Jesus Is Watching!

In Mark 12:41 we read the surprising statement that Jesus sat where He could intentionality look at what people were financially giving to God. This may surprise us if we wrongly believe that God is not interested in how we spend our money or in the financial aspects of our lives. But in this account we see that God the Son is very focused on these things.
     
  It is surprising that Jesus even notices the specifics of what people are giving for the offering time in the temple was usually crowded and loud as numerous coins were clattering into the bottom of the receptacle. In this loud moment Jesus notices that which would not have seemed important to anyone else. As the “multitude” were putting money into the receptacle and as many rich people were putting in large sums of money Jesus focuses on a poor widow. She doesn’t have much for she is “poor,” therefore starvation is always a possibility, and to add to her plight she is a “widow,” she has no advocate in a male dominated society. Her present situation is bleak. The immediate question is why even look at this giver?

Yet Jesus continues to watch her and sees that she gives only two small copper coins which is only worth a penny! Her gift was so small that it was probably not even heard in the midst of the loud outpouring of funds. We could easily think, “What a waste of one’s time and money. With such a little offering it is not even worth a trip to the treasury. Especially when you are facing starvation!”

Have you ever felt that way? You may not have much and wonder if your giving even matters. You may be barely making it and wonder how can you give and still make ends meet. But please don’t miss the key point of these verses—Jesus is watching!  Never underestimate your giving to the Lord based on how it compares with others.  Never refrain from giving to the Lord because He knows what you have and will bless your trust in Him.

Please note that God is still looking at what we give for He knows that how we handle money is a litmus test of our true character and a measure of our true spiritual walk. Our stewardship of our money and our possessions becomes an accurate read of our spiritual lives.

The story does not tell us, but I am sure that all this poor widow’s needs were taken care of after her sacrifice. Remember, there is no sacrificial gift you can give to God that does not get His attention and His blessing. Step out and believe God and see how He responds—‘O Taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge [trusts] in Him!’ (Psalm 37:4).

Does Money Matter to God?

“[Our] Giving is not God’s way of raising money, it’s His way of raising children. Every time we give money away we give away a little bit of our selfishness.” —John MacArthur

Do you know that money matters to God? The reason for this is given to us in Luke 16:10-11 where we read—“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?” 

Money matters to God because it is a tool that He uses to measure our growth.  Just like height marks on a wall is a tool for measuring the physical growth of a child, so God uses money to see our spiritual progress.  From our use of money Jesus teaches us that God learns if we possess the character trait of faithfulness.  For if we are faithful with a very little thing, such as money, God then knows that we can be trusted to be faithful with more significant things in life, such as leading and encouraging His people.

So, as the old MasterCard commercial use to say—“What’s in your wallet?”  Are there items for your own pleasure or for God’s?

Father, I pray that in this day you will grow your children to see their money and possessions from your perspective. Empower us to let them go into your hands so that we might be led of you on how we should use them to your pleasure.

The Amazing Power Of a Dream

This past week I heard of 98 year old Sensei Keiko Fukuda, a woman in San Francisco who earned Judo’s highest black belt—10th degree. She is the first woman to ever earn this degree and is one of only 3 other living individuals in the world who has earned this honor. Ms. Fukuda noted that she had to spend decades at lower degrees because she was discriminated against as a woman. Yet she persevered to achieve her dream.

“When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you’re headed for the grave” —Author unknown

        Do you still have dreams that are driving you beyond your memories and beyond your present situation in life? It is amazing the power a dream, a vision of our lives in the future can have on us to keep us going even through the most challenging of circumstances. The Bible talks about this power but nowhere is it most evident than in the lives listed in Hebrews 11. This is a chapter that is known as ‘The Hall of Faith.’ This great chapter begins with a definition of faith—“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Then it presents individuals who have seen a vision of what God has in store for them and who then live incredible lives in line with that vision.  Such individuals as Abraham, Joseph, Moses, etc.

Do you have a vision of what God desires for your life? Here are a few ways to get one:
1. Do that which is already revealed to you about your life.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4 tells us that the will of God for us is our sanctification, our separating ourselves from sin. There is no need seeking advanced instruction when you’ve not even met the basics.

