Video Bible Lesson - God's Will: So Simple it's Hard by Shawn McEvoy

1/2 Hour of God’s Power with Scott Ralls

2/27/2020

God's Will: So Simple it's Hard 
by Shawn McEvoy

Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"God's will for my life"... how often have you pondered that notion? Studied it? Read untold books about it? Know people who torture themselves trying to locate it?
Well, here we have an obvious chunk of it, even compact and useful just as we like things to be, tucked away at the close of Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica. "This is God's will for you...," it says.
Well, yes, it says that, and it sure is pretty - almost poetic - but is it deep enough? Shouldn't there be more? Is it practical?
Okay. Then let's go Old Testament. Prophetic. Action-oriented. Micah 6:8 says, "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
It's still simple, still bunched in a group of three, still indicating that there's no big mystery way far out there which must be solved before we know how to act or decide, or how God wants us to act or decide.
So why do we seek for more?
I think it's because the ridiculously simple, paradoxically enough, is ridiculously hard, and we know it. G.K. Chesterton famously said, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."
We could spend a lot of time discussing the ins-and-outs of how easy or hard God's will is, and where else in His Word we can find snippets of it. One woman from my Bible fellowship class is fond of asking during our lessons, "What does that look like?" Let's ponder on that for a minute here.
The situation is this: you've been sent on a missionary journey via a clear calling from God. The resources were there, the people willing. You are leading your group through a city when you encounter a psychic who keeps taunting you. After a while, through calling on the name of Jesus you cast out the evil spirit within her. Hooray! Score one for the Lord, and your group! But alas, there is no praise here, because those who had been making some cash off the now-set-free woman's powers aren't happy with you. They drag your group before local law enforcement, have you beaten, and thrown into prison. Hey now!
At this point, I am saying, "God, this is NOT your will. YOU made it very clear we were to come on this trip, and we even did a miracle for you! Now we're injured, in jail... I don't even know how I'm going to get home much less continue to be effective for you from here! I want a telephone, I want a lawyer, and I want you to reveal your ACTUAL will, right now, and suffer no more discomfort while doing what you sent us to do!"
And with that, my missionary journey would come to a close. But not the Apostle Paul's, not as we have it recorded in Acts 16:16-40 which is one of my all-time favorite passages. Paul, who knew God's will better than I, and practiced it, knew to "rejoice always." And so, bloodied and with his feet in stocks, he sings. Seriously, he sings hymns of praise. He also knew to "pray without ceasing," and so, in verse 25, that's exactly what you find - Paul and Silas praying... at midnight, even.
The missionaries on this journey got out of God's way by doing the simple things that God had willed for them to do, so that God was free to let fly with His own big, complex, miraculous will for everyone else. An earthquake shakes open the prison, snapping chains in the process. Prisoners, however, stay where they are. A jailer, about to kill himself, holds his sword, and moments later accepts Jesus into his heart. Then his family joins the flock, all because those he had persecuted chose to "love kindness."
At every step of the journey, Paul, Silas, and their companions chose to walk humbly, give thanks, and do what was just (speaking of which, once officially released, Paul did have some words of justice regarding their citizenship and treatment for the magistrates).
It's absolutely amazing to me the ways that God plans to accomplish His Will (big "W") on earth. His will in my life has already been decided. It is my job to walk humbly, get out of the way, always be in prayer, always rejoicing no matter what situation I'm in. But how often do we come back to the same situation, sitting in my car, simple traffic jam, me needing to be somewhere, telling God, "Did you not ordain that I should do such and such today? Or get this amount of work done so I can spend this amount of time with my family? Then this is on you unless you make such-and-such happen now!"
Sigh... how many miracles have I missed?
No, God's will for my life isn't difficult to know. It's just frustratingly hard to do if self is at the center. And that's the crux of the very question itself, "What is God's will for MY life?"
Perhaps when we get out of the way, we shall see better.
Intersecting Faith & Life: How long will it take to learn the lesson that even if I know I am doing God's will it doesn't mean everything will appear to go smoothly along the way? That there are purposes I either don't know or am unwilling to consider could be a part of inconvenience? If you're like me, start learning today by making note of every story in the Bible that suffers a delay, interruption, inconvenience or other problem before God's promised payoff. (Hint: start with guys like Joseph, and Abraham...)
Further Reading
Acts 16
Micah 6:8
Stop Wrestling, Start Serving: The Non-Mystery of God's Will

#Jesus, #Christian, #Bible, #Salvation, #Heaven, #God, #HolySpirit

Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day (Gen. 32:24).

