The Part Of Me I Withhold From God

As God’s children we give Him many things. We give him our intellect as we study his Word and memorize passages of it. We read theological literature and get exposed to the thoughts of religious leaders of the past. We allow Him to shape our minds.

We give Him our money. We tithe, donate to mission offerings, support building programs and contribute to programs that support the homeless and unfortunate of our society. He has access to our money.

We gladly allow Him a reasonable amount of our time. We attend Sunday School and worship services each Sunday. We go to choir practice and prayer breakfasts and home Bible-study groups. God is allowed to guide us during large chunks of our time.

We make our physical strength and abilities available to Him. We spend two Saturdays a year helping out at “Repair and cleanup” day at our church. We help neighbors with yard work and other chores when necessary. We help rebuild homes and churches in hard-hit areas after weather disasters. God can use our hands and feet.

But a part of us that we tend to withhold from Him is our attitude. We balk at allowing Him to control, and maybe change, our feelings and reactions toward church staff, family members, people of other races, those in certain economic levels and members of various political parties or religious groups.

In Mark 2:22 Jesus taught the futility of putting new wine in old wineskins. It may be that our attitudes are the old skins of our day and the new wine is further revelations of Himself that the Holy Spirit cannot show us because of our mental rigidity.

Inflexible attitudes cause us to whine when God expects us to shine. Which of our attitudes are we refusing to yield to Him?

Follow Jesus Closely

My friend lived in a large city I had never visited. Recently I was driving past there to a meeting. I called my friend and we met for dinner at a restaurant near the interstate.

As we were parting in the parking lot I received a phone call and I was told the meeting was postponed one day. I suddenly had an extra twenty-four hours.

My friend invited me to spend the night in his home. I accepted and asked how to get there. He responded “Just follow me.” And with that he drove off.

I hated every moment of that forty-five minute drive. I kept my eyes glued to his tail lights, afraid a stop light or another car would come between us and force me to lose sight of him. If that had happened I would have been in serious trouble. (I did not have GPS.)

As we were in the middle of this game of “follow-the-leader-or-else” I realized it was similar to our challenge of staying in contact with Jesus. Sometimes He leads through strange, dangerous territory. It is my responsibility to maintain contact with Him or I will get lost.

Since I had never been in that city before, there were billboards new to me and buildings that enticed me to take a “second look.” I was tempted to become a tourist rather than stay on my friend’s bumper. In the same way, following Jesus requires us to develop some degree of tunnel vision, focusing only on Him.

Jesus says “Follow me.” Our reaction must not be “Where?” or “Why?” or “What will we see?”  or “When will we get back?”  It is up to us to reply “okay” and get prepared to enjoy the trip.

Using My Wealth

God has allowed each of us some amount of earthly wealth. As we decide what to do with it we divide ourselves in one of three categories.

HURTERS

These people use their wealth to hurt other people. Their attitude seems to be “It’s all mine. You can not have or use any of it. In fact, if I can figure out a way, I’ll get a part of yours for myself.” They see people as objects to be used for their own benefit.

HURRIERS

These people are too busy to find ways to use their money for anyone other than themselves. Their attitude is “Life is short. I don’t have time to be concerned about anything except money and what it can buy.” They don’t necessarily want more money, but they have to hurry in their efforts enjoy what they have. They simply do not see or understand the needs of others.

HELPERS

To these folks, wealth is a gift from God. It is intended to be used by his children to benefit others. “What is mine is really ours and I will share it with you when I see your need. How can I help?” They are continually looking for ways to use their wealth to further God’s kingdom.

God will never ask us “How much money do you have” but He will call us to give an account of “Where and how did you get it” and “What are you going to do with it.” We need to be sure He will be pleased with out answers.

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When I concentrate on being a friend of God, I am blessed. When I concentrate on being a friend for God, others get blessed, too.

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What does God look like?  Anything He wants to, anytime He wants to,  for as long as He wants to.