2. Pray that the Lord of your life will give you a glimpse of His desire for you.
• Psalm 16:11 tells us that the Lord will make known to us the paths of life.

3. Ask others what they see in you that you have not stepped out to act upon.
• In Proverbs 15:22 we read that in a multitude of counselors is a plan established. Seek counsel.

4. Step out and try.

The Power Of The Tongue

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21

There is great power in our words. By this I am not saying that our words are on the same standing as God’s. We are not omnipotent, all powerful, as God is so we can’t say something and have it happen (You can test my position by saying ‘I am the King/Queen of the world’ as many times as you want and see if you get crowned).

Still our words are very powerful, and we must be very careful how we use them. Proverbs 18:21 tell us that our words bring about life or death not only for us but also for others. The wise saying goes on to add that those who indulge and even enjoy the activity of talking must be ready to live with the consequences it brings—both good and bad. 

So, are you a ‘born talker’? If so, do you realize the great power it can bring to bear on life? Here are a few other words of guidance to assist you in the use of your tongue:

  He who restrains his lips is wise (Proverbs 10:19)—Sometimes it is better to say nothing.

  Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Proverbs 12:18)—Despite what a famous rhyme says words do hurt deeply. But, their healing powers goes just as deep.

  Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for edifying (Ephesians 4:29)—Determine if you should say something by judging whether it will build the person up or tear that person
  down.

  Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6)—Make the Lord’s touch on your life be evident in your speech so that it will be both appealing and attractive to others.

“Father, help us this day to be a breath of fresh air to all those we speak with. May they hear our words and think of you.”

Learning What is Really Valuable

“Be more concerned about your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are”  —Dale Carnegie

Most of us were raised to guard our reputations as if our lives depended on it. We were even taught that our lives did depend on it for our reputations at best could protect, reward, employ us, or at worst could hinder, hurt, or even terminate us.

No wonder we find it so difficult to put our hard earned good reputations on the line when it comes to living for Jesus. When it comes to recognizing with Him we can think—‘What will they think of me if I share that Jesus guides my life?’ ‘How will they treat me when I tell them that we are all sinners and need to trust in Jesus as the only way to have a relationship with God the Father?’ But there is a key step that has to be taken to be able to give God our reputation and have our character be conformed to Jesus’ image. That step is presented by Paul in Philippians 3:7—11 where Paul tells us that he gave up his hard earned earthly reputation for an unearned eternal reward.

But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, so that somehow I also may be raised to life.

So, as you go through your day remember that you can either live life based on a hard earned earthly reputation, or an unearned eternal gift. I pray that you will choose the gift and that in so doing allow someone else to choose that gift as well. Share your faith with someone today.

You take care of your character and God will take care of your reputation.

Why Does Jesus Use Storms In Our Lives?

In Matthew 14:22—33 we have the account of Jesus sending His disciples on ahead in a boat where they encounter a great storm. Now if we believe that Jesus is God the Son we must also believe that He knew His disciples would encounter this storm. The question that faces us as we consider the account is why would Jesus use a storm in the lives of His disciples? Even greater for us though is the question—why does Jesus use storms in our lives?

        God uses storms to move us out of self-control to faith-control (or God-control).  Faith is not the ability to figure out what is happening. Faith is the ability to trust in God even when we can’t figure out what is happening and can’t even see ahead. In the midst of the chaos brought about by storms in our lives God is creating a perfect order that only He can see through to bring us where we need to be. What we see as chaos, God views as order.

        During those times where we are being shaken, confused, bewildered by our circumstances God’s expectation is that we will trust in Him by faith—“the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Or, as The Message Bible translation presents this verse—“It’s our handle on what we can’t see.”

        God’s ability to bring us into circumstances that are outside of our ability to ‘handle’ them are the best times for God to teach us truths about Himself and to draw us closer to Himself. What storms are you presently experiencing? Are you looking to Jesus in the midst of them? What is the Lord trying to teach you through this storm? Remember, your view of Jesus and determination to move towards Him will decide whether you ‘walk’ through it or ‘sink’ in it. My prayer is that you will walk through it.

Don’t Let Fear Stop You

“Don’t be afraid to be wrong; otherwise you’ll never be right”
—Tom Wicker, New York Times columnist.

