"Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel," (Philippians 1:12 NAS)
Have you ever been in a circumstance in which you were up against a wall and felt like there was absolutely no where to turn? I think we have all been there. This seems to be the position that Paul was in at this point in his life. He sat in a prison, probably in Rome, chained to a prison guard. (Now I call that up against a wall with no where to turn!) Instead of becoming discouraged, Paul found a way to patiently wait it out. If you read on, verse 13 tells us Paul’s imprisonment had become well known throughout the whole prison guard system. Look at what this means. Paul was probably chained to a different guard two or three times a day and each time he was sharing the gospel. Paul took a difficult circumstance and found a way to use it to glorify God.
Do you think if Paul had been anxious and worried he would have been able to share the gospel with his jailers and write an encouraging, joyful letter to the people of Philippi? He had already written these words in verse six, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) Paul knew God had already begun a work of grace in his life and whatever continued to happen would also be a work of grace. He was confident and patient that God’s plan was good.
Ask yourself, Is there some part of my life that has not come together as I had planned? If there seems to be a wall in the way, look around where you are and make sure you are giving your best to God in your present situation. Maybe God has someone around you, right now, that needs to hear the gospel and be shown the love of Jesus Christ through your life. Patiently wait where you are and use the time God has you "on hold" to allow Him to do His "good work" in you. We all have a message to preach and it can be done thru our circumstances, if we allow God to preach it thru us. That's the only way the gospel will advance.
"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction." (2 Timothy 4:2 NAS)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Expect God!
And Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze upon him (the lame man) and said, "Look at us!" And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Acts 3:4-5
The lame man looked with anticipation to Peter and John. He was begging for alms and that is what he expected to receive. I especially like the exclamation mark behind "Look at us!" Obviously Peter wanted his attention and the man obeyed. It was because of his faith and trust in Peter and John that he expected to receive something from them.
As believers, we are required to "look at Jesus". First we ask, then we look expecting to receive something from Jesus. When we come to know Jesus as our Savior, it is by faith and trust that we receive His gift of eternal life. The key is in the word "expect". As the lame man expected to receive something, we need to expect to receive from Jesus. That's when our faith is used the most.
As we enter promo night tonight, let's expect Jesus first to be there. Let's expect a sense of unity among our team and among our other Christian sisters. Let's expect a great time of praise and worship. Let's expect a fun game of Jeopardy. Let's expect to have great fellowship with each other. Let's expect excitement....let's expect our God to do awesome things.......
The lame man looked with anticipation to Peter and John. He was begging for alms and that is what he expected to receive. I especially like the exclamation mark behind "Look at us!" Obviously Peter wanted his attention and the man obeyed. It was because of his faith and trust in Peter and John that he expected to receive something from them.
As believers, we are required to "look at Jesus". First we ask, then we look expecting to receive something from Jesus. When we come to know Jesus as our Savior, it is by faith and trust that we receive His gift of eternal life. The key is in the word "expect". As the lame man expected to receive something, we need to expect to receive from Jesus. That's when our faith is used the most.
As we enter promo night tonight, let's expect Jesus first to be there. Let's expect a sense of unity among our team and among our other Christian sisters. Let's expect a great time of praise and worship. Let's expect a fun game of Jeopardy. Let's expect to have great fellowship with each other. Let's expect excitement....let's expect our God to do awesome things.......
Monday, February 9, 2009
In the Midst of the Storm...Find Rest!
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him." Psalm 62:5
Here we are in the middle of February and it will be in the 60's the next couple of days and we are expecting some severe thunderstorms after midnight tonight. Kind of unusual weather for this time of year...thunder instead of snow. And if you know me very well, I hate thunderstorms. Past experience has shown that lightening likes to strike my TV's (and my brother-in-law) and uproot an oak tree, throw the doghouse over our fence into our neighbor's roof and take down our chain-link fence. I hate storms!
We've all experienced storms in life and not just the kind outside our window! It may be in our family, at work, in our finances, our health or even in our church that storms come. We know it's not a matter of if they come, but when. Difficulties are an inevitable part of life--seasons of our lives change, and sometimes change brings hardship. We are all people of differing temperaments, sometimes clashing and affecting those around us, bringing environmental turmoil.
When life is "stormy", it is anything but restful. But God's Word teaches us we can rest in Him no matter what the circumstances. The original Hebrew word translated "hope" in today's verse literally means "a cord, as an attachment". In all the changes and turmoil of life, God is constant and faithful. Our cord must be attached to Him and Him alone. Anything else we try to hold on to for security can fail. He is where our soul finds rest. He is that "cord" that holds our life together when we think we're falling apart.
He is there in the midst of the storm. When the Apostle Paul was traveling to Rome in chains and was lost at sea and gave up hope, God spoke to him in the storm to give him courage and promise of being saved (Acts 17:13-25). When Job was suffering severely and his friends were accusing him of some terrible wrong, "the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm" (Job 40:6) assuring Job of His justice and that He was in control.
If you're sailing along peacefully now--rejoice! Be thankful! But when the winds begin to blow and life is not smooth sailing, attach yourself firmly to the Lord, hold on to Him--and find rest.
