Someone Else's Servant

I was thinking about this over the last few days. I think we all fall into this, in one form or another. We think we know what's best for somebody else: he should exercise more, she should eat better, she dresses too flashy, he doesn't go to church, they don't go to small group, they don't baptize "right," you should be dressed to the "nines" for church, you don't use the right version of the Bible, and so on and so forth. If we haven't said one of these things, it's been similar. We've all done it, usually with the best intentions. We know that we don't have it all together, but if they could just "get it together" in the areas where we've got it together, the world would be a better place. Of course, that wouldn't even satisfy us, we'd just find something else to poke at.

Paul writes, "Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand," (Romans 14:4). Ouch! Who am I to judge another one of God's kids? Judging with the best of intentions is still judging. The Bible is clear: my job is to invite, to love on, to encourage, to lift up. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to do the rest. I had a friend once tell me, "It's our job to go catch the fish. It's the job of the Holy Spirit to clean them." We "catch" people through love, encouragement, and invitations, not with put-downs and our noses in the air. Men are made of dust; women of man's rib. What are dust and rib to judge what God has called beautiful?

Let's pray:
Lord, forgive me. I know that too many times I've looked at another of your beautiful sons and daughters and wondered why they weren't doing it "like me" or "like my church." Father, forgive me my foolish pride. As far as the world is concerned, I am nothing but rib. You have called me beautiful, as You have called all Your children beautiful. I'm sorry that I called them less. Lord, give me your eyes to see them as you see them. Give me your heart to love them as you love them. And Lord, give me the wisdom to know how to love them. Thank you, Father, for seeing me as more than rib and dust, and I thank you all the more for loving me as I am. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Not Against Flesh & Blood

Since the first time I heard her, I've been a fan of Joyce Meyer. Her words are life giving and funny and, more often than not, I feel compelled to action because of her words. God has anointed her mouth to speak His words to His people--although she'll be the first to admit that her mouth has also gotten her in a lot of trouble. In our small group at work, we are studying words and the power in words. As a woman, God has blessed me with a lot of words that I feel compelled to use up every day. However, how I use them up, what I choose to say, is my choice.

One of the things we did yesterday in group was to read our favorite scripture and give a brief explanation as to why. Now, my favorite scripture has always been John 16:33, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. It gives me encouragement when things happen, because it is Christ who lives in me who has already overcome the world, so I need not fear. That has always been my favorite verse, but I'm really starting to "get to know" (as the Spirit brings this to my remembrance) Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood..." That means that I am not fighting with my friends, my parents, my siblings, or any other human. My real fight is with the enemy. It's hard to remember that when its flesh and blood speaking the words that pierce your heart, but it's the truth. The worst part is that you can't control someone else...but you can and are responsible for controlling you. I've heard Joyce Meyer say, "I'm not Holy Spirit Jr., and I don't want the position." It's not my responsibility to control, convict, or condemn anybody else. I am only responsible for me.

Someone once said that the best way to defeat the devil is to praise the Lord and pray for God's kids. If you're feeling hurt in your heart over the words that someone spoke, let this be your prayer, as it is also becoming mine: Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you, (Psalm 51:10-12). And when the Lord has restored our hearts, we can sing and dance and say: Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs...Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name, (Psalm 100:1-2, 4).

Push Through

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it ~ Hebrews 4:16.

Our dog, Peyton, has a routine he follows every morning. He goes out, he gets fed, he burps, and then he stands at the door to the office where I'm spending time with God. He'll stand there and breathe heavily and wait for me to notice him. When I do, I tell him to "push through," push the door open and come one in. Peyton then comes, gets 30 seconds of love, and then is content to lay down or leave the room.

God wants us to be like that. He wants us to come boldly to His throne. Sometimes, we have to push through people, circumstances, or other obstacles, but He always wants us to come. If you have a request for the Lord, if you need His grace and mercy, then He beckons you today, "Push through whatever is blocking you, and come to me." He is our heavenly Father, and more than anything, He loves to spend time with us. Push through to spend time with Him, today.

When I am Weak

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart. I have overcome the world ~ John 16:33

Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I [my flesh] am weak, than I [Christ's power in me] am strong. ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature [perfect, finished] and complete [in all parts], not lacking anything. ~ James 1:2-4

[All kinds of trials] have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and my result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ~ 1 Peter 1:7

When God has called us for His purposes and gives us a vision, a test is always certain to come. At first glance, most people--myself included--would think Paul was off his rocker when he said, "Consider it pure joy" when your world falls apart and you're on shaky ground. We've all been there: in the midst of the muck and the yuck. Paul, as you may know, is 100% human, and probably when he was in the middle--especially the first few times--he considered it muck, too. It was when he looked back on it and saw that Christ's power was with him and in him and on him, that he was able to say, "Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly."

A lot of people are going through a lot of things right now--"Christ follower" and "non-Christ follower" alike. We're all facing some kind of hurt, hang up, or heart ache. However, if we will realize that when Christ's power--the power of the Holy Spirit--is in us (and He's there if we've invited Him in), then we can do all things, endure all things, and conquer all things. It is not we--not our flesh, our human bodies, not our human minds--who are doing it, but Christ's mighty power that lives inside of us.