        There are many great achievements that are still waiting to be attempted because of a fear of failure. It may surprise you but a fear of failure and rejection is also the number one reason why Christians do not share their faith.

        But the challenge is to see beyond the negative to the positive possibilities that lay before you. William Carey, pioneering western missionary to India, noted the significance of focusing on God’s potential blessing and then stepping out for God as he stated—“Attempt great things for God; and expect great things from God.”

        As you read the account of Jesus’ engaging with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 you sense the great anxiety and fear the disciples had about being in the community of a people they viewed as enemies. They knew that they were on the wrong side of the tracks with no exit plan. Yet the words of Jesus shouts loudly for that very reason—“Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest” (John 4:35). Even as fear worked to remove the focus of Jesus’ disciples from the positive possibilities of what God could do, Jesus reminded them that the purpose of God was about to occur. Before them came a long line of curious townspeople coming to see the man of whom the woman at the well had told them about. Many came to know Jesus that day because faith and not fear was selected.

        What present conditions are seeking to blind you to the great potential of what God might accomplish through you? Will you make a decision to not give in to fear but to believe God? Take a moment and hand your challenge over to the Lord. Ask the Lord to give you courage and then to bless your attempts to honor Him where you presently find yourself.

“Risk are not to be evaluated in terms of the probability of success, but in terms of the value of the goal.” —John Maxwell

“God has given us a gospel so full that it needs a world for its field.” —A. B. Simpson

The Blessing Of Suffering

The blessing of suffering. Yes I said it, there is a great benefit that comes through the challenges and pains of life. In a world focused on our ability to meet our needs and to take care of ourselves, the challenges brought about through our suffering disarms our pride and brings us to a place where we look to God to provide, forgive, and make in us what He sees that we need. It is a hard lesson but one we have to experience throughout our lives in order to take on the image of Jesus.

Why? Because it is a significant tool whose blessing we see in the life of Jesus. In Hebrews 5:8 we read this incredible truth—“Jesus is God’s own Son, but still he had to suffer before he could learn what it really means to obey God.”

If this is indeed the case then it means that difficult situations and challenges will be a part of our lives as children of God. Not to hurt us but to peel our hands off everything and anything else we trust in, so that we might raise our hands to Him.

We all love to quote Romans 8:28 that ‘all things work together for good to those who love God.’ But we tend to overlook the fact that some of these ‘all things’ will be very challenging for us because their end goal is to ‘conform us to the image of His Son’ (v. 29).  Yes, the Son who learned obedience through His sufferings.

Faithful missionary Stanley Jones dictated a book through almost paralyzed lips and included these words in it—“There are scars on my faith, but underneath those scars there are no doubts. [Christ] has me with the cooperation of all my life.” 

So, how is God using suffering in your life? Are you asking God to show you how He’ll use it to bless you or are you fighting His work? Remember, suffering is a blessing when we allow it to perform God’s work in us.

The Key Role Of Our Attitude

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think of say or do.  It is more important that appearance, giftedness, or skill.  It will make or break a company. . . a church .  . . a home.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past . . . we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. . . I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so it is with you . . . we are in charge of our ATTITUDES.”  —from Attitude by Chuck Swindoll

        If we truly understood the key role our attitude plays in our lives (guiding the way we think, feel, and act) we would take action to train our attitude so that it guides us in a way that blesses us rather than betrays us. Paul realized this and in Philippians 4:8—9 gives his readers a recipe for the type of thoughts that trains our attitude to be God-focused. This ‘attitude food’ is—

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

        Closely look at the standards that Paul highlights: true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute. Now use these standards to evaluate the songs we listen to and allow to circulate in our mind. Use these standards to evaluate the television shows and movies we watch as entertainment. Use these standards to evaluate the jokes we love to tell and the kind or jokes we love to hear. Use these standards to evaluate all that comes into our mind and eventually seep down into our hearts. These are the standards that will mold our attitude and eventually our lives. Apply them well.

Why People Never Really Live For God?

Last week we considered a key reason why many people never really live for God. Today let us consider a second key factor that limits our living for God. That factor is that we don’t see ourselves as God sees us and therefore we do not know or live to achieve our eternal purpose. Another way of saying that is that we are limited by having a today focus rather than a tomorrow (or eternal) focus.

