Thursday, October 18

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

"Here is a trustworthy saying:  Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.  Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.  He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.  (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?). He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.  He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap." (1 Timothy 3:1-7)

These verses and others in Titus help us to understand the high calling for serving as an elder.  While we could focus on the specific characteristics, the broad message involves living in a honorable way before God and others and rejecting those commitments or distractions that would cause us to fall into sin.

Elders seek to protect the Church and promote the advance of God's Kingdom.  They serve on behalf of "God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth." (3:15)  This dual mandate of guarding the truth and God's family while pressing forward in outreach does not come without its challenges.  Striking proper balances for the Church have caused many disagreements among congregations.  Elders must set forth love as the first principle:  loving God, loving people, and making disciples.  Serving as an elder is less about title and more about just that:  serving.

While these qualifications for serving as an elder may seem high, I believe that we will all benefit from seeking to fulfill them.  We will miss out on great joy and fellowship if we settle for 80% commitment in our faith; we will not know the full blessing of God's intimate presence with us.  These qualifications and the motivations behind them will lead to a fruitful Christian life, marked by the fruit of the Spirit.  Don't we all want that?

Please pray for those serving in Church leadership.  Pray that our motivations would be godly and that our concern would begin with God and His family.  Pray that we would protect and promote the truth and seek to spread the sweet of aroma of Christ.

Lord God, thank You for sharing these qualifications of serving as an elder.  Help us to see how we may better fulfill these characteristics in our own lives.  Point out those distractions or alternative commitments that keep us from 100% connection with You.  Make us ready for the leadership opportunities You have set before us.  Bring forth the fruit of the Spirit so that we may spread the sweet aroma of Christ.  In His precious Name, amen.

Oct. 17

1 Timothy 2

In his self description at the beginning of this letter, Paul identifies himself by emphasizing his credentials as an apostle, and his authority as commanded by God.  He did this to encourage Timothy and now that we are reading this, I believe his words are to encourage us as well.  His words should not be taken lightly.  We are approaching the end of our 40 Days of Prayer journey and I have to say, it has impacted me tremendously.  Our spirits were opened up to the wisdom of who God is, and we learned how to pray with the intention of changing our hearts and the culture through prayer. While we may have prayed for our family, friends, and loved ones, as I read the Apostles instructions on Godly worship and prayer I was reminded that we are commanded to pray for everyone. It's easy to pray for people we like, but what about our enemies?  What about the person who might have offended you?  We are commanded to pray for our government and those who are in authority, whether we agree or disagree with what we see happening around us. We are also told we can find something to thank God for regarding all men. Even those who persecute us and are against us have a place in the over-arching plan of God.  I don't know about anyone else but this challenges me.  It's hard for me to thank God for the defiant 5 year old in class or pray for my neighbor who gives new definition to "extra grace required".  However the core of this truth on prayer is found in verses 3 through 6. "This is good, and pleases God our Savior,  who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people." The purpose of prayer is so that everyone will be saved and come to know Jesus, therefore the gospel must be presented to all without reservation. This actually can be done with very few words, all we have to do is pass along the free gift of love and grace that we have received through Jesus. It costs us nothing to receive it, nothing to give it, yet it cost Christ everything for us to have it.  When we worship and pray, it's not about us, it's about the One who gave it all for us.

Randi

October 13: When and Why Persecution is Worth It

Jeremiah 22:1-23:20

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Psalm 83:1-18

Proverbs 25:1-14

"…we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring." - 2 The 1:4

How were the Thessalonians were being persecuted.  One reference mentioned that "property was being seized.  Workers were stopped from practicing their trades.  Those who found a new faith were shunned by their families.  Some were insulted, some beaten, and some put to death."  I wish it didn't happen anymore.  Sadly, it still does.  Just a bit of research and one can read about how Christians are being killed and injured in Nigeria, where in July of last year, a gunman attacked a church and killed 12.  And in 2016, almost halfway around the world, a pastor was killed by North Koreans in a Chinese border town.  

One doesn't really have to go that far.  Right here, the government is demanding a Catholic order of nuns provide contraception and abortion coverage, and the Supreme Court found that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission had shown hostility towards a baker's religious beliefs when the baker refused to bake a cake for a gay wedding.  That fight cost the baker a lot of money, as did the fight of a Washington florist who refused to provide decorations for a similar event.  

Why do people choose to suffer such hardship?  Paul - who himself suffered much for the Gospel - explains that "as a result, you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.  God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled…"

Paul's reassurances are good.  But as I was reflecting following a chat about our Lord with a friend yesterday, I don't have to take Paul's word for it.  That would be like concluding a restaurant's food was good from a food critic's words.  Far better to go and taste the food; far better to get into a relationship with our Lord.  

I think the baker, the florist, the pastor in North Korea, and all those in Nigeria have done as much, and have decided the suffering was worth it.  May we get to know Him as well, and come to the same conclusions.  

Father, help us to get to know You, through all the noise and disruption and distortion of the world, help us to see Your face, to grow to love You, and to conclude that yes, it is all worth it. 

Oct 12

The prophet Jeremiah might go down as one of the greatest preachers of all time. Who could ever forget his sermon illustrations of shaping pottery, burying a linen belt, and the breaking of a jar. While there is plenty of doom and gloom in his message, there is also hope found here.