Left alone! What different sensations those words conjure up to each of us. To some they spell loneliness and desolation, to others rest and quiet. To be left alone without God, would be too awful for words, but to be left alone with Him is a foretaste of Heaven! If His followers spent more time alone with Him, we should have spiritual giants again.

The Master set us an example. Note how often He went to be alone with God; and He had a mighty purpose behind the command, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray."

The greatest miracles of Elijah and Elisha took place when they were alone with God. It was alone with God that Jacob became a prince; and just there that we, too, may become princes--"men (aye, and women too!) wondered at" (Zech. 3:8). Joshua was alone when the Lord came to him. (Josh. 1:1) Gideon and Jephthah were by themselves when commissioned to save Israel. (Judges 6:11 and 11:29) Moses was by himself at the wilderness bush. (Exodus 3:1-5) Cornelius was praying by himself when the angel came to him. (Acts 10:2) No one was with Peter on the house top, when he was instructed to go to the Gentiles. (Acts 10:9) John the Baptist was alone in the wilderness (Luke 1:90), and John the Beloved alone in Patmos, when nearest God. (Rev. 1:9)

Covet to get alone with God. If we neglect it, we not only rob ourselves, but others too, of blessing, since when we are blessed we are able to pass on blessing to others. It may mean less outside work; it must mean more depth and power, and the consequence, too, will be "they saw no man save Jesus only."

To be alone with God in prayer cannot be over-emphasized.

If chosen men had never been alone,
In deepest silence open-doored to God,
No greatness ever had been dreamed or done.

Wounded Parents Wounded Children........Dr. Charles Stanley

Wounded Parents Wounded Children

Dr. Charles Stanley

Jeremiah 32:17-19

So often when we deal with difficult people, it's easy to form judgments about them based on their behavior or attitudes. But have you ever stopped to wonder what has made that person so disagreeable or foolish? When the Bible says God "repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children" (v. 18), it is speaking about generational cycles of sin. Unless someone in the family line makes a deliberate choice to change, sinful and dysfunctional behavior will be passed from parent to child for many generations.

This is really just a confirmation of the principle of sowing and reaping. We pass down standards for conduct and character traits that we received from our parents. If we are unwilling to change our sinful habits and attitudes, they will very likely find their way into our children's lives.

What is true for sin is also true for wounding. When a child is emotionally bruised in the home, his behavior and character may be negatively affected. With this in mind, think about a difficult person that you know. What hurts do you think shaped his or her life? A heart of compassion originates from a willingness to empathize with those who have been wounded. This doesn't excuse someone's sin, but it does aid in opening our hearts toward the individual.

What about you? Have childhood wounds contributed to who you are today? How have they affected your life? If you haven't dealt with them, you'll probably pass similar hurts down to your children. But with God's help, you can break this cycle and begin a new one that will benefit future generations.

Letting God Fill in the Blanks

Letting God Fill in the Blanks
LYSA TERKEURST

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6 (NIV)

There’s this little painting that hangs in my home. Most people wouldn’t consider it a masterpiece. It was only $5 at an estate sale, but I like it because it speaks redemption to my soul every time I look at it.

I found it in a back room where the owner of the home used to sit and paint.

I don’t know what happened to the gal who painted it. All I know is it seems something about her life fell apart. And one day, a company opened her front door to strangers. They walked through all the sacred spaces she once called home and bought the stuff her life had collected. I guess I’m too sentimental to attend estate sales; I couldn’t stand it.

But I also couldn’t leave without rescuing something in her creative collection. Then I had the strangest notion to go on a wild adventure to find this unknown painter. I pictured it like an epic scene in a movie where the music crescendos, and I find her living in a New York high-rise. I would knock on her door and make the great assumption that she’d be thrilled with my announcement.

“I just want you to know I love your work. I bought one of your paintings, and it speaks a message of redemption to me every day. And I treasure it.”

