The Greatest Story, part 7

Ministry is team work.  One can neither in actuality nor in effectiveness be in ministry alone or as one.  Meet Phoebe, a servant leader in the church at Cenchreae, a seaport town in Corinth. Paul is in Corinth for approximately three months during which time he writes the letter to the Roman church. How does he get the letter delivered to Rome?  Not by mail, neither by UPS or FedEx, not by email, no overnight express, none of today's modern conveniences which we all take for granted.  No, this is a personal delivery.  Take a look at a map and see the great distance between Corinth and Rome, a journey by sea -- hundreds of miles.  Paul needs help.

So, who does Paul send the letter by?  According to Romans 16:1, he probably sends Phoebe, a woman leader in the church. To say the least, this is a long journey, difficult travel, considerable travel time, expensive, unsafe, very difficult.  When Paul raises the questions -- who will go, whom shall I send -- it is this woman Phoebe who answers "here am I, send me." He sends and she goes.

When God, through the Paul in your life, asks you to assist in ministry, will you say yes ... yes Lord ... here am I ... send me ... I'll go ... I'll do whatever you want me to do ... I'll go wherever you want me to go  ... I'll say whatever you want me to say?  No hindrance, no stumbling block, no expense too high, no situation, no circumstance, nothing will keep me from fulfilling my purpose, my calling, my destiny, my charge, my commission.  I am your willing and obedient servant.  Here am I, send me, I’ll go.

 

The Greatest Story, part 6

Whether we are obedient or disobedient to the Word of God, those around us are affected. When you choose to use your talents, skills, gifts, and callings to the glory of God and for His purposes, those around you are affected.  Your life and lifestyle change, so too the lives and lifestyles of others around you, especially those in your household, and most especially your spouse.

Consider Zipporah, the wife of Moses.  Zipporah was one of seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian.  Moses, a Hebrew, was raised in the house of Pharaoh in Egypt.  While the Scripture is unclear as to how many years they had been married when Moses had the burning bush experience, it is clear that Moses had been in Midian for 40 years. They had two sons, the older son had been circumcised while the younger one had not.  I can imagine the tough time Zipporah would have had with this Hebrew practice.  Quite possibly, her nagging kept Moses from circumcising their younger son. As is recorded (see Exodus 4:24-26), as they were on their way to Egypt, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him.  Zipporah quickly recognized the problem and circumcised the boy herself. Rather than keep on with Moses, she returned to her father's house in Midian.

The obedience of Moses to God cost his wife a lot of misunderstanding, unhappiness, frustration, loneliness, and more. The family was away from Moses, quite possibly for the first time which was a long time, during which they missed all of the plagues brought on the Egyptians, and the miracles God performed for His people.  Their return to Moses was only after the exodus from Egypt and the Israelites had been encamped in the desert for some time (see Exodus 18:5-6).

What has your spouse's obedience to God cost you?  What price are you paying for your spouse's disobedience to God? In the balance, which is the greater price? Will you choose to submit to God's will for your spouse and for yourself? Remember Isaiah 1:19-20. "If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; ²⁰ but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.  For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

The Greatest Story, part 5

What is your purpose in life?  What have you been called to do?  Do you really know what your purpose is?  Do you know what God has called you to do?  Do you expect to be successful in your calling?  Do you believe that God ordains success only?  Will it be your success or His success?

Probably every Christian knows the biblical name Isaiah.  Isaiah, one who prophesied the birth of the Messiah more than 700 years before he was born.  Isaiah, the one with a spectacular call that we read about in chapter 6 of the prophetic book that bears his name.  Isaiah, the author of a book that is so like the Bible with its two major divisions -- the first made up of 39 chapters and the second made up of 27 chapters.  Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of four kings -- Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.

Read the 6th chapter of Isaiah to know the vision that he experienced.  Learn or be reminded of God's questions, "whom shall I send and who will go for us?"  Isaiah quickly responded, "Here am I. Send me!"  God then told Isaiah how unsuccessful he would  be in fulfilling his call, his commission.  He would tell people who wouldn't listen.   For how long would this go on?  For the entire time of Isaiah's ministry was God's response. 

Can you imagine that? If God told you how unsuccessful you would be in doing what He told you, would you still do it? Would you do it reluctantly?  Would you give the assignment your best, as Isaiah did? Give consideration to this message given to the prophet for the people in Isaiah 55:9.  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

 

The Greatest Story, part 4

‎Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,^s saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” ¹⁰ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”

And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

While many stories are found in the Greatest Story, some stories are very lengthy and detailed.  Others are very short, some even describing unnamed persons.  The story of Jabez is found in two verses tucked away in the genealogy of Judah.

