How Big Is Your God, part 2

On a recent Sunday afternoon, my sister, a couple of friends and I ate at a local restaurant. They left to go shopping in the mall area.  I left returning to church.  Driving on the interstate, pondering over things I had been asked to share during an upcoming meeting, I glanced over at the passenger seat.  Instantly I realized that only one item, my purse, was on the seat.  The second item, my Ipad, should have been there and wasn't.  My first thought was "Oh my God, I have left my Ipad at the restaurant, what do I do?"  I pulled off the interstate while both saying a prayer to God and reminding myself of two things.  The first, “there is nothing lost in Christ Jesus.”  And the second, “God has not given me a spirit of fear.”

I called my sister, explained what had happened, and asked her to go back to the restaurant to get my Ipad.  My next thought was, that's settled, I can go on to my church meeting.  Pulling back onto the interstate, I realized that I should also call the restaurant, and explain what happened. So I got off the interstate at the next exit, found the number and called the restaurant.  Explaining what had happened to the person answering the phone, she then placed me on hold while she checked.  The manager then came on the phone and placed me on hold a couple of times while he checked.  He finally reported to me that an Ipad had not been turned in and that the people at the table had not seen it. With a sense of finality, he took my name and number, promising to call should it be found.  I got back onto the interstate all the while telling God and reminding myself that “nothing is lost in Christ Jesus.”

My sister arrived and insisted on a recheck of the booth. Meanwhile, my friend called to tell me it wasn't found and that I should check to see if it were really in the car with me.  While talking to her, my sister called to let me know they had, per my direction, checked the wrong booth.  When they checked the one where we had actually been sitting, the Ipad was on the seat where I left it.  Seemingly, the people sitting there had not noticed it.   In just a few minutes, she called to let me know that she had it.  Praise the Lord!  Thank you Jesus!

When you are challenged by circumstances, how big is your God?

How Big Is Your God

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.   Ephesians 3:20-21

 

How big is your God?  Has God ever performed a miracle for you?  What's the biggest prayer request God has ever answered for you?  How often does God answer prayers for you?  How many prayers has God answered for you in the past three days?  Which of your lists is longer, your answered prayers list or your unanswered prayers list? How far away is God from you? How do you describe God to a young child?  How do you describe God to an unbeliever?  What do you want and have been afraid to ask God for it? What is your biggest dream?  What is your divine potential? What does God want from you while on this earth?  We were created to excel and not fail -- is that your truth? Is it the truth?  What have you last excelled in?  Are you being what God wants you to be?  Are you doing what God wants you to do?  Are you going the places God wants you to go? Yes. No. Why not? What or who do you need to be delivered from?

 What do you expect of your children?  For your children? Your grandchildren? Have you already prepared the best meal you can prepare?  Have you already run or walked the longest distance in the shortest time that you can run?  Have you done the most excellent work you can do?  Have you dreamed the biggest dream you can dream?  Have you learned all there is to learn about the work that you do?  Have you written all the poems, the books, the stories that God purposed for you to write?  Have you already been the most creative you can be?  Have you made the most sales you can make? Have you climbed your highest mountain? Have you accomplished your most impossible dream?  Have you already stretched as far as you can stretch? Have you already prayed your boldest prayer?

Remember that God has assured you that He is able to do for you immeasurably more … exceedingly abundantly above … superabundantly more than you could ever ask or imagine.  What are your limits with God?  Are you approaching them?  How big is your God? 

Have You Betrayed Jesus, part 2

Have you betrayed Jesus?  Your first thoughts might be in the form of questions. Who? Me? When? How? Your second round of thoughts might be like these.  I would never betray Jesus.  Well, I'm not perfect but I would not do something like betray Jesus.  And as you continue pondering the question, you might consider the meaning of betray or betrayal.  Betrayal is to be disloyal, act treacherously or deceitfully toward another, sell out, double cross, delude or mislead.

 Jesus has said that whatever you have done for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.  Conversely, He said that whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.  (See Matthew 25:40, 45.)  Though you have not betrayed Jesus Himself, what about His people?

 There are so many ways and occasions that we betray Jesus by our betrayal of others.  Did you file last year's tax return?  Did you lie on this year's return?  Do you pay your creditors ... on time ... as you agreed?  Have you borrowed money or things from family and friends, and never paid or given them back?  Are you paying back your student loan?  Have you left child care centers with unpaid balances?  In buffet lines, how much food do you get and not eat?  Have you left restaurants or cafeterias or other food places with extra napkins, serving utensils, ketchup, jelly, salt, pepper, sugar, etc.? Do you have unkept promises with your spouse ... children ... other family ... friends ... co-workers, employers ... employees? Have you spoken or acted unkindly toward another person?

 It really is the little foxes that spoil the vine.  Have you betrayed Jesus through your betrayal of others in what you consider little, seemingly inconsequential things and ways? Stop! Repent, turn away from those things and ways now.  Seek forgiveness.  Do unto others as you would have them do to you.  Please don't betray Jesus!

Have You Betrayed Jesus?

With great triumph, in full majesty, the victory of all victories, Jesus suffered, was crucified, buried, and then He got up.  We've celebrated another season of Easter, and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We've been reminded of the events leading up to the crucifixion beginning with the betrayal by one of His inner circle of 12 disciples, Judas Iscariot. And I had to think and consider if Judas' demons of greed and envy were any different from my own, or even yours.  Have I betrayed Jesus? Have you? When was my last betrayal? Why did I do it?  What about you?  You may even be thinking, what is betrayal?  Glad you asked.  Betrayal is to be disloyal, act treacherously or deceitfully toward another, sell out, double cross, delude or mislead.  What will it take for me to betray Jesus?  Is it 30 pieces of silver, as was the case with Judas?  Will I betray Jesus for more? Or even for less? Remember, if we betray one of the least of these, His people, we have betrayed Him.