Surely then she would get misty-eyed, invite me in for coffee, and share her devastatingly beautiful story. We would become wonderful, unlikely friends. She would go on to become a famous painter and live happily ever after.

But life isn’t usually as epic as what we see on movie screens.

It’s untidy and so unpredictable that our fragile hearts get broken at best, crushed at worst. And sometimes, it’s just easier to run away than to risk letting the shards of the fallout cut away the little bit of life still left in us.

No crescendo to the music. No epic arc to the story. No lasting friendship. Just a $5 painting that hangs in my kitchen.

And that’s all I know.

Life sometimes keeps us from details that are better left alone. It keeps some of the blanks empty on the outline of this message.

Does it ever drive you crazy when a speaker gives you an outline with blanks — but then skips some of the points? Me too.

We like complete outlines. All the blanks filled in. All the gaps closed. All the details disclosed. And all the why questions answered to our satisfaction.

But that’s not the way life is. Some speakers are disorganized and forgetful. Some gaps are too wide to close. And some questions have no apparent answers.

I believe that’s the way God wants it. Our all-knowing God not only allows this but actually designed life to be this way. It’s the truth we see tucked into today’s key verse: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).

Without blanks, we would have no room for Him to enter in and write His answers. For Him to become the Way when there is no way. For Him to be the Truth when lies long to consume our thoughts. For Him to be the Life He’s designed on the other side of our crumbling attempts to control our stories.

Our God is not fickle, forgetful nor fragile in any way. He does not make mistakes. He purposes the gaps. He allows sacred spaces and blank places. He leaves room.

If we had all the blanks filled in, we would explain away God’s part in our story. God doesn’t want to be explained away. He wants to be invited in. He wants us to make room for His additions to our story.

One time God was told, “There is no room,” and He turned an ordinary stable into an unforgettable sanctuary. “No room” became a space where Jesus Christ stepped through glory to the grit and grime of this sin-soaked world.

What did He come to bring? Redemption.

And what do the blanks and unanswered questions of your life provide space for? Redemption.

So why is it OK with me if I never know the details of my kitchen painting? Redemption.

Father God, I thank You that everything You do has holy purpose. Even the things that don’t make sense to me. Thank You for being the way, the truth and the life that I need. You are my Redeemer, and I trust You with every detail of my story. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 111:9, “He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever — holy and awesome is his name.” (NIV)

A Prayer for When You’re Way Too Busy

A Prayer for When You’re Way Too Busy
By Mary Southerland

And He said unto them, ‘Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while’ (Mark 6:31, KJV).

There is an antidote to busyness in Scripture. It is the simple idea of getting daily time to be with God - daily time just to be with Him - daily time to be quiet - daily time to listen for His voice above all others. How do we pull that off? Here is a challenge for you. Spend 15 minutes a day for one month getting alone with God. Find a chair, a quiet place. Do three things in that time.

Stopping. Psalm 46:10 tells us “Be still and know that I am God.” I need a few minutes each day to stop and be still! I know that – just like you know that. But if we do not schedule it, and practice it, it will not happen. We were not made to run non-stop 24 hours a day. We were made to stop and be still and know God.

Centering. Psalm 37:7 commands us to “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Our posture while we are having this quiet time with God needs to be that of waiting. Waiting for Him to speak. Waiting for Him to show up. Waiting for Him to set the agenda.

The Quakers of old practiced a concept called “centering down” or “spinning off.” They discovered that when they got still to spend time with God, their thoughts would race to random thoughts such as errands to run, work to be done, etc. So they would capture that thought, make a plan to deal with it later, and spin it off. (I keep a pad and pencil handy to jot down whatever random thought pops up.) They would then turn their mind back toward centering down and being still.

Silencing. In Isaiah 41:1 God tells us to “Listen in silence before me.” Dan’s dad taught him a great truth as a child. “The one who knows the most in the conversation should do most of the talking; the one who knows the least in the conversation should do most of the listening.” Wow! My prayer life does not follow that truth! Does yours? I tend to make God a list of the things I need Him to do – and especially the ones that I need Him to do ASAP! I tend to do all the talking in my prayer time. I rarely take the time to just listen.

