Thursday, August 7

THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014

Ezra 5::1–6:22

1 Corinthians 3:5–23

Psalm 29:1–11

Proverbs 20:24,25

 

 

In Thursday’s passage from 1 Corinthians 3:5–23, Paul discusses the realities facing a minister of the New Covenant.

 

First, he notes that anyone so ministering really serves as “co-workers in God’s service.”  Their efforts do not come from an individual alone, but rather God “makes all things grow.”  Each minister takes on different roles, either as tiller, planter, waterer, or harvester, yet, in all this, God maintains sovereignty over the process.  In His grace, fruit comes from these efforts, according to God’s good pleasure and purpose.  For this reason, no one should take pride in the successes of ministry or deprecate oneself in the failure of achieving “numbers.”  God takes full responsibility for the harvest.  As a result, we should praise God for any rejoicing through ministry and refrain from exalting ours or other people’s names.

 

Even with God’s sovereignty over the process, however, the laborers do have a righteous motivation of reward in participating.  We ought not sit idly by and watch a hurting world.  We should jump in and seek God’s direction for service.

 

Earlier this week, I received a great quote from Dwight L. Moody, an American evangelist in the late 1800s.  In writing about Jesus’s conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well – to which the disciples had wondered, “What’s the point?” – Moody commented:  “There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord; but few of us willing to do little things...  Look at that wonderful sermon that [Jesus] preached to that lone woman at the well of Samaria.  He was tired and weary, but he had time and the heart to preach to her.  This is but one of many instances in the life of the Master from which we may learn a precious lesson.  If the Son of God had time to preach to one soul, cannot every one of us go and do the same?”  Indeed, the journey of ministry takes many small steps, of which we, by God’s grace, are all capable and equipped.

In the next verses, Paul touches upon the personal responsibility we hold in remaining faithful to God’s instructions:  “building” on a wise foundation, Jesus Christ alone.  In that final Day, the permanency and value of the long-term fruit of ministry or growth in faith will shine through, as the temporal accomplishments of life will fade away in a fire.  What we have built in ourselves and others on that solid foundation will last into eternity, and its quality will become quite apparent.  These words and reflections definitely encourage us to “mind the store” of our lives and to sow good seed into the lives of young people and our friends that we would like to encourage and build up in the faith.

 

Paul also writes:  “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.”  These verses and others suggest that, individually and corporately, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and in our midst.  He guides, empowers, corrects, and strengthens us for the ministry of daily life.  Thanks be to God!

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for those spiritual leaders whom You have led into our lives.  Help us to serve others with the same spirit of charity and compassion.  Shape us, Lord, into Your servants, Your hands and feet.  In Your Name, amen.

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August 8th

August 8th

Instead, I sometimes think God has put us apostles on display, like prisoners of war at the end of a victor's parade, condemned to die. We have become a spectacle to the entire world—to people and angels alike. Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honored, but we are ridiculed. Even now we go hungry and thirsty, and we don't have enough clothes to keep warm. We are often beaten and have no home. We work wearily with our own hands to earn our living. We bless those who curse us. We are patient with those who abuse us. We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world's garbage, like everybody's trash—right up to the present moment. (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭9-13‬ NLT)

The hardships of the Apostles jumped out at me today. We are supposed to be striving to be more like the apostles were, fully sold out for Christ. They followed in the footsteps of Christ, and they faced many hardships. But the thing that stood out to me the most was a lot of what Paul lists here are choices. (We have no home, we work hard, we bless those who curse us, we are patient to our abusers, we appeal gently when evil things are said about us.) the Apostles chose to be who they were, and they were better for it. They had character. These things that Paul listed are by no means easy, and sometimes downright demeaning, but Christ did not call us to a life of comfort, but of righteousness. I am so far from this description. Something to strive towards. I would rather look like a fool and be sold out for Christ, than look wise to the world and leave Christ behind.