Have I asked for forgiveness?  I wonder how things would have been different had Judas asked for forgiveness. Would Jesus have forgiven Judas' sins?  Could Judas have done things differently, so much so that he would not have taken his own life?

We've all been reminded of Jesus' prayer as He hung on that old rugged cross.  He said "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (See Luke 23:34.)  Who was Jesus praying for?  Was I included in that prayer? Were you? Yes, thank you Jesus.  All too often, we mindlessly do and say things that are so ungodly, so unbecoming a Christian, so unkind, so disobedient. We can and must ask for forgiveness.  Jesus has promised that He will forgive us in the same measure that we forgive others.  When you pray the Lord's prayer, be mindful of that condition -- "and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (see Matthew 6:12).

Pray Always

When it comes to prayer, we have so many questions? How often should I pray? When should I pray?  What should I pray?  Where should I pray?  In what position should I pray? What is prayer?  Will God answer my prayers?  Is there a right kind of prayer? And conversely, is there a wrong kind of prayer?  Why is prayer so hard?  Why is it so difficult for me to pray?

 Are any of these your questions?  Let's ask God the questions and see what He says.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, He says two or three words: "pray without ceasing" or "pray continually." Is God serious?  Yes. Does He really mean that? I think so.  A part of prayer is talking to God, so just maybe prayer is having a conversation with God. And that conversation takes place wherever I am.  Could it be that sometimes I'm praying 'unawares'?  So maybe I'd better pay more careful attention to the words that I'm speaking since I don't have to announce to God that I'm praying. He's ever hearing.  We could learn a lesson from Peter when He was walking on the water and began to sink.  In deep trouble and scared to no end, Peter's prayer was simply "Lord save me."

Another part of prayer is hearing from God. That requires getting still, stopping all activity, and listening.  There is a time when we really have to stop talking so that God can talk.  Don't know about you, but for me, that's challenging.  Again, have you ever wanted to hear from God but never stopped to listen to Him?

Philippians 4:6 is instructive where the point is made to pray in everything, every circumstance, every situation.  In Isaiah 45:11, God advises that we command Him concerning the work of His hands. So we ask God for our wants, desires, needs ... yes; and we command or tell God our wants, desires, needs ... yes.  So, pray always, pray about everything, pray all kinds of prayers. Talk to God ... listen to God.

Be Kind and Gentle to All

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."

Philippians 4:5

I recently saw the movie, Son of God.  And yes, it's worth seeing.  Man's inhumanity to man was all too evident from one scene to another, and especially so during the week of the Passion.  I was repeatedly reminded of how Jesus was always kind and gentle to all, no matter what was done or said to Him.  And more importantly how He expects you and me to do the same.  I thought, “really?”  You may be thinking, "now ain't that a mess?"

I couldn't miss how warmly and graciously Jesus embraced Judas when He knew that Judas was betraying Him with his hug and kiss. Jesus responded kindly and gently to Judas.  Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus was greeted by the masses with shouts of "Hosanna."  A few days later, the same masses shouted "Crucify him, crucify him."  As He was being crucified, Jesus looked toward heaven and prayed, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

How kind and gentle must one be?  How kind and gentle can one be?  When the woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought before Him, I couldn't help but notice how kindly and gently Jesus responded both to her and all of the men with rocks in hand, prepared to stone her to death. In His soft spoken manner, He kindly and gently said "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." 

I was further reminded of words often spoken by my pastor -- "life is choice driven, we live and we die by the choices we make."  I must choose to be obedient to the Word of God.  Jesus is my example, I can do as He did.  I must choose to be kind and gentle, not just to some but, to all.  Will you make the same choice?  Will you do the same?  Will you let your gentleness be evident to all?

 

Rejoice in The Lord

For most of my 25 year tenure as a member of The Guiding Light Church in Birmingham, I have spent time with families who have experienced the death of a loved one.  Sometimes the deceased would have been a member of the church, but more of the times, the deceased would have been an immediate family member of a church member.  Always the question before me -- what to say?  What words can I speak that will comfort? And strengthen? And ease the pain and the hurt?  In these situations, death is one or more of the following -- shocking ... feared ... a great loss ... hurtful ... painful ... scary ... unexpected ... too soon ... and so much more. 

I always knew and believed that nothing I could say really helped or even mattered.  These family members, my brothers and sisters, needed to hear a word from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  That word and that word only could I speak.  One passage of Scripture that I have used, probably more than any other, is the Apostle Paul's declaration that "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (see Philippians 4:7). This promise alone is great and wonderful, a tremendous blessing, powerful and amazing. 

Over a period of time, I came to realize that I needed to say more, that the listening ears needed to hear more.  And I was instructed to read backwards or upwards in the passage to verse 4 -- "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"  My thoughts ran wild -- can I say this?  How will people take this message at such a time as this?  Is this the time to tell people to rejoice?  Sometimes death had come because of a heinous crime, sometimes because of accidents in cars, on jobs, during vacation or other leisure activities, fires, drownings, and the like.  And my nagging question of God -- do You really want me to tell them to rejoice, and to rejoice always?  In the quietness, the still small voice of the Lord said "yes, this is a part of my path to peace."

 So while on your way to experiencing the peace of God which passes all understanding is this command from God Himself --  "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"  Need I say more?  Stop and think about this!