Thursday, July 21, 2011
July 21, 2011
"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one... Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness... It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable." - C.S. Lewis
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
July 19, 2011
Strength For Weakness
We all have them, and we usually detest them. They frustrate us, discourage us, and sometimes drive us to our knees in desperate prayer. I’m talking about weaknesses.
A weakness is the absence of some positive quality in an object or person; something that is lacking or deficient. In people, it can be a character flaw, a bad habit, a circumstantial impediment, a physical affliction, a spiritual, emotional or relational vulnerability –– some kind of inadequacy that trips us up, holds us back, and limits our potential.
Our human tendency is to highlight our strengths and hide our weaknesses. Admitting our weaknesses runs counter to pride. The view is that weakness is a bad thing. We all want to be perceived as strong, capable, competent, high-caliber people. In the minds of most folks, exposing weakness is something to be avoided at all costs.
While weakness can be a bad thing, according to the Bible it can be converted into something good if we handle it the right way. If we follow God’s plan when dealing with personal weaknesses, what are now liabilities can become incredible assets.
The Apostle Paul learned this lesson. As he prayerfully struggled with some weaknesses in his life, God spoke some transformational words to him. Take a look at what the Lord said to Paul about his weaknesses, and how Paul responded:
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 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 … For when I am weak, then I am strong. –– 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (NIV)
Paul learned, as we should, that weaknesses are great opportunities for God’s grace. When we admit what we lack, where we’re deficient, how incapable we really are, we open a window to great blessings from God. He pours in His grace, His strength, and His power that overcomes and overwhelms our weaknesses. He accomplishes, in and through us, what only He is capable of doing. He transforms our weaknesses into strength!
Where are you weak? What are you struggling with in your life, your circumstances, your character? What deficits are draining and limiting your possibilities and potential? Let these weaknesses draw you into a deeper dependency on God. Know that these weaknesses are great opportunities for God to show Himself strong in and for you. Your weaknesses make you a candidate for His great grace.
Pastor Dale
We all have them, and we usually detest them. They frustrate us, discourage us, and sometimes drive us to our knees in desperate prayer. I’m talking about weaknesses.
A weakness is the absence of some positive quality in an object or person; something that is lacking or deficient. In people, it can be a character flaw, a bad habit, a circumstantial impediment, a physical affliction, a spiritual, emotional or relational vulnerability –– some kind of inadequacy that trips us up, holds us back, and limits our potential.
Our human tendency is to highlight our strengths and hide our weaknesses. Admitting our weaknesses runs counter to pride. The view is that weakness is a bad thing. We all want to be perceived as strong, capable, competent, high-caliber people. In the minds of most folks, exposing weakness is something to be avoided at all costs.
While weakness can be a bad thing, according to the Bible it can be converted into something good if we handle it the right way. If we follow God’s plan when dealing with personal weaknesses, what are now liabilities can become incredible assets.
The Apostle Paul learned this lesson. As he prayerfully struggled with some weaknesses in his life, God spoke some transformational words to him. Take a look at what the Lord said to Paul about his weaknesses, and how Paul responded:
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 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 … For when I am weak, then I am strong. –– 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (NIV)
Paul learned, as we should, that weaknesses are great opportunities for God’s grace. When we admit what we lack, where we’re deficient, how incapable we really are, we open a window to great blessings from God. He pours in His grace, His strength, and His power that overcomes and overwhelms our weaknesses. He accomplishes, in and through us, what only He is capable of doing. He transforms our weaknesses into strength!
Where are you weak? What are you struggling with in your life, your circumstances, your character? What deficits are draining and limiting your possibilities and potential? Let these weaknesses draw you into a deeper dependency on God. Know that these weaknesses are great opportunities for God to show Himself strong in and for you. Your weaknesses make you a candidate for His great grace.
Pastor Dale
Monday, July 18, 2011
MOH Quote
dThis is what Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. 1st Class Leroy Arthur Petry answered the question of what he told President Obama at his award ceremony - very well said!
"And what I -- what I told him was, it makes it a little bit easier to receive this high honor today, sir, because knowing a lot of my heroes, my family and my friends are in the audience. And those are a lot of the -- when we think heroes, there's a lot -- those who are serving in the military, a lot of these generals and colonels and all these officers and sergeant majors and guys -- and young men and women when they join the service, who end up putting 20 years in, and still dedicated and saying, yes, I will, yes, I will -- 30 years, 30-plus years.
It's -- how is that not a hero? To me, it's easy when I see those guys and say, now this -- when I wear this, I wear it for you too because they're still answering the call, and those overseas too.
That -- that's part of -- where I got to say, hey, what's your message going to be? My message is, never forget your -- the -- your fallen heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice, but embrace the living, those continuing to serve in the uniformed services and those overseas continuing in the fight."
"And what I -- what I told him was, it makes it a little bit easier to receive this high honor today, sir, because knowing a lot of my heroes, my family and my friends are in the audience. And those are a lot of the -- when we think heroes, there's a lot -- those who are serving in the military, a lot of these generals and colonels and all these officers and sergeant majors and guys -- and young men and women when they join the service, who end up putting 20 years in, and still dedicated and saying, yes, I will, yes, I will -- 30 years, 30-plus years.
It's -- how is that not a hero? To me, it's easy when I see those guys and say, now this -- when I wear this, I wear it for you too because they're still answering the call, and those overseas too.
That -- that's part of -- where I got to say, hey, what's your message going to be? My message is, never forget your -- the -- your fallen heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice, but embrace the living, those continuing to serve in the uniformed services and those overseas continuing in the fight."
July 18, 2011
Who's the Head of My House?
If I could find the words, I'd tell you
Annette LaPlaca | posted 9/12/2008
My telephone rang during dinner last night.
"May I speak to the head of the house, please?"
"That depends," I answered, "on whether you think that's my husband or me."
A short silence followed. Finally the salesman said, "I can talk with you, ma'am."
Gee, thanks.
Being called "ma'am" makes me feel old. But worse than that, I hate the idea that one person in a marriage is automatically considered to be "over" the other. And it's not because I'm what Rush Limbaugh calls a "femi-Nazi," although I am a 40-something woman with a brain, an education, and a job. I cringe when the concept of "male headship" comes up, not because I'm opposed to it, but because so few of my friends understand it.
A lot of people from my generation automatically assume that headship implies some kind of inequality at best and domination at worst. For decades, many of them have heard Christian authorities present a hierarchical understanding of headship that bears little resemblance to the biblical description: "The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church … " (Ephesians 5:23).
