Thoughtful Thursday: Who am I?

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt?
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart?

Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done.
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are.

I heard this song recently and the words really struck me.  First, they struck me personally because oftentimes I feel very unworthy and insignificant, and can tend to measure my worth based on others’ opinion and expectation of me.  I have to remind myself that I belong to God and He knows my heart and loves me unconditionally.  Amazingly, He does this despite of who I am and how often I disappoint Him.

This brought me to the question of how many others have felt this way.  We have several people we can read about in the Bible that were unworthy in their minds, but God saw beyond what they could see, and with His power, they accomplished great things.

Exodus 3:11 “And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Moses was tending sheep for his father-in-law when God came to him and revealed His plan for Moses to lead the children of Israel out of their captivity in Egypt.  Moses tried to give God a list of excuses as to why he was not the one.  God proved to him that it wasn’t what he could do in and of himself, but what could be done with God working through him.  Moses saw himself as a quiet shepherd, but we know him as the great leader God used him to become.

1Chronicles 17:16-17  “And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who  am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?  And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God.”

As he did time and time again, David is recognizing his own unworthiness and God’s greatness.  He made this his practice when he was just a young shepherd boy, while God was using him to defeat giants.  He made this his practice when he was the King of Israel, and with God’s help was defeating nations.  David was far from perfect.  He was human and made mistakes just like the rest of us; however, in Acts 13:22 God says “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill my law.”   God saw David’s potential from the beginning, and David however unworthy he felt, yielded himself and God used him mightily.

Jeremiah 1:5-6  “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.”

Jeremiah was only 21 when he began his preaching career and he preached for nearly 40 yrs.  He had great influence as a prophet of God.  Yet, God still needed to reassure him of his planned purpose that was set even before he was born.   

Luke 1:46 -48 “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in

God my Saviour.  For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from

henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

Oh how right she was!  This lowly handmaiden was the vessel that carried our Saviour, the Lord

Jesus Christ.  God’s perfect plan to redeem humanity from the curse of sin, most strategically

began with Mary.  Mary, coincidentally…or not, was of the bloodline of King David.  I just love

how God so beautifully orchestrated that!

Unable.  Unprepared.  Unsuitable.  Unworthy. 

We have all been there, we have all felt it.  When we are feeling lowly, humbled and abased, I

believe we are in the perfect place for God to use us.

We Prayer Wednesday: What is Prayer?

Prayer is not demanding from God.  It is not simply asking from God.  It is not talking about God.  It is talking WITH God.   Jesus, God revealed in the flesh, teaches the disciples to pray in Matthew chapter six.  In his lesson, Jesus destroys hypocritical prayer.  Much of what passes for prayer is simply vocal presentation meant mainly to impress those listening.  While the main focus of the passage is rightly the Lord’s Prayer, it is important not to miss those things that Jesus says prayer is not. 

1.  Prayer is not public speaking.  Much of what is called prayer today in churches is simply a functional ritual used to transition between different parts of the service.  Many non-liturgical churches would be surprised to discover after careful introspection how truly ritual bound their services can be.  Perhaps even worse, is when prayer is used by a person to deliver a message to the people.  Prayer is talking to God, not a device to manipulate or impress.  A good sounding prayer is rewarded by the listeners with praise.  Jesus says God rewards those who pray in secret. 

2.  Prayer is not repetition.  Some will pray and endlessly repeat themselves hoping to impress upon God the importance of the request.  Jesus says that such a practice is pagan.  Here a strong parallel comes from the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  The false prophets danced, chanted, and endlessly entreated a constructed idol that could not hear.  Elijah simply prayed to the living God.  It is important that Christians realize that the God they pray to is alive and well.  Jesus says that God already knows the need before it is asked. 

One of the greatest answers to prayer in my own life came after a period of inner struggle.  I wanted God to show me answers, but I was holding out on him.  At the end of the Lord’s Prayer there is an often overlooked warning from Jesus.  He says that if we want to be forgiven by God, we have to forgive others.  One of the great obstacles to communion with God is bitterness, anger, hatred, or hypocrisy when we expect something to be extended from God to us that we coldly refuse to extend to others. 

Does God answers prayer?  Of course, but you have to be able to talk with him first.  Many people think they are praying when they are actually just talking into space. 