If you are going through something--anything--today and you feel weak, I encourage you to pray this prayer: Lord, I don't have strength in me and I can't do it on my own. But Lord, You have strength, and You have might, and You have power--power that raised Christ from the dead. Lord, I pray that you would fill me with a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit today, that I may walk in Your strength, Your boldness, and Your might. Lord, I don't want to do it on my own anymore, but I want to partner with You, so that, as it says in Your word, "Christ's power may rest on me," and we will finish this thing to completeness. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you have promised to see this through with me and I will never be alone. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Friend

I no longer call you servants...instead, I have called you friends ~ John 15:15

Think about your friends, the people you know and who know you. What makes you friends? Chances are, it's your relationship--the time you've taken to spend with each other and get to know one another. God is very much like that. He wants to know and be known by us. Have we taken the time to get to know Him?

Think about this statement: Rest is the result of a decision to believe God.

Let that linger a moment. Pastor Alex Anderson said that rest is the result of a decision to believe God. We won't have rest until we can believe God--believe what He can and will do in our lives, believe that He loves us with an everlasting love, believe that He will never leave nor forsake us. We won't believe God until we trust God. We won't trust God until we know Him, intimately. And we will never know God until we spend time with Him.

If you're feeling dry, poured out, and restless, let me encourage you, refreshing is available to those who seek to know God. He is the only one who can fill you the way you need to be filled, and satisfy your dry places. Call out to your God, your Father, you Friend, ask Him to come and fellowship with you today.

One More

Matthew 17:20 says, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed..." but what does that mean? Pastor Randy Bezet said, "Heaven is full of answers to prayers for people who gave up too soon." In his testimony about trying to find funding for our new church home so we could reach more people for Christ, Pastor Randy spoke about how every bank was turning us down for a loan. He felt frustrated and ready to give in. But then God spoke to him and said that if he was going to give up, that he didn't belong being our pastor. Pastor Randy said that he told God that he didn't have much faith left, but he had enough faith to try one more time. That one more time was all it took.

The Lord doesn't expect us to complete anything on our own. But if we will take one more step, pray one more prayer, dream one more dream, try one more time, if we will do it once more, then our time, our answer, our promise is right around the corner. 1 Peter 3:6 says, "Like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham...You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear." You may be on the edge and feel as though you can't go on, but do you have faith enough to try once more and leave the rest up to God? Give God your best and leave the results up to Him, that's all He's ever asked us to do anyway.

What's in a Name?

Shakespeare made famous the line, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," (Romeo & Juliet, II, ii, 1-2). However, the Bible says, "A good name is more desirable than great riches," (Proverbs 22:1). So, who is right? Is a chair still a chair, even if we call it a doorbell? Is a girl the same girl, even if we call her something else? The Lord said, "I have called you by name, you are mine," (Isaiah 43:1). The Lord is telling us three important things here: He called us, He called us specifically by name, we belong to Him.

The first thing we need to understand is that when the Lord said that we are His, it's both a term of endearment, as well as possession. If you are a parent, you will more readily understand the Lord's position: when your child does something good, you are proud; when your child does not do good, you feel pain and possibly anger, depending upon what it was. The Lord is the same with us. He is our heavenly Father, our eternal parent, and we are His kids. Our heavenly Father loves us with an everlasting love that we can neither earn, nor diminish, no matter how we act, (Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 8:38). The Lord said, "you are Mine." That should give you a sense of peace. Your heavenly Father loves you, He wants what's best for you, and He's wanting to move you onto the path that He created for you, if you'll only let Him.

The second thing the Lord said when He called us, He used a specific name. The word name here is from the Hebrew word, "shem," which means, "reputation, fame, glory," (blueletterbible.org). In today's society, we understand all about reputation. If someone has a good reputation, you want to do business with them, associate with them, be near them, etc. If someone's reputation has been tarnished, whether by their own actions or anther's accusations, others withdraw from them and that person may never be able to rebuild his reputation. Your reputation, your "name," is very important, both to you and to the Lord. For this very reason, the Lord was known to change a person's name. He changed Jacob, the deceiver to Israel, which means God prevails or God's soldier, (see Genesis 32:28). He also changed Abram and Sari to Abraham and Sarah when God gave Abraham the promise that he would be the father of many nations, (see Genesis 17:5). Our names are important. They define us and tell others about us.

The third thing the Lord said is that He called us. This word called is from the Hebrew word, "qara," which means, "to summon, proclaim, be chosen," (blueletterbible.org). The Lord has called us by our name, our purpose, by the purpose for which He destined us. When the Lord speaks your name over you, you begin to transform into who He desires you to be. In some instances, the Lord changed a person's name. In others, He simply spoke out the name to bring life to His desires for that person. He did this with Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector, until Jesus spoke out his name, which means "pure," (see Luke 19:2). The Lord did the same with Paul (a.k.a. Saul), who was previously the greatest persecutor of the Lord's disciples, (see Acts 9). But when the Lord called out his name, Paul rose up and began to do the Lord's work, preaching the gospel throughout the world.

The Lord calls His beloved forward to do His will. He did this with many throughout the Bible. He did it then, He's done it today, and He'll do it tomorrow. The Lord is calling forth His kids; He's called me, and He's calling you. What has the Lord spoken over you? Perhaps it is your birth name; perhaps it is the name He has chosen for you, for His purposes. What has the Lord called you? Who is He calling you to be, and what will you answer in response?