The Pain and Glory of Waiting on the Lord

“Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34And He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept.” – John 11:32-35

If you read through the Bible, especially the Psalms, you will find the following phrase (or similar) written a multitude of times: “Wait on the Lord.” It is interesting that this message had to be conveyed so clearly so many times. When you think about raising and disciplining children, you know that there are some commands that need only be given once and others that need repeating over and over. The most difficult commands to obey are the ones that need repeating over and over, and I believe this is true with us as God’s children and His repeated commands to “Wait on the Lord.” Let’s consider that with sincerity today and set our hearts and minds to obey at last.

This very morning I received an email newsletter from Global Media Outreach (www.GodLife.com). It was uncanny how its message was tailor made for me this morning, and perhaps for you, too. The message was about having dreams in life and having to wait for them, entitled “The Key to Living Your Dream Life.” Even the best, God-ordained dreams. Yet having to wait, and what effective waiting looks like. An excerpt from the newsletter:

“Abraham waited decades to have a baby; Moses had to endure Pharoah’s intimidation and 10 plagues until God’s people were released; and David had to run for years in the wilderness until he was made king. These are just a few examples! But the greatest wait in the Bible was for Jesus, the Messiah. God promised Him thousands of years in advance, and only a few were still waiting for Him when He finally came…

…Waiting isn’t glamorous. In fact, it’s really hard. But it’s the key to obtaining your promise from God. Maybe He has promised you healing, maybe a great marriage, or maybe your kids serving the Lord. Whatever it is, it’s going to take patience. That’s just the way God is. He uses the waiting period to make us better, to make us ready for the promise. “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph's character” (Psalm 105:19).”

The verse from Psalm 105 about Joseph’s character being tested and perfected while he was waiting helps me to understand part of the purpose for waiting. Furthermore, the story of Lazarus, Jesus’ friend and the brother of Mary and Martha, illustrates a supreme example of waiting (read John 11 for the full story). Jesus received word of Lazarus’ illness in time to come heal him and save him from death. Yet, inexplicably to those around Him, Jesus waited two days before coming to see Lazarus. Why would he wait? Did he want to wait or was He fighting His flesh in order to obey the Lord? I believe that the fact that Jesus wept upon hearing of Lazarus’ death and seeing such deep grief in Mary and Martha, whom He loved deeply, is proof enough that it was not easy for Jesus to wait and let Lazarus die. What restraint our Savior showed! And, what love! If you know the rest of the story, you can see that this was a supreme act of obedience to the Father in His perfect sovereignty, and an obedience centered in love, for the best possible outcome of this scenario was for Lazarus to die. This is because Jesus then brought Lazarus back to life.

There were many implications from this. First, those who immediately surrounded Jesus at this time, including the disciples and Lazarus’ family, saw firsthand a greater power through Jesus than others had comprehended previously. No one had been dead four days and risen again. Secondly, the news spread throughout the region, such that the faith of others was increased in Jesus as the Son of God. Thirdly, it was the turning point to drive the evil religious leaders to the point of executing Jesus, the purpose of His ministry. Fourthly, it showed that Jesus could not only raise Himself from the dead (He is God afterall), but that He had power and authority to raise any and all people from the dead, according to the Father’s will.

Each of these things came forth from Jesus obeying His Father’s command to “wait on the Lord.” Where are you hearing the still, small voice of God telling you, “Wait on the Lord?” Pay attention to the timing of circumstances in your life and coming across those words while reading the Bible. I assure you that they were meant just for you, as they are meant just for me, as well. Lazarus’ death and resurrection by Jesus marked a turning point in Jesus’ ministry, turning His path to the cross, gloriously fulfilling His purpose on this earth. Turning points in your life and mine will often come the same way—through waiting. Let’s be vigilant to obey the Lord and wait for Him at all times.

So what can we expect while we are waiting and what is the expected outcome? Firstly, pain. If we look at the example of Jesus and Lazarus, it is clear that Jesus experienced the pain of loss and hurting loved ones as a direct result of His waiting. Waiting will be the hard choice, it will hurt you personally, and it often times will hurt those you love most. Furthermore, there may be times when you are waiting on the Lord and no one else understands. This was Jesus’ experience. Do you think that you are experiencing something that Jesus cannot identify with? Certainly not. Jesus understands what it is to wait, the pain in the consequences of waiting, and He understands when no one else does. I emplore you to cry out to Him in your distress, and the God of all comfort will be with you.

But there is more to expect while waiting on the Lord. First, your character will be sharpened, and likely the character of those in relationship with Jesus who are impacted by your obedience will be sharpened, as well (Psalm 105:19). Second, the glory of the Lord will be revealed in time. For Jesus, waiting produced a more glorious display of the character of God, revealed more clearly the simultaneous humanity and deity of Jesus Christ, and brought many more believers in addition to building the faith of those who already believed in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God. These very things will be true in our lives if we will “wait on the Lord.” I pray that you realize the certainty of this promise, that you read God’s Word and hear His still, small voice concerning waiting on Him, that you open your heart to receive the comfort and understanding from Jesus Christ Himself, and that you receive the full glorious blessing that comes from such sweet, abandoned obedience. May God work such miracles in your life this very day. Amen.

Trial by Fire

When is the last time you read through the entire story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the fiery furnace? If you have not read it recently, I encourage you to read Daniel chapter 3 before reading this post any further. You can read it by clicking this link: Daniel 3.

I grew up around church, so I heard paraphrases of this story many times; however, as an adult, reading directly from the Bible without any paraphrase, these events have much greater power.

