Let Your Light Shine!

Advent Series: 2Tim 1 Gifts!

The world is blind to the truth both visually and orally. We know that the enemy has blinded them so that they may not see the glorious Christ. They will turn away from the truth and turn to myths yet of all seasons, Christmas offers opportunities that open hearts. People are more open to the gospel message because it paints a picture of the many and beautiful gifts that God has promised to those who believe in him. Christmas gives us an opportunity for the three gifts that the Father has bestowed upon us of Grace, Mercy, and Peace to shine forth!  We have them in abundance because we know that every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. In addition, God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control—which by the way is a Fruit of the Spirit!

It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;  If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. God wants us to be open to the opportunities that he places in our grasp. We must be ready in season and out of season with the message and be ready whether it is convenient or not!

Pray that God uses your gifts this season to proclaim the truth of the gospel just as Jesus said: let your light shine before people so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven. [Matt 5].

 

Peace & Perspective

Romans 12:18 It’s All About Perspective

Paul reminds the Romans reading his letter: If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. What if you are finding the situation in which you are nearly impossible? What do you do then? First, you return to his words at the beginning of this chapter: I exhort you or I urge you or I beseech you. Paul is not arguing for them to obey because of him but because of God. It has to start there realizing the price paid and the sorrow of our Lord’s heart to forgive us when we were unworthy of such love and peace. We have to return to the words of our Lord:  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God,” [Matt 5] This is the “when the rubber hits the road” section.

Putting life into that perspective we can move from the outward and inward expressions of no peace to peace. We can look at the problem through God’s eyes and see His love pouring through us to the person or circumstance. It’s all about perspective. I hear you saying but you don’t know my situation or the persons involved. But, even though, reader, I don’t know, God does. He wants you to stop and employ prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit. He wants to use you as His conduit to bring peace.

It is just that simple.

 

 

A Letter from God to You

Are you feeling blessed today? God has written a love letter to you:

Numbers 6:24-27 The Aaronic Blessing

“The Lord bless you and protect you; The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;  The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”’

Within this beautiful blessing prayer, the name of Yahweh was prominently displayed as coming from Him, not a person. The words bless, keep, gracious, countenance and peace are sent from heaven upon His people. These are the words that God desires to bestow upon His people. Later Jeremiah reminded the Israelites in captivity of God’s love. “I have loved you with an everlasting love. That is why I have continued to be faithful to you.” [Jer 31:3]

So how does that translate to NT believers who are Gentiles? We were a wild olive shoot but are grafted in among the Israelites. This blessing is for us as well.

Today as you go about your daily routine stop and pray this blessing this way:  Father, bless me and protect me, make your face shine upon me and be gracious to me; lift up your face upon me and give me peace. Claim this promise from Jeremiah and make it personal. Father, I know you have loved me with your everlasting love and you have been faithful to me. With this upon our mind step forth into your work with His blessing upon you because you are His child!

What’s a letter without a signature? God adds his:

I will put my name upon you and bless you.

 

 

 

 

My Hope When I Fall…..

Mark ended his gospel message with hope but there was one disciple who still was lingering and wondering; Peter. Where is he emotionally, spiritually, physically at this time as he considers the possibilities of what may lie ahead? He recoiled at the memory of his courtyard experience where he had denied Jesus three times just as prophesied and had left weeping bitterly. From that point he returned to the only safe haven he knew; with his beloved friends, the disciples who had followed Jesus. John tells us that they were hidden behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. Perhaps they were wondering if they too would be crucified if others found them knowing that their very accents betrayed them. As they sat and mourned the loss of the one they had followed for three years their thoughts did not return to the words of Jesus: “when I am raised, I will meet you in Galilee” but rather their thoughts replayed and rehearsed the past few days and the questions of why, when, how and more. Peter of all would be wondering if ever he could forgive himself and could or would God forgive him? We too have times when we fall and wonder and at these times where we can turn. It is then that we have this promise from Psalm 37:

24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.

Did Peter recall these words? We know that John tells us that after Jesus’ resurrection Peter was fully restored…but we are not there yet. Peter yet has to walk the road of misery, mourning, wondering and questioning. But, later he will write what truly happened in his personal letter to those who are suffering. He knows the path and he knows how to encourage. Listen to his words and be encouraged if you too have like Peter experienced a time of falling away: “His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Today, if you are walking with Peter through the agony of dismay, discouragement, despondency for having fallen in some way; take heart, when you repent there is hope. Where there is hope there is joy. Where there is joy there is peace and God’s protection. It is then that the rest of Psalm 37 rings forth with words of comfort and peace: Trust in the Lord, Delight yourself in the Lord, Commit your way to the Lord; Rest in the Lord. This is our journey back to God.

 

The Jesus Prayer

Recently our granddaughter returned from her 4^th year in SLU (Student Leadership University). When asked what one thing she took away from her week she gave this reply “May I walk so others see Christ in me and because of my walk they desire to follow Christ as I did.” Humbled and silenced. Is this our desire as well? As Paul closes out his letter to the Roman church in chapter 15, he offers once again this advice: be a people lover not a people pleaser through giving these precious Jewish/Gentile believers eight guidelines.

