Pressing On In His Footsteps

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 MSG  God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:  wise counsel [Word of Wisdom], clear understanding [Word of Knowledge], simple trust [Faith], healing the sick, miraculous acts, proclamation [Prophecy], distinguishing between spirits [Discernment of Spirits], tongues, and interpretation of tongues.  All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when.

“The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal power, and His gifts do not spring from a human source; it is the work of God.  Gifts are from the great gift, the Holy Spirit; ministries are modeled by the main minister, Christ the Lord; and the works of the Spirit come from the chief worker, God the Father.”  Donald Pickerill, Spirit-Filled Life Bible, 1 Corinthian notes

Observation

Corinth was a bustling seaport with a reputation for licentious living.  Their pagan religion had many gods, but Venus, the goddess of lustful love, was its patron.  So, when the Corinthians worshipped, their services were often wild and reckless, full of debauchery.  They were used to gods (demons) who would possess and take control of them.   So, the new converts in Corinth struggled with a new concept of God living within while working His power in and through them, empowering rather than controlling.  Paul in this letter is helping them to change a paradigm, shifting from being controlled to freely, consciously, moving in the power of God. 

God in the person of the Holy Spirit is in charge, in control, of choosing the what is given and who receives of gift-giving, but we remain in control of how the supernatural gift works in and through us.  We can say “no” at any time.  The Holy Spirit is not like the destructive demons of pagan religions who possess and control a life. Holy Spirit gifts are not the exercise of a heightened human ability but rather the vesting with God’s power by the Holy Spirit to do the work of God and fulfill His purpose.  There is no competition here, no winner of any prize, no ladder of status to climb.  These supernatural giftings are to be used to grow us individually and as a church so that we can then evangelize the world around us.  The work of Holy Spirit is to reproduce the dynamic ministry of Jesus in and through us.  We are in complete control regarding whether we partner with Him or not.

Impact on Me

When I accepted Christ as my personal savior, I became a supernatural person in Christ.  The work of the Holy Spirit began in me to reshape, mold and make my life into one that is representative of Jesus Christ on earth.  This is a lifelong process.  Just like remodeling a house might require tearing down some walls, tearing up some floors, repairing the plumbing, electrical and HVAC, so does the Holy Spirit need to remodel me so that Jesus can make Himself at home in me.  I need to leave the fixtures and furnishings (gifts and ministries) in His hands rather than being discontent with how He would “decorate” the home I want Him to make in me.

All this tearing and repairing will certainly be uncomfortable, emotionally painful and humbling as He exposes my sin and fleshly habits that keep me captive to my past.  I am in control of what I allow Him to do.  Am I willing to be part of cleaning out what I have hoarded in life before I accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior?  Am I willing to look upon and deal with the shameful, hidden thoughts, actions and words I have hidden away in locked closets within me?  Am I open to being transparent and welcoming (tearing down walls to become an open concept home) if it will serve His will and purpose?   Am I willing to give the home of me into Jesus’ possession? I pray it is so!

Prayer

Lord God, Helper, Teacher, Perfect General Contractor of My Life, I worship You and thank You for accepting the job of remodeling me.  Lord, I pray that You will give me the courage and determination to agree to undergo whatever it takes to make me that open concept space where others can come to meet You in me.  Help me to let go of my possessions so You can replace them with Your own. Teach me how to allow Your empowerment to thrive and flow out of all my doors and windows to invite others to invite you into the homes of their lives.  Keep me from becoming prideful – impressed with the fixtures and furnishings You have installed in me – and taking credit for any of the work You have done and will do.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.

1 Kings 22:51-53 (MSG) Ahaziah son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He ruled Israel for two years. As far as God was concerned, he lived an evil life, reproducing the bad life of his father and mother, repeating the pattern set down by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into a life of sin. Worshiping at the Baal shrines, he made God, the God of Israel, angry, oh, so angry. If anything, he was worse than his father.

2 Kings 3:1-3 (MSG) Joram son of Ahab began his rule over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He was king for twelve years. In God’s sight he was a bad king. But he wasn’t as bad as his father and mother—to his credit he destroyed the obscene Baal stone that his father had made. But he hung on to the sinful practices of Jeroboam son of Nebat, the ones that had corrupted Israel for so long. He wasn’t about to give them up.

Daniel 2:20-22 (MSG). “Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all: He changes the seasons and guides history.  He raises up kings and also brings them down. He provides both intelligence and discernment.  He opens up the depths, tells secrets, sees in the dark—light spills out of Him!”