If you back me into a corner and make me say it, I'll confess: my husband, David, is the head of our home. Privately, I'm proud of this because my husband is a rare and wonderful man who understands and practices the concept of servant leadership. Instead of concentrating on the verses in Ephesians that call for wives to submit to their husbands, he focuses on the verses that immediately follow them: an injunction to husbands to lay down their lives for their wives, loving them as they love their own bodies. The result is that I hold the utmost respect for his opinions, desires, and plans and have no fear in expressing my own.
Publicly, though, I'd hate to tell a stranger that "David is the head of our home" because I don't think most people would understand the mutual love and sacrifice those words represent. Instead, they might think of my tenderhearted husband as an iron-fisted dictator and me as the meekly obedient wife (boy, would they be mistaken!). Most couples with successful marriages who adopt the label "male-headship" evidence this type of loving mutuality.
Many of my married friends call their marriages "egalitarian." But you know what? I hate that term too. It brings to mind a cold, 50-50 contract. The quickest way to pollute a God-honoring, mutually submissive relationship is to start keeping score. An equal, 50-50 split is an impossibility that leads to constant scrutiny of who is (and isn't) holding up their end of the deal. Who changed more dirty diapers this week? Who put in longer work hours? And which work hours are harder, the ones in the office or the ones at home with our kids? Who's the biggest martyr?
God calls married partners to live like Christ with one another—and that means two people continually looking for the way of unselfish service. Is that hopelessly idealistic? For a Christian married to a non-Christian, it may appear an impossible dream. After all, it could be excruciatingly difficult to submit to someone who chronically abuses his power, and it would be equally difficult to lay down your own desires for a wife who disrespects your leadership. But Christians have to aim for godliness, and we rely on a power bigger than ourselves to enable us to live together with this kind of grace.
Meanwhile, how am I supposed to talk about my marriage if the most-often used terms—"headship" and "egalitarian"—seem so inadequate? It's time for Christians to come up with new and better language so this important concept won't be muddied with misconceptions for the next generation of married couples.
The language of the business world might work: My husband and I are equal partners serving as president and chairperson of our life company. Well, maybe. Actually, the word mutuality appeals to me. The passage in Ephesians 5 is prefaced with these words: "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
Until my suggested lingo catches on, I won't be saying much about who's in charge at my house. But I'll keep on respecting and submitting to my true-headship husband and trust that he'll keep serving God by laying down his life for me.
Copyright © 1997 by Christianity Today International/Marriage Partnership Magazine.
If I could find the words, I'd tell you
Annette LaPlaca | posted 9/12/2008
My telephone rang during dinner last night.
"May I speak to the head of the house, please?"
"That depends," I answered, "on whether you think that's my husband or me."
A short silence followed. Finally the salesman said, "I can talk with you, ma'am."
Gee, thanks.
Being called "ma'am" makes me feel old. But worse than that, I hate the idea that one person in a marriage is automatically considered to be "over" the other. And it's not because I'm what Rush Limbaugh calls a "femi-Nazi," although I am a 40-something woman with a brain, an education, and a job. I cringe when the concept of "male headship" comes up, not because I'm opposed to it, but because so few of my friends understand it.
A lot of people from my generation automatically assume that headship implies some kind of inequality at best and domination at worst. For decades, many of them have heard Christian authorities present a hierarchical understanding of headship that bears little resemblance to the biblical description: "The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church … " (Ephesians 5:23).
If you back me into a corner and make me say it, I'll confess: my husband, David, is the head of our home. Privately, I'm proud of this because my husband is a rare and wonderful man who understands and practices the concept of servant leadership. Instead of concentrating on the verses in Ephesians that call for wives to submit to their husbands, he focuses on the verses that immediately follow them: an injunction to husbands to lay down their lives for their wives, loving them as they love their own bodies. The result is that I hold the utmost respect for his opinions, desires, and plans and have no fear in expressing my own.
Publicly, though, I'd hate to tell a stranger that "David is the head of our home" because I don't think most people would understand the mutual love and sacrifice those words represent. Instead, they might think of my tenderhearted husband as an iron-fisted dictator and me as the meekly obedient wife (boy, would they be mistaken!). Most couples with successful marriages who adopt the label "male-headship" evidence this type of loving mutuality.
Many of my married friends call their marriages "egalitarian." But you know what? I hate that term too. It brings to mind a cold, 50-50 contract. The quickest way to pollute a God-honoring, mutually submissive relationship is to start keeping score. An equal, 50-50 split is an impossibility that leads to constant scrutiny of who is (and isn't) holding up their end of the deal. Who changed more dirty diapers this week? Who put in longer work hours? And which work hours are harder, the ones in the office or the ones at home with our kids? Who's the biggest martyr?
God calls married partners to live like Christ with one another—and that means two people continually looking for the way of unselfish service. Is that hopelessly idealistic? For a Christian married to a non-Christian, it may appear an impossible dream. After all, it could be excruciatingly difficult to submit to someone who chronically abuses his power, and it would be equally difficult to lay down your own desires for a wife who disrespects your leadership. But Christians have to aim for godliness, and we rely on a power bigger than ourselves to enable us to live together with this kind of grace.
Meanwhile, how am I supposed to talk about my marriage if the most-often used terms—"headship" and "egalitarian"—seem so inadequate? It's time for Christians to come up with new and better language so this important concept won't be muddied with misconceptions for the next generation of married couples.
The language of the business world might work: My husband and I are equal partners serving as president and chairperson of our life company. Well, maybe. Actually, the word mutuality appeals to me. The passage in Ephesians 5 is prefaced with these words: "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
Until my suggested lingo catches on, I won't be saying much about who's in charge at my house. But I'll keep on respecting and submitting to my true-headship husband and trust that he'll keep serving God by laying down his life for me.
Copyright © 1997 by Christianity Today International/Marriage Partnership Magazine.
Friday, July 15, 2011
July 15, 2011
TRUE WORSHIP
by Charles Spurgeon
It is not your worshipping God by words in hymns and prayers, or sitting in a certain place, or covering your faces at certain times that is acceptable to him; true worship lies in your heart paying reverence to him, your soul obeying him, and your inner nature coming into conformity to his own nature, by the work of his Spirit in your soul; and because men can scarcely get the idea of this till the Holy Spirit gives it to them, this is a reason why it is so rare, so exceedingly rare.
by Charles Spurgeon
It is not your worshipping God by words in hymns and prayers, or sitting in a certain place, or covering your faces at certain times that is acceptable to him; true worship lies in your heart paying reverence to him, your soul obeying him, and your inner nature coming into conformity to his own nature, by the work of his Spirit in your soul; and because men can scarcely get the idea of this till the Holy Spirit gives it to them, this is a reason why it is so rare, so exceedingly rare.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
July 14, 2011
The Other Side of the Stone
by Gary Wilkerson
June 20, 2011
Joseph took the body…and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away" (Matthew 27:59–60).