Too many of us see ourselves from an earthly perspective so we limit our purpose to making money, obtaining personal success, raising good families, looking good, being thought of as important by others, and the list goes on and on. Yet that is not where God places His primary emphasis for us. Rather, He says that we have an eternal destiny that we are to be preparing for. Mark 8:36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” Clearly in Jesus’ outlook today should never cause us to lose sight of our tomorrow (or our eternal purpose).

        Here are 3 considerations to use as we examine if we are eternity focused and living for God:

1. Live for the legacy. Spend time on that which will last long after our lives (Matthew 6:19—21). What legacy do you want to leave in the work you do, through the relationships you maintain, in how you spend your time and energy?

2. Assess Your Valuables. Do an assessment on what you are investing in. If a soul is more valuable than gaining the whole world (Mark 8:36) then we should be investing in the lives of those around us. Where are we investing—in people or things?

3. Connect to the Life Source. Jesus said that He was the ‘true vine’ (John 15:1—5) which refers to the fact that He is the source of energy and the lifeline by which nutrients are provided to produce God’s fruit in us. Where are we gaining our strength for living life?

My prayer for you today is that you will see your great value and role in bringing God’s kingdom desires to be on earth as they are in heaven. Remember that you have a heavenly calling on your life that gives you an eternal purpose. Now live it out!

“YES” To The Desires Of God.

A primary reason why many are limited in their walk with God is that they have never fully given over their right to ‘life control’ to God. We still want to retain the right to make the final decision whether we will obey God or not. Until we say “YES” to giving God full rights to controlling and directing our lives we will never go beyond the limits in our walk with Him.

        A biblical example of this fact is Abraham. As we examine Abraham’s life we see that God had transformed Abraham from an inconsistently obedient servant of God, to a consistent man of faith. The key passage in this transformation is given in Genesis 22:3 where Abraham’s response to this great test from God, for him to offer his only son Isaac to God through sacrifice, is responded to—“So Abraham rose early in the morning… and went to the place of which God had told him.”  Although Abraham had believed God and it was merited to him as if he was totally righteous in all of his actions, it is at this point in his walk that Abraham reveals a complete trust in God through his faith. There was no compromise just a total ‘YES’ to the desire of God.

        My prayer for you today is that you will remove the limitation of retaining the right to make the final decision whether to obey God or not. May your life today take the step of commitment to a total, and unrestrained “YES” to the desires of God.

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and I will show thee great and mighty things, that thou knowest not.”                                          Jeremiah 33:3 (KJV)

Walking By Faith

“They did what?” That is my response to the words in Matthew 28:17 that after the disciples saw the newly risen Jesus “some were doubtful.”  How could that be? They were greatly disappointed and feared earlier when they realized that they had seen Jesus crucified and buried. The little bit of hope they now received from rumors that He was alive they struggled to accept because it was not what was normal to them.

Do you realize how hard it is to walk by faith? The faith walk does to us just what the resurrection and appearance of Jesus did to His disciples—it moves us out of our comfort zone of normalcy. No wonder it is so hard for us to consider telling someone about Jesus for this act of putting ourselves in a challenging position moves us out of the norm and forces us to trust God that He will use our acts of obedience.

So we need to start listening to a new radio station that allows the Lord to tune us into a new approach to purpose in life. Let us step out of our comfort zones, step out of the well worn path of the normal to experience His presence and power to transform lives through us. Tell someone that Jesus died for them and that He is alive guaranteeing their deliverance.

Remember, we have a challenge to meet this summer and we can only see 5 people come to know the Lord and begin to grow as disciples when we believe God enough to share our faith.  ‘Father, convict us and give us the boldness to put ourselves in uncomfortable positions in order to share what you have done for us so that others may trust in you.’

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  Luke 14:23 (KJV)

Character Hurts

How do you keep life from taking you for a ride? The life of Joseph teaches us various principles and five of those we highlighted on Sunday that we will examine through this week.