Observation

The recurring question in my mind is why God would allow all these bad kings in succession. He has the power to anoint and appoint any ruler He chooses.  God could have raised up good kings. Why didn’t He? Is this a case of reaping what you sow – people who have deserted God being ruled by those like them? Or the result of people feeling helpless/powerless to bring about change so they disengage?  Or a result of the weight of culture (“everyone is doing it”) outweighing courage to stand up for what is right and God-honoring? 

There must have been righteous and innocent people in Israel and Judah because the worship and training in godliness survived even these dark times.  There was a good king here and there as evidence.  Some people were keeping the faith, teaching their children the truth and choosing to honor God in the face of opposition.  These regular everyday faithful people are the unsung heroes here – the ones who faithfully, consistently and purposefully lived Godly lives despite pressure, persecution, injustice and ridicule.

Impact on Me

I listen to people complain in anger and frustration about those who rule over us – whether in disagreement with party policies and personalities, the inefficiencies and wastefulness of government or about corruption. God has not given up His authority to anoint and appoint rulers. Perhaps we should ask ourselves the questions above.  Are we reaping what we sow as a people who have forgotten, abandoned or diluted God?  Do we feel helpless/powerless to bring about change and have therefore disengaged from the process?  Have we lost faith that there are good rulers who honor God and the people they serve? Have we surrendered to culture and lack the courage to stand up for what is right because we see the cost as too great? Are we willing to forgo blessings, profits, visible victories and trust that God is still in control if it serves God’s purpose to have us suffer the same consequences as the wicked and faithless? 

I admit that every new exposure of power-hungry manipulation, lawlessness, and fraud, deception or misconduct perpetrated by a politician, government agency or individual taking advantage of the system adds another stone to the pile that can seem mountainous  and overwhelming. Jesus faced the same – an oppressive Roman rule and rigid religious one – and died to allow us to choose Him as King. So, despite what it may look like in my life and circumstances – or yours, God is still God Who can change circumstances, situations and government and its rulers in an instant. Paul commanded us to pray for our leaders without qualifying whether they are good or bad – that is not really for me to judge anyway – because as we pray, the Holy Spirit can work to change their hearts and the way they rule on this earth. I just need to remember that I am only an ambassador here and first a citizen of the Kingdom of God.  I need to live in a way under this earthly government that makes others want to change their eternal citizenship.

Prayer

Father God, You are all-powerful, all-knowing, and working the same eternal plan since the beginning of our time.  You do not owe me an explanation for the government, condition and circumstances under which You have assigned me to serve as ambassador of Heaven.  I am where I am to hear and obey You in representing and revealing Jesus in and through my life.  Lord, don’t let me forget the true purpose of my life is not to walk in blessing, but rather to walk in obedience letting You count the cost to me and the benefit to Your Kingdom.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Galatians 5:22-24 MSG But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others (love), exuberance about life (joy), serenity (peace). We develop a willingness to stick with things (patience), a sense of compassion in the heart (kindness), and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people (goodness). We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments (faithfulness), not needing to force our way in life (meekness/gentleness), able to marshal and direct our energies wisely (self-control). ^23b-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

Observation

This passage is the very well-known Fruit of the Spirit passage.  Unlike all the shepherd and sheep references in the New Testament, I can understand what is being said about fruit!   A fruit tree draws nurture from sun, soil, water and the care given by the gardener.  If the soil is rich with what the fruit tree needs, the sun is just right to keep it healthy, the watering is enough but not too much, and the gardener has done a good job of pruning, fertilizing and tending the tree, the fruit harvested will be sweet and plentiful.  The fruit will get all the kudos, but the sun, soil, water and care make it so.

So is the story of the fruit in this passage.  “But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard….”  Abundant fruit is the natural product of a well-tended fruit tree.  Just as the young tree  must grow, be pruned and mature until it is ready to bear fruit, so must we be so that the fruit we produce will nourish those who come to it for food.  If we allow the Holy Spirit to be our gardener – to tend and, when necessary, prune us; to deepen our roots in Christ; to nourish us with the water of the Word – our lives will also have abundant low-hanging fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, meekness, faithfulness and self-control.  Just as the orange tree produces oranges, so we will produce these fruits as the natural harvest of our growing maturity in Christ.

