thessalonians 1:5). And finally, there is the person you are talking to; they must be open to the message and respond to it (Thessalonians 1:6).

Matthew 20:16, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

This model is repeated throughout the Bible, not just with Paul and Thessalonians; Philip evangelized with the Ethiopian is another example. We must remember our role in evangelism; communicate the Gospel through words and actions. We cannot and should not try to orchestrate the roles of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, or others. This is the first rule to having a great Christmas with family and friends. We must accept our role versus God’s and be willing to do our part when called upon.

Adaptation

Not everyone is the same. We all have our go-to personality. Some are cognitive thinkers who want facts, evidence, and discussion. Others are Intuitive thinkers who need emotions and feelings. Then there is the concrete-relational thinker who needs practical application. Based on what personality testing you have been trained on, there are even more subdivisions of personality traits. The point is that one size does not fit all. The path to salvation has many turns and twists. This is where we have to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us. This is where I involve everyday evangelism, adapting our story to fit the needs of the person I am talking with to demonstrate Christ’s story of salvation.

I know the experiences of my life better than I know the Gospel. No one can defend the facts of my life better than I. I am an undisputed authority on how God changed me.

Realization

Because I was raised in a farming community, I like the visual that the agricultural parable provides. First, there is preparing the ground; then there is planting, followed by nurturing, and finally, the harvest. Evangelism involves in all four phases. God attracts people to Himself by preparing their hearts. We may be part of this process through the way we both model salvation and communicate it. But the ground is still barren. Next, the seed of the Gospel is planted. It may take some time before it starts to germinate. The Lodgepole Pine uses fire to germinate. That is the reasons forests come back after a great fire. Some people are this way. It takes a great fire in their life to germinate the seed of the Gospel.

Matthew 17:3-8, “Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places where they did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no roots. Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still, other seeds fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”

Then comes nurturing the word. The word has taken hold, but what type of soil? Part of our evangelistic ministry is to nurture the seeds planted by others. Do we model the Gospel? Christmas can be chaotic, noisy, disappointing, exciting, and crazy good all at the same time. This confluence can and will create opportunity. What we say and do under stress is one of the most significant tests of our faith. It is also one of the best evangelistic tools.   This is a time to nurture the non-believer, showing them the way.

Titus 1:9, “Their belief in the truth that they have been taught must be strong and steadfast so that they will be able to teach it to others and show those who disagree with them where they are wrong.”

Harvest

The harvest. Who does not love the harvest? It is a time of celebration and renewal. Very few of us truly get to see a harvest. We spend far more time working the field than harvesting. If you are privileged to be involved in the harvest, remember that someone else did a lot of the hard work.

If I could give one piece of advice regarding sharing the Gospel at Christmas, enjoy yourself. Let God do His magic through you. Understand that you are not the savior of their soul. God owns the process you are part of. He has been gracious enough to include you in His plan for another. You can’t screw it up because it isn’t your plan.

Do your part but let God do the heavy lifting.

Luke 1:37, “For every promise from God shall surely come true.”

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Another Christmas Story

Christmas Story
Isaiah 7:14

The Birth of Christ is the greatest of all stories. Within that Christmas story, there is another story that comes to mind. This story within a story is about obedience and the ramifications of that obedience.

“Christmas is about change. It’s a time we open our hearts before we open our presents.” -Toni Sorenson.

Obedience

Acts 1:14, “Mary, the mother of Jesus.”

This time of year brings about introspection. It usually starts with me thinking about the Christmas story and Mary. It then progresses to my story, where I have been, and what I have done.

Mary was a teenager when Gabriel visited her with his alarming proclamation—alarming from the standpoint that Mary had no predisposition to believe that Gabriel would visit her. She certainly did not anticipate that he would turn her life upside down. I can’t imagine that a teenage girl would believe that the God of the Universe would choose her over members of the families of Sadducees and Pharisees, who certainly had to be more righteous. Gabriel dared to burden her with one of her culture’s biggest taboos while simultaneously stating that she would not be just an unwed mother with a child but a child who would change the world for all humanity. That had to be an overwhelming experience. Her response is priceless.