Jesus had just been crucified and was now laid in a tomb. As a massive stone was rolled to seal the doorway, everyone had a sad sense of finality.
Scripture says a group of women, including Mary Magdalene, was sitting opposite the tomb. Those women must have been heartbroken. I can almost hear the despair in their voices:
"What will happen now that Jesus is gone? How do we go on?"
Today we know the end of the story. We know that when Jesus said from the cross, "It is finished," he had conquered sin.
We know that with his resurrection he had conquered death.
And we know that he did it all for us.
But what if we didn't know the end of the story, like those women at the tomb? What were the eleven disciples thinking as they hid at a distance behind locked doors (see John 20:19)?
I don't think we can fathom what Jesus' death meant to his passionate followers. They had believed their Master was the hope of the world, the salvation of Israel, the light to the Gentiles. He was the great healer, raising the dead and setting captives free, preaching the good news to the poor.
He was the embodiment of the new kingdom he preached about.
As they thought back to his words, "It is finished," they must have thought he meant, "It's over. I did everything I could, but I couldn't make it happen. This is the end of the story."
All too often, as Christians endure the trials of life, this is the message they believe. They see no hope beyond their difficult situation. All they can see is a stone permanently rolled into place separating them from hope.
Yet they're seeing things from this side of the stone. Like the women at the tomb or the dejected disciples, all they can see before them is defeat. Their hope has died — end of story.
If only they knew what God is at work doing for them on the other side of the stone.
Without knowing what's happening on the other side of the stone, our lives can be filled with trauma and fear.
On this side of the stone, homes are foreclosed and lost. Finances turn sour. Marriages fall apart. Without the hope of the Resurrection — without knowing Christ's victory for us — our trials can seem like the end of our story.
Maybe life has presented you with a hard, impassable situation. As you read this do you wonder, "Is God at work in my circumstance? Is Jesus really triumphant—in me? Can he really save me from this situation? Can he actually bring healing? I just don't see a way forward."
Like the disciples, some Christians ask these questions from behind "locked doors." They've shut God out emotionally, no longer able to pour out their hearts before him. They want so much to be giving, loving servants, but they feel emptied of all hope.
That's the view on this side of the stone.
I believe there was another figure at this scene who couldn't see past to the other side of the stone.
Where do you think Satan was during this three–day period of Christ's death, burial and resurrection? Remember, the devil is not omnipresent. Only God is everywhere at all times. Satan's demons may be stationed all over the world, spewing venom, but the enemy himself is not. He can only be in one place.
So, where was he during the Crucifixion? There's no way we can know the answer to that biblically, so we can only imagine it. Personally, I believe Satan was present at the cross. I imagine him rejoicing over every aspect of Jesus'
suffering — every stripe from the whip, every blow from a soldier's fist, every strike of the hammer driving nails into his hands and feet.
These would be Jesus' last hours — and I imagine Satan gleefully starting the countdown: "This is it — it's the end for Jesus. I have triumphed over the Son of God! Darkness will now reign over all. Jesus, if you would have just bowed down before me, we would have ruled together over every dominion of the world. But this is what happens when you don't choose me. You lose — and I win!"
I then picture Satan at the tomb, watching the soldiers roll the stone into place, sealing the doorway. When that rock slams shut with a thud, I imagine the devil letting out a whoop of victory. He calls out to his fellow demons, "It's time to celebrate. We've won! We're going to throw a party like the world has never seen."
As I picture Satan declaring victory, a powerful shaking begins.
Suddenly, when things look bleakest, a rattling begins. The ground starts to rumble and shake. I picture Satan stopping in mid–sentence to watch the giant, immovable stone now rolling back and forth. Finally, the shaking causes the stone to roll away completely — and the demons tremble.
They see a blinding light beaming outward from the tomb. They can make out a body–resurrected, illuminated, whole–standing in the entrance. Then a voice comes from that light–filled doorway: "Satan, you bit my foot. But I'm about to step on your head."
Here is the word our Lord has given us for our tormentor: "The party's over, devil. You have been defeated. The smell of death you brought is now gone. I claim this ground for my victory."
Perhaps as you read this, you think, "I need Jesus to appear in my situation, to see him step on Satan's head for me. If he isn't at work for me on the other side of that stone, it's all over."
You see, on this side of the stone we can feel there's no hope, no future for us. But do you believe something is happening on the other side? Do you hear a faint rumbling? Can you sense a shaking under your feet?
I'm speaking figuratively, of course — but do you discern signs that Jesus is on the move for you? There may be only a tiny crack of light in that huge stone. But that's all you need. At some point, in his own glorious timing, Jesus will step through that doorway into the scene of your life — and your trial will be changed in an instant.
I want to tell you three stories that remind us our Lord is at work for us on the other side of the stone.
1. Love Letter to a Failure
I have a friend named Eric who had a very hard childhood. His father told him over and over, "You're a failure, you're no good. You'll never amount to anything."
As Eric grew older he turned to drugs, and as he put it, "I became a terrible addict. First, I was terrible in the intensity of the drugs. I mixed together all kinds of things that could have killed me. But I was also terrible at being a drug addict. My needle would break, or I would be short of cash to feed my habit. I felt like a failure even as a drug addict."
Eric's life became a complete mess. His addiction drained him of every penny. One night he decided to rob a convenience store to buy more drugs — but he even failed at that. He pulled out a gun and shouted, "Everybody, up against the wall!" But the store was so crowded the people couldn't all fit against the wall. Confused, Eric ran away.
He eventually decided to end his life. So he took the shotgun from the robbery intending to shoot himself. But he dropped the gun and it fired, wounding him in the side instead. As Eric drove to the hospital he thought, "I'm such a miserable failure I can't even kill myself."
After being treated, Eric walked the streets in total despair. Deep down he'd been mad at God for making him a lifelong failure. Finally, Eric cried out to the God he had never cared about, asking, "Are you there at all? Is there any reason for me to live?"
Eric heard a voice say to him, "I'm sending you a love letter." Somehow he knew it was the voice of Jesus.
As Eric sat down on a curb, rainwater trickled along the gutter under him. He noticed a small booklet floating toward him, and Eric picked it up. It was a tract with the title, "There Is Hope for the Drug Addicted."
The tract was published by a group called Victory Outreach.
Eric looked up the ministry's address, went there and gave his life to Jesus. Soon he was delivered from his addiction.
He gave up every habit — including his belief that he was destined to be a failure. Jesus made Eric a new creature in every way.
This young man had thought his life was over — but it had just begun. He couldn't see the life — resurrection life — that Jesus had been planning for him all along, on the other side of the stone.