Yet hope is found in a strange way. Many times, God asks us to do things that we feel are counterintuitive.

Jeremiah 21:8-9   Furthermore, tell the people, 'This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; he will escape with his life.

Surrender is the way of life. Now, that is a revolutionary message. The last thing we would think would bring life and hope to an army is surrender. Yet when God is in it, it is true.

Larry Harris tells a story about the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, the Communists solders were told to avoid surrender at all cost. They were told that the Americans would torture them, beat them, and starve them to death. Some of them surrendered anyway and were taken to camps where many were treated better by their enemies than by their own comrades. After the war, many of them elected to come to the United States. They have become US citizens and are living in a land of freedom and abundance. For them surrender was the best thing they could have done.

So, it is with our surrender to God, when we say to the Lord, "I am turning my life over to you, you come control me, you show me the paths to walk in life," it is then that we find life in all its greatness and abundance.

 

--

"Multiplying leaders to change the world"

Thursday, October 11

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,

    whose confidence is in him.

They will be like a tree planted by the water

    that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

    its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

    and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7,8)

While Jeremiah's prophecy includes many laments over the sinful nature and warnings of oncoming judgment, there are nuggets of tremendously encouraging truth for those who seek to follow and honor God.  This passage, which echoes the encouragement of Psalm 1, stands as such an example.

Ultimately, the person described here doesn't necessarily have any other "things going for" him or her.  Instead, the sole determinant is that he or she "trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him."  This binary decision of trusting or not trusting in God creates substantial ripple effects in our lives.  Given this passage's focus, we will concentrate on the positive effects of trusting Him.

Please notice the analogy of a "tree planted by the water."  Given the sometimes arid terrain in Israel, this metaphor spoke to the hearts of its original hearers.  The trees near a river would flourish and remain green; their survival aptly depended on the live-giving river.  In a similar vein, those who trust in God rely on His portion like a river.  Revelation 21 discusses a "river of life" flowing directly through heaven.  In addition, those who trust in God become rooted in Him.

As a result of the connection with God, those who trust flourish like the tree.  They do not fear nor worry in lean or challenging times because their confidence ultimately comes from being rooted in God's faithfulness.  Their joy remains consistent, knowing that leaner times offer God more opportunity to show His provision and that greener times point to His overwhelming generosity.  This person "bear[s] fruit" through his or her life, demonstrating the love of God to a watching world.

Would you like this description to fit your life?  How may you more fully trust in God so that His radiance might be displayed in you?  Please consider reading His Word today and spending time talking with Him.  Please prioritize your connection with and trust in God as paramount for any measure of "success."

Lord God, thank You for allowing us to become rooted in You by trusting in Your provision.  Thank You for the encouraging truth of Your Word and the recognition that You never forsake Your people.  Help us to turn to You in humility and understand our dependence on You today.  Make us like trees planted by the water, so that we may point to Your goodness and love through our transformed lives.  In Jesus's Name, amen.

Oct. 10

Psalm 80

When I was reading this Psalm, the first thing that stood out to me was the praise that was given to God, the Shepherd of Israel. The Psalmist is acknowledging God's exalted position by recognizing His place, He is enthroned upon the cherubim. Asaph asked that the God of majesty and glory would shine forth on behalf of His people. When God does shine forth, darkness and gloom vanishes and he is magnified.  God's exalted position has not changed. Only God can change things. We should find our rest when we are facing impossible situations and need clarity and perspective by posturing ourselves in humility and knowing that God the all mighty who is the Shepherd of Israel who brought them from Egypt to Canaan is strong enough to also deliver us in our present moment. This prayer of faith, understanding, and dependence is a model prayer for us as well. This past month of prayer has made me realize that God is so much bigger than any of my circumstances.  Acknowledging He dominates this universe and at the same time loves me has changed my perspective in the way I pray.  Lord, I pray You shine forth on everyone reading this blog , let gloom and darkness vanish. I pray You break through and be magnified in our lives. Let Your will be done today in our lives, on earth as it is heaven.

Randi

How close are you?

"Why do the ways of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?You have planted them, and they have taken root. They grow and bear fruit, you are always on their lips, but far from their hearts."

Out of everything I read today these verses rang loudly. So many people and churches today and even in Grace Church, worship every Sunday , Give their time, know all of The books of the Bible by heart, but where is God all week long? Where is God in our households, where is God in the workplace, where is God in our marriages, with our children, and more importantly where is God in our hearts? We may even belong to four small groups, go on missions trips, volunteer and hospitals in homeless shelters, but if God is not in our hearts and his spirit is not evident then in the quietness of our lives we are just like the people spoken about and In Jeremiah. You were always on their lips but far from their hearts.I will go as far as to say they will be many people in hell who know the Bible very well. Lord God I pray for today that anyone who reads this will examine our own hearts to make sure that you live there, that you are rooted there. We Need you Lord to Take first place in our lives. We need you Lord help us to push away everything else that's not of you. Pride, hurt, anger, jealousy, bitterness, regret, resentment and so much more. Help our prayers to be breakthrough prayers that bring healing, freedom and a closer walk with You.


Chuck Goulart
President Anytime Appliance
Repair Service LLC
203-943-0961
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