To me, the power of this story is putting myself in the shoes of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. Try to put yourself squarely in the shoes of these 3 men. You were once selected as the best looking and brightest of all your countrymen (Daniel 1:3-7), and while the rest were captive as lower class foreigners, you have been chosen to help govern and lead the current world’s greatest superpower. You did this with a faith in God, who established all of these things for His glory. At the recommendation of your close friend Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar has promoted you even further in his kingdom. Life is good beyond your dreams.

Then one day the king creates a gold image and demands that every single person must fall to the ground and worship it when the signal is given. The music plays and the signal is given. Everyone around you falls to their knees on the ground. Startled, you realize you are the only 3 people still standing and every guard and watchman is looking squarely at you. What do you do next?

Unfortunately, I’m afraid that my response would be one of compromise. Not wanting to make a scene, not yet sure of the situation and all of the rules and repercussions, and knowing that I will not actually be worshipping such a goofy piece of gold, I would probably drop to the ground and blend in with the other people. After all, I’m not actually worshipping the thing, right?

Well, that’s not what Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego did. They continued to stand and refused to worship in any way, such that it was obvious to the guards that they were disobeying the decree of the king to worship his idol. Can you imagine if even one of them had decided to compromise? Perhaps the other two would have caved at the sight of their comrade no longer standing with them. There is strength in fellowship with other believers. Realize that if you are influenced by others when they either compromise or stand firm, that there are those who are very influenced by you, as well. Are you compromising or standing firm on the principals of God, even when compromising seems justified?

Instead, they stood together. And together they were brought before the king. At this point, they had time to think the entire thing through, and I know that our human nature with the help of the Evil One would be spitting lies and temptations into our hearts. But these three rejected the lies and temptations. Nebuchadnezzar gave them one more chance to save their own lives by simply bowing and worshiping this false god. Once again, we find them doing something that doesn’t just comply with God’s standards, but they seem to take everything one step further to make it very clear that they will not even give an appearance of forsaking their God. Daniel 3:14-18:

“Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.’”

First of all, Nebuchadnezzar gave a direct challenge to God and His authority by saying, “And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” This was not a charge against the three men, which would likely spur us in our egos to rebellion because of unchecked pride, and even in this case any personal pride would be put aside at the realization of our helplessness against this king in his court…this was a challenge to God Himself.

Once again, put yourself squarely in the shoes of these men. The king of the greatest world superpower stands directly before you, giving a direct command, and threatening an immediate execution that will be excruciatingly painful (burning). What do you say in response to this king? Perhaps you try to reason with him or make some sort of an offer…maybe you appeal to any compassion in him. Not these men. These three men said, “we have no need to answer you in this matter.” Wow. A king such as Nebuchadnezzar was probably accustomed to eloquent arguments, yet still likely executed even those who respected his authority enough to argue or even beg. But these men once again went the extra step, stating that they, the king’s subordinates, had no need to answer the king. They were walking to their deaths, barring a supernatural movement of God, and they knew it. Yet they did it and with such great faith as they declared that God would rescue them.

Notice lastly their resolve and absolute abandonment to God in their final statement: “But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” They are stating that if God chose instead not to rescue them and to let them die, they would still never forsake Him. They would rather die than worship any other god…even pretend to worship any other god…even once. How many of us can say that we have the faith to trust God to rescue us from our fiery furnaces? How many fewer of us can say that we have the commitment and abandonment to follow God even if He doesn’t rescue us?

There are many lessons here. Firstly, if you follow the Lord, you will be given opportunity. Opportunity to stand for Him in the midst of persecution. Second, if you do stand for Him in those times, you will be tempted to second guess yourself and compromise…you will need perseverance. Third, if you stand unwavering for your Savior Jesus Christ and Father God, you will face the fiery furnace. Yours may indeed be physical death, but for most of us, if not all, it will be in emotional, physical, and spiritual trials that do not claim your life. To offer ourselves as a living sacrifice is often much harder than a sacrifice that would lead to death, and this is the challenge of Rom 12:1-2:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Most of us just find ourselves in the midst some sort of trial. We’re not quite sure how it came about, we don’t know how to get out, and we surely didn’t choose it! But do we have a relationship with God such that we stare down the Adversary and the trial that awaits us because of our faith, to declare God’s power, and to walk willingly, yet helplessly, into the fiery furnaces in our lives? That is an uncommon abandonment to our Lord.

But let’s not forget what awaits those who are thrown into the fiery furnace. My favorite part of the story is when Nebuchadnezzar himself looks into the fire astonished, as he sees a 4^th man and even declares his appearance to be like “the Son of God.” Brothers, sisters, and friends, when we walk into the fiery furnace, Jesus awaits us. He is there. He has been there for us already, bearing our sin and punishment, tempted as we are but remaining blameless, joyfully dying on the cross for our salvation. He meets us in our fiery furnace.

Nebuchadnezzar’s observation included 4 free men walking around in the fire. What must that have been like for these three men? They were privileged to have the closest contact with Jesus in that moment, a privilege only available to those in the midst of the fire. And not just any fire, one that was 7 times hotter than normal…so hot that it killed the guards who approached the fire to throw them in…yet, not a single hair on the heads of these three men loyal to God were singed.