A year or so later, Eric approached me with a question: "Do you have any job openings for a young minister who's been healed, set free and is on fire for God?" We did — and I had the privilege of seeing God's power work through Eric again and again in our ministry. He testified over and over, "Jesus sent me a love letter. And he's sending one to you now."
Think of all the love letters Jesus is writing right now on the other side of the stone.
2. Repairing the Irreparable
A couple I know had been married for more than a decade when the wife left the husband for a second time. This couple wasn't the kind that constantly argued or nagged or even disagreed about much. The trouble was a worldly tug in the wife's heart. She was powerfully attracted to the party scene, and she left her husband to dive back into it.
The same thing had happened years before. At that time she had left him and began sleeping with other men. Now that nightmare scenario was repeating itself as she abandoned him a second time. Yet once again she wanted to come back to him.
This man was devastated. He told me, "When she did this the first time, it broke my heart. The pain was more than I could bear. I didn't know if I could ever love her again. I took her back and we struggled, but we got through it.
"Now there's no way. I know I can't love her again after this. I'm beyond pain — I don't feel anything. Besides, how could I trust her ever? How could we have a future when she's proved she'll do this again and again?"
Nobody who knew this couple thought their marriage could survive. Many counseled him to divorce her and move on with his life. Yet even then the husband sensed God was working on the other side of the stone. The Lord whispered to his heart, "If you will love her the way I love you, your marriage will be restored."
The husband resisted. It was painful for him even to hope again. It was even more painful to try to trust. But God delivered on his promise. Today that couple is back together. They're in church, worshiping and praising God together. They've been reconciled and healed, loving each other deeply.
Their marriage is a testimony to God's ability to restore what seems beyond repair. Even the most damaged, broken relationship isn't beyond the reach of his resurrection power. This marriage required life from beyond the tomb — and that's exactly where Jesus was working for them: on the other side of the stone.
3. Conqueror of All Evil
Just a few weeks ago, while sitting on a park bench, I met a tattooed teenager named Ricky who eagerly told me his story.
He was from inner–city Chicago, and his father had left the family when Ricky was still a baby.
Ricky's mother remarried, and the man who became his stepfather abused Ricky physically and sexually. One night, as the man began beating Ricky's mother, the boy tried to intervene. Ricky's stepfather beat him horribly. The boy ended up on the kitchen floor a bloody mess.
After that, Ricky began cutting himself. At that point in his story he paused to roll up his sleeve to show me dozens of scars running up and down his arm.
He continued, "Then three months ago I was in the park with a friend. He looked different, and I asked him what had happened to him. He said, 'I met a man named Jesus who set me free from all my sin. He's cleaned me and healed me.
Ricky, I want you to know the Jesus I met.'" That day, Ricky gave his life to the Lord.
Ricky then rolled up his other sleeve. He showed me an inscription on his arm and said, "The day I met Jesus, I had this tattoo put on." It read: "I will give you thanks, for you have answered me. You have become my salvation."
Ricky had been lost to this world, literally beaten down by it. But Jesus spoke to him from the other side of the stone:
"My love conquers all evil."
Today Ricky knows not only the joy of resurrection life. He also knows the freedom that comes with being forgiven…and forgiving.
A story is still being written.
I'm not advocating tattoos. But I believe Ricky's tattoo represents a truth about every believer. It is this: Jesus is still writing our lives. He is the author and finisher of our faith — and he isn't finished with any of us yet.
You may be besieged by the greatest trial of your life right now. But the risen Christ is on the move on your behalf, on the other side of the stone. He is writing his story into your situation — a story of resurrection life, bursting forth onto a scene once ruled by death.
Satan will try to deceive you into thinking it's all over, that the tomb is closed. But Jesus is telling you, "I have broken through. The devil didn't have the last word. Death no longer has its sting. Light has now conquered darkness.
And my love has conquered all evil."
There he stands in the doorway: your hope, your salvation, your healing. Christ's victory has overcome all of your failures. His power can set you free from addiction. His healing can restore your broken relationship. And his love has conquered every evil that has tried to beat you down. No darkness can stop him.
So, is there a stone standing between you and God's deliverance right now? I tell you, God is on the move in your life at this very moment. (He is never not at work!) The stone is being rolled away. Light is breaking forth. And there stands your hope in the doorway: Jesus. He has triumphed over all the powers of darkness — and his victory is yours by faith.
_______________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2011 - World Challenge, Inc.
P.O. Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771, USA
by Gary Wilkerson
June 20, 2011
Joseph took the body…and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away" (Matthew 27:59–60).
Jesus had just been crucified and was now laid in a tomb. As a massive stone was rolled to seal the doorway, everyone had a sad sense of finality.
Scripture says a group of women, including Mary Magdalene, was sitting opposite the tomb. Those women must have been heartbroken. I can almost hear the despair in their voices:
"What will happen now that Jesus is gone? How do we go on?"
Today we know the end of the story. We know that when Jesus said from the cross, "It is finished," he had conquered sin.
We know that with his resurrection he had conquered death.
And we know that he did it all for us.
But what if we didn't know the end of the story, like those women at the tomb? What were the eleven disciples thinking as they hid at a distance behind locked doors (see John 20:19)?
I don't think we can fathom what Jesus' death meant to his passionate followers. They had believed their Master was the hope of the world, the salvation of Israel, the light to the Gentiles. He was the great healer, raising the dead and setting captives free, preaching the good news to the poor.
He was the embodiment of the new kingdom he preached about.
As they thought back to his words, "It is finished," they must have thought he meant, "It's over. I did everything I could, but I couldn't make it happen. This is the end of the story."
All too often, as Christians endure the trials of life, this is the message they believe. They see no hope beyond their difficult situation. All they can see is a stone permanently rolled into place separating them from hope.
Yet they're seeing things from this side of the stone. Like the women at the tomb or the dejected disciples, all they can see before them is defeat. Their hope has died — end of story.
If only they knew what God is at work doing for them on the other side of the stone.
Without knowing what's happening on the other side of the stone, our lives can be filled with trauma and fear.
On this side of the stone, homes are foreclosed and lost. Finances turn sour. Marriages fall apart. Without the hope of the Resurrection — without knowing Christ's victory for us — our trials can seem like the end of our story.
Maybe life has presented you with a hard, impassable situation. As you read this do you wonder, "Is God at work in my circumstance? Is Jesus really triumphant—in me? Can he really save me from this situation? Can he actually bring healing? I just don't see a way forward."
Like the disciples, some Christians ask these questions from behind "locked doors." They've shut God out emotionally, no longer able to pour out their hearts before him. They want so much to be giving, loving servants, but they feel emptied of all hope.
That's the view on this side of the stone.
I believe there was another figure at this scene who couldn't see past to the other side of the stone.