Luke 1:38, “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

I wonder about the strength of her character, which flowed so easily into obedience. This thing that was asked of her was so foreign yet familiar. What is the biggest thing God has ever asked of you? That is one of the first questions I ask myself.  Not just what does He want now, but what has He always wanted from me? Do I flow so easily into obedience?

“Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.” — Winston Churchill.

The Launch of Responsibility

Obedience requires action. No response is a response. Mary’s Christmas story only started with Gabriel. Although Mary did not initiate her new responsibility, she accepted and nourished it. Again, I picture the teenage girl looking at her newborn child, helpless and defenseless, yet knowing he is the Messiah. Did she understand the power and majesty of that little bundle? She was now tasked with raising the Son of God. She would feed him, change His diapers, and teach him to walk and talk. Yet he, at that moment, probably knew more about her than she did Him.

God has asked a lot less of me. But He does expect a response. Not because He needs me but because He wants me to be part of His plan. Mary had a physical representation of God’s will in her life. She could not and would not ignore the needs of her child. The fact that He was the Son of God made the task more urgent but not more necessary. Can I say that I respond the same way to that which He has put before me? Is it both necessary and urgent?

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” –Calvin Coolidge

Dedication to the Goal

Luke 2:19, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

This Christmas story ended years later, but we will get to that another time. For now, let us enjoy the moment. Mary most likely knew the prophecy concerning her child. Also, like most people in her time, she might not have yet understood how the prophecy would be fulfilled. Her focus was on raising a healthy and happy child. She did not fully understand the significance of Jesus’ time on earth but knew it was world-changing. Mary spent over 10,000 days making meals, washing dirty clothes, and keeping Him safe before He revealed His ministry to the world. It was a long time of watching His every move and wondering. Thirty years is a long time to remember what Gabriel said. But, she trusted God. She never wavered.

Mark 6:3, “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”

How dedicated am I when God’s results don’t track with my expectations; am I to forge a new path, create a new shortcut, or drop what I believe is an unproductive approach? How quick am I to give up, thinking I misunderstood the message?

Tenacity is found in hope, and hope is found in purpose. Once we understand that our only purpose in life is to delight our creator, then hope becomes a natural extension of our being. Hope in a promise made thousands of years ago. Hope is the fuel that drives the engine of obedience.

“Optimism is a wish without warrant; Christian hope is a certainty, guaranteed by God himself. Optimism reflects ignorance as to whether good things will ever actually come. Christian hope expresses knowledge that every day of his life, and every moment beyond it, the believer can say with truth, on the basis of God’s own commitment, that the best is yet to come.” – J. I. Packer

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Great Stories

Great Stories

It was once said that all great stories begin in tragedy. I understand that. Great stories need to triumph over adversity. Without adversity, the story losses its punch. We must feel the visceral response to injustice before the exhilarating happiness of victory. The more visceral the injustice, the more satisfying the victory.  

A Great Story

Mohamed El Bachiri, husband of Loubna, 34, a gym teacher at a school in Schaerbeek, father to three small boys under 10. He described his wife as beautiful, always smiling, and an extraordinary mother and wife. In His Book “Een jihad Van Liefde” he made this statement after his wife was murdered during a terrorist attack in Brussels in 2016;

“I need to express a kind of anger – which is legitimate. My anger expresses itself in the struggle of love. Sharing love. That’s my way of violently responding to the terrorist.”

There are so many words in this statement that grab me. He states a “kind of anger that is legitimate” and ties it to love. He goes on to talk about violent love. It builds a vision in my head of a man so driven by love that he holds his enemy in a bear hug and won’t let go until the other relents. That he will fight for the right to love the unlovable. He will sacrifice for those who do not deserve it because it is the only way to win.

This is a story worth remembering.

The Greatest Story

Christmas is upon us. It is not one of the greatest stories, but it is the greatest story ever. A man, God in human form, was born that responded in violent love for us. He came into this world not just to die for us but to suffer for us. He took on the adversity of all our sins over the millenniums. His life of love and sacrifice ended on a cross. He holds us in a bear hug to this day.

I don’t know how many of us have a visceral reaction to the actions of our lives. How much do we hate the injustice of who we were (or still are)? How tall is that tsunami of sin that hangs over our existence? Mine brings me to tears. The harm I have done to others is almost inexhaustible.