Finally, the story ends with restoration. Much like the story of Job, after suffering beyond what most of us could imagine, Job was re-established with even more than he had before, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were promoted to even higher positions than they held previously. Please do not be swayed by the promise of physical riches as the reward for enduring trials for God’s sake. Our hearts are not after God if that is our motivation. But I can tell you with supreme confidence that what awaits you after the trial is of much greater worth than you ever had before the trial, if you walk through it with God. Life with a closer relationship with Christ is worth whatever it took to get you there, no matter how hot the trial. Do you feel like your trial is worse than anything you’ve ever experienced or the experience of anyone else you’ve ever known? Remember that this fire killed everyone who approached the flames, yet God protected his children and servants Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and He will do the same for you. If you give your soul to Him, a God who has never broken a promise and is incapable of doing so, promises to guard you and “uphold you with His righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

I am inspired by the faith and dedication of these men. I am inspired by the presence of Jesus right in the midst of the fire with them. I am inspired by the response of those who witnessed it, testifying that there is no other God. I am inspired by the restoration of these once condemned men, a restoration that is completed in the day of Jesus Christ and our eternities in Heaven. I pray that you are so inspired, that you face your fiery furnace with confidence and trust in our Savior God, and I look forward to celebrating with you in Heaven for eternity. Through God's grace, love, power, and might! Amen.

What Is Your Response to “Bad News?”

Recently I’ve been reading through the book of Acts. It’s almost peculiar how I’ve had a desire to study the book recently, yet I have missed the opportunity to study it in a group setting twice recently. I arrived in a new Sunday school class shortly after they concluded a long study of Acts; and another Bible study group that I was a part of last year, but cannot be part this year, is about to do a 9-month study of Acts. So apparently, God desires that I study it on my own for the time being.

Reading through Acts, there is no shortage of amazing stories…stories of faith, stories of persecution, and stories of God moving supernaturally and decisively in order to establish and grow the church body. Additionally, Acts is a study on communication between God and His servants. There is so much there—ways that God spoke to different people or the same people in different ways at different times. Ways that different people responded to God or the same people responded differently in different situations (Peter is a good example). There are a lot of circumstances to consider…insurmountable circumstances from which God saved Paul and others countless times…and other times when circumstances were fully avoidable, yet God willed Paul and others to go through them and the saints obeyed at their own physical expense (even to death). The lattermost example is the one that caught my eye today. It is the story of Paul willingly and knowingly walking towards His death, first by shear faith in a sovereign God and secondly to achieve a purpose that would be later revealed to Him. This is an uncommon faith that I’m afraid I don’t yet possess and is therefore worth examining in great detail.

Starting in chapter 19, we see Paul’s sensitivity to the Holy Spirit to know that he would go to Rome to preach the Gospel at some point:

Acts 19:21 – “Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem." And after that," he said, "I must go on to Rome!”

At this point, Paul was receiving direction. His direction from the Lord was clear: 1. Go to Jerusalem. 2. On the way there, go to Macedonia and Achaia. 3. After Jerusalem, go to Rome. To say much more is speculation, because I do not find much more specific detail in the book of Acts. One could hypothesize that Paul knew where he was to go and in what order only, knowing that his purpose was to continually spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, yet not knowing many other specifics or purposes, as well as not fully knowing the timing—knowing order only—nor knowing his final fate in each place, especially Rome. On the entire opposite end of the spectrum, one could hypothesize that Paul, through the Spirit, knew all of these things, including his fate in Rome at this time. I tend to lean towards the first hypothesis, but I think the degree to which Paul knew God’s specific, detailed will for him, ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other, as noted above, is less important. I say this because if it was of utmost importance, it would certainly be contained in the Bible.

Nevertheless, Paul certainly had received direction from God and was obeying to the fullest, regardless of any other foreknowledge. We can take one of many lessons right here. It is a luxury to know what God might have you do two steps ahead, but obedience only requires direction for the next immediate step—we must discipline ourselves to have the kind of faith and obedience that stops asking for an entire roadmap, but can instead trust our Creator, Counselor, Savior, and God with one direction at a time.

Part of the reason I lean towards the hypothesis that Paul’s foreknowledge of God’s will to go to Asia, Jerusalem, then Rome was limited…though with clear direction…is that it appears that more and more is revealed to Paul as we progress through Acts. This wouldn’t be noteworthy if it had already been revealed to him sooner. And in fact, in chapter 20 Paul confesses that he goes to Jerusalem “not knowing the things that will happen to me there.” The use of the phrase “happen to me there” indicates to me at least a consideration of personal harm, for otherwise he might have said “happen there” instead of “happen to me there.” Furthermore, Paul senses danger in Jerusalem, yet look at his attitude (speaking to the elders of the church in Ephesus):

Acts 20:22-25 – “And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
25 “And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.”

In response, the elders wept, signifying a sincere belief that they would never see Paul again.

In chapter 21, we see an even clearer proclamation of what awaits Paul. It turns out that the Holy Spirit had been preparing his heart all along, and Paul was so sensitive to the Spirit to discern it so early, as seen in chapter 19. This time in chapter 21, the message was much clearer:

Acts 21:10-15 – “And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
12 Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
14 So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”

15 And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem.”

Think about the news that Paul had just received. I’m afraid that my response would in all likelihood be as Luke and the other apostles and saints who accompanied Paul—“Don’t go!” I would probably cite the prophecy as a providential warning from God and justify a change in plans, saying, “we’ll go another time when this threat is dissolved.” But this wasn’t Paul’s response at all. Why?