Where do you think Satan was during this three–day period of Christ's death, burial and resurrection? Remember, the devil is not omnipresent. Only God is everywhere at all times. Satan's demons may be stationed all over the world, spewing venom, but the enemy himself is not. He can only be in one place.
So, where was he during the Crucifixion? There's no way we can know the answer to that biblically, so we can only imagine it. Personally, I believe Satan was present at the cross. I imagine him rejoicing over every aspect of Jesus'
suffering — every stripe from the whip, every blow from a soldier's fist, every strike of the hammer driving nails into his hands and feet.
These would be Jesus' last hours — and I imagine Satan gleefully starting the countdown: "This is it — it's the end for Jesus. I have triumphed over the Son of God! Darkness will now reign over all. Jesus, if you would have just bowed down before me, we would have ruled together over every dominion of the world. But this is what happens when you don't choose me. You lose — and I win!"
I then picture Satan at the tomb, watching the soldiers roll the stone into place, sealing the doorway. When that rock slams shut with a thud, I imagine the devil letting out a whoop of victory. He calls out to his fellow demons, "It's time to celebrate. We've won! We're going to throw a party like the world has never seen."
As I picture Satan declaring victory, a powerful shaking begins.
Suddenly, when things look bleakest, a rattling begins. The ground starts to rumble and shake. I picture Satan stopping in mid–sentence to watch the giant, immovable stone now rolling back and forth. Finally, the shaking causes the stone to roll away completely — and the demons tremble.
They see a blinding light beaming outward from the tomb. They can make out a body–resurrected, illuminated, whole–standing in the entrance. Then a voice comes from that light–filled doorway: "Satan, you bit my foot. But I'm about to step on your head."
Here is the word our Lord has given us for our tormentor: "The party's over, devil. You have been defeated. The smell of death you brought is now gone. I claim this ground for my victory."
Perhaps as you read this, you think, "I need Jesus to appear in my situation, to see him step on Satan's head for me. If he isn't at work for me on the other side of that stone, it's all over."
You see, on this side of the stone we can feel there's no hope, no future for us. But do you believe something is happening on the other side? Do you hear a faint rumbling? Can you sense a shaking under your feet?
I'm speaking figuratively, of course — but do you discern signs that Jesus is on the move for you? There may be only a tiny crack of light in that huge stone. But that's all you need. At some point, in his own glorious timing, Jesus will step through that doorway into the scene of your life — and your trial will be changed in an instant.
I want to tell you three stories that remind us our Lord is at work for us on the other side of the stone.
1. Love Letter to a Failure
I have a friend named Eric who had a very hard childhood. His father told him over and over, "You're a failure, you're no good. You'll never amount to anything."
As Eric grew older he turned to drugs, and as he put it, "I became a terrible addict. First, I was terrible in the intensity of the drugs. I mixed together all kinds of things that could have killed me. But I was also terrible at being a drug addict. My needle would break, or I would be short of cash to feed my habit. I felt like a failure even as a drug addict."
Eric's life became a complete mess. His addiction drained him of every penny. One night he decided to rob a convenience store to buy more drugs — but he even failed at that. He pulled out a gun and shouted, "Everybody, up against the wall!" But the store was so crowded the people couldn't all fit against the wall. Confused, Eric ran away.
He eventually decided to end his life. So he took the shotgun from the robbery intending to shoot himself. But he dropped the gun and it fired, wounding him in the side instead. As Eric drove to the hospital he thought, "I'm such a miserable failure I can't even kill myself."
After being treated, Eric walked the streets in total despair. Deep down he'd been mad at God for making him a lifelong failure. Finally, Eric cried out to the God he had never cared about, asking, "Are you there at all? Is there any reason for me to live?"
Eric heard a voice say to him, "I'm sending you a love letter." Somehow he knew it was the voice of Jesus.
As Eric sat down on a curb, rainwater trickled along the gutter under him. He noticed a small booklet floating toward him, and Eric picked it up. It was a tract with the title, "There Is Hope for the Drug Addicted."
The tract was published by a group called Victory Outreach.
Eric looked up the ministry's address, went there and gave his life to Jesus. Soon he was delivered from his addiction.
He gave up every habit — including his belief that he was destined to be a failure. Jesus made Eric a new creature in every way.
This young man had thought his life was over — but it had just begun. He couldn't see the life — resurrection life — that Jesus had been planning for him all along, on the other side of the stone.
A year or so later, Eric approached me with a question: "Do you have any job openings for a young minister who's been healed, set free and is on fire for God?" We did — and I had the privilege of seeing God's power work through Eric again and again in our ministry. He testified over and over, "Jesus sent me a love letter. And he's sending one to you now."
Think of all the love letters Jesus is writing right now on the other side of the stone.
2. Repairing the Irreparable
A couple I know had been married for more than a decade when the wife left the husband for a second time. This couple wasn't the kind that constantly argued or nagged or even disagreed about much. The trouble was a worldly tug in the wife's heart. She was powerfully attracted to the party scene, and she left her husband to dive back into it.
The same thing had happened years before. At that time she had left him and began sleeping with other men. Now that nightmare scenario was repeating itself as she abandoned him a second time. Yet once again she wanted to come back to him.
This man was devastated. He told me, "When she did this the first time, it broke my heart. The pain was more than I could bear. I didn't know if I could ever love her again. I took her back and we struggled, but we got through it.
"Now there's no way. I know I can't love her again after this. I'm beyond pain — I don't feel anything. Besides, how could I trust her ever? How could we have a future when she's proved she'll do this again and again?"
Nobody who knew this couple thought their marriage could survive. Many counseled him to divorce her and move on with his life. Yet even then the husband sensed God was working on the other side of the stone. The Lord whispered to his heart, "If you will love her the way I love you, your marriage will be restored."
The husband resisted. It was painful for him even to hope again. It was even more painful to try to trust. But God delivered on his promise. Today that couple is back together. They're in church, worshiping and praising God together. They've been reconciled and healed, loving each other deeply.
Their marriage is a testimony to God's ability to restore what seems beyond repair. Even the most damaged, broken relationship isn't beyond the reach of his resurrection power. This marriage required life from beyond the tomb — and that's exactly where Jesus was working for them: on the other side of the stone.
3. Conqueror of All Evil
Just a few weeks ago, while sitting on a park bench, I met a tattooed teenager named Ricky who eagerly told me his story.
He was from inner–city Chicago, and his father had left the family when Ricky was still a baby.
Ricky's mother remarried, and the man who became his stepfather abused Ricky physically and sexually. One night, as the man began beating Ricky's mother, the boy tried to intervene. Ricky's stepfather beat him horribly. The boy ended up on the kitchen floor a bloody mess.
