April 2024 - Page 2 of 2 - Creation Beckons

Me Represent God?

2 Corintians 5:20 Me Represent God?

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (NIV).

It has often been said: “You may be the only Jesus some people see.” It might equally be said, “You may be the only Bible some people ever read.” Those are two immense responsibilities. I may not want those responsibilities, but I may not have a choice. People who have not read the Bible have no other way to understand who Jesus is or what His purpose is. In Acts 1:8, Jesus told His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (NIV). Those words were spoken at the moment to Jesus’s disciples, but they are meant for all who follow Him, for He desires that all of us be His witnesses. So we are called to be His witnesses and His ambassadors. That’s our calling, and we need to make sure that we do our best to carry out both tasks.

We do know that the public in general looks at us with the desire to catch us up in mistakes, in not behaving like Jesus. We know we can’t be entirely like Jesus, but we can ask Him to help us to grow more like Him every day. Perhaps the best we can do is keep growing more in His likeness so that people see the changes in us and understand that there must be something special about the relationship we have with our Lord. When we do fail, and we will, and speak unkindly or act in a most unchristian way, it is important that we acknowledge that we have failed to those we have wronged and to ask for forgiveness. Their answers may not be satisfying to us, but the act of asking for forgiveness will probably remain in their minds and hearts and, perhaps when added to like behavior of other Christians, may cause them to wonder about this Jesus and also cause them to seek to learn more, perhaps even enough to ask Him for forgiveness themselves.

We are seen as representatives of Jesus, and, as such, we need to pray earnestly for His guidance daily.

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

Nehemiah 8:10 The Joy of the Lord Is Your Strength

“Nehemiah said, ‘Go enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’” (NIV)

The Israelites had been held captive in Babylon, and now many had returned to Israel, but the walls of Jerusalem were in a shambles. They provided no protection for the inhabitants. The King of Persia sent Nehemiah back to Jerusalem to become the governor and to rebuild the walls. There was much opposition in the area around Jerusalem to the rebuilding of the walls, but the people of Israel persevered, and the walls and gates were finally rebuilt.

The people, all the people of Jerusalem, gathered and asked the priest, Ezra, to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses and read it to them. When He opened the book, all the people stood up. Ezra read aloud from daybreak until noon while they stood. When Ezra was finished, others took over and instructed the people. The people were weeping as the Word of the Lord was being read, so hungry were they for God’s Word.

The governor, Nehemiah, and Ezra told the people not to weep, for it was a holy day to the Lord. Instead of weeping they told them to enjoy themselves, and they also told them to make sure that everyone had food and sweet drink to enjoy. They had an enormous “block party” because they had heard the Word of God read to them. They rejoiced greatly. I doubt that there are many churches who would stand and listen to someone reading from the Bible from daybreak to noon. What respect they had for the Word of God. We could learn from them.

They were told that “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” I’ve always thought that there were two ways to understand that Scripture. First, I believe that the meaning is that we get strength from having the joy of the Lord. But second, I also believe that it could be understood to mean that we get joy from having the strength of the Lord. I don’t believe it makes much difference which way we read it. The important thing is that we have both joy and strength from our God through the reading of His Word. Lord, help me to realize the joy and strength I get from the reading of your Word.

Encouraging Fellowship

Hebrews 10:24,25 Encouraging Fellowship

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

This verse is often used to encourage people to attend their local church fellowship on a regular basis. It’s certainly important to gather together with the entire local church body to praise and worship God and to hear the Word of God preached. Pastors are trained and more importantly, anointed to open the Bible to us. No, we don’t need to totally depend upon pastors to tell us what the word says, but we do often need guidance in digging out the gems in each verse of Scripture, Some of Paul’s sentences can get quite long and involved.

I’d like to mention another time of meeting together—a time for intimate sharing in a smaller group setting. I’m not saying that each church has to have regularly scheduled small group meetings, but I do think it is important for us to gather together periodically with a small group of friends for informal fellowship. A small group of men in our church meets together twice a month (while our wives are meeting). We go out for an extended breakfast time. The group changes from month to month, and there are no rules or lists of members. It’s just a bunch of guys getting together to talk about whatever is going on in our lives. We always pray before we eat, and we’ve gotten positive comments by others in the restaurant about us taking time to pray before we eat. At some time in our get-together, we will discuss something about our relationships with our Lord and how we are relating to Him. There is always someone who has something to be thankful for, as there is always need for prayer. We are a support for each other because we’ve gotten to know each other well enough to be able to discuss personal issues. I thank God for this amorphous group, and I hope that you have a similar opportunity for fellowship.