“Why?” is a very loaded question because it speaks to the very character of Paul and the extent of his relationship with God. In that situation, faced with that “bad news,” only two kinds of men would continue towards Jerusalem: those who are complete and utter fools, and those who are completely abandoned to God’s purpose, such that Paul’s words are true: “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Those of worldly mindset cannot discern between those two types of men, the fool vs. the servant of God, but the Spirit of God testifies to truth such that we can discern godly submission and abandonment. Additionally, such a man would have to be more than abandoned to God’s purpose—he would have to hear from the Lord and be absolutely in tune with the Spirit to know and follow God’s will. Abandonment without communication is haphazard, directionless wondering. Communication without abandonment is stubbornness and heard-heartedness that “quenches the Spirit,” leading to no fruitful work. We must have both, and I hope that we can draw on Paul’s example and at least set our faces towards God with that goal…regardless of how far we are from it in this moment…knowing that we desire such utter abandonment for God’s glory, purpose, and pleasure with such sensitivity and intimate relationship with our beautiful, perfect, powerful, loving Father that we would know and discern His good and pleasing will in every such situation. What an amazing richness of life for Paul and for us with such faith.

Finally, we see in chapters 21-24 that the prophecy comes true and Paul is bound in chains, arrested, and even beaten. How merciful that God allowed him to have a warning. But God trusted Paul with that warning because he was trustworthy. A man such as myself may not show themselves to be so trustworthy…any man who would respond by avoiding Jerusalem when hearing the “bad news” would not be allowed to know such information. Make no mistake, God’s will gets accomplished every single time in all things. We get to choose 1. Which side we’re on, and 2. How willingly we will cooperate and obey the Lord. Consider Jonah. He was to go to Ninevah. He didn’t want to go and fled from God. God captured him in the stomach of a whale for 3 days! Jonah repented and went to Ninevah afterall. Now, he could have just gone there when God told him to. Either way, he was going (though he didn’t realize that yet). Things are much easier in life if we’ll just obey the Lord. In Paul’s example, I think it was merciful for God to give him such foreknowledge, such that he would not be utterly surprised and could have such sweet goodbyes with the Ephesians. And those blessings were only available through obedience in the face of such "bad news."

Notice the first time we see God actually speaking to Paul and revealing his will for Paul to go to Rome happens only AFTER Paul was already captured and had to obey in faith through the Spirit, not before:

Acts 23:11 (while captive) – “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.’”

If you have a “red-letter” edition of the Bible, you will see these words in red, as they are the spoken words of Jesus. This direct communication could have taken place back in chapter 19, but I find it very instructional that God waited until chapter 24 (these chapters are written in chronological order, so keeping track of time by chapter is appropriate). You see, sometimes we seek the Lord with ears that are only tuned into His voice to the extent that an audible voice alone would be discernable. However, it can be clearly seen that Paul was receiving communication from God the entire time prior to Jesus' words to him, through the Holy Spirit. We can take a lesson here. How is God communicating to you this very day? And if you heard Him, how would you respond? Would you respond in self-interest and preservation? Or would you present yourself as a living sacrifice?

Rom 12:1-2 – “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We marvel at how Paul discerned God’s will so early on, but Rom 12:1-2 ties these concepts together. You see, by presenting himself as a living sacrifice, he was “transformed by the renewing of [his] mind,” such that he was granted the discernment of God’s good and pleasing will through the Holy Spirit. We usually get it backwards: “If I could discern His will, I would know how and where and with what extent to sacrifice. If I knew details, I could obey them.” Ah, but the converse actually is true: only when we present ourselves as living sacrifices, in worship to our God, then we begin to be transformed by the renewing of our minds such that we receive knowledge of His will.

It’s also interesting that such a verse is contained in the book of Romans. Do you know that it is one of the most influential books of the Bible, a roadmap of pure theology, and is the fruit of an obedient servant of the Lord in the face of “bad news?” Paul went to Rome to die, as most scholars agree he died there in captivity. And in preparation for going there—part of the “clear direction” discussed previously—he wrote the book of Romans…glorious fruit of the obedience and faith described in Acts 19-28.

A close friend of mine recently conveyed the following astute observation to me, after considering 1 Peter 4:12ff, which addresses “fiery trials” experienced by Christians, their necessity and normality, and their great purpose: “You know, we don’t tell Christians what the Bible says often. We try to be sympathetic, which is Biblical too, but how often do we follow it with reminding each other to rejoice to the extent that we partake in His suffering? If my ability to rejoice is based upon the extent to which I have shared in His suffering, then I’m not a very joyful person.” Wow, that convicts me. Being robbed of suffering is to be robbed of the joy of God that manifests itself in obedient, abandoned souls with an intimate relationship with God such that His will is in our hearts and we see as He sees…we see and feel as God sees and feels! What joy as a pure fruit of the Spirit when we partake in such trials for the sake of God’s name. Are you so willing to follow God anywhere? If so, what might God do with your smallest of sacrifices? He has brought billions of souls to Heaven through Paul, and He can and desires to do the same with your life. I pray that we would both accept the challenge and responsibility of presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to God, and may the full pleasure of living God’s will in a beautiful, intimate faith in our Creator and Savior be ours forever. Amen.

Spiritual Exhaustion and Starvation – My Personal Testimony

Have you ever had this thought: “If only I didn’t have to take the time to eat and sleep, I’d have plenty of time to do all of these other things I need to do.” I had that thought today, and looking back, I chuckle at it a bit.