I was reading and rereading Romans chapter 7, particularly verses 14 through 23. Paul describes me to a T.

Romans 7:15, I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”

In his commentary on this chapter, J.D. Greear talks about turning from a battle we cannot win, overcoming sin, to a battle we cannot lose, Christ’s salvation. This is a struggle for me. How do I turn from my past and embrace my future? This is especially difficult when my present sometimes looks like my past. Paul answers that very question later on in Romans.

Our Story Continues

Romans 8:5-6, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So, letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”

This Christmas, think about things that please the spirit. Cast away thoughts of our sinful nature and celebrate the most violent love man has ever known. Reread many of the great stories in the Bible. Celebrate the God who is.

“Many of us have merely added Christ to our lives as another interest in an already busy and otherwise overcrowded schedule. This sort of thinking has watered down the meaning of a personal relationship with Christ. The problem is that we often seek the God we want, but do not know the God who is.” – Patrick Morley, Walking with Christ in the Details of Life: 75 Devotional Readings.

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Transform Thanksgiving into Everyday

Now that the turkey has been stuffed and the family stories regaled, it is time to transform Thanksgiving into everyday life. How do we infuse our everyday living to become a daily Thanksgiving feast?

Romans 12:13, “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

This is the time of the year when we become introspective. Thanksgiving allows us to think of all the things we are thankful for. Christmas is the backdrop for showing love and appreciation for all who have touched our lives and those we do not know but feel compassion for their plight. New Year’s follows Christmas, a time of renewal. We commit to being a better version of ourselves. We are thankful, appreciative, and fortunate — not all of us.

This story is about the importance of dwelling on the richness of our lives. It should remind us of how important it is to share that richness with others.

Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

An Incredible Day

Atlanta has a spring art festival in Piedmont Park. It is a spectacular event both for its content and its setting. The Dogwood Art Festival is in the spring when the city is in full bloom. There are Dogwoods, Azaleas, and Bradford Pears in full bloom. Although the Dogwood Festival runs the entire weekend, I go down early Friday. I like that time; I can talk with the artist as they set up their booths before the crowds arrive. These folks are incredibly skilled. They have an absolute passion for what they do. You can see and hear their joy as they take the time to discuss their art. This passion is also reflected in the quality of their work and the prices they charge. The Dogwood Art Festival is not a mom-and-pop affair.

This particular year the weather was incredible—Azure blue skies and cumulus clouds that remind you of cotton candy. The gorgeous white and pink dogwoods are in full bloom. The temperature was almost non-existent, feeling neither cold nor warm, absolutely picturesque. The vendors were excited to show their creations. It was a joy to be alive.

A Chance Encounter

After walking around, I settled comfortably on a picnic bench not far from the vendor row to watch people. I like watching people. It fills me with curiosity. I was also growing hungry and deciding what cardiac-inducing meal to eat. Apparently, healthy food was taboo in the by-laws of art festival management.

A woman sat down on the bench across that table from me. She was in late middle age, conservatively dressed, and unremarkable in many ways, the kind of person you might see in a crowd without ever really seeing her, that perfect blend of human camouflage. She said, “I could live a year on the price of one of these things.” Without looking, I agreed.

Proverbs 19:17, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”

God has this incredible way of introducing me to the exact person He wants me to engage with. One thing led to another, and we started talking. I bought her lunch. She was living in a halfway house after being released from prison. Life had been long and hard and disappointing. That once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could have taken her life in a different direction was always just outside her reach. The hurdle in her life was guys. They came into her life at the wrong time with mischievous intent.

There was determination and grit in her outlook. She had a vision but no plan to get there. It wasn’t a grand vision. It was a vision to become normal. You know, 40-hour workweek, home, friends, and maybe family. Everyone has a unicorn; this was hers. If anything, I am a guy with a plan. Our meeting wasn’t serendipity or coincidence; it was part of God’s plan for her.

Stepping out in Faith

We started talking about God’s plan for her life. God’s plan was for her to prosper. But she had to be willing to surrender her plan for His. He would be faithful in His promise if she would. The first step was to find a church that had good scripture-based teaching. Then she needed to join an accountability group within that church that she could trust. We talked for about 90 minutes. She was cheerful, engaged, and asked questions.

