Category: Shine for the Father

Romans 12:2                                                              Set Apart

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think.  Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you” (TLB).

 

The flower certainly stands out from the background.  It is unique in the picture, being obvious to the viewer.  God is calling us to be just that distinct from the world, from the hate, the anger, the bitterness, the lack of boundaries, the dark and sinister view of life, the hopelessness that this world presents.  Oh, I know that this world claims to be enlightened.  That’s exactly what satan told Adam and Eve, that they would be enlightened and know what God knows.  Once they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, things went downhill, and it’s been a slippery slope since then.  A long list of “unthinkable” changes have become common place.  The differences are becoming more and more easy to see, and we are called to stand firm and remain the salt and light in this age.  If we want to know if something is wrong according to our Lord, we need to read His Word and speak to Him in prayer.  We have been given a guidebook that shows the goodness of God and provides footsteps to follow.  Following in His footsteps guarantees buffeting from all sides in this world amid blessings from Him.  The road is a difficult one, but it is one that leads to eternal rewards.  It is time to choose to purposely make ourselves stand out from the insidious darkness of satan’s domain.

Isaiah 43:19-21                          Refreshing Water in the Dry Lands

“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.  The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (NIV).

 

The water in the picture is not a stream, nor a river.  It is a lake formed behind a dam in northern Arizona.  It certainly looks like a wasteland, and the water of the lake is definitely refreshing.  Wild animals drink from it, cities receive both water and hydroelectric power from it, and many boating enthusiasts enjoy the joy of riding on its waters. It is a great refreshment for the area.

God provided water in the wilderness for His people, and the animals rejoiced because they also received benefit from God’s provision.  We often don’t take notice of the tangential effects of God’s blessings upon His people.  When God blesses His church by growing His love in them, the entire community is blessed.  I don’t know if that could be called tangential blessing, but when the church grows in God’s love and shares that with the community, the entire community is blessed. That’s how churches grow, and that’s how God’s kingdom is intended to grow.  We are the “streams in the wasteland.”  You may well be the only stream of God’s love in your workplace, your local community, or even your family, and as such, you could be the bright spot in the day for many people.  You may be providing the “tangential effect” of God’s love.  That’s what God trains us to be and do.  It may be uncomfortable.  It may even be dangerous, but rewards are waiting in heaven for those who are faithful to the calling God has given each of us.  Let’s be the “streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 61:11                                                   So Shall We Bloom

“For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord will cause righteousness and praise spring forth before all the nations” (NKJV).

 

This spiny cactus brings forth brightly colored beautiful flowers, and they are what get noticed the most, the flowers, as they should.  Are not pretty flowers more interesting and enjoyable to view than the spiny stems on which they grow?  We are the plants that grow in His garden, and no matter how spiny and difficult our times past, the brighter shines the righteousness and praise that spring forth from us.  Righteousness is shown by the quality of the lives we live, the kindness, the caring, and the love of God we express.  The praise that springs forth from our voices as we grow and grow closer to Him becomes more beautiful each day.

Yes, as the earth brings forth beauty in the flowers that it grows, so do we bring forth righteousness and praise for our Lord.  He has filled us with His Holy Spirit, and as we let the Holy Spirit work in our lives, the more attractive we become and the more attractive the call of Jesus Christ.  To fulfill the desires of God for our lives we must let Him shine through so much that the spiny hurtful parts of our past are greatly overshadowed by His glory showing through us.

Luke 6:43-45                                                      Who Are You?

“You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree.  The health of the apple tells the health of the tree.  You must begin with your own life-giving lives.  It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts.  Your true being brims over into true words and deed” (MSG).

 

But I thought what I say and do are “who I am.”  No, not quite, they can represent who we are, but who we are includes all the other things in our lives that flow out of our words and our acts.  Do our acts match our words, or do we hedge a little bit on our doing?  Those who are critical of Christians hit that exact point.  They expect our acts to exactly match what we say, and when our acts and words don’t match up, they use those situations as proof that we follow false religion.  That can be a compelling argument, so the pressure is on us to make our acts, all of our acts, match our words.  And that is why we must focus on the forgiveness of Jesus.  He is the central point of Christianity, and it is His life, death, and resurrection that is ultimately important.  We need to let it be known that we are certainly not perfect, but that Jesus, by His sacrifice, has taken the punishment for all of our sins, and has wiped them out—erased them as if they had never happened.

 

It is essential that we endeavor to follow the principles presented by Jesus.  ‘Do unto others as we would have them do to us.”  Put others needs before our own.  In short, live so that the love of Jesus is as noticeable in our actions as it is in our words.  It is more important to show the love of Jesus than it is to obey the Ten Commandments.  When Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment, He answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it.  ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (NIV).  The closer we get to these two commandments the closer we are to having our lives brim over with “true words and deeds.”  I’m not sure how to define myself right now, but my goal is to have my life brim over with “true words and deeds.”

 

Proverbs 16:18       Pride of Self–Not Good

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (NIV).

 

We’ve all seen those who have been quite prideful, and we have also seen them “get their comeuppance.”  Those who think they have it made, have a difficult time when they eventually fail, and we all fail sometime.  They seem to think that it can’t happen to them.  They obviously haven’t read Proverbs 16:18.  The Message translation puts it in more direct terms: “First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego he harder the fall.”

Those with big egos need to keep stoking it—need to keep building it up.  Eventually when they look back, they will see, as Satchel Paige said, “Somebody might be gainin’ on you.”  Big egos have to keep pushing their limits, and the time will come when they can’t quite match what their egos require.  Failure happens to all of us.  Trouble comes to all of us at some time, and we have to learn how to face it.  The best way to face it is to recognize from the beginning who gives us our skills and abilities and give Him the credit.

Professional athletes are the most visible of those who reach a time when the body can no longer support the ego. It’s satisfying to see an athlete recognize the source of his power and ability, give God the glory, and thank Him for his success.  His decline seems to be more graceful, and his past performance more appreciated.

The Bible has a warning for the prideful in Isaiah 2:12, saying: “For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up– And it shall be brought low…” (NKJV).  We all decline as we age, but for those who are grateful to God for what He has done for them, He provides great rewards in Heaven.  Who would you rather be preparing rewards for you—God or men?  And would you want your rewards to last a few years or for eternity?

There is nothing wrong with feeling satisfaction when we have done something well, as long as we remember who gave us the ability to do good work.  We can have three reasons for feeling good about our successes.  First, there is a natural satisfaction that comes with doing a job well.  Second, we can feel good that we have been of service to our Lord and Savior.  Third, we can be gratified that God has trusted us to do His work.  It is good to be a tool in the hands of God.