Monday's Message: Love the Lord

To understand the straight forward scripture in the closing of the Book of I Corinthians; or the First Epistle, we should take time to remember the many reproofs and rebukes the Lord inspired Paul to write to this rather carnal group of believers.  There was much strife and contention, there was much need for growth and Christian maturity; just as there is in all new, or baby Christians. It seems to sum it all up, in the words we read in vs. 22 “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.”  There are two main Greek words in the New Testament used for our English word [love].  One is the word meaning: unconditional love; just as the Lord has for us, as we read in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” The word for love means: to love, to feel and exhibit esteem and goodwill to a person, to prize and delight in a thing.

We do have a command to love the Lord in this way, in all of the synoptic gospels: “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. 

Here, we are commanded to love the Lord, with this unconditional love; a love feast, love from the heart.  It is not the same word used in I Cor. 16; but rather the word is [phileo]: to approve of, b) to like, c) sanction, d) to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend. It is very similar to our English word: like. The Corinthian church, and then every Believer is admonished to know that the key to Christianity; which if applied, would end the strife and division in churches; would end the desire to be seen first; and many other contentions; is to love the Lord.

But while we’re commanded to love the Lord with all our hearts; to at least have the latter type of love for Christ is demanded with a curse as punishment, if we do not.  If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.  The word Anathema means accursed; as accursed from Christ, which is the sentence upon everyone who dies without being born again. We must take this passage, and realize, with such a punishment on those who do not even like the Lord Jesus, and approve of Him and His way of life; they do not have the Lord Jesus in their hearts.

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Family Friday: Spiritual Resistance To Walking With God

Any Christian knows that there is resistance to walking with God. Sometimes the resistance comes from without, and sometimes the resistance comes from within. There are several things the Bible speaks of that cause resistance. If you know anything about electricity, you know that there are several factors that create resistance to the ability of electrons to flow across a wire. These factors reduce the amount of power able to reach the object you are wishing to supply power to. If God is the source of power, and we are the ones who need that power and strength, then walking with God is like being plugged into Him. Our walk with God is the wire, our connection to the source of power. It is important that we have a conductor from God to us, but along that route there is resistance. This resistance reduces the power, strength, blessings, and joy that we get from God. It is essential that we reduce as much of the resistance as possible to enjoy as much as possible from our God. SATAN Zechariah 3:1 “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.” In electricity, the thickness of the wire allows more free electrons to flow through it. The thinner the wire, the more resistant it is to power. Satan wants to restrict you as much as possible. He will resist your walk with God. He will seek to stem the tide of grace, mercy, power, and love from God to you. If he can keep your walk with God thin, stretched out, and weak, we will not enjoy the fullness of God. Satan will throw things our way that will distract us, reduce our time with God, and consume what we get from God faster than we can get it. Satan seeks to resist what you can get from the Lord! DISTANCE Acts 7:51 “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.” 2 Timothy 3:8 “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” In electricity, the greater the distance to the source of power, the more resistance there is to the flow of free electrons. There are just more things that can go wrong. There are more barriers and unexpected twists. In our Christian life, distance from God is equal to our acceptance of Him in our life. The further away from Him we find ourselves the more resistant we are to Him, His will, and His truth. Our unwillingness to accept some of the things about God or Christianity distances us from God. This distance brings more resistance. We add too many variables that distract us from getting the power of God. There are too many barriers and things that can go wrong. PRIDE Pride is a scary resistance. In this case, it is not Satan resisting your access to God, nor is it you necessarily distancing yourself from God, but pride causes God to resist you! James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. “ You may spend a lot of time in prayer, Bible study, and church. But if you have pride, God is resisting you!  As you can imagine, this is not good. Pride is a resistor to the power of God. Whereas humility brings a free flow of grace and power from God, pride will bring resistance from God Himself! Often, pride isn't resistance to God or the things of God; it is the desire to control these things, to dominate them, or to be known for them. God, however, resists this concept emphatically! A Christian can serve God in pride. A Pastor can preach in pride. A Sunday School teacher can teach in pride. Pride is where you love to serve God so that you might have the preeminence, to have the spotlight shining on you!  God will resist you!  Humility is about submitting to Him. It is not about you. It is not about what you do. It is about God. It is submitting yourself to the will of Jesus Christ, not choosing to follow your will in service to God. These are a few of the Biblical resistors in our life. If we want to enjoy the fullness of God in our homes and with our families, we need to reduce or eliminate these resistors. In electricity, a superconductor is a conductor with a resistance of zero. That is the goal of every Christian. We want to be superconductors to the power of God in our life.