Hebrews 13:16, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

The transformation I saw was that she sat more upright. Her face softened. Her eyes were brighter, more focused. She stated that she knew her plan didn’t work. She had heard the message of Christ in prison and she felt she needed to look into it further. But she always put it off. She knew of a church that had members she knew. They came by the halfway house. She liked them; they weren’t pushy.

Others plowed the field and planted the seeds in her life; I was fertilizer (be nice; it’s a metaphor). The harvest will come.

1 Corinthians 9:10 “Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest.”

Did she find her unicorn? I don’t know. I do know that God wants me to be obedient for the sake of others and share the bounty of His love for me with them.

Hebrews 6:10, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

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Feeling Thankful

thankful

Does Thanksgiving leave you feeling thankful for all that has transpired in your life or just blessed for the good that has happened? Do you thank God for what didn’t happen as much as what has happened?  Much of our blessings come from the things that God has spared us from.

I think back to when I was considering changing jobs because I got a great offer from a company offering more money and benefits, along with a great job title. My ego wanted to take the offer. But a voice inside my head told me to stay where I was for the time being. It was an irrational decision to turn the offer down, but I trusted the voice in my head. Six months later, the company that made me the offer went bankrupt.

Agur

Proverbs 30:7-9,  “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God.”

Agur reminds us that sometimes we are better off with little. Not getting too much can be the help we need to avoid temptation. Prosperity has its pitfalls. But do we think about that when it comes time to give thanks? Do we take the time to thank our creator for the things He did not give us?

Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

This Thanksgiving, thank God for the great blessings you have experienced in your life. Let Him know how much you appreciate all the good times. But also take the time to consider the times when you didn’t get what you wanted. Think through those disappointing moments. Where did it take you? What good ultimately came out of not getting what you expected? Maybe it was a lost love that turned out to be toxic. Maybe a job you didn’t get led you to a different company and a chance to meet your new best friend.  God can use even something as traumatic as a divorce to create a new chapter in your life.

Rick Warren

“In happy moments, praise God, in difficult moments, seek God, in quiet moments, worship God. In painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.” – Rick Warren

In every moment, thank God. Rick Warren does a great job of summarizing Thanksgiving, feeling thankful for everything that comes our way because all things work for the good of those who love God.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

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Love’s Reaction to Anger

Anger

What is love’s reaction to anger? There is another side of love that we all experience; it is those moments when we can’t seem to avoid being angry. One of my close friends said it this way; “There are moments when we are angry because our children have sinned, but it is not an anger at them, but an anger that sin has crept into their lives.”

Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.”

Interestingly, Paul did not tell the Ephesians not to be angry; he said yet do not sin. My bible group quickly went down the path of righteous indignation as an explanation. There is some validity in that concept, but it is a slippery slope. Someone else had to bring up that in John Jesus did mention “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” How do we demonstrate love in our anger?

Some may preach that we should rid our lives of anger; I’m not sure that was God’s plan.

PHYSIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ANGER

We have to recognize that God built into us a defense mechanism for times when we are in danger; this is the fight or flight response. How does that work? Emotions more or less begin inside two almond-shaped structures in our brains, which are called the amygdala. The amygdala is so efficient at warning us about threats that it gets us reacting before the cortex (the part of the brain responsible for thought and judgment) can check on the reasonableness of our reaction. Inside your brain, neurotransmitter chemicals known as catecholamines are released. These cause you to experience a burst of energy lasting up to several minutes. You experience this burst of energy through increased heart rate and breathing. This burst is behind the common angry desire to seek immediate protection.

James 1:14-15, “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

Although your emotions can rage out of control, the prefrontal cortex of your brain, which is located just behind your forehead, can keep your emotions in proportion. If the amygdala handles emotion, the prefrontal cortex handles judgment. God gave us balance.

BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ANGER

James 1: 19-20, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

Notice that James did not say “does not become angry,” he says “slow to become angry.” The implication is that there are situations in which we may become angry. But he tells us that anger does not produce righteousness.

Psalm 37:8, “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.”

