Tasks Beyond Our Means

"Jesus always calls His people to tasks that are far beyond their means....The resurrection and power of Jesus are not proven when the church achieves the ordinary.  That is why the disciples were commanded to wait for the anointing of the Holy Spirit before they began their extraordinary mission."  Rev. John P. Sartelle - Senior minister of Tates Creek Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky.

I read this statement in my devotions this morning and was reminded so clearly and powerfully the power through which I do ministry.  The pastorate that God has called me to is far beyond my means as a finite man.  I am so thankful that He enables, equips, empowers, and endures me to be His vessel, His mouthpiece, His hands and feet, His arms and legs to carry and put forth His gospel and love to others.  I am so thankful that there is one greater than I who does the work!  I am so thankful that I am not able to be self-sufficient and that I am not able to be adequate in my own self.  For if this were capable and true, I would have no need of God and my very existence would be emptied and robbed of it's richness and joy!

Thank you, my Lord and God, for the ministry of your Spirit and for using me, one so limited and imperfect, to accomplish Your perfect, grand will and plan for Your creation!

Wisdom and Fear

Pro 3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;

Pro 3:14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold.

Pro 3:15 She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

Pro 3:16 Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor.

Pro 3:17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.

Pro 3:18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.

Wisdom begins with fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 1:7) If we truly desire to live a life that matters, a life that counts, a life that is meaningful, we must begin by fearing the Lord. Involved in this concept of fearing the Lord is, I believe, both a sense of reverence and respect AND even terror and quaking fear. It is a terrible thing to stand before a holy God as a depraved sinner. It is a terrible thing to stand before a righteousness with sin hanging on us and knowing that God cannot take pleasure in nor fellowship with sin. This reality ought to cause us terror and quaking. On the other hand, we as study the attributes of God and who He is, an awe and a reverence ought to overtake us in light of who He simply IS by His every existence.

When we have this sense of fear, it will affect our every action. When I fear God, I will not to so quick to yell at my children when they are frustrating me. When I fear God, I will not be so quick to ignore the requests of my wife because I simply do not want to do what she is asking. When I fear God, I will not be so quick to indulge my selfish desires when I see needs of others going unattended. When I fear God, I will not be so quick to give in to the temptation that commit sin.

 When I fear God, I will be quick to meet the needs of others as personal sacrifice to myself.  When I fear God, I will refrain from gossip and negative talk about others.  When I fear God, will be quick to stop whatever I am doing to spend time with my kids, training, teaching, playing, and loving them.  When I fear God, I will be quick to fulfill the requests of my wife because I love God enough to love her the way He tells me to.  When I fear God, I will be quick to count my ONLY NEED to be that of serving others and bringing glory to my Father's Holy name.

Yes, fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because when we fear the Lord, our very way of thinking is transformed and radically changed.  Our values, opinions, beliefs, desires, goals, dreams, actions, every facet of our life is affected when we fear the Lord.  We will seek to please Him in every possible way and there is no thought left for ourselves.

When I fear God, I will see my life through the lenses of Scripture and as I see God incarnate through the life of Christ, I learn how to please Him and to glorify Him.

So, I suppose the only real question that  must be asked at this point is, "Do I fear the Lord?"  For without fear of the Lord, wisdom does not exist.

John Piper's Leave of Absence

I just read yesterday about John Piper's upcoming leave of absence.  I read his letter detailing the reasons that he is taking a 8 month leave of absence.  I intend to pray as he has requested and I respect and appreciate his willingness and openness to take the stance he has.  Read his letter for yourself here.

The happiest homes in the world

Today's Puritan Audio Devotional:

Life as a ladder by J. R. Miller

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The happiest homes in the world

(J. R. Miller, "Counsel and Help" 1907)

Nothing is lovelier in life, than the spirit of contentment. Fretting mars the beauty of many a face. Discontent spoils all one's world. Out of whatever window he looks--the discontented person sees something that is not pleasing.

But a contented person sees only good everywhere. The happiest homes in the world are not those in which are the finest carpets, the costliest pictures, the most luxurious furniture--but those in which contented, joyful hearts dwell. A mind at peace, beautifies the plainest surroundings and even the hardest conditions.