1. Those who are strong in the faith bear the burdens of the weak in the faith
2. Please others before we please ourselves following the example of Christ
3.  Know the OT which was written for our instruction
4. Be unified with one another
5. Receive one another just as Christ received you
6. Walk according to love
7. Be a servant as Christ was
8. Glorify and Praise God for His mercy

True unity demands sensitivity to one another. The world is watching and it desires peace and harmony; if there is one place they should find it; it is in the church. There they should see it in us and so desire to seek that same unified spirit. This can happen only in and through Christ. It might be good to look at two other passages as we strive for this goal.

The “Be-Attitude”: Matt 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.”

The Jesus Prayer: John 17:21 “that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.”

Can we truly say that we are people lovers? It will show in our attitude, our actions, our prayers. Can we say that we desire that others see Christ in me and because of my love for others, my desire for unity that they will also seek to follow Christ? Is this our prayer today?

Living Righteously in the Body of Christ.

Romans 14 always brings to forefront tears for me as I see the Body of Christ being torn asunder with differing opinions. I have to step aside and ask is there a grain of truth in this ounce of criticism and if so in light of eternity is this something I need to alter in my life so that the enemy will not use as his tool to divide the fellowship of my church/fellowship of believers? Maybe that is the question we must all ask ourselves as there are many in the church and outside the church that cry: Hypocrite! Hypocrite! We could all share from our experiences family members, friends, co-workers, etc. that have said this to us and it causes us to cringe. Could it be that in some respects they are right? Let’s dig in and see what we are to learn and then more practically what we are to apply.

Paul addresses this full head on in chapter 14 but does not use the word hypocrite but rather bluntly says “do not condemn” and “do not judge.” Yesterday we talked about how to live righteously in an unrighteous world. Today Paul asks us the same question but in regards to how we live in the Body of Christ. Again we need to come back to our premise of yesterday: we are to love our neighbor and sometimes loving comes at a price, comes when we are face to face with those who differ with us. How do we do that lovingly? That is the question.

First off, Paul addressed two situations that the church in Rome was experiencing and which we find are the same two that are still with us today: food/drink and days on which we worship. Some say it is ok to eat certain foods, another says no. Some say it is ok to drink alcohol and another says no. Some say you must worship only on Saturday and others say not so, worship on Sunday or any other day is ok. Oh the tools that Satan uses to divide and he will use whatever he can to destroy the Body of Christ.  We must remember that our enemy, Satan, is wily, and he knows where we are weak and where we are strong. (2Co 2:11 Satan… (for we are not ignorant of his schemes); and in fact he often disguises himself as an angel of light (2Cor 11:4). He will seek to divide and cause disunity and what better place than within the Body of Christ? Let’s get practical here and see what the Word of God says.  

Paul uses very strong language in this situation: vs 4 “Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant?” Then he also reminds us that we are “not to condemn” nor are we to “judge.” And if we didn’t get those phrases he adds another: DO NOT to be a stumbling block for another. So if we are not to do that, then what key elements should be a part of our life?

Beloved, the key is found in vs 7: “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

14:19 “So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.” Did you note that the word peace seems to be cropping up over and over from chapter 12 to 14? Did you also note that he inserts peace between righteousness and joy? If you do a search you will find that Paul used that word 13 times in this book.

Today may we seek peace above all else. May this be our mandate for today, Rom 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. And if we disagree on the points of food/drink and days–remember that Satan is lurking, waiting and looking for ways to divide us. Ecc 4:12 Although an assailant may overpower one person, two can withstand him. Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken. Let’s keep the three strand:

          J – Jesus O- Others Y- Yourself = Jesus righteousness, peace, joy

The Blah Days…How Do You Get Through Them?

There are days when it feels like you have experienced nothing but the blahs, nothing but problems, as if someone has used you for a punching bag. Do you turn to a self-pity party or do you turn to God? How does turning to God change your perspective? In all these three psalms (86-87-88) the authors find themselves in such straits and offer to us the prescription for those times.

What to do: Center your focus upon God through prayer…the psalmist cries out: God incline your ear to me, be gracious to me.

State the circumstance to God: I am needy, experiencing affliction, trouble, feeling forsaken by friend and foe, and even sometimes feeling alienated, abandoned, alone, rejected, hidden from God’s view.

Be honest: Sometimes even feeling angry at the circumstance, at friend/foe and even God.

Remind yourself of the character of God:  God you are good, forgiving, slow to anger (unlike “me”), abundant in lovingkindness (said 3 times which is a good reminder for all of us), great, comforter, deliverer, helper, merciful, gracious.

GOD YOU ALONE ARE GOD!

This is how you get through those times we all experience from time to time. So when you feel like you have experienced the “one-two-three punch” follow these steps and find peace, reconciliation, and a renewed view of the circumstance.