Psalm’s tell us why; anger can lead us to evil. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:27, “do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Uncontrolled anger is a breeding ground for sin. Nowhere that I am aware of does the bible condone anger. It accepts that it does exist and cautions us to control it.

Colossians 3:8, “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”

We are to put them all aside, that is to say: don’t give them a voice. We need to step back and let our frontal cortex control our emotions and react in love.

ANGER ITSELF

If we look at the reasons we become angry, they fall into a few broad buckets. The first bucket is an easy one; it is genuine righteous indignation. This bucket is the easiest to recognize because it is the blatant disregard for scripture. It grows out of the evil acts of non-believers or hypocritical acts from firm believers. These do not fall into grey areas; they are black as coal.

Leviticus 19:17, “‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.”

The second bucket is perceived righteous indignation. Perceived righteous anger is the devil’s playground. Perceived righteous indignation is where we feel we have the religious high ground when our motives are purely personal. The most common is that you treated me poorly, that is ungodly, and I have the right to retribution.

Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord..”

The third bucket is my most dangerous bucket. This bucket is full of pride and insecurity. Pride and insecurity are where I feel little because I am misunderstood or unheard. It is where my perceived value is diminished, and I feel inferior. These moments are where I forget that God made me great and prosperous. I forget I don’t need the validation of others to achieve God’s potential in me. 

Ecclesiastes 7:9, “Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools.”

ANGER AS A PART OF LIFE

For us fallen humans, anger is a part of our lives. Many times, it raises its ugly head before we even recognize it. The best we can do is refuse to give it a voice and seek repentance and comfort in Christ when it happens. When anger does lead to sin, go back to the aggrieved person and ask for forgiveness. The act is more about repentance than actually forgiveness.

Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

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What Are You Doing?

Haggi 1:5-7, “Here is what the Lord who rules over all says:” Think carefully about what you are doing. You have planted much but have harvested little. You eat but are never filled. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but they are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.”

We live busy lives. There is always something that needs our attention. In this technological age, it is almost impossible to slip your electronic leash. People can get to you anywhere, anytime, if you let them. Few of us have the self-control to limit the demands on our time. We are constantly afraid that we will miss something. Something will happen, and we will be the last to know.

Modern life isn’t about a few deep, meaningful relationships; it’s about exposure and personal branding.  Being liked or friended by many strangers is more satisfying than intimacy with a few. It’s all about activity. It’s about perception. It’s about image. You have to find a way to break out of that mold.

Romans 6:16, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient servants, you are a servant to the one you obey, either of sin resulting to death, or service resulting in righteousness.”

Who or what are you a servant of? Who or what rules your life? Is it the demands of your job? Is it the demands of your family or friends? Do you have a political or social cause that occupies your attention? When your attention is required, do you speed up or slow down? Do you give it the attention it needs or quickly move on to the next? Are most of the things that take your time inconveniences or opportunities?

This is the challenge of the modern world. We are overwhelmed with information and distractions. It is easy to lose our purpose. We forget that we were created for God’s pleasure. We were not created to build a faster doohickey or bigger thingmabob. We were not gifted to serve worldly endeavors but to use worldly endeavors to serve God.

Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

If you struggle with peace in your life, it is most likely the byproduct of your focus. If you fragment your effort between too many conflicting interests, the result is dissatisfaction with all of them. You achieve much but are not satisfied. You are serving the wrong master.

Luke 9:25, “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”

Remember that your purpose is to please God when life seems to come at you in waves. Try to frame your current situation within the confines of how it will affect your relationship with Him. Remember that He wants nothing but good for you. The good He wants for you is not material in nature but spiritual.

Matthew 6:25, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

The good life is not the image presented by Wall Street. It’s not titles, cars, big houses, and the trappings of success. Knowing you have found your place in the universe brings peace, tranquility, and a sense of purpose. It is the comfort of knowing God loves you unconditionally and will not allow anything to happen to you that He has not already prepared you for.

Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

Work hard. Do well. Chase your passion. But remember whom you serve and why. Only there will you find the contentment you are looking for.