After that, Ricky began cutting himself. At that point in his story he paused to roll up his sleeve to show me dozens of scars running up and down his arm.
He continued, "Then three months ago I was in the park with a friend. He looked different, and I asked him what had happened to him. He said, 'I met a man named Jesus who set me free from all my sin. He's cleaned me and healed me.
Ricky, I want you to know the Jesus I met.'" That day, Ricky gave his life to the Lord.
Ricky then rolled up his other sleeve. He showed me an inscription on his arm and said, "The day I met Jesus, I had this tattoo put on." It read: "I will give you thanks, for you have answered me. You have become my salvation."
Ricky had been lost to this world, literally beaten down by it. But Jesus spoke to him from the other side of the stone:
"My love conquers all evil."
Today Ricky knows not only the joy of resurrection life. He also knows the freedom that comes with being forgiven…and forgiving.
A story is still being written.
I'm not advocating tattoos. But I believe Ricky's tattoo represents a truth about every believer. It is this: Jesus is still writing our lives. He is the author and finisher of our faith — and he isn't finished with any of us yet.
You may be besieged by the greatest trial of your life right now. But the risen Christ is on the move on your behalf, on the other side of the stone. He is writing his story into your situation — a story of resurrection life, bursting forth onto a scene once ruled by death.
Satan will try to deceive you into thinking it's all over, that the tomb is closed. But Jesus is telling you, "I have broken through. The devil didn't have the last word. Death no longer has its sting. Light has now conquered darkness.
And my love has conquered all evil."
There he stands in the doorway: your hope, your salvation, your healing. Christ's victory has overcome all of your failures. His power can set you free from addiction. His healing can restore your broken relationship. And his love has conquered every evil that has tried to beat you down. No darkness can stop him.
So, is there a stone standing between you and God's deliverance right now? I tell you, God is on the move in your life at this very moment. (He is never not at work!) The stone is being rolled away. Light is breaking forth. And there stands your hope in the doorway: Jesus. He has triumphed over all the powers of darkness — and his victory is yours by faith.
_______________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2011 - World Challenge, Inc.
P.O. Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771, USA
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
July 13, 2011
What’s In Your Hands?
Have you ever been asked to watch over something that belonged to someone else? Maybe you were asked to check on a friend’s home or take care of their pet while they were on vacation. Perhaps you were handed a valuable possession –– a wallet, purse or piece of jewelry –– to keep safe for someone for a period of time.
Although these situations require effort on our part, they also represent a kind of honor. It means that we’re considered to be responsible and trustworthy. It’s a statement of confidence in our character. The person who entrusted us with their valuables believes that we’ll conscientiously care for what belongs to them like it was our own. They’re demonstrating faith in our faithfulness. And it’s our duty to do our best to prove that their faith in our character is well placed.
It’s important for us to understand that God has placed certain “valuables” into our hands for safe keeping. He’s entrusted gifts, blessings, relationships and opportunities to our care. He’s given us assignments to fulfill, and work to do. One day we’ll stand before Him and give account for how we’ve handled what He handed us. Did we prove worthy of the confidence God placed in our character? Was His faith in us –– faith that we would be faithful –– was it well placed?
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy, challenging him to handle well all God had handed to him:
“Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care … ” –– 1 Timothy 6:20 (NLT)
“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust … ” –– 1 Timothy 6:20 (NAS)
The Greek word Paul used for “guard” or “keep” means “to preserve and protect; to take good care of.” The term “entrusted” or “committed to thy trust” refers “to a deposit left to one’s charge; something consigned to one’s faithful keeping.”
God has placed many good things into your hands. Your marriage, your children, your job, your ministry work and service, your friendships…. What are you doing with them? Are you taking good care of them? Are you preserving and protecting them? Are you conscientiously and faithfully giving your best to all that God has entrusted to you?
Let’s make a fresh commitment to faithful living. Take good care of all that God has placed in your hands!
Pastor Dale
Have you ever been asked to watch over something that belonged to someone else? Maybe you were asked to check on a friend’s home or take care of their pet while they were on vacation. Perhaps you were handed a valuable possession –– a wallet, purse or piece of jewelry –– to keep safe for someone for a period of time.
Although these situations require effort on our part, they also represent a kind of honor. It means that we’re considered to be responsible and trustworthy. It’s a statement of confidence in our character. The person who entrusted us with their valuables believes that we’ll conscientiously care for what belongs to them like it was our own. They’re demonstrating faith in our faithfulness. And it’s our duty to do our best to prove that their faith in our character is well placed.
It’s important for us to understand that God has placed certain “valuables” into our hands for safe keeping. He’s entrusted gifts, blessings, relationships and opportunities to our care. He’s given us assignments to fulfill, and work to do. One day we’ll stand before Him and give account for how we’ve handled what He handed us. Did we prove worthy of the confidence God placed in our character? Was His faith in us –– faith that we would be faithful –– was it well placed?
The Apostle Paul wrote these words to Timothy, challenging him to handle well all God had handed to him:
“Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care … ” –– 1 Timothy 6:20 (NLT)
“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust … ” –– 1 Timothy 6:20 (NAS)
The Greek word Paul used for “guard” or “keep” means “to preserve and protect; to take good care of.” The term “entrusted” or “committed to thy trust” refers “to a deposit left to one’s charge; something consigned to one’s faithful keeping.”
God has placed many good things into your hands. Your marriage, your children, your job, your ministry work and service, your friendships…. What are you doing with them? Are you taking good care of them? Are you preserving and protecting them? Are you conscientiously and faithfully giving your best to all that God has entrusted to you?
Let’s make a fresh commitment to faithful living. Take good care of all that God has placed in your hands!
Pastor Dale
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
July 12, 2011
A Bitter Root
Theme of the week: Forgiving When You'd Rather Not Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Key Bible Verse: But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. (Mark 11:25) Dig Deeper: Matthew 5:38-41
How does our resolve to not forgive grow so strong? Anger, which often comes from hurt, nursed over time eventually forms into a root of bitterness that is difficult to unearth. It dwells with us for years and becomes normal, part of our emotional fabric. Such bitterness eats away at our joy and leaves us as aged and angry as Margaret.
Like Margaret's finger, there are some things that we have lost that will never come back. Holding on to the anger and remaining mad at the person who hurt us, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is not going to bring back what we lost, but it will add to what we have lost and steal more away from us.
If unintentional pain from others is hard to bear, those who have purposed to hurt, abuse, betray, or destroy us may seem impossible to endure. I'm sure that Margaret's sister didn't mean to hurt her. The accidental dismembering of Margaret's finger must have weighed on her conscience all of her growing-up years. But what could she do about it? Margaret's sister would love to hear the words "I forgive you" from her sister. If the circumstances were reversed, wouldn't Margaret want forgiveness?