P.S. A plus from today’s breakfast is the picture above taken at the home of one of the guys. Yes, even men appreciate God’s expression of beauty in flowers.

Live Wide-Eyed

Luke 11:34 Live Wide-Eyed

“Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with life” (MSG).

Jesus spoke these words just after He had told the crowd that they had one wiser that Solomon in their presence, and they didn’t recognize it, or rather didn’t recognize Him. What a joyful picture this is—our whole body will be filled with life. His next sentence shows the opposite effect for those who live in greed and distrust: “If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar.” Of course, the better choice is obvious. I want to live wide-eyed in wonder. They had the opportunity to be wide-eyed in wonder because the Messiah, the one sent from God, was in their midst and speaking to them daily, but they didn’t recognize Him. It’s easy for me to wonder how they could have missed Him, the very Son of God! But before I get too critical, I need to remember the times in my life when I was either too ignorant, or to willful, to recognize Him in my life—the times I ignored Him or said not now or no.

I know that my Lord speaks to me today, and I want to hear Him. To do that, I must be listening, to be on alert for the slightest nudging from the Holy Spirit, and sometimes the intrusions in my daily thoughts—listening for my Lord. If I pay attention to Him every time He talks to me, I’m sure I will indeed by wide-eyed in wonder, strong in belief, and my whole being will be filled with life! Now that’s a goal worth pursuing. (Lord, I commit to listening for your voice every day, and I commit to believing that I will hear your voice every day.) I intend to live wide-eyed in wonder at His glory. Won’t you join me? Let’s see just how joyous and full of life we can become. When we do, we will make a great difference in our world.

It’s the Main Course

Luke 10:41,42 It’s the Main Course

“The Master said, ‘Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and it won’t be taken from her’” (MSG).

As Jesus and His disciples were travelling, they stopped at Martha’s house. After they had been greeted, Martha went into the kitchen and began preparing a meal for them while her sister, Mary, sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him teach of the Kingdom of God. After a while Martha got frustrated and asked Jesus to tell her sister to help her. Jesus did not tell Mary to help Martha. In fact, He chastised Martha for spending so much time making preparation instead of listening to His teaching. He said that Mary had chosen the most important thing, and it “won’t be taken from her.”

But Martha was doing what was expected of a hostess, she was making sure that they were comfortable and had a good meal to eat. She doubtless was making many foods for them to eat. But in Jesus’ words, He was presenting the “main course.”

Jesus had been about His Father’s business at least as early as age twelve when He was found in the temple talking with the leaders of the temple. I would love to have heard that conversation. I’ve wondered how many of those leaders thought back to that day twenty-one years later when they called for His crucifixion. Jesus did not participate in idle small talk—He was about His Father’s business—spreading the Good News of God’s love and the need for repentance. They didn’t understand it at the time, but Jesus was also announcing the end of The Law and the beginning of Grace. Forgiveness was no longer given annually with the sacrifice of animals. Jesus was to become the Final and Perfect Sacrifice given once for all sins.

This is the message that Martha was missing as she prepared a good meal. How often do we tend to acts of “busyness” rather than focusing on the Word of the Lord? Do we really pay attention in church, during both worship and the Word? Do we focus while we are reading the Bible? Are our prayers mumbled in often repeated phrases rather than focusing on having a heart-to-heart conversation with our God? There are times to turn our total focus on what Jesus called the “essential” thing. Lord, help me to recognize those times and nudge me to help me concentrate.

Who Is My Neighbor?

Luke 10:33-25 Who Is my Neighbor?

“A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When He saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfected and bandaged his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I’ll pay you on my way back.’” (MSG).

We are all familiar with the story of the good Samaritan, the stranger who stopped and helped a wounded man. Maybe we are too familiar with it to think about what it really means. Two other men had seen the injured man and didn’t help. In fact, they both glanced at him and got away from him as fast as they could lest someone might see them and think they should help. I’ve often wondered if either of the two had any later feelings of guilt for offering no help, or did they go on with their day without a second thought? Evidently, whatever they were doing was more important to them than helping this man. They were both important men who may have thought, “Someone else will take care of him.” Guess what—someone did, a man whose business could wait until he helped a hurting man, a man who was beyond helping himself. It seems like he was similar to David, whom God described as “having a heart for God.” Jesus said, in Luke 6:31, “…Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them!” He also said, in Matthew 22:39, “…Love others as well as you love yourself.” I don’t think the Samaritan had had the opportunity to actually hear Jesus say those words. He certainly didn’t have the opportunity to read them in the Bible, but they were in his heart. We have all been created in the image of God, and I believe that these truths about caring for and loving others have been imprinted in ever human brain at birth, but we have allowed the world’s attitude of “me first,” to invade our brains and corrupt our thinking.