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Tuesday August 5

Ezra 1-2

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5

Psalm 27:7-14

Proverbs 20:22-23

I saw an interview with Bill Maher several years ago. He had a movie coming out called Religulous (combination of the words religion and ridiculous). In this movie, he interviewed people of different faiths (Christians, Jews, Muslims, 
Scientologists) with the purpose of pointing out how "ridiculous" religion is. When he started to point out how silly he thinks Christianity is, I found myself agreeing with him (hear me out for a minute!). From the perspective of the 
world, religion is ridiculous. Faith in ANYTHING we can't see doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make sense that a God would be three persons in one. It doesn't make sense that God would step down into our world and die for us. It 
doesn't make sense that a good God would allow suffering in the world. It doesn't make sense that He is strong through our weakness. If you look at it through the eyes of the world, I agree, it sounds ridiculous.
 
1 Corinthians 1:18 says "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." The problem with Bill Maher (a devote atheist) is he believes in his own wisdom, 
rather than God's. If we rely on our own understanding, it will lead us in the wrong direction. The message of the cross will confuse us, rather than bring us life. We must look with eyes of faith in order to experience the true wisdom of 
God. Verse 25 of 1 Corinthians 1 says "God's foolishness is wiser than man's wisdom." I have more confidence in God's foolishness than my own wisdom any day! 
 
God's Own Fool
by Michael Card

Seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to men
He must have seemed out of His mind

For even his family said He was mad
and the priests said, "A demon's to blame";
but God in the form of this angry young man
could not have been perfectly sane.

When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes.
When we in our weakness believed we were strong,
He became helpless to show we were wrong
And so we follow God's own fool;
for only the foolish can tell.
Believe the unbelievable;
come be a fool as well.

So come lose your life for a carpenter's son,
for a madman Who died for a dream.
Then you'll have the faith His first followers had,
and you'll feel the weight of the beam.

So surrender the hunger to say you must know,
have the courage to say: "I believe".
For the power of paradox opens your eyes,
and blinds those who say they can see.

When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes.
When we in our weakness believed we were strong,
He became helpless to show we were wrong
And so we follow God's own fool;
for only the foolish can tell.
Believe the unbelievable;
come be a fool as well.

Fwd: August 4: If it is to be, it most certainly ISN'T up to me..

http://devotional.upperroom.org/devotionals/2014-08-04

After I finished today's reflection, it was interesting to read this in my devotionals - further confirmation that it is not by our strength, but by His; not by our wisdom, but by His.  The author of the reflection talks about doing her best, but is comforted by the knowledge the outcome is in God's hands.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jose Lanuza <jose.a.lanuza@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Aug 4, 2014 at 5:39 AM
Subject: August 4: If it is to be, it most certainly ISN'T up to me..
To:

2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23

1 Corinthians 1:1-17

Psalm 27:1-6

Proverbs 20:20-21

"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel - not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

- 1 Cor 1:17

Reading this today, it occurred to me how much this theme recurs in the Bible.  We know the story of Martha and Mary, and how Martha thought how well the Lord's visit went depended on all she could do.  We've read Proverbs 3:5-6, which tells us not only to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding", but reminds us in all our ways to submit to Him, so that He - not we - will make our paths straight.  

Paul reminded me of this today - that the outcomes I seek are hardly ever determined by the effort I make.  Because if I could depend upon whatever I have that passes for strength and wisdom, what need would I have for Christ?  If I could depend upon myself, then the cross of Christ would be emptied of its power.  And yet, it isn't easy.  One of the things I learned when I was young was the phrase "If it is to be, it is up to me", and I've learned to try and live by that phrase for much of my life.  Worse, I've spent so much of their childhood trying to pass it on to my children.  

How much better to be able to know God well enough to know I can depend on Him for all things?  To be able to pray, as in today's Psalm, "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?...One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."  Mary understood that, and she chose to sit at the Lord's feet, hungry for His word - to "be still and know that [He is] God".  May I and my family, and all of us, learn to do the same.  

August 4: If it is to be, it most certainly ISN'T up to me..