—David Anderson in I Forgrace You
My Response: Do I know someone who shows signs of bitterness? How can I help them experience joy again?
Thought to Apply: Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host.—Maya Angelou (poet)
Copyright © 2011 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Theme of the week: Forgiving When You'd Rather Not Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Key Bible Verse: But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. (Mark 11:25) Dig Deeper: Matthew 5:38-41
How does our resolve to not forgive grow so strong? Anger, which often comes from hurt, nursed over time eventually forms into a root of bitterness that is difficult to unearth. It dwells with us for years and becomes normal, part of our emotional fabric. Such bitterness eats away at our joy and leaves us as aged and angry as Margaret.
Like Margaret's finger, there are some things that we have lost that will never come back. Holding on to the anger and remaining mad at the person who hurt us, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is not going to bring back what we lost, but it will add to what we have lost and steal more away from us.
If unintentional pain from others is hard to bear, those who have purposed to hurt, abuse, betray, or destroy us may seem impossible to endure. I'm sure that Margaret's sister didn't mean to hurt her. The accidental dismembering of Margaret's finger must have weighed on her conscience all of her growing-up years. But what could she do about it? Margaret's sister would love to hear the words "I forgive you" from her sister. If the circumstances were reversed, wouldn't Margaret want forgiveness?
—David Anderson in I Forgrace You
My Response: Do I know someone who shows signs of bitterness? How can I help them experience joy again?
Thought to Apply: Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host.—Maya Angelou (poet)
Copyright © 2011 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Monday, July 11, 2011
July 11, 2011
The Missing Finger
Theme of the week: Forgiving When You'd Rather Not
Monday, July 11, 2011
Key Bible Verse: "Do to others as you would like them to do to you." (Luke 6:31, NIV) Dig Deeper: Luke 6:27-36
In her first session Margaret told the counselor that she was angry and didn't know why. She admitted that her attitude had aged her significantly and that she was unhappy with her life. After the counselor listened for a while, he inadvertently touched on a sensitive subject when he asked Margaret about her half finger. How did that happen, he asked?
Margaret spent the next 30 minutes describing how her sister accidentally chopped off the tip of her finger when they were little girls. Playing house at the kitchen table, things got out of hand as they were chopping onions. One missed chop had everyone screaming. "Almost half of my finger was missing and irreparable" Margaret explained. "Growing up, can you imagine the looks I have received? The laughter from kids in school and the feelings of being a freak?"
After listening some more, the counselor asked the million-dollar question, "Have you forgiven your sister?"
"No," Margaret responded curtly.
"It's been four decades now, Margaret. When do you suspect you will forgive your sister?"
Margaret lifted her disfigured hand to the counselor's face, leaned forward and retorted, "When the finger comes back!" [continued 7/12]
—David Anderson in I Forgrace You
My Response: Who do I need to forgive?
Theme of the week: Forgiving When You'd Rather Not
Monday, July 11, 2011
Key Bible Verse: "Do to others as you would like them to do to you." (Luke 6:31, NIV) Dig Deeper: Luke 6:27-36
In her first session Margaret told the counselor that she was angry and didn't know why. She admitted that her attitude had aged her significantly and that she was unhappy with her life. After the counselor listened for a while, he inadvertently touched on a sensitive subject when he asked Margaret about her half finger. How did that happen, he asked?
Margaret spent the next 30 minutes describing how her sister accidentally chopped off the tip of her finger when they were little girls. Playing house at the kitchen table, things got out of hand as they were chopping onions. One missed chop had everyone screaming. "Almost half of my finger was missing and irreparable" Margaret explained. "Growing up, can you imagine the looks I have received? The laughter from kids in school and the feelings of being a freak?"
After listening some more, the counselor asked the million-dollar question, "Have you forgiven your sister?"
"No," Margaret responded curtly.
"It's been four decades now, Margaret. When do you suspect you will forgive your sister?"
Margaret lifted her disfigured hand to the counselor's face, leaned forward and retorted, "When the finger comes back!" [continued 7/12]
—David Anderson in I Forgrace You
My Response: Who do I need to forgive?
Thursday, July 7, 2011
July 7, 2011
Offenseless
What is one of the most common and successful tactics of the devil against Christians?
While Satan uses a variety of methods, means and strategies to hamstring and sidetrack believers, one of his favorite and most frequent tricks and traps is an offense. If Satan can cause us to become offended, angry, resentful, judgmental or irritated about something or toward someone, he has us right where he wants us. He’ll do everything he can to create suspicion, dissension, cynicism, criticism and division between people. He thrives on generating chaos, pain and confusion in relationships. He knows that, if he succeeds in driving people apart, he robs them of spiritual strength, vitality and joy, and ultimately he can render them useless in the Kingdom of God.
To avoid these ugly consequences we must be on guard. We must be highly committed to living an offenseless life. We must put every effort into avoiding the thoughts, attitudes and actions that undermine spiritual unity.
The Apostle Paul reminded us about this many times in his New Testament letters. Here are a couple of examples:
I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. — 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. — Ephesians 4:3 (NLT)
Don’t let the devil sneak into your life through an offended, angry, resentful or bitter spirit. Be aware and beware of his tactics. Guard and protect your heart by regularly bathing yourself in God’s Word and by continually choosing to walk in God’s love!
Pastor Dale
What is one of the most common and successful tactics of the devil against Christians?
While Satan uses a variety of methods, means and strategies to hamstring and sidetrack believers, one of his favorite and most frequent tricks and traps is an offense. If Satan can cause us to become offended, angry, resentful, judgmental or irritated about something or toward someone, he has us right where he wants us. He’ll do everything he can to create suspicion, dissension, cynicism, criticism and division between people. He thrives on generating chaos, pain and confusion in relationships. He knows that, if he succeeds in driving people apart, he robs them of spiritual strength, vitality and joy, and ultimately he can render them useless in the Kingdom of God.
To avoid these ugly consequences we must be on guard. We must be highly committed to living an offenseless life. We must put every effort into avoiding the thoughts, attitudes and actions that undermine spiritual unity.
The Apostle Paul reminded us about this many times in his New Testament letters. Here are a couple of examples:
I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. — 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. — Ephesians 4:3 (NLT)
Don’t let the devil sneak into your life through an offended, angry, resentful or bitter spirit. Be aware and beware of his tactics. Guard and protect your heart by regularly bathing yourself in God’s Word and by continually choosing to walk in God’s love!
Pastor Dale
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
July 6, 2011
July 6
The Church: Wilderness Encroachment
Because you say, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.... --Revelation 3:17
The wilderness encroaches on the fruitful field, and unless there is constant fighting off of this encroachment there will be little or no harvest.