Sometimes I get so busy with work and life that I start to lose sleeping hours and scarcely have time to prepare a proper meal for myself. So I end up sleep deprived and eating way too much fast food or other prepared foods—I just don’t have time to do it all. Example: today I was called into work at 5:30am (on a Sunday). The Lord answered my prayer that I would be able to leave work in time to get to church. After church, I had plans to eat, go for a run (I’m training for a 10k), come back to clean my apartment because I found out this morning that I’ll be hosting our men’s group gathering on Tuesday, then off to a friend’s Superbowl party that will finish off the night. You may say, “wow, that’s a lot!” However, this can often be a typical day, and I know that your life may get so busy from time to time. My conviction came when I was leaving Chipotle with my to-go order (side note: I love Chipotle and it’s worth going when I’m not short on time!). I got my food so lightning quick that I was in a very pleasant frame of mind as I thought the following thoughts: “Wow, that was so quick and I needed it to be quick today. If only I didn’t have to take the time to eat at all, or to sleep. If somehow my body could be nourished and given energy by some other means, I’d have so much more time!”

Now, of course those are just thoughts and don’t make any practical sense. My thoughts weren’t based upon sincerely considering them to be possible—they were simply the natural progression of my mind in time-management mode.

Here is the revelation: do we ever treat our spiritual lives the same way? My thoughts regarding going without food and sleep for any length of time are absurd. Sure, for a short time you can do one or both, but eventually we will need both and need them consistently in order to just stay alive, let alone live a healthy life.

We do the same thing when we consider that we are so busy that we don’t have time to read the Word or pray. Realize that the Word of God is our spiritual bread and water. Jesus speaks many times of himself being the living water and bread of life: “And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)” To eat and drink of Christ is to believe in Him as the perfect Son of God, coming in the flesh, who bore our sin, setting us free and unto eternal life, and to partake of His Spirit. It is to make Him such a part of our bodies that we are an extension of His very self in this world. We do this by confessing we are a sinner, accepting Him as our Savior and receiving the Holy Spirit to indwell us, having “fellowship in His sufferings” (Phil 3:12-12, Rom 8:17), living obediently as ambassadors for Christ, and going to the Bible often. John writes that “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, (John 1:14)” referring to Jesus. So we see that if Jesus is our spiritual food and is the Word of God, that God’s Word in the Bible is a source of nourishment for our souls.

Additionally, we are to rest in our Lord and Savior. Jesus said in Matt 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” How is he to give us rest? When I think of rest, I think of comfort and of relaxation…a place undisturbed, a quiet place…a time where I don’t have to be working hard on anything, and a place of familiarity such as my home. So perhaps going to God in prayer and experiencing rest in Jesus means that He is my comfort and a place of peace and quiet. Perhaps I should get to know Him such that prayer is a place of familiarity and being with Him is like being home. Perhaps resting in Him is where I realize that I do not have to do the hard work—that my salvation is His great gift and He loves me, and I can simply be in His presence, just Him and me.

But what if we lived our physical lives the way that all too many of us live our spiritual lives? How often have you read His Word this week, this month? How often have you prayed and rested in Him? What if I went an entire month on 4 meals and slept only 2 nights? I would likely die or collapse and have to be hospitalized. What if I carried on this way for years? Our bodies would obviously fail us under those conditions. Don’t you think that spiritual lives will be taken to the point of death in the same manner if we are so starved of the Word and of prayer and resting in Him? I think we too often experience these spiritual hunger pains and exhaustion and fail to take action.

Look around—I see frail Christian bodies in the masses of Christians around the world. Spiritual bodies that are gaunt, with skin stretched over ribs, knobby joints, legs that can barely stand, arms that cannot carry their own weight. We are a malnourished culture of Christians in the United States. Take heart, for there are many who stand strong with the full armor of God and spiritual bodies that are growing with the might of Samson. Additionally, many of us are as adolescents with growing bodies and new spiritual muscles all the time. But how long have you merely sat in church, living on that single spiritual “meal” per week? I’ll tell you that I have gone years with that meager nourishment from the Word and perhaps even less rest in His presence. It left me feeble—interestingly, both spiritually and physically, as I was stricken with a disease that nearly took my life. In that time I had lost 40 pounds from a frame that was at my ideal weight. My condition took my entire appetite away and anything that I did actually eat did not strengthen my body as it would a healthy body. This entire experience happened to coincide with the greatest emotional trial I had ever experienced as I worked through the ending of a long-term relationship, making my despair feel complete both physically and emotionally. One day, I got to the point where I was lying on the couch and a pack of crackers was on the table in front of me. I hadn’t eaten in almost two days. I had just slept 14 hours and still barely made it across my apartment from my bed to my couch. I had the slightest desire to eat just 1 or 2 crackers, but I decided that it wasn’t worth the energy to lean forward 12 inches to get them—my body was utterly exhausted, depleted, and failing. Thank the Lord that my mother and I spoke on the phone moments later, and her plea for me to go to the emergency room, combined with what must have been the Lord’s hand on me, gave me the energy to get up and drive down the street to the hospital.