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Experiencing Answered Prayer

Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

I love it when God validates prayer. First, let me say that this week has been a real downer for me. You don’t want to read the posts I created. They are all dark and gloomy. Bad things were happening all around me. They are not the type of things I want the world to read. So, I was stuck without something I thought God would want me to put out there. The answer is always prayer. I prayed for His word to flow through me. I got a twofer; Two-for-one. God answered my immediate prayer by reminding me of another prayer a year ago, almost to this very day.

John 5:14, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

On August 24, 2021, I published a post entitled My Last Day in Toknok. It was a lament concerning three fabulous women I had met in Toknok, Kyrgyzstan. We had met for dinner in a small restaurant next to what I could only call the most Chucky-like amusement park I had ever seen. This place was scary during the daylight; at night, it took on a new level of spookiness. The conversations were about the challenges of being a single, young, college-educated Christian woman in a predominantly Muslim country. Finding a husband and a career seemed almost insurmountable; it was a fundamental math problem.

Psalm 66:19, “But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.”

Here is the last paragraph of that post:

“The sadness is that when I come back, and I will, there can only be one sad ending or another. These young women will have chased God’s vision for their lives, and I may never see them again. Or they will not, and I will see a shell of the person they could have been. My selfish prayer is that God’s plan for them will be revealed in a way that brings us both joy.”

“My selfish prayer is that God’s plan for them will be revealed in a way that brings us both joy.” That was my prayer, selfish and self-centered. I wanted them to experience all the joy God had in store for them and simultaneously make me happy. At the time, it seemed improbable at best, impossible at its worst.

Luke 11:10, “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.”

Well, let’s see what God has to say about that. First, on June 3, 2022, I wrote a post entitled An Incredible Answer to Prayer. Maftuna, the first of the three young ladies, married a great Christian man named Ravil. Their wedding video is a joy to watch. But God is not done. Today I received word that Nadya, the second of the three, is now engaged to Timothy, a pastor’s son. The three of us met a few months ago in the same restaurant where Nadya announced her dating Timothy but also voiced her concern. A concern that all of us at the table immediately dismissed as over-thinking.

Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you, and tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”

That brings us to Nelly, the third and youngest of the three women. Best I know at this moment, Nelly is not engaged. But she has moved from Toknok to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. In Bishkek, she is involved in a Christian outreach organization and is pursuing an opportunity to open/operate a Christian coffee house. God is not done with her yet, but He is establishing a path.

John 16:24, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”

The last answered prayer? You are reading it. God warmed my heart by letting me know that He is still at work when all seems bleak and dismal. We may not see what He is doing, but we can be assured He is doing it.

Psalm 5:3, “In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.”

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Sic Parvis Magna

1 Peter 3:3-4, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as elaborate hairstyles and wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

Sic Parvis Magna is the motto of Sir Francis Drake. Sir Francis Drake was knighted by the Queen and given a ring inscribed with this motto. It translates to Greatness from Small Beginnings. It means that anyone can become great no matter where they started. It gives a sense of hope to those who dare to believe it.

Why should you dare to believe such an outrageous statement? What is there about you that greatness would rest its head on your lap? Maybe it is the belief that greatness is relative. The truly great, the big, do the world-renowned acts of courage and bravery. The common great, those who are small, are appreciated for their small contribution to the welfare of humanity. They are the invisible great, the meat and potatoes of greatness.

Isaiah 54:4, “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. “

God implanted in each one of us at creation the seeds of greatness. Not the invisible great, but the greatness that reverberates through time. It is immortal greatness that bridges generations and millenniums. There will be people from times you will never see that will give thanks for your act of courage. 

1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

How many times have we told ourselves, or someone else, if we hadn’t been in a particular place at a specific time, doing whatever, we never would have had that chance encounter? Ester spent her whole life wondering why the things that happened to her kept happening. Then one day, she knew. Joseph spent time in prison, wrongly accused, before he saved all of Israel.  Greatness lurks in the shadows until its time.

I know a man named Robert, a good man, a Godly man. He has had a dramatic impact on my life without him ever noticing it. We were in each other’s company many times but seldom talked. I watched him. I watched his grace, compassion, and almost innate ability to bring peace to every situation. He was unselfish to a fault. Greatness was so part of who he was that he never noticed. Today, as I write this, his family is by his side as he says his last goodbyes. It is way too early in his life. I don’t always understand the fairness of it. God is God, and I am not. But I see the waves starting to crescendo. The ripples of his life growing to be tsunamis for generations. That, folks, is the greatness of God exemplified through man.

Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Why do we close our eyes when we pray, when we cry, when we kiss, when we dream? Because the most beautiful things in life are not seen but felt by our hearts.  – anonymous

Never discount who you are in Christ. Never minimize your potential or your value. Never question your relevance. Pursue Him, pursue His plan for you, and you will prosper according to His will. Your greatness will ripple through eternity. Lives you may never see or know will be changed. Greatness is no more than compassion, love, kindness, and obedience to the will of God. Greatness is not a trumpet’s sound but a child’s whisper. It is the moment when you give of yourself in a way you thought impossible. It is when sacrifice is seen as gain.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”

Greatness from Small Beginnings. Eternity with Christ for someone else that was started in your life. And that new life spread to another, who passed it on to another, and it kept growing.

2 Corinthians 10:12, “We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.”

When you think that you don’t matter or that your life is an endless challenge of meaningless tasks, remember, there is someone special that God has put in your path. You are eternity to them. Seeing our greatness is not looking inward but looking outward. Someone took a chance to be great for us. Now it is our turn.

Hebrews 10:35–36, “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”

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The Fixer

Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

I’m in my home town visiting my family. I spent my “formative” years here. Although I have been away for the better part of half a century, I still call this home. The kids I went to high school with are still kids to me. The images of them hanging out is still fresh in my mind.

THE PAST

One of my schoolmates just passed away. When she was in high school with me, she was a sweet, fun-loving girl with her whole life in front of her. Over time, disappointment and drugs took that away from her. I’m a guy, and being a guy; I want to fix things. I’m also an engineer, so double that. One of the hardest lessons I had to learn in life is that there are certain things that I can’t fix. No amount of trying and praying and working was going to improve it. Some things are the exclusive purview of God.

Psalm 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

I love the striving. I love overcoming. I love the against-all-odds victories. I relish the emotional high of seeing someone rise above their circumstances to achieve the improbable. But it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes we make choices that are hard to undo. We go in directions that are hard to reverse. We pick a life that doesn’t end well. I hate that. I hate that terrible endings are even possible.  

The truth is that God gave us free will. That free will allowed us to demonstrate our love for Him by freely choosing Him. It also means that we are free not to choose Him. We can not make that decision for anyone but ourselves. The guy side of me has a problem with that concept. Even though I make bad decisions for myself, I still want to help others make good decisions. It is most apparent when it’s too late. It is with regret and remorse that I look back.

John 6:40, “For this is the will of my Father that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

THE PRESENT

We all have people in our lives that we want to see for eternity. We want them to share the beauty and majesty of eternity with our Maker. But we believe there is time. There is time to share the gospel. There is time to have that difficult conversation. There is time to save a life for eternity. One day we find out there isn’t any more time.

Psalms 27:4, “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

Don’t get me wrong; you can’t fix it any more than I can. We each have to choose. But do we choose with full knowledge? It is easy to feel responsible somehow. You knew them. You knew a little about what they were going through, but you’re a thousand miles away. Your orbits crossed sometimes but never synched up. What could you have done? Nothing in some cases. But there are a lot of cases you could do something. Would you? You know people who need to hear full disclosure concerning their decisions.

Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Their soul gets pushed down into the mire of their lives and suffocates. They live the only life that they know. Unconditional love and redemption are not topics they believe in. Mostly these are not bad people; they do good for others and are positive examples to those around them. Their focus is worldly. Their actions are self-supporting. They believe when life is over, it is over; there is nothing else. I am sometimes surprised at how many activists don’t have an eternal view. These are people who fight against evil but don’t believe in it.

1 Peter 2:15, “For this is the will of God that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.”

THE FUTURE

Where most great intentions fail is in the implementation. It is in the execution that we trip and fall. No, we can’t fix certain things, but we can create an environment that attracts curiosity. We can build relationships that expose full knowledge. We can take a minute to step into the lives of those around us to draw them in. In the end, it is they that must accept or reject Christ. It is up to us to lay the groundwork for that decision. That groundwork is not just words but actions; the way we live our lives. Then we let God take over.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

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