Devotions

Are you spiritually alive?  That’s the question that everyone needs to answer.  The scriptures are pretty clear that everyone is dead until they are brought to life by Christ. 

Ephesians 2:2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

I like how John Piper puts it… We are not in the doghouse.  We are in the morgue.  It’s not about being a better person.  What we need is a resurrection.  We need to be made alive again.  The good news of the gospel is that Jesus has come to do just that.  By his grace and through forgiveness, we can be made alive again.

²⁴ “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. ²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”

This week tell someone that you love that Jesus came so we could be made alive again.

I really like Lebron, and I’m glad he’s coming back to Ohio.  And while I think the Nike campaign is clever, this week we went over Acts 10 where Peter declares the original “We are witnesses” speech.  It is amazingly powerful.

    39″We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Peter witnessed the death of Christ.  He also witnessed the resurrection and even ate with Jesus after he arose.  He is to declare that Jesus is Lord of all and the judge of the living and the dead.  And then comes the wonderful promise – everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.

Our message is very much the same.  We can declare the transformative power of the gospel.  We used to be dead in trespasses and sins, but thanks be to the risen Christ, we have been changed.  We can face the judge because His righteousness has been applied to our account.  We have forgiveness if only we will trust Him.

Will you declare the gospel?  Can I get a witness?

#ADivineAppt

“Desperate is a strong word. That’s why I like it. People who are desperate are rude, frantic, and reckless. Desperate people are explosive, focused, and uncompromising in their desire to get what they want. The New Testament is filled with desperate people, people who barged into private dinners, screamed at Jesus until they had his attention, or destroyed the roof of someone’s house to get to him. People who are desperate for spirituality very seldom worry about the mess they make on their way to be with Jesus.”

—Mike Yaconelli

Desperate.  We tell people, “Be careful, you don’t want to come off sounding desperate.”  And yet all throughout the scriptures we see desperate people making their way to God and to Christ.  There’s the woman with the issue of blood, the friends who lowered their friend down to Christ, a father seeking help for his little girl and more.

It seems that being desperate or sharing our helplessness with our Father is not something to be avoided, but rather a key ingredient to prayer.  We have been giving many gifts, abilities, talents and resources.  But the one thing we must never forget is our dependence upon God.

Take time this week to remind yourself of your need for God to work in your life.  Then take a little more time to ask for His provision.  Then stand back and watch the great things the Lord will do in your life as you depend on him.

Oh, and don’t worry if you sound a little… desperate.

It’s been a crazy week.  Trying to push out technology to 10,000 students and teachers is no easy task.  But at the same time I’ve been reflecting on resting.

What drains you…

It’s good to identify what drains you.  What really is wearing you out?  Little Sleep, poor diet, and  too many commitments can all be things that drain us.  We can even be drained doing the things we love.  If you can limit what is draining you, it may help you with your rest.  Unfortunately, we don’t always have that choice.  So if you can’t limit what is draining you, then maybe you can figure out what re-fills you. 

You need to Refuel and Re-fill…

Work can be draining and ministry can be draining as well, but what fills you back up?  I think this is where Jesus’ invitation comes into play.  “Come unto me… and I will give you rest”  We need time with Christ to refuel.  I’m still working on this, but guarding your time and calendar is one of the most important things anyone can do to stay spiritually strong.

For me, music is often what re-fills.  It seems like I can be incredibly drained, but some time playing the guitar or listening to some Shane and Shane and things are just a little better.

So the next time your stressed take Jesus up on his invitation.  Spend some time with Him and Give It A Rest.

Sometimes life is just plain stressful. We’ve all been there. We get wrapped up and pulled into things that really aren’t all that important, and yet we are still drawn in. We end up spending so much time on temporary things. Tonight we looked at 2 Corinthians 4.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 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.

This is such a great reminder to focus on what matters.  What have you done today that will matter in eternity?  Here are a few ways to do something for eternity every day..

1. Listen to someone.  This is one of the most loving things that just about anyone can do.
2. Pray for someone.  So simple, yet we easily miss an opportunity to lay up treasures here.
3. Work hard.  Do everything to the glory of God.
4. Tell Your Story.  Find simple ways to share what Jesus has done for you.
5. Serve Someone.  Look for a way to help somebody else.

Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Waiting can be frustrating, but it can also be amazing when we see what God had us waiting on.  See if this story speaks to you the way it did to me about waiting…

THE ANT, THE PRAYER, AND THE CONTACT LENS

A true story: Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was scared to death, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took a hold on the rope, and started up the face of that rock. Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda’s eye and knocked out her contact lens.

Well, here she is on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn’t there. Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff. She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that Bible verse that says, “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth.” She thought, “Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me.”

Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, “Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?” Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it!

Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, “Lord, I don’t know why You want me to carry this thing. I can’t eat it, and it’s awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I’ll carry it for You.”

We need to remember these words when we are asked to do something that we feel is too heavy for us to do and or carry. “God, I don’t know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it’s awfully heavy. But, if you want me to carry it, I will.”

(From a sermon by Maurice McCarthy, Ruth – My Redeemer Lives, series Intro, 5/9/2011)