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Because we are future residents of heaven we can get overly-involved in all the details of the place. We talk about gates and lampstands and thrones and living creatures and harps and scrolls. We must remember that the glory of heaven is not in the place that is heaven but in the presence that is in heaven….the presence of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

Faith Tested

God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, and he would have done so if the angel had not stopped him. (Genesis 22:1-13)

Jesus told the rich young man to sell all his possessions and give away all the money. He refused. (Matthew 19:16-22)

God did not want Isaac’s death and I am sure He did not want the young man to become a pauper. If he would have started the process of divestment God would have somehow stopped him. Both the sacrifice of life and the sale of goods were designed to determine the degree of faith held by each man. God was seeking a willingness to obey rather than poverty or death.

Abraham passed his test and during his trip back to his family he had the satisfaction of knowing he had pleased God. The young man failed his test and he walked away because his quest for eternal life was going to cost him more than he was willing to pay.

I was saved as a young child more than seventy years ago. My decision at that time cost me very little. The subsequent years of sanctification and discipleship have posed much more difficult questions. All too often I have joined the rich young man and walked away from what Jesus wanted of me. My daily prayer is that I will learn the lessons the Holy Spirit is trying to teach me and be instantly obedient.

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God’s love is practical. It finds specific, helpful things we as his children can do for others. I have discovered that sometimes those things need to be done for people I don’t even know. Sometimes they are designed to be done for people I don’t like. Other times they are intended for people who do not like me. But every time I ask God about them He tells me to “Quit asking and start doing.”

What Scares Us?

On the evening of the first Easter the disciples huddled in a closed room and bolted the door to keep out the world. The were afraid of those on the outside, so they used locks to protect those on the inside.

Today we Christians, out of fear, hide behind the doors, walls, choir robes and Sunday school literature of our churches. We preach, praise, sing and pray, but we are still afraid.

Just what is it that frightens us?

We are afraid of losing the approval of the leaders of our church. We fear openly opposing the sins of some of the influential people who attend regularly and contribute generously. We don’t want to face the possibility that some of our deacons or teachers or singers might leave and start attending another church.

We fear the opinions of other Christians. We don’t want to do anything that might cause our friends in the church to think we are going overboard in our loyalty to Jesus. We don’t want to introduce or join a ministry that might upset those who make our small groups so enjoyable.  Sometimes we fear the disapproval of other Christians more than the criticism of a lost world.

We fear dedicating ourselves to any ministry that might interfere with the time we have available for family and friends. Giving up our independence so we can serve others is frightening.

We fear new ideas about how to worship. New songs and musical styles call for change and change is intimidating. We are not sure just what might ultimately develop if we leave our comfort zone.

So we close and lock our attitudes, just as the disciples locked the upper room. We live in fear of anything that might challenge us to examine ourselves and our relationship to God. Jesus said “God is the one you must fear…” (Luke 12:5) He also said “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works…” (Matthew 5:16). We must not let our fear dim our light!

Bit & Pieces, Odds & Ends – 8

The blessings God has for me today may be delayed until I share the ones He gave me yesterday.

Jesus loves me so much that He became like me so I can become like Him.

Fear provides faith an opportunity to grow.

When God evaluates my behavior He is easy to please and impossible to satisfy.

Passionless people pray powerless prayers.

Stillness is a part of worship. If we will be quiet while we worship, God will hear us.

I must be aware of the needs of others before I can show them I care about those needs.

Faith should say to God “I will try to do the impossible and accept the uncomfortable.”

If I say “Jesus, I give you all my life to use as you want” I should also  say “Satan, you cannot use any of my life any time for any thing.”

Self-pity is a sin because it is based on the concept that God is not doing as good a job of taking care of me as He should be.

If there’s anyone in this world that I don’t love, I am disobeying Jesus… And disobedience is sin.

God came to us – Immanuel – so we will not be afraid to go to Him.

Obey and Follow

A dog is taught to obey commands such as “Fetch”, “Sit” and “Roll over” so his trainer can show him off and exhibit his own dog-training skills. (And the dog takes pleasure in the praise his obedience earns.)

Other commands like “Stay” and “Heel” are also indications of training, but in addition they are meant to protect the dog and help keep him from danger.

God has given us commands. They have never been intended for God to “show us off” and impress people. They form the frame work for a life devoted to obedience and service.