Up to that moment and for months afterward, I experienced the worst pain in my life daily, even hourly. There were things happening in my body that might horrify you—things that unless you are a doctor or someone with medical knowledge, you wouldn’t even think were possible. I remember the night that I prayed the most sincere prayer I have probably ever prayed: “Lord, would you please kill me and let me die?” I knew what would await me upon death: Heaven. I wanted to no longer struggle with this physical body—I so desired to shed it and go to the peace of Heaven. I prayed with sincerity on my bed before falling asleep and truly believed that I would not wake up in the morning, very hopefully expecting to open my eyes in Heaven. But God did not let me die then. I knew in the days that followed that God as my Father desires His children to join Him at home, yet He knows that it is best for both us and His kingdom that we remain here for a time. Similar to a mother or father who’s child has gone overseas to serve the Lord as a missionary—if the parents love their child second to God, they will desire that the child come back home to them, but they would see that it was the Lord’s will for the child to remain at a distance for the time being. And if that child beckoned them to allow a homecoming, the parents would surely agree immediately! So I realized that God heard my cry and desired me to come Home; yet He left me here, and He would only do so if it was best for both Him and me. Additionally, since I could not come “Home,” but He had the means to come to where I am, He would surely do so. So I rested knowing that in my cry for God to let me die, He left me here for a purpose—one that He had in mind for me specifically—and that He would be with me here. Friends, I am not different than any of you—I speak not of some special purpose for me that is unavailable to you and only available to a few. I speak of the fact that we each have a specific purpose for God in this very life and in our everlasting lives in His Kingdom to come.

From the point of going to the emergency room forward, there was a long recovery for my body. I do not know how I made it through, except for the Lord’s presence in my life. Through the experience, I learned what it was to NEED our God. Through the physical and emotional trial, I learned my NEED of a Savior for my sinful soul and of His deep love for me. When no one could comfort me, my God did. When no rest from the pain could be found, rest was found in time with Him. When I could muster no strength of my own, I was sustained by His Word. This was a powerful experience that I will never forget, and I learned the importance of being nourished by God’s Word and the power of resting in Him through prayer. Since that time, my body has been completely restored, perhaps even healthier than before the trial—Praise God alone for this!

I want to encourage you today: feed yourself! Get rest! I should take my own advice and apply it physically. But even more importantly than that, I pray that we would do it for our souls. We are hungry, my friends, and require daily nourishment. We are in need of rest, and require daily re-energizing. Let’s take the initiative to find both nourishment and rest where we know it resides: in God’s Word and in His presence through prayer. Let’s not live starved lives any longer—let’s build our frail frames into strength in Christ. Let’s not live in a state of utter exhaustion any longer—let’s give rest to our weary and heavy laden souls through our comforter, Christ. Let’s make Him our home. In our homes we recharge with food and rest; let’s make Him our home and live in Him daily, inviting Him to live within us perpetually. Times will still get tough and our energy will still wane, but in those times we need even more spiritual “calories” and rest! In my time of physical need, I was spurred onward by another by the Lord’s hand and found help that led to a new healthy body—I pray that today you are spurred onward to seek help where we both know it resides. I knew to go to the emergency room, and I learned to go to the Word and prayer. Whatever your physical needs, I know we are equally needy of the spiritual nourishment and rest that comes only through real relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s never forget what He has done for us, what we’ve been saved from, and where our livelihood truly resides—in Christ alone. Amen.

In encourage you to meditate upon the lyrics of “In Christ Alone,” in light of the thoughts above:

In Christ Alone
by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

IN CHRIST ALONE my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!

From "Against you alone have I sinned" to "For you alone do I live"

From the Jan 4 “My Utmost for His Highest,” (http://www.myutmost.org/01/0104.html) –

Peter said to Him, ’Lord, why can I not follow You now?’ —John 13:37

“Peter did not wait for God. He predicted in his own mind where the test would come, and it came where he did not expect it. “I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Peter’s statement was honest but ignorant. “Jesus answered him, ’ . . . the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times’ ” (John 13:38). This was said with a deeper knowledge of Peter than Peter had of himself. He could not follow Jesus because he did not know himself or his own capabilities well enough. Natural devotion may be enough to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His irresistible charm, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will deny Jesus, always falling short of what it means to truly follow Him.”

This “My Utmost” is very challenging and convicting to me. “Natural devotion will deny Jesus, always falling short of what it means to truly follow Him.” I know this full-well. We have to get beyond “natural” devotion. The kind of devotion that is excited and inspired and purely emotional at the beginning, but fades with time, or the kind of devotion that is to a cause, however noble, or to the amazing blessing or gains that we may see personally from such a devotion. This is any devotion short of sincere commitment to Jesus Himself, leading to strict obedience to His Word and a sincere desire to know Him more.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.” – 1 John 5:3-4 (see also John 14:15, 21, 23).

Again, this is more than emotional response and much, much more than a desire for the good things that such a relationship brings to my life. This is commitment to Him, at the risk of abandoning all that I consider to be my own. “Against you and you alone have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). This is an interesting and true Bible verse, as David writes that against God, and God alone has he sinned. In addition to sinning against God, we think about sinning against our family, friends, or strangers because of the hurt it might cause them, or perhaps because of some good fortune at their expense, whether they know it or not. But this verse reveals that our only sin is against God.

Have you ever put a stake in the ground and said, “I will sin no more,” or “I will not commit this sin anymore, starting right now!” And you last for hours, days, maybe even months…but sometime down the road you and I failed to keep that commitment? Why is that? Because there was even the smallest element of “natural devotion” short of holy devotion to God Himself. Often we realize in those times that we are deprived of something and we want to change that. Sometimes we use a loved one in our lives as motivation not to commit that hurtful sin (whether it be outbursts of anger, infidelity, lying, or an obvious impurity in your heart or other sin). These motivations may seem noble, but in the end they lead to failure. This is because the motivation must extend to this: “Against you and you alone have I sinned.” If our aim is anything short of devotion to God in obedience to Him for HIS sake, then we will fall.