        The fifth principle is Character Hurts! Someone has defined character as ‘What we are when no one is looking.” Character is revealed by our honest answer to the question, ‘What would we do if we could, and would not be held responsible for our actions later?’ The god pleasing character that is held up as the goal in the Bible is one that cannot be obtained without pain caused by self denial in order to obey God. Jesus noted this in Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

This godly character was not noted by Moses in the lives of Joseph’s brothers.  The oldest, Reuben, had showed great lack of control by disrespecting his father in having sex with one of his father’s wives (Genesis 35:22; 49:3-4). The second and third born, Simeon & Levi, also showed great inability to deny themselves a hearty drink of anger when they tricked and slaughtered a whole town of people in a lust for revenge (Genesis 34; 49:5-7). And then there was Judah who was put in direct comparison to Joseph in Genesis 38 (Judah’s account appears in the middle of the Joseph account) and did not reveal the same godlike character as Joseph. When faced with the lost of a loved wife we ask “What Would Judah Do?” (WWJD?). Unfortunately, he chose to drown his sorrows in the intimate embrace of a prostitute, who he later discovered was his misguided and veiled daughter-in-law. In the same situation as Joseph, Judah most likely would have slept with Potiphar’s wife because she asked nicely. Joseph’s character on the other hand was stellar having been formed through an obedient walk through the furnace of challenges.

        You may be facing some challenges today that have you overwhelmed and questioning ‘Why?’ But please remember that it is through this process that you will grow to be the vessel God can use and be pleased with. Character hurts, but the results are worth it!

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”  John 17:3 (NASB)

God Is Good

How do you keep life from taking you for a ride? The life of Joseph teaches us various principles and today we will look at a third principle.

        The third principle is God is Good. This is a core concept when considering God. The concept of God’s goodness is a summary concept that includes the fact that God is righteous, just, loving, holy, etc. To better grasp the importance of this concept let us look at an opposite—what if God was even sometimes BAD?

This is not farfetched for many cultures have gods that are bad. In Greek mythology there are gods that are bad, and even the good gods could not be trusted to always do that which was good. Can you imagine what it would feel like to get up in the morning and after experiencing a few bad events in your day realize that God had decided to be bad that day. My first thought would be to run back to bed and hide under the covers but He might set my house on fire! What if God threw a fit like we do when things aren’t going our way? What if He did this when we refuse to do His will? Even the worst pessimist could not even imagine things being this bad.

        But Joseph, and the Bible, has no such view of God. That is why Joseph chose to trust God in the midst of His challenges when God had seemingly been ‘bad’ to him (Choosing not to sin against God & acknowledging that God is the one who blesses him to interpret dreams—40:8) and later thanking God for being good to him through the very acts that his brothers meant to hurt him with—“ As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (50:20). The book of James tells us that we are never to think that God is out to get us or to set us up for bad to occur to us for He can never be that way—

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.  (James 1:13—17).

        So, the next time you’re tempted to view God as bad please remember that God is always good. May this great truth calmly guide you through even your most challenging day.

“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”    John 3:17 (KJV)

Jesus’ Pattern For Prayer

“But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray”  Luke 5:16

        We are given Jesus’ pattern for prayer in this verse and Luke notes two important truths in this passage for us to realize in order to give prayer its proper place in our lives.

1. Luke takes the time to emphasize to us that this pattern was routine for Jesus.  Imagine, the person who had the most intimate relationship with God often got away in order to pray. Maybe the reason for this is that being so close to God sharpened Jesus’ vision to the greatness of humanity’s need.
    It is important to note then our great need of prayer! If Jesus needed to do this often, how much more do we.

2. Interestingly Luke 5:16 refers to Jesus as retreating, or “losing ground,” in order to pray. He lost ground in ‘getting things done,’ touching lives, growing His ministry, engaging with people, etc. This is exactly our temptation at times isn’t it?  We are often hindered from taking time to pray because we believe that we will lose ground by taking time away from something else we could be doing.
    These are challenging words for such busy people as us but make a choice today not to buy into Satan’s lie. You never truly lose anything when you take time to pray.  Before the day is out lose ground and spend some time with our Heavenly Father through prayer.

‘Heavenly Father, help us to see our great need to meet with you for our own mental health and for our life’s strength. Then, give us the commitment to take the steps necessary to stop from our busy lives to pray. Amen.’