Impact on Me

So, what is my responsibility in this?  I am required to provide the good soil, soil turned, softened, and enriched by the Holy Spirit as I study His Word and put it into practice in my life.  I need to give Him permission to disturb my comfort, my cultural values, my pride, my selfishness – all those things that make soil rocky, hard or shallow.  I need to give Him permission to prune the superfluous branches in me that only draw me away from being abundantly fruitful.  I need to be patient to be pruned, allow the new growth to strengthen my trunk and expand my reach, allow the leaves to come, then the flowers, and finally the fruit.  Personally, I want all of these fruits working in my life, evident in my ministry, and available to others as low-hanging (easily accessible) fruit for whosever will come by.

All of the fruit is important and equally available to me.  I have always had a slight preference for meekness – often translated as gentleness – translated here as “not needing to force our way in life.”  This may appear to be the most passive of the passive list above, however, I believe this fruit demonstrates strength and faith in the plan that God has set and is working out – even when I don’t understand the why or what of my circumstances.  Am I being pruned?  Is my ground being broken up?  Has all my fruit been harvested?  Am I resisting the Gardener?  To me, meekness is the strength and faith to rest in the Lord and His Word, wait upon His instruction, and respond according to the Word and the Spirit of Christ in me rather than reacting according to my flesh.  This is my lesson from the fruit tree.

Prayer

Lord God Almighty, All-Wise, All-Loving Father, I submit myself to You, put myself in Your care, trust Your plan, path and purpose for me.  Help me to be a tree that is willing to be pruned in order to develop the strength, the foundation, to hold a large canopy that can be abundantly fruitful.  Help me to embrace “not needing to force our way in life” – regardless of what my culture teaches – but, rather, to allow Your life to flow freely in and through me to produce love, joy, peace, faithfulness, goodness, kindness, meekness and self-control.  Make it so, in Jesus’ name.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (Phillips). For look at your own calling as Christians, my brothers. You don’t see among you many of the wise (according to this world’s judgment) nor many of the ruling class, nor many from the noblest families. But God has chosen what the world calls foolish to shame the wise; he has chosen what the world calls weak to shame the strong. He has chosen things of little strength and small repute, yes and even things which have no real existence to explode the pretensions of the things that are—that no man may boast in the presence of God. Yet from this same God you have received your standing in Jesus Christ, and he has become for us the true wisdom, a matter, in practice, of being made righteous and holy, in fact, of being redeemed. And this makes us see the truth of scripture: ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.

Observation

“For the Jews ask for miraculous proofs and the Greeks an intellectual panacea, but all we preach is Christ crucified…God has chosen what the world calls foolish to shame the wise; he has chosen what the world calls weak to shame the strong. ”  The World (our culture) measures the value of a person or thing by visible proofs, such as effort, intellect, education, position, strength, achievement, or prowess, and bestows its fleeting and fickle moments of fame and recognition on these visible proofs. Paul is telling his audience here that God uses a different measure to chose whom He will use to appoint as witnesses, and to flow through and equip to be the instrument in demonstrating His Glory in each circumstance.  Jesus measures by the invisible and intangible method of looking into each heart, setting the role and calling for each one perfectly.

Make no mistake.  Heavenly fame and eternal recognition are based on redemption in Christ, and determined by His measures and each one’s obedience to his/her call.  Paul tells us that the Message of eternal salvation, redemption and restoration is simple and all-sufficient, understandable and embraceable by all, regardless of his/her “qualifications” (what each brings to the table in the form of intelligence, training, talent, education, wealth, position or accomplishment).  As a matter of fact, meeting God’s measure and being obedient to His will may appear foolish and weak to the World, but living without worldly fame and recognition may be the price one is asked to pay to please God and fulfill God’s will and purpose in his/her life.  Whatever persecution, insult, disrespect, denigration, humiliation one may experience for that obedience is but sharing in the sufferings of Christ on our behalf – the only possible completely innocent One Who bore our sin and shame because God counted His sacrifice worth our redemption.

Impact on Me

So, I am completely human and was raised in a performance-based family with high expectations for the children.  I was blessed that my family was also generous, loving, kind, caring of others and believed in God.  We just didn’t know that we could have a personal relationship with Jesus and be led by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the expectations that God had for us rather than marking out our own path.  We could only strive with our own strength to deal with our brokenness, failures and sin.

Over the years, I have learned to go often to the Cross.  There I can lay my brokenness, failures and sin at the feet of Jesus and allow His sacrifice to be sufficient for my healing and restoration, my strength and my equipping for His service.  I have learned to appreciate my God-given gifts – in me and others – as instruments to be placed in His hands, as a guitar is for the fine musician.  In His hands they can do wonders and be magnified far past what I can do on my own.  When I am tempted to take credit, I think of the noise a guitar would make in my inexperienced hands and remember to let the praise and glory pass on to the One Who is the expert.  Whatever I have to offer, whatever society judges me to be, I am content to know that in His hands, Jesus is sufficient to fulfill God’s eternal will and purpose in and through my life.