2 Chronicles 35:1-36:23

1 Corinthians 1:1-17

Psalm 27:1-6

Proverbs 20:20-21

"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel - not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

- 1 Cor 1:17

Reading this today, it occurred to me how much this theme recurs in the Bible.  We know the story of Martha and Mary, and how Martha thought how well the Lord's visit went depended on all she could do.  We've read Proverbs 3:5-6, which tells us not only to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your understanding", but reminds us in all our ways to submit to Him, so that He - not we - will make our paths straight.  

Paul reminded me of this today - that the outcomes I seek are hardly ever determined by the effort I make.  Because if I could depend upon whatever I have that passes for strength and wisdom, what need would I have for Christ?  If I could depend upon myself, then the cross of Christ would be emptied of its power.  And yet, it isn't easy.  One of the things I learned when I was young was the phrase "If it is to be, it is up to me", and I've learned to try and live by that phrase for much of my life.  Worse, I've spent so much of their childhood trying to pass it on to my children.  

How much better to be able to know God well enough to know I can depend on Him for all things?  To be able to pray, as in today's Psalm, "The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?...One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple."  Mary understood that, and she chose to sit at the Lord's feet, hungry for His word - to "be still and know that [He is] God".  May I and my family, and all of us, learn to do the same.  

Saturday BlogPost 8/3/14

Saturday, August 3, 2014 [by Keesha Sullivan]

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father... (James 1:17 NLT) 

Every single blessing/ good thing we experience on earth is a gift from our Heavenly Father.  Unfortunately, the harder we work at something the less credit we give to God. We sometimes feel as though we "pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps." Sometimes it is not even the hard work that makes us forget that the gift/s came from God. It also can be the success that God gives us. He does all the work and somehow we take all the glory and forget to thank Him. 

In the reading for today, Hezekiah suffered from the latter. It says in 2 Chronicles 32: 20-23, "King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to Heaven about this. 

"And the Lord sent an Angel who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian King. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons cut him down with the sword. So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib King of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side. Many brought offerings to Jerusalem for The Lord and valuable gifts for Hezekiah King of Judah. From then on he was highly regarded by all the nations." (2 Chronicles 32: 20-23 NIV)  Hezekiah received peace on every side and was esteemed by the people due to God's gift of protection. 

Just a few verses later we read about Hezekiah being healed from the point of death by the Lord. God's awesome favor was resting upon Hezekiah. Hezekiah seemed to forget that the protection, the esteem, and the healing were all from God. "But Hezekiah's heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him..." (2 Chronicles 32:25 NIV) After a certain point of receiving all these great gifts from God, he stopped thanking God. 

When it says that Hezekiah didn't respond, it means that he didn't show gratitude. He didn't remember Who was the Source of all these blessings that kept taking place in his life. Pastor Taylor's sermon on gratitude was a timely message.  Gratitude is the only thing that keeps us from falling into the trap of pride. It keeps us relying on God and His power and not our own.

When we do fall into the trap of pride, it is amazing to know that God can pick us up and help us get back into a right relationship when we repent and realize where all of our gifts came from. "Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of His heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord's wrath did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah." (2 Chronicles 32: 26 NIV)

Thank You Lord for showering us with so many gifts. Thank You for waking us up another day! Thank You for giving us clothes on our back and food to eat. Thank You for Your mighty love that You lavish on us. Thank You that You are Our God and that You have protected this country from so much harm and danger.  We love and adore You Lord. We ask that You would touch us and help us to be more grateful. We want to completely rely on You Lord. We ask all of these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

---------

Kenny Sullivan

soli Deo gloria

August 1st

August 1st

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ NLT)

Hope.
Nothing describes the Gentile people of the Old Testament better than "hopeless." The Jews had something to put their hope in. (Yahweh, the coming Messiah...) But the Gentiles had nothing. Nothing to place their hope in. But in Romans 18, Paul challenges that. He shows how God's plan includes the Gentiles, and that this inclusion was through Christ. Christ did not come for a portion, he came for ALL.
And in another place Isaiah said, "The heir to David's throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him." (‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ NLT)
Before Christ, the Gentile people had nothing to place their hope in. After Christ, He is hope. The Savior of the world, the hope of nations. It's all Christ.
'My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly trust in Jesus' name'
What a great hymn! Christ is our only hope!

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