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Cor 10:12-13

To whom are we committed? To our Father who is with us to strengthen us to withstand all temptation that we might face? If not, then we will not stand. If so, then we will surely stand. The struggle then, isn’t against sin or to stay motivated and devoted to the cause or the person that we are abstaining from sin for…the struggle is to remain wholly devoted to the only One who can save us and can strengthen us such that we are “more than conquerors” (Rom 8:37). This “One” is Jesus Christ. When our daily motivation to lead a holy life reaches a point where our thoughts are purely for God and living for Him, recognizing our weakness even in our strongest moments and our need for Him, we have a foothold that will never slip. For most of us, this is a life-long struggle, which is the source of “work out your salvation” (Phil 2:12). Our salvation was immediate and permanent upon receiving Christ (Eph 1:13-14, 4:30, 2 Cor 2:21-22). Yet, we must work out that salvation in the daily struggle with sin, and our victory is in supernatural devotion to Jesus, imparted to sincere hearts that truly seek Him first and above all else, realizing that “against you and you alone have I sinned,” and therefore when I live righteously, it is because for You and You alone do I live. Amen.

Tithing – More Than Just Money?

If you have grown up in the church or have spent a long period of time there, you likely know the concept of tithing. As a refresher and for those who are eager to learn greater depth of their faith in Jesus and the Almighty God of the Bible, tithing is a basic concept prescribed for followers of God in the Old Testament and is certainly pleasing to God to this day. You can look up Lev 27:30-34 (and many others) to find where God made this requirement of His people.

Moreover, check out Mal 3:8-10 –

“’Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

That is very cool, as it is the only place in the Bible that I know of where God actually says to test Him, and what a great promise that follows.

Historically, economies were much more largely based upon the barter and trade system and less on common currency, so many people tithed of their crops, farm animals, or items they made and sold. Today, we mostly tithe of our incomes. In either case, we tithe of our wealth, whether it be money earned or possessions that constitute our means of survival and provision for ourselves and our families. It puts God first and us second, which is only natural, and is an expression of well-placed gratitude. Ask those who tithe and they can attest to the promise of Mal 3:10 being true.

The other day I got hit with another inconvenient conviction: what if we tithed not just of our money, but of our time? Immediately, I felt that familiar inner conflict, and as I did the math, I quickly decided that it might be too tough to consistently uphold such a commitment. But God wouldn’t let it go, so I am bringing this inconvenient conviction to you: what if you and I decided to tithe of our time for our Lord?

Here’s what it might look like: I’m going to throw out sleep and assume the average night’s sleep of 7 hours (individuals may vary). A week has 168 hours, less the 49 hours of average sleep, leaving 119 hours of work time, plus free time, plus all the other time we are awake. What if we tithed of that 119 hours each week? What if we spent 12 hours dedicated to our all-powerful Provider and all-loving Savior? After all, even 10% seems like a meager offering to a God who is to be my everything, to whom I am to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17). In fact, I’m getting convicted again that for most of us that call ourselves Christians, we spend only 1-2% of our weeks in time dedicated to God (1.5 hour church service only). Then we wonder why we have a hard time hearing him and why we feel distant at times and why we struggle with sin in the world around us. If only 2% of ourself is dedicated to God, then what is the other 98% dedicated to?

Now, if 12 hours of real, solid, genuine time dedicated to God each week sounds hard, I understand. You are not alone, for I have been a 2 percent-er for much of my life. So let’s examine a strategy together. Firstly, if you go to church each week, that is probably about 1.5 hours. If you attend a small group, that’s probably another 2 hours. So in that case, we’re already up to 3.5 hours and almost a third of the way there in our normal routine! That’s encouraging. So how do we get to 10%? I propose doing it in small steps. I want to challenge you: this week, commit to 5% of your time dedicated to God. This might be service opportunities, personal prayer time or Bible study, church related activities, or anything else that you can in good conscience offer to the Lord with a pure heart as your time set aside for Him. Each week, add another percent or another hour, working your way to 10%. Once there, it might look like this: 1.5 hours for church, 2 hours for small group, 1 hour each week day in dedicated prayer time or Bible study, and 3.5 hours of time on your weekends for serving or more prayer and Bible study or whatever God leads you to do (when you start seeking things, you’ll find them popping up at or beyond your full capacity to participate in them). Find your own plan that works for you, understanding that some flexibility from week to week will be necessary. I also encourage you to find 1 or 2 “accountability partners,” among whom you can each report, not only to stay the course but also to share the joy of the experience.

Before we dive in, let’s be careful to get something straight. This plan in no way makes you more loved or more “right with God” in and of itself. Do not let the desire to complete the goal get in the way of the purpose behind it: seeing Jesus. Seeing Jesus more personally and meaningfully each day is the desired outcome. Some will be too burdened by this challenge for it to be beneficial. That’s ok. This is certainly not a requirement of God’s. However, it is an opportunity as much as it is a challenge. It is true that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20-22), for true faith is belief that results in action. However, the converse is also true—action with a “quid pro quo,” or “this for that,” attitude is faithless, concerning the salvation of Jesus Christ, in whom belief leads to everlasting life and cannot be earned by any number of good works in themselves (I would cite verses, but this is basically the entire New Testament.).