Prayer

Father God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, You made it all and are the true experts in it all.  Never let me forget that I am only an instrument in Your hands.  If I allow You to use me, You will create a wondrous and beautiful melody in and through my life.  So, I determine to let my life, my words, my responses to what the World thinks, says or does, witness to the sufficiency of Christ crucified because that is enough.  Help me to rest not on what I bring to the table but, rather, what You have already done. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Daniel 3:13-27 MSG ^13-15 Furious, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought in. When the men were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar asked, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t respect my gods and refuse to worship the gold statue that I have set up? I’m giving you a second chance—but from now on, when the big band strikes up you must go to your knees and worship the statue I have made. If you don’t worship it, you will be pitched into a roaring furnace, no questions asked. Who is the god who can rescue you from my power?”

^16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, “Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

^19-23 Nebuchadnezzar, his face purple with anger, cut off Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace fired up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered some strong men from the army to tie them up, hands and feet, and throw them into the roaring furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, bound hand and foot, fully dressed from head to toe, were pitched into the roaring fire. Because the king was in such a hurry and the furnace was so hot, flames from the furnace killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it, while the fire raged around Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

²⁴ Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm and said, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound hand and foot, into the fire?”  “That’s right, O king,” they said.  ²⁵ “But look!” he said. “I see four men, walking around freely in the fire, completely unharmed! And the fourth man looks like a son of the gods!”  ²⁶ Nebuchadnezzar went to the door of the roaring furnace and called in, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the High God, come out here!”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire.

²⁷ All the important people, the government leaders and king’s counselors, gathered around to examine them and discovered that the fire hadn’t so much as touched the three men—not a hair singed, not a scorch mark on their clothes, not even the smell of fire on them!

Observation

I have been working in Children’s Ministry for almost 40 years.  I believe this is my favorite Bible story.  Here were men who stuck to their faith in the midst of a foreign culture while facing dire consequences.  They were not moved from their faith by the threatened deadly consequences and were willing to trust God and His purposes for them whether they lived or died. They did not know which it would be.  Then, in the midst of the fire, Jesus shows up.  The guards that threw them in burned up, but they came out without the smell of smoke on them.  Please note that the only thing that burned up on these boys was what bound them.

I love this story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace because it is so relevant today.  Often we go through the fire of dire circumstances in our lives to emerge encouraged and strengthened because we looked for and found Jesus in there with us.  A wise person told me many years ago that God is more interested in our character than our comfort.  Our opportunities to strengthen our faith often put us either under pressure and attack or into impossible situations.  I am convinced that. If we let Him, our God will take advantage of our challenging places to persuade us to seek and depend on Him so He can refine our faith and shape us for His purposes and to fulfill our part in His plan.  If we will look for Jesus in the fire storms of our lives, we will also come out unbound and fragrant with His aroma.

Impact On Me

Lord, I believe; Help my unbelief.  I want this kind of unwavering faith.  I want to serve and share Jesus regardless of the cost to me.  I have experienced being bound and thrown into the fiery furnace of life.  Then, at the age of 32, I embraced Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  The difference in my life was striking.  All of a sudden, I had a Comforter Who knows the pain, sorrow, hopelessness that left scars on my soul.  I know a Healer Who rubs the balm of Gilead on those scars with His own hands.   I have a Brother and Friend Who will never leave me and will go with me through even the valley of Death. 

So, I try to remember that no matter where life takes me, I never go alone. Jesus is with me and for me – just as He is for all who count Him as Savior. He understands our suffering, but He also modeled for us how to trust God to use our sufferings to change us and the world around us.  I don’t have to understand why I am where I am experiencing what I am; I just need to listen and obey, trusting that the cost to me will be well worth the benefit to Him.

Prayer

Father God, Holy One, Lover of my soul, Redeemer, I worship You.  Lord, I pray that my perspective, my thinking, my actions will always be grounded in strong and enduring faith in You,  Your plan, Your goodness, Your heart to see none perish, Your love for me.  I pray that I will not so much need to understand and approve Your plans but, rather, hear and obey regardless of the cost to me. May I be as uncompromising in my faithful commitment to love, honor and serve You as were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  May the things that bind and hinder me burn up in the process of trusting You through all circumstances. I pray this all in the name of Jesus. Make it so.