How many times have we had an opportunity to help someone and walked on by or were too busy? Most often we “walk on by” not literally, but figuratively. How often are we aware that someone needs some help, maybe to pick up some groceries, maybe to be given a ride to the store or doctor, maybe to just hear a kind word, maybe to be told about the love of Jesus? I would venture to say that each of us knows someone right now who could use help of some kind. Are we too busy to offer help or are we afraid to ask if someone needs help? Many people who need help are too shy or too embarrassed to ask for help. That doesn’t mean that they don’t need it. I believe that God would have us think about others and their needs daily. I think He would have us offer even before we are asked. I have friends like that, who always seem to know when I need help and offer it before I ask. They are precious people who think of others first, and they are respected throughout the community because “they have a heart for God.” I am blessed to have friends like that, and I hope that you are equally blessed. I want to be one of those people who thinks of others first and offers help even before it is asked. Lord, make me aware of those around me, help me to think of their needs, and make me eager to be of help to friend or stranger. In this world of “me first” we need many more people who have the heart of God. So, who is my neighbor, or maybe, or who isn’t my neighbor? Let’s let love and caring for others replace the “me first” attitude and see how our community, our county, our state, and our nation change.

Those He Sends

Luke 10:20 Those he Sends

“All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God’s authority over you and presence with you. Not what you do for God but what God does for you—that’s the agenda for rejoicing” (MSG).

Jesus sent seventy or seventy-two workers into the field in pairs before Him to the towns and villages He planned to visit. (Seventy or seventy-two depending upon the translation.) He sent them to prepare the harvest, and He gave them authority over demons and sickness. He also warned them that they would be going as lambs among wolves. There would be opposition to the good news they carried. He also told them to pray that the God of the Harvest would send more harvest hands. He made their assignment clear in verse four as He told them not to engage in small talk, but to keep to the task. Their job was to spread the Good News, not to socialize. I found verse 16 astounding: “The one who listens to you, listens to me. The one who rejects you, rejects me. And rejecting me is the same as rejecting God, who sent me.” In essence, Jesus told those He sent that they would be speaking in the name of God, the God who spoke through Moses and the prophets. What a responsibility they had! They had been taught that the priests, scribes, and Levites were the ones who spoke for God. This was a BIG deal, and because of what they said and because of the authority they used to say it, they would be in opposition to the religious leaders of the day. For them to go was a sign of complete faith in Jesus. They had to believe everything He had taught them, and they had to believe that they were prepared to pass that information on. Did they have to believe that Jesus was the Messiah? I believe they would have been reluctant to go and ineffective when they did go if they had not accepted Jesus as Messiah.

Okay, so where does that leave us? It leaves us right there in the midst of those being sent. If Jesus had not enlisted the twelve and then the seventy, He would have been able to minister only to places He could reach Himself. It would have left most of the world unreached. The impetus of the Great Commission is to spread the Good News by the great enlargement of the numbers of those being sent. Does not the Great Commission apply to us all? Are we not all to be building and spreading the Kingdom of God? Once we have accepted Jesus as the Christ and our Savior, it would be most selfish of us to keep it to ourselves and not tell others about it. The very personal question for each of us is, Am I prepared to speak for God as Jesus told the seventy in Luke 10:16? It’s a little daunting to know that those who reject us reject Jesus, and if they reject Jesus, they reject salvation. We have to be sure that we are speaking or writing or acting the Good News as given by Jesus Christ. As daunting as that may seem, I believe that God will guide us in the spreading of the Word if we will draw close to Him and both ask for and accept His guidance and direct help when needed. The important thing will be to keep ourselves, especially our egos, out of the message, and to let the joy and love of the Lord flow through us to those we meet. We are tools in the hand of our God, and the best tool does nothing without the direction of a knowing hand. It just lies on the workbench. But, once the tool is picked up by one who has mastered its use, it can perform wonders. Let us be useful tools in the Hand of God. Let us do wonders in His name. Praise be to God! Let us rejoice in what God does for us!

It’s Urgent

Luke 9:57-62 It’s Urgent!