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:11-13

 

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Contending with God

When we sin, we are contending with God for supremacy of our lives. When we sin, we are fighting God for control over our lives; a control which is not rightfully ours to claim.

We (I) find ourselves embroidered in this battle every day of our existence. It is the nature of humans to want what they want, when they, how they want, and simply because they want. It is the nature of our culture to feed upon their wants and fuel that belief that it is okay to pursue what you want regardless of who or what gets in the way. Our culture tells you that "You are worth it," "Do what feels right," "Follow your heart," and similar like statements that fuel the mentality that if it feels right, do it. They seek to eradicate objective truth in order to justify their behaviors and attitudes. If they can eradicate objective truth, then the only standard left to justify right from wrong is each persons individual feelings, wants, and desires.

The truth is that feelings lie. They cannot be trusted solely and used exclusively to dictate our actions, beliefs, and as a guide for life. There is an objective truth and that objective truth is determined by the only source capable of doing so: God. He, being God, Creator, and Savior has the power, authority, and right to determine truth. As Christians, we have been bought by the blood of Christ and are His property, His possession, His creation that He has the right to command and instruct. His word is truth and binding upon us. When we seek to determine our own truth and living according to our own standards, we contend with God, we struggle with God for the right and power to determine truth for us and to behave in a way that we feel best. This is sin at the core: It is a battle with God for the right to live our lives as we see fit. It is a battle that we face daily. I have found myself fighting that battle this very morning. Yet, we fight it we must and we will until the day that our Lord and Savior removes the presence of sin from our lives forever.

So, in the words of Joshua, "Jos 24:15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

Who will have supremacy in your life today? God or You? Be careful which you choose.

60/60

So, a pastor friend of mine and I have been working through a book called "Soul Revolution" together for a while now. We began it knowing that what it was going to ask us to do would be a challenge.

Here is the basic premise. The author of the book, John Burke, challenges the readers to a 60 day, sixty minute challenge. He challenges the reader to stop every 60 minutes and spend time with God and to reflect upon how much in the past 60 minutes you have actually spent with God or with an intentional awareness of His presence. How much, during the last 60 minutes, have you spent consciously living in the presence of God.

Two days ago, I finally took the time to to set the calendar on my phone to alarm every 60 minutes from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. For the past two days, I have been stopping every 60 minutes to spend a few intentional moments with God. This has been a challenge at times because during a few of those moments, to stop meant that I had to interrupt a very specific task that I was doing in order to focus my attention on God. Other times, I was simply able to pray and talk to God while doing whatever it was I was in the middle of.

I share this with you because I have been incredibly blessed the last two days to be doing this. It has increased my awareness of God as being ever present in every moment of my life. I have been blessed....ah, there goes my alarm. Be right back.

As I was saying, I have been so very blessed to be increasing my awareness and interaction with God. I have been using these times to build and strengthen my prayer life. I have intentionally prayed for my church family and their needs, my family, my friends, and in worship of God and His attributes. I remember a time in my life when my sensitivity to the things of God was so clear and intense it would have been unheard of for me to not go through a single day without noticing at least two to three specific things I saw God doing. As life has increased it's intensity and urgency; its busyness that sensitivity has dulled. The last two days I have already begun to sense that sensitivity growing. I am excited and looking forward to the next 58 days and beyond and seeing my relationship with God grow through intentional relationship building.

Can I challenge and encourage you to join me on this journey? For more specific information, click on the title of this article and it will take you to the website of the book "Soul Revolution."

May God richly bless you in your journey to a deeper relationship with Himself!

The BOOK you are writing

Today's Puritan Audio Devotional:

Our conception of the Christian life
by J. R. Miller Play Audio!  Download MP3

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The BOOK you are writing

(J. R. Miller, "Counsel and Help" 1907)

"You ought to live holy and godly lives." 2 Peter 3:11

The only way to have a stainless and beautiful year at its close--is to keep the days, as they pass, all pure and sweet, with the loveliness of holy, useful living.

It is thus, in little days--that our years come to us. We have but the one small fragment to fill and beautify at a time.

The year is a book, and for each day--one fair white page is opened before us.

And we are artists, whose duty it is to put something beautiful on the page.

Or we are poets, and are to write some lovely thought, some radiant sentence, on each leaf as it lies open before us.

"That we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." 1 Timothy 2:2

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