Month: May 2022

Jesus tells us in Luke 16:13 that, “No servant can serve two masters…” They will love one and hate the other…be devoted to one and despise the other., and this may go back and forth at will depending on the situation. Yes, living with a divided heart takes a lot of work, for most times it involves deceit and lying to people….starting with ourselves. Our heart isn’t designed to have multiple loves, it’s especially crafted to have one Master -God- to love, obey, and be entirely dependent upon Him only for protection and provision. That’s why when we try to worship both the world and God it doesn’t work out well. David in Psalm 86:11 asked God for an undivided heart…a heart solely devoted to Him. And that’s what we need to do also…ask God to give us singleheartedness of plan, purpose, and action in our life.

Earlier in this Psalm the writer laments that, “You have taken from me my closest friends.” And this feeling of not only being abandoned by friends, but also by God is heard throughout this distressful Psalm. In fact, this is the only Psalm of lament that ends in a downcast note rather than in confidence and praise in the final verses. That’s because, when we rely on our feelings and emotions and not on God’s Word, it will leave us discouraged and hopeless every time. The Lord is our never fail friend. He is closer than a brother, (Proverbs 18:24) Who will always enjoy rather than refuse our presence. His friendship is fixed and stable, our relationship with Him never changing, steady and constant. We will lose beloved friends, but we will never lose the Lord’s Presence in our life.

Jacob built two altars. The first was when he was fleeing from his enraged brother, Esau. It was in Bethel after an encounter with the Lord…his first awareness of God’s plans for him, and the beginning of his journey of faith…but God was yet the God of his Fathers and not his. The second altar was built 20 long years later when the Lord brought him back to the Promised Land. During those 20 years Jacob met his match in craftiness in his Father-in-law, he struggled with contentious and jealous wives, and he wrestled with God’s plan and purpose for his life. But in the end, when he encountered God again, Jacob was a changed man…and God so renamed him – Israel. For over the course of those 20 years Jacob, or now Israel, grew spiritually in his dependance and obedience to God. And so the second altar in Canaan he aptly named, “God, the God of Israel.” …for God was now his God.

We had a casual poll going this morning at Church of what Mothers really wanted from their children today. Overwhelmingly, it was to either spend time with them, or to have a telephone call wishing them a Happy Mother’s Day. Just to be remembered is a big thing…this point seen in Proverbs 23:22, when it tells us, “Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.” The word despise here not meaning to scorn, but merely to disregard. So today, call your Mother, send a text, or message her to let her know she’s remembered.

Over the course of my long Nursing Administrative career in Gerontology & Alzheimer’s Disease I asked this question to countless families as they journeyed through the uncharted waters of end of life issues with their loved ones. Across Proverbs we are told to be kind to the poor, the needy, and the oppressed…in Jeremiah 9:24 we are told that it is the Lord Who exercises kindness, where as in Isaiah 63:7, Isaiah proclaims that, “I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord.” So looking to the Lord as our example, what does this word kindness really mean in the Bible? It is loving mercifully…our actions filled with grace, and void of any harshness or rigidness. It’s taking our selfish wishes and desires out of the picture and focusing rather on the other person and their needs. Was this question tough to ask? You’d better believe it, but by asking this difficult question, it brought into focus the reality of the situation…how unrealistic expectations were no longer attainable…and eventually, it would gently lead families to make hard decisions, but the kindest thing.

Paul wrote about this in Romans 9:30-32 when he basically said, the Gentiles obtained righteousness by faith, but Israel pursued the Law, not by faith but by works. It’s not until we see our utter helplessness as broken people will we seek God. For we are all spiritually bankrupt beggars that have nothing to “save” ourselves, no matter how hard we try to “work” our way to heaven…and it’s not until we admit this wanton poverty, repent over our sins, and seek righteousness can we then see God’s hand working in our lives.

When Jesus said this to the disciples their heads were spinning…the hour darkened by the shadow of Judas’s betrayal and Peter’s failure. Jesus was telling them to trust when it seemed like their whole world was falling down around their ears. We all know, trusting God isn’t easy. And it’s not passive on our part. Rather, trusting God is a very rigorous act of the soul, where we deliberately choose to hold on to the promises of God despite the adversity we may be going through. So how can we trust God? By trusting in His Word and speaking it into our lives…such as, God’s infinite power and wisdom is without limit…His plan and purpose for my life was established before the beginning of time…Nothing will ever happen to me without my Heavenly Father’s knowledge…and, God cares for me! And His care is constant, total, sovereign, and infinitely wise and good. Trusting God is never easy, but as we learn to trust Him, our trust grows and with it comes peace, comfort, and hope.

This confidence we have to come into God’s Presence is not grounded in any merits we possess, but only in the person and work of Jesus Christ. And only because of this, as Believers, we are now qualified to enter into God’s Holy Presence. But when it comes to intercession for another person, we quickly forget all this and start demanding that God do what we “think” needs to be done in that person’s life. Our “understanding” of the situation for that person is far from God’s understanding, and most times our intercession just becomes a glorification of our own natural sympathies. This is when we must focus on vicarious intercession…of deliberately substituting God’s limitless understanding for our feelings based understanding and come into correct alinement with His Will not ours.

The Great Commission of Jesus was not for a selected few…it was marching orders for all Believers. When Jesus said to “Go, and make disciples…” He was speaking into the future, to you and me and His plan and purpose for our lives. If you have a moment, read Psalm 145 which is not only a Psalm of Praise but a blueprint of how we should engage this world with intentional relationships. Verse 11 says, “They will tell of the glory of Your Kingdom and speak of Your might, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your Kingdom.” We all have the call of God on us to share the Good News with others, for we all have unique circles of influence that we can be doers of the Word…that all men may know Him.

When you ask a Christian about their ministry, you’ll usually get a blank stare, a shrug of the shoulders, or a look of fear and a reply like, Oh, I help at Church once in a while, but I let the “professionals” do all the big ministry work.” But Paul wasn’t putting any stipulations on his words when he wrote, “Serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13) One of my favorite quotes from Paul David Tripp about ministry shows that God doesn’t put conditions, or qualifications on who can minister or serve when he said, “Life is ministry and ministry is life.” So Ok, allow that to sink in for moment before you start making excuses for yourself. We live in this broken world, amidst broken people who need Jesus…and everyday you will come in contact with hurting souls that just need encouragement and hope. And unless you’re dragging your Pastor around with you, it’s your responsibility to reflect God’s light into the darkness…wherever you are, whenever God places someone in your path, whatever time it may be. To serve wholeheartedly has nothing to do about formality and structure, but about participating with good will, being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and being used of God…which is your calling and His Will for your life.