And I know something that will happen to you as you approach this challenge in sincerity and with eyes fixed upon Jesus. Firstly, you will have weeks where you fail to reach your goal. Don’t worry, just get right back up and try for the next week. Secondly, at first this will be hard. It will at times feel like pure joy in discovering God in ways you didn’t know before, but it will at times also feel like strict obedience that you have a very difficult time upholding. Here’s the great part: at some point down the road, if you stay consistent and sincere, it will begin to feel less and less like a burden, and more and more like your highest priority in each week. The experience with God and closeness through time spent with Him and for Him is rivaled by nothing else in this world. You will begin to miss it when you have a busy week and can’t get the time, and you will begin to cherish the weeks where you spend the most time with Him, forgetting that it was ever a burden in the beginning.

So don’t be discouraged as you set out on this journey. I encourage you to start small and stay small, such that your commitment matches your sincerity and practical ability to meet the goal. Also, I encourage you to push just slightly past your comfort zone. If you say, “I already do 8 hours each week and could do 9,” go for 9.5 hours. If you’re currently at 1.5 hours each week with no confidence in any additional time, take just 30 additional minutes one day of the week for starters. Ultimately, your hour log doesn’t matter, and unless you are a statistics lover or find organization in writing such things down, I would suggest not even writing down your time. Keep it in your head one week at a time, not keeping a record of past weeks, and try not to be any more legalistic than matches your genuine sincerity, which is the desire to know God. Do not do this in order to meet requirements that make you feel good and as though you’ve gained favor through things you’ve done. Do it not to gain favor, but to draw near to the Lord. If this is your simple motivation, it will be your simple, yet incomprehensibly powerful and joyful outcome.

The overarching point is that we can each spend more time with God. Use your commute to work to talk everything out with Him. It may feel like you’re doing all the talking for a while—that’s ok, start there. In time, you’ll begin to learn how to listen. I think every morning when you wake up, God looks expectantly at you, eagerly awaiting your conversation. Do you even acknowledge Him as you “pass by?” Do you sort of nod or give a muffled “hello?” Do you stop and have a brief conversation, showing obviously by your posture that you’re busy and should be on your way and cannot spend time on Him? Do you perhaps actually sit down to have a meaningful conversation, knowing that He cares about your every care and is listening? Do you ever ask Him what’s bothering Him or giving Him joy and listen to His heart? Perhaps wherever we are on this spectrum, we should each desire to move to the next level tomorrow morning. Then in no time move to the next level. Or if you’re very convicted, sit down with Him right now, as with a best friend or dearest loved one. Just be yourself—He already knows and loves you. See if you can hear Him in those moments, or in reading the Word, or in those you encounter around you as you come to know His heart. Speak it back to Him for concurrence. I think you’ll find an amazing new friend, an amazing providing Father, and an amazing life-changing Savior who is “with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20).

More ideas: if you find singing, or writing, or creating or any other gift an effective outlet of your worship, do those things in your 10% time offering to Him. Write Him a note, a letter, or a song. Sing to Him your favorite hymn or just make up your own words and tune, if you are so musically talented. Draw pictures of how you see Him and His relationship to you and those around you. Make something with your hands that is beautiful, if you are gifted by Him to do so, and give it to Him as an offering, perhaps as a gift to another friend or a stranger. I don’t know how you might worship and love Him, but I know He has gifted us each in specific ways and would be touched in His heart to receive such genuine gifts of our hearts and talents poured out back to Him.

Think of the child who has been given Christmas money by their parents. This child goes out and spends 90% of it on him or herself, but they take 10% and buy something heart-felt and meaningful for their parents out of love and appreciation. Would that parent’s heart not about melt in love? Or perhaps a mother taught her child how to paint, and the child immediately paints a picture of the two of them holding hands with a heart between them. How great that mother must feel. Or the father who shows his son how to fish at a young age, then when the son grows old, he begins to take his father fishing. That father will cherish a moment like that forever. When we turn back around the gifts of our parents, they are overjoyed…not by the gift, but by the sincere loving heart of their child.

Wouldn’t you love to make God feel that way today with even the smallest of gifts from your heart?

Going too far?

In the Apr 26 devotional of “My Utmost for His Highest,” by Oswald Chambers, he references Abraham, among others, and his obedience to the point of sacrificing his own son with his own hands (http://www.myutmost.org/04/0426.html). Wow, what an amazing commitment to God. When you hear this story, I’ll bet you react somewhat similarly to me: “I wonder if I would have that kind of obedience.” I have always looked at that story as an inspiration and example of how to give up everything to God, and God’s blessing through it. I think that is good and true. But O.C. mentioned something that absolutely floored me: “Abraham was not a devotee of his convictions, or he would have slain Isaac and said that the voice of the angel was the voice of the devil.” Whoa. I instantly realized that I just might have slain Isaac. With the struggle of obedience, I never considered the other side: selling out to your convictions without continually checking them with and listening to God. A devotee to the conviction, instead of a devotee to God. I heard a preacher give a great example once…he said that following God is like riding a horse. God wants you balanced and on the horse. Satan wants you to fall off that horse, and he doesn’t care which way you fall. The point is that in almost every circumstance, we can fall to either side of God’s path. If we commit to obedience and convictions and passions to the point that our commitment is more to the specific convictions than to God who provides them, then we may severely miss out on the glory of God and what He is doing. This devotional has alerted me to take leaps of faith, obey with self-abandon, and follow the passion God places in me—but not to get so focused on the individual leap, obedience, and passion that I fail to hear God’s voice that never ceases to speak and guide me. Otherwise, I might call it the “voice of the devil” and murder the blessing that God wants to give me. Why would I think that God would stop communicating with me after I respond to a strong conviction? Likely, the opposite is true, so our ears must be continually open to Him.

This was so convicting to me…and I love it!