I think it is exactly the same with the church, for as one of the old saints said, "Never think for a minute that there will be a time when you will not be tempted. He is tempted the most effectively who thinks that he isn't being tempted at all."
Just when we think we are not being tempted, that is the time of danger, and so it is with the church. We lean back on our own laurels and say, "That may be true of some churches, but it is not true of us. We are increased with goods and have need of nothing!"
This is to remind us that we must fight for what we have. Our little field of God's planting must have the necessary weapons and plenty of watchmen out there to drive off the crows and all sorts of creatures, to say nothing of the little insects that destroy the crops. We have to keep after them. We must keep our field healthy, and there is only one way to do that, and that is to keep true to the Word of God. We must constantly go back to the grass roots and get the Word into the church. When He is Come, 13,14.
"Lord, You have blessed us richly, but we've also seen the work of the enemy. Don't ever let us become complacent in Your blessing, Lord. Keep us vigilant that our field might stay healthy and the little weeds might never be allowed to take root. Amen."
________________________________
Today's "Insight for Leaders" is taken by permission from the book, Tozer on Christian Leadership, published by WingSpread Publishers
http://www.echurchdepot.com/
The Church: Wilderness Encroachment
Because you say, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing"--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.... --Revelation 3:17
The wilderness encroaches on the fruitful field, and unless there is constant fighting off of this encroachment there will be little or no harvest.
I think it is exactly the same with the church, for as one of the old saints said, "Never think for a minute that there will be a time when you will not be tempted. He is tempted the most effectively who thinks that he isn't being tempted at all."
Just when we think we are not being tempted, that is the time of danger, and so it is with the church. We lean back on our own laurels and say, "That may be true of some churches, but it is not true of us. We are increased with goods and have need of nothing!"
This is to remind us that we must fight for what we have. Our little field of God's planting must have the necessary weapons and plenty of watchmen out there to drive off the crows and all sorts of creatures, to say nothing of the little insects that destroy the crops. We have to keep after them. We must keep our field healthy, and there is only one way to do that, and that is to keep true to the Word of God. We must constantly go back to the grass roots and get the Word into the church. When He is Come, 13,14.
"Lord, You have blessed us richly, but we've also seen the work of the enemy. Don't ever let us become complacent in Your blessing, Lord. Keep us vigilant that our field might stay healthy and the little weeds might never be allowed to take root. Amen."
________________________________
Today's "Insight for Leaders" is taken by permission from the book, Tozer on Christian Leadership, published by WingSpread Publishers
http://www.echurchdepot.com/
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
July 5, 2011
Happy 4th of July!
As we celebrate Independence Day, I am grateful for the United States of America. I appreciate the values that have undergirded our nation for many years, and the freedom these values have secured. God has certainly poured out His goodness and blessings on us in many ways.
As we head into the future, we have a responsibility to both pray for and live in ways that attract God’s continued blessings on this wonderful country. The Bible gives us an important reminder about these responsibilities:
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. – Proverbs 14:34 (NIV)
As you enjoy this July 4th holiday, take a few moments to thank God for His goodness to America. Also, ask God to bring a great spiritual awakening to our country. Pray that we will value what He values, and live as He wants us to live, so that His blessings will continue to rest upon this great land!
Happy 4th!
Pastor Dale
As we celebrate Independence Day, I am grateful for the United States of America. I appreciate the values that have undergirded our nation for many years, and the freedom these values have secured. God has certainly poured out His goodness and blessings on us in many ways.
As we head into the future, we have a responsibility to both pray for and live in ways that attract God’s continued blessings on this wonderful country. The Bible gives us an important reminder about these responsibilities:
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. – Proverbs 14:34 (NIV)
As you enjoy this July 4th holiday, take a few moments to thank God for His goodness to America. Also, ask God to bring a great spiritual awakening to our country. Pray that we will value what He values, and live as He wants us to live, so that His blessings will continue to rest upon this great land!
Happy 4th!
Pastor Dale
June 27, 2011
Tozer daily devotional
June: Worship
The whole import and substance of the Bible teaches us that the God who does not need any thing nevertheless desires the adoration and worship of His created children.
Whatever Happened to Worship?, 37.
________________________________
June 26
Worship: In Need of Worshipers
But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
--Acts 6:4
Well, we have great churches and we have beautiful sanctuaries and we join in the chorus, "We have need of nothing." But there is every indication that we are in need of worshipers.
We have a lot of men willing to sit on our church boards who have no desire for spiritual joy and radiance and who never show up for the church prayer meeting. These are the men who often make the decisions about the church budget and the church expenses and where the frills will go in the new edifice.
They are the fellows who run the church, but you cannot get them to the prayer meeting because they are not worshipers....
It seems to me that it has always been a frightful incongruity that men who do not pray and do not worship are nevertheless actually running many of the churches and ultimately determining the direction they will take.
It hits very close to our own situations, perhaps, but we should confess that in many "good" churches, we let the women do the praying and let the men do the voting.
Because we are not truly worshipers, we spend a lot of time in the churches just spinning our wheels, burning the gasoline, making a noise but not getting anywhere. Whatever Happened to Worship?, 16-17.
"Lord, make the men in our church, especially the leaders, men of prayer and worship. Please don't allow us to try to lead others where we have not been; don't let us spin our wheels because we are not worshippers. Amen."
June: Worship
The whole import and substance of the Bible teaches us that the God who does not need any thing nevertheless desires the adoration and worship of His created children.
Whatever Happened to Worship?, 37.
________________________________
June 26
Worship: In Need of Worshipers
But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.
--Acts 6:4
Well, we have great churches and we have beautiful sanctuaries and we join in the chorus, "We have need of nothing." But there is every indication that we are in need of worshipers.
We have a lot of men willing to sit on our church boards who have no desire for spiritual joy and radiance and who never show up for the church prayer meeting. These are the men who often make the decisions about the church budget and the church expenses and where the frills will go in the new edifice.
They are the fellows who run the church, but you cannot get them to the prayer meeting because they are not worshipers....
It seems to me that it has always been a frightful incongruity that men who do not pray and do not worship are nevertheless actually running many of the churches and ultimately determining the direction they will take.
It hits very close to our own situations, perhaps, but we should confess that in many "good" churches, we let the women do the praying and let the men do the voting.
Because we are not truly worshipers, we spend a lot of time in the churches just spinning our wheels, burning the gasoline, making a noise but not getting anywhere. Whatever Happened to Worship?, 16-17.
"Lord, make the men in our church, especially the leaders, men of prayer and worship. Please don't allow us to try to lead others where we have not been; don't let us spin our wheels because we are not worshippers. Amen."
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