Here we are in the middle of February and it will be in the 60's the next couple of days and we are expecting some severe thunderstorms after midnight tonight. Kind of unusual weather for this time of year...thunder instead of snow. And if you know me very well, I hate thunderstorms. Past experience has shown that lightening likes to strike my TV's (and my brother-in-law) and uproot an oak tree, throw the doghouse over our fence into our neighbor's roof and take down our chain-link fence. I hate storms!
We've all experienced storms in life and not just the kind outside our window! It may be in our family, at work, in our finances, our health or even in our church that storms come. We know it's not a matter of if they come, but when. Difficulties are an inevitable part of life--seasons of our lives change, and sometimes change brings hardship. We are all people of differing temperaments, sometimes clashing and affecting those around us, bringing environmental turmoil.
When life is "stormy", it is anything but restful. But God's Word teaches us we can rest in Him no matter what the circumstances. The original Hebrew word translated "hope" in today's verse literally means "a cord, as an attachment". In all the changes and turmoil of life, God is constant and faithful. Our cord must be attached to Him and Him alone. Anything else we try to hold on to for security can fail. He is where our soul finds rest. He is that "cord" that holds our life together when we think we're falling apart.
He is there in the midst of the storm. When the Apostle Paul was traveling to Rome in chains and was lost at sea and gave up hope, God spoke to him in the storm to give him courage and promise of being saved (Acts 17:13-25). When Job was suffering severely and his friends were accusing him of some terrible wrong, "the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm" (Job 40:6) assuring Job of His justice and that He was in control.
If you're sailing along peacefully now--rejoice! Be thankful! But when the winds begin to blow and life is not smooth sailing, attach yourself firmly to the Lord, hold on to Him--and find rest.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Are you in the "belly of a whale?
In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry." (Jonah 2:2)
Jonah is an interesting character. I taught in our kids Sunday School class a couple of weeks ago on Jonah and told them he was one of my favorite Bible characters. For this week, I want to take a look at him and ask the question, "What caused him to turn and repent?"
Chapter 2 opens with Jonah rescued, from drowning, but still in a desperate situation. From the time God gave this assignment, to this point, Jonah left one very important thing out of his life, prayer. He did not pray when God told him to go to Nineveh, he did not pray before getting on the ship to Tarshish, he did not pray during the storm, and he did not pray before being cast into the ocean. He was so busy running and being scared, he forgot the most important comfort that God offers us. Jonah 2:1 says, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God." Finally, he stopped to pray, or rather God stopped him so he would have nothing to do but pray. Jonah, in the most desperate situation of his life, prayed.
Have you been there, constantly trying to do it all your way and nothing works out? Have you, at some point, "hit the wall" and been left with nowhere to turn and no way out? It is a horrible place to find yourself. I have known people that have been in those situations...I myself have had times where I have been in that situation. Jonah got out of the practice of praying and looking to God for guidance. He turned so far from the Lord and ran away so fast that now He has hit that wall. And to be honest, I bet all of us have done that from time to time.
The Wycliff Bible Commentary writes this about Jonah 2:2. "According to the Hebrew way of thinking, genuine hearing involved response. For man, hearing God involved obeying Him. For God, hearing man involved delivering him." Don’t you love that? If God hears you pray, He will deliver you, and if you pray, He will hear you. "And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we ask of him." (1 John 5:15)
Jonah was delivered, ". . . But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God." (Jonah 2:6), We all will have times that we need delivered too. But let’s learn from this situation. Don’t get out of the habit of praying. Stay in contact with the Lord through good and bad situations and maybe you can avoid those situations that feel like being in the "belly of a whale."
"But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." (Jonah 2:9)
Jonah is an interesting character. I taught in our kids Sunday School class a couple of weeks ago on Jonah and told them he was one of my favorite Bible characters. For this week, I want to take a look at him and ask the question, "What caused him to turn and repent?"
Chapter 2 opens with Jonah rescued, from drowning, but still in a desperate situation. From the time God gave this assignment, to this point, Jonah left one very important thing out of his life, prayer. He did not pray when God told him to go to Nineveh, he did not pray before getting on the ship to Tarshish, he did not pray during the storm, and he did not pray before being cast into the ocean. He was so busy running and being scared, he forgot the most important comfort that God offers us. Jonah 2:1 says, "From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God." Finally, he stopped to pray, or rather God stopped him so he would have nothing to do but pray. Jonah, in the most desperate situation of his life, prayed.
Have you been there, constantly trying to do it all your way and nothing works out? Have you, at some point, "hit the wall" and been left with nowhere to turn and no way out? It is a horrible place to find yourself. I have known people that have been in those situations...I myself have had times where I have been in that situation. Jonah got out of the practice of praying and looking to God for guidance. He turned so far from the Lord and ran away so fast that now He has hit that wall. And to be honest, I bet all of us have done that from time to time.
The Wycliff Bible Commentary writes this about Jonah 2:2. "According to the Hebrew way of thinking, genuine hearing involved response. For man, hearing God involved obeying Him. For God, hearing man involved delivering him." Don’t you love that? If God hears you pray, He will deliver you, and if you pray, He will hear you. "And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we ask of him." (1 John 5:15)
Jonah was delivered, ". . . But you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God." (Jonah 2:6), We all will have times that we need delivered too. But let’s learn from this situation. Don’t get out of the habit of praying. Stay in contact with the Lord through good and bad situations and maybe you can avoid those situations that feel like being in the "belly of a whale."
"But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." (Jonah 2:9)
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