The purpose of this daily time with God is not Bible study. It is not about prayer where I give God my list. It is not about meditation or memorization of the Scriptures. It is simply time to be with God. It is time to stop, to center, and to silence your heart and mind before the Almighty. God will speak – when we meet Him every day. God will show up – when we slow down each day. God wants time with us, and will reveal Himself to us, when we meet Him on a daily basis.

Father, I need to hear from You. Today, I make the commitment to start having a daily quiet time. I will listen for Your voice above all of the other voices in my life. Lord, teach me how to center my life on You and help me obey what I hear You say. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The Amazing Meaning of This Familiar Psalm

The Amazing Meaning of This Familiar Psalm
By Debbie McDaniel

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

Many of us may have heard this verse over long years. But often, with some of these most popular verses, they can become so familiar to us that we may even miss the deeper meaning and context under which they are written.

So what is the “day” that Psalm 118 makes reference to? Is it the general “every day” that God gives us, or is it referring to a specific day in history?

In Psalm 118, the author is writing about incredible adversity. It's not written when times are good, but when times are really hard. Situations were changing. The Psalmist cried out to God in anguish, he was surrounded on all sides by the enemy. He felt pushed back, and about to fall. Yet right in the midst of huge struggles shared, this chapter both starts and ends with the same verse, of giving thanks and praise unto God.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever." v. 1,29

Such a powerful reminder to us: True joy is never dependent on our circumstances. And though we may know this in our head, it might be hard to walk out every day. Learning to choose joy in hard times takes effort and action on our part; it requires our hearts to be set on Him. God is faithful to help us, so that we can choose well. And we can be assured that in His grace, He has made every day, and for that gift itself we can “rejoice and be glad in it.” No matter what we face, we can still believe in God’s goodness and love, for that’s what carries us through the most difficult of seasons.

We might be facing the toughest of times right now, but the truth is this, He's still given us breath for today. Jesus came to give us hope and freedom, He’s the very reason we can live with joy right in the battles and have peace that is unexplainable to the world. He's with us and will never leave or fail us. His love covers us, He gives us the strength to face every trial and obstacle with courage and grace. We can rest in the security that Truth brings.

No matter what you’re up against, be confident in God’s unchanging love for you, always. And it is written, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

God Is a Sports Fan

God Is a Sports Fan
by Ryan Duncan

Back when I was in college, I witnessed a "debate" between one of my Bible Professors and a Philosophy major. What were they "debating" about? Was it the idea of a Triune God? The infallibility of Scripture? Predestination? Actually, it was about Football.

The Super Bowl had come around again, and the Philosophy Major was arguing that sports, at their core, drew our focus away from God and should therefore be considered idols. His basis for this was that every student would be watching the game Sunday night, and would probably skip Chapel Monday morning.    

I had to admit he had a point, some students made a habit of sleeping through the schools 10 am chapel services, but when there was a game of Ultimate Frisbee or Soccer they never failed to show up. I tried to imagine what Church would be like if people came the same way they did for a Super Bowl, bodies painted and ready to celebrate. Maybe we were losing our focus.

Still, did that really make sports an idol? That seemed a little extreme to me. It would be years later when I'd find the answer in a familiar story, Matthew 25:14-26, the Parable of the Talents.

14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,' he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.'

21 "His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

22 "The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,' he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.'

23 "His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

24 "Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,' he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'

26 "His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

Traditionally, we are taught that this passage relates to our spiritual gifts, but I believe the talents of this parable can also be used to represent our faith in Christ.

Sometimes we Christian become afraid of God. We know God is a harsh master, asking us to stand against an entire world that has turned against him, and we fear that if we start enjoying things in this world like Football or Soccer that they'll steal our faith from us.

So, instead of interacting with the world and engaging it with our faith, we bury it in the Bible to keep it safe, like the third servant. We turn our lives into one endless Bible study. Problem is, when the Master returns, when God calls us into his service, we discover that our faith hasn't grown! We've spent our entire lives studying how to be a Christian, but never actually living as one.

Honestly, I think God wants us to be part of this world. He wants us to enjoy games of sports, to write stories and poetry, to study math and science and discover more about his creations. Yes, we need to be careful these things don't replace God, but when handled correctly, they allow us to engage the world, enjoy our faith, and understand those we are called to witness to.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Do you have an unhealthy fear of God? Take some time and study the character of Jesus.

Further Reading

Matthew 17:20