“On the road someone asked if he could go along. ‘I’ll go with you, wherever,’ he said. Jesus was curt: ‘Are you ready to rough it ? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.’ Jesus said to another, ‘Follow me.’ He said, ‘Certainly, but first excuse me for a couple of days, please. I have to make arrangements for my father’s funeral.’ Jesus refused. ‘First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God’s kingdom!’ Then another said, ‘I’m ready to follow you, Master, but first excuse me while I get things straightened out at home.’ Jesus said, ‘No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day’” (MSG).

That may seem like a long Scripture quotation, but it emphasizes the urgency of the situation even 2000 years ago. Jesus’ words to those who desired to follow Him were to the point. Forgive me, Lord, if I have taken liberties, but I would like to paraphrase Jesus’ words at the time. (paraphrase) We don’t have time to search for the best housing on the way. We don’t have time to take care of the normal daily life situations. Focus has to be on the message of God and his kingdom. Nothing else is as important as this message (end paraphrase). He was on His way to Jerusalem where His ultimate sacrifice and victory were to take place. The pace did not, nor could it, slow after Jesus’ resurrection. In Jesus’ words, “You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.”

If those words were vital then, they must be even more so today as we get closer to the return of Jesus to this earth. There is not much optimism in the world today, particularly not outside those who know Christ. How will they know about the ultimate “Good News” if we don’t tell them? (See Romans 10:15.) It’s up to us to “seize the day.” We can seize it with spoken words. We can seize it with written words. But what will make the world sit up and take notice is our actions. We have the opportunity every day to seize the day in the ways we treat people. We must make them realize that we have something they need—peace and joy in the Lord,–and nothing shows it better than the ways in which we live our everyday lives. If the choice is to “love them into heaven” or “scare them out of hell,” I choose the former, and if I do so, then I must show the love of my Lord everyday.

When God Asks

Philippians 4:13 When God Asks

“…for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power” (TLB).

Have you ever had a boss who asked you to do something you have never done before without being given instructions or training in how to do it? I have, and it’s not fun. It can even turn out to be embarrassing or perhaps dangerous. Someone who would do that to you is not a good boss and certainly not a friend. I’ve often been asked to do something new along with training or, at least, instructions. These situations generally worked out well. The best times were when the boss worked alongside me and showed me the best way to accomplish the work. I learned a lot in those situations and then became a more productive worker, one who felt appreciated.

When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, we are going to be given kingdom tasks to perform, and that is to be expected. After all, we have been given the greatest gift ever presented to anyone, and our desire is be asked by God to do something. The newness of the experience makes us eager to do His work, and for most of us, that feeling doesn’t disappear. Some who have been brothers and sisters with Jesus the longest are always asking God what they can do next. They are good sources of encouragement showing just how much Jesus Christ is willing to take a person by the hand and guide him or her in the execution of the task. That’s one of the great joys of being a Christian—working for the kingdom, having Jesus providing guidance as we perform the tasks God asks of us. It’s a great time of growth—growth in our own walk and growth in being useful to God. Did you ever think that God would ask you to do something and then when you’ve finished, God would say, “Good job?” It will happen if we pay attention to Him, seek His help frequently, and trust that we can hear His voice. It’s a great adventure that God has for us. First, we get the joy of knowing that we have eternal salvation, and then we get to work alongside others that we will know for eternity while being guided and encouraged by the Creator of the universe, Jesus!

I Am Doing A New Thing

Isaiah 43:18-19 I Am Doing A New Thing

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (NIV).

When hiking on a trail, the look must always be forward. Looking backward makes forward steps uncertain because our eyes are looking in the wrong direction. If we desire to reach the goal at the end of the trail, we have to keep looking, thinking, and moving forward.

The same thing is true of the Christian life. As the Scripture above says, “Forget the former things.” The implication is that keeping one’s mind on the past will hinder future development. Our attention is to be focused on the future. We need to clear our minds of the clutter of the past in order to provide room for what God has planned. If we are going to see God’s “new thing,” we are going to have to be looking forward with expectancy. God said he is doing something new. Well, “God said it. I believe it and that settles it for me.” When God is doing something new, I want to see it and be involved in it. It may take effort on my part to “perceive it,” but the perception will be well worth the effort. If we look, we will be able to see His new way in the wilderness, and the refreshing streams where there was wasteland. Once we perceive what God has planned and prepared, we can gain excitement for the work and become useful and worthy workers in His plan. We are the ones who are here on earth, so we are the ones who will need to carry out His plans. So, with the help and encouragement of God, let’s look until we perceive His plan and then excitedly dive in. The rewards will be great, and some of them will be eternal.