The Commandments in Exodus 20 and Matthew 22 are meant to protect (not control), to guide (not limit), and to set free (not encumber). We need to remember that God sets limits for our sakes, not for His.

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When we read Mark 10:21 we usually consider the “…sell whatever you have…” portion. But what about the “…follow me”… part. That passage, along with the “Follow me” of John 1:43, set the stage for this conversation between Jesus and his disciples.

“Follow me.”

“Where are we going, Lord?”

“Doesn’t matter. Just follow.”

“How long will we be gone, Lord?”

“Doesn’t matter. Just follow.”

“What are we going to be doing, Lord?

“Doesn’t matter. Just follow.”

Such a “Don’t ask, just follow” life style is tough for me. I guess my faith is not as strong as it needs to be. Perhaps my prayers should be asking God to increase my trust in Him so that I will be more willing to follow as He leads.

Service

I have discovered that in my life general servanthood is different from specific servanthood. I may be able to offer a sincere prayer of “God, I am willing to be a servant today” but I balk at saying “Today I will be a servant to Paul or Bill or Jerry.” This prayer may result in my being called for help over and over and over by the same person. I don’t want my servanthood to interfere with my life style of “Me first-everyone else second.”

Willingly accepting the role of servant to one specific individual requires a devotion to God that I don’t have yet.  My frequent excuse for disobeying my Father in this area is that I don’t hear a clear call to that particular service.

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In John 4 Jesus met a Samaritan woman. He asked her to serve Him – to give Him a drink of water. She refused and asked Him to serve her (v 15).

When I pray I should more often say to Him “What can I do for you” rather than “Here’s what I want you to do for me.” I need to learn to consider service a privilege to be sought rather than a duty to be avoided.

Dear God, today I want to do Your will, Your way, on Your time schedule, for Your glory. But I will need a fresh infusion of Your power to do so.

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Today I will meet evil people who will enrage and oppose me, neutral people who will frustrate and upset me and good people who will puzzle me and ignore me. Can  I pray for all of them with the fervor I pray for the Christians I meet who encourage and love me?

Christian Prodigal Sons

Luke 15:13 tells us that after the prodigal son left home, he wasted his money. His father had given him something of value. He wasted it.

God has given us things of value. Are we, like the prodigal, wasting them?

He has put a certain amount of money at our disposal. We may spend it, give it away, save it or invest it. Whichever of these we choose, we are wasting it if our choices do not reflect his desires.

God gives us twenty-four hours a day – the same amount given the billionaire and the begger. Do we ask Him how we should spend them and then do we follow his directions? Do we worship and praise Him or do we ignore Him? Do we give a cup of cold water in his name or do we drink it all to satisfy our own thirst?

God has given us a limited amount of influence on friends, family and neighbors. Do we take every opportunity to let people know we love Him and are grateful for all our blessings or do we forget to give Him the credit?

God has given us the ability to learn and remember. Do the things we put into our cranial computers glorify and please Him or is our input wasted on non-eternal issues?

Each evening we can return home to our Father in prayer. We must be careful how we live so that we do not have to confess that we wasted the substance He gave us that morning.

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I have heard it said that to avoid running ahead of God we should delay helping others “until we feel the Holy Spirit leading us to serve in that particular situation.”

Maybe instead we should start helping them immediately and continue until the Holy Spirit tells us to quit.

Why?

Tombstones in our cemeteries note the beginning and ending of our lives, but they fail to mention the “why” of what happened in the years between those dates.

Jesus’ life on earth began in a barn and ended on a Jerusalem hillside. His ministry began when He walked out of the Jordan River and ended when He was resurrected. Between those events He taught, healed, raised the dead, fed the hungry and removed demons. Why? According to his own words it was to “seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

And when He had accomplished all his Father intended for him, He went home.

My life began in a modest home in a town in southern Missouri. My ministry as a child of God began in another small town in the same general area. Both will end at a time and in a place still to be revealed.

Until then I pray that the “Why” of my life will always be the same as His. My acts of service will differ, but my dedication should be the same. Then the time, mode and destination of my trip home will be glorious beyond imagination.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, after my death, everyone who knew me thought my headstone should say  “He served God by serving others because he loved them.”