We don't find in this story who Jabez is related to, and his mother is unnamed.  She gave him a name with a negative connotation of sorrow and grief. Can you imagine naming your child sorrowful or painful or crazy or foolish or stupid or lazy?  That's what this mother did.  !  Be careful of what you call your children. Call them what God calls them -- loving, kind, honest, blessed, highly favored, faithful, good ... .

Thank God that Jabez really knew he was more than what he was being called.  Whatever his life's work, whatever his needs were, wherever he might have been, Jabez called on God who heard and answered his prayer.  Today's reminder to you, wherever you are, whatever your need might be, whenever you call on God, know that He will hear and answer your prayer.  How comforting! How encouraging!

 

The Greatest Story, part 3

Be reminded of the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi.  Talk about sad, Naomi's story involved a seemingly unfair and uncaring God.  She, her husband, and their two sons went down to Moab to escape the famine in Bethlehem.  Then her husband died -- bad news.  Now the family of three became a family of five as the two sons got married.  Later, one of her sons died -- more bad news.  She must be thinking "where are you God." And then came even more bad news, her second, her only, her last son died. The three men in her life were all gone.  Her thoughts may have been "God where are you" ... "why me God" ... "what am I suppose to do now"  ... "how will I survive" ... "how will we make it."

Do all things really work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28)?  Will God indeed supply our every need according to His glorious riches (see Philippians 4:19)? Yes to both questions.  Yes for Naomi and Ruth who went back to Bethlehem with her. Yes for the amazing order of the in-law relationship.  Yes to all things working together for the good as Ruth was led to the field of Boaz, as he took special notice of her, stepped up to the plate as Naomi's kinsman redeemer, and later married Ruth. Yes for Naomi's mourning was turned to joy as she became a loving grandmother.  Yes for Ruth, the foreigner, who wound up being named in the lineage of Jesus (see Matthew 1:5).

Through this story, may you find the very encouragement you need.  May you find that nothing is impossible with God.  May you find the hope that you need.  May your faith be strengthened.

 

The Greatest Story, part 2

Have you ever shared a true story that, to the listener, seemed "too good to be true"? Have you ever heard a story that was true according to the teller, but seemed to you to be absolutely preposterous, ridiculously absurd, totally contrary to reason? Yet, these are the very ingredients of many Bible stories.

Consider Moses, formerly the prince of Egypt turned shepherd in a foreign land. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, Moses tended the sheep belonging to Jethro, the priest of Midian and Moses' father-in-law. Some 40 years after his arrival in Midian, Moses observed a bush on fire that continually burned, but did not burn up. After a while, he went over to the bush to observe more closely this unusual sight, this strange phenomenon. When God saw that he was paying attention, He called out to Moses from within the bush. There God gave Moses an assignment which he would spend the next 40 years working to accomplish it. (See Exodus 3:1-10)

Has God told you to do something that seems impossible? Is too hard? Requires resources that you don't have? Will take too long? Others won't believe you? Too much of a sacrifice? Like Moses, you are a "can do" person. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (see Philippians 4:13).

 

The Greatest Story, part 1

During a luncheon meeting in Birmingham several years ago, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was asked what strategies were employed to help people heal  and build community after the fall of apartheid in South Africa?  "Encouraging and allowing people to tell their stories" was a major part of his response.  And I quickly thought to myself, is it really that simple?  Is the telling of a story that important? Can healing really occur through the telling and hearing of a story?  Can a nation be changed; can a community survive and thrive through the telling of stories?

Later, I thought and realized that the Bible is the greatest story ever told. The Bible is the bestseller of all times ... the story of Jesus, the Savior of the world ... written by 40 different authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit ... written over a period of 1500 years ... a vast accumulation of science, history, archaeology, geography, astrology, psychology, mathematics, physics, law, theology, sociology, gerontology, poetry, et.al.  The Bible gives the stories of so many:  David, a shepherd boy, musician, poet, warrior, king; Daniel who survived a night in the lion's den and became the prime minister in a foreign land; Joshua, an assistant to Moses for 40 years who became a military general; Paul, a tentmaker, scholar, persecutor turned apostle, writer of much of the New Testament; Luke, a doctor who penned both the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles; and so many more. The Bible is the greatest story of many stories -- the most read, most quoted, most shared, most widely known and distributed book ever written.

Are you telling your stories?  Are you sharing Bible stories?  Are you witnessing about the greatest story ever told?  With whom are you sharing stories?  Your spouse, children, family, friends, co-workers, bosses, neighbors, classmates, all with whom you are in contact.  God's people are commanded to talk about the greatest story all the time, wherever you may be -- when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up (see Deuteronomy 6:6-9).