Why God Speaks ..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Why God Speaks

Dr. Charles Stanley

James 1:23-25

God is not one to speak in generalities. When He whispers from the pages of Scripture or confronts through a friend's words, the Father directly addresses issues in His children's lives. With that in mind, let's look at His three goals for communicating with believers—namely, for us to:

1. Comprehend the truth. God wants us to learn His ways and principles, to recognize our own frailty, and to identify the needs of others. He does more than offer this as head knowledge—He makes truth applicable to our lives. For example, the Lord assured Paul that His strength was sufficient to carry the apostle through anything (2 Cor. 12:9). Circumstances taught the apostle that God's Word was true.

2. Conform to the truth. Our lives are shaped by our belief system. What we hold as true influences our thinking. In turn, how we think affects our character, conduct, and conversation. God is determined to mold His children into Christlikeness so that they reflect His gospel to the world.

3. Communicate the truth. Every child of God is called to make disciples (Matt. 28:19). Believers can know the Lord and walk in His light but still fall short of this expectation. We must share the gospel by sharing God's truth with others and explaining how His words played out in our lives.

Notice that each goal builds on the one preceding it. Christians are a light reflecting God's glory to this world. We shine brightly by being attentive to God's voice and following His will. And when someone takes an interest in the source of our light, we are prepared to share the good news of Christ.

When Things Get Worse Just Before They Get Better..... LYSA TERKEURST

 When Things Get Worse Just Before They Get Better

LYSA TERKEURST

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:24-25 (NIV)

Home renovations are so very similar to heart renovations.

This is something I’ve been learning over the last couple of years as I’ve watched my nearly 30-year-old home undergo several renovation projects. They are not for the faint of heart. These projects cause a mess, the results are sometimes slow to take shape, and the process can feel never-ending.

With each floor that’s torn up, wall that’s removed and plan that’s put in motion — I’m paying attention. As I’ve seen portions of our home demolished beyond recognition and put back together again, I’ve jotted down some important lessons I’ve learned. And I want to pass them along from my journal to yours.

1. You have to tear some things down before you can build back up in new and beautiful ways.

It’s impossible to see true transformation unless you remove the damaged and unhealthy portions first. Houses and people are alike in this way. Sometimes we have to remove what was so we can move on to what can be.

2. Working on the foundation isn’t the most appealing or attractive work, but it is some of the most important.

Jesus spoke of this truth in Matthew 7:24-25: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” 

I especially love how Eugene Peterson paraphrases our key verses in the Message translation: “These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit — but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.”

Building our lives on anything but God’s Truth will result in a shaky foundation — a detriment to any building project before it even begins. We must put in the necessary, hard work of building our lives and our faith on the solid ground of Scripture through the consistency of daily seeking God.

3. Not everyone is going to like what you’re doing.

Change invites both compliments and criticism. Sometimes people criticize what they don’t understand. My counselor, Jim, often tells me, “People are down on what they aren’t up on.” While change is good, people who don’t like change will be the last to call it good. Just remember what comes out of someone else’s mouth is a reflection of their heart, not yours.

People criticize what they don’t understand.

4. It’s good to stay humble enough to realize sometimes you need to get the professionals involved.

Some things you can do on your own, and some things you can’t. Many small repairs can be handled without the help of a professional, but most large renovations that require major work must be handled with care by those who are skilled and experienced. The same is true with the deeper emotional work in our lives. There are doctors, Christian counselors and therapists trained to bring renewed health and restoration to both body and soul. My family and I have benefited greatly by bringing in the professionals in seasons when it was necessary, and we’re so grateful we did.

5. Those who don’t lose sight of the progress being made will find joy in the process.

And it’s always a process. Renovations often make things worse during the tear out and early construction phases before things start to get better and more beautiful. The same is true with healing the human heart.

Heart renovations, like home renovations, take diligence, patience and a whole lot of prayer. But with God as our Master Carpenter, we can live assured in the process … we are a beautiful work in progress.

Renovations often make things worse before they get more beautiful. The same is true with the healing human heart.

Track the progress you do see. Be patient with the setbacks. Celebrate the wins, even the small ones. Stacks of small wins turn into big wins. And eventually, you’ll be so glad you pressed through the renovation when you see the beauty of all the hard work.

God, thank You for the work You are doing in my heart and life. Help me have patience in the midst of these renovations. And help me see the beauty that is taking shape and the joy that can be found even here in this season. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (NIV)

Meant for More..... by Kelly Givens

 Meant for More

by Kelly Givens

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” - 2 Corinthians 5:17

The other day I watched a video on YouTube that totally pulled at my heart. It showed two dozen ducks being introduced to a pond for the first time; the ducks had been “pets” of a hoarder who had kept them in pens all their lives. After being rescued and brought to a pond, the frightened ducks kept their distance from the water, unwilling to go in. The rescue workers herded them into the pond, but the ducks immediately got out. Finally, the workers gently tossed them in one at a time. That seemed to do the trick- they began tentatively swimming, then diving under and splashing themselves in the cool water. Eventually, they were all vigorously grooming themselves- probably feeling more refreshed, clean, more like ducks than they had ever felt before.

I wonder what thoughts the ducks might have had while they were in those pens. Did they ever wonder - “Why do I have these wings- what are they for? And why are my feet so awkward?” The joy they must have felt when their webbed feet first glided through water and their wings spread out with room and air to soar, when those unnamed desires- to swim, to fly- were first named and fulfilled. And then I think of how much they resisted getting in the water in the first place.

We are so similar to these ducks. We too have unnamed longings, unanswered questions about our lives here on earth. The world doesn’t satisfy us, it lets us down, but we don’t know where to look for more. We see this in the football champion who wakes up after the biggest game of his life and all he feels an empty, “What’s next?” Or in the young executive who climbs the corporate ladder, believing the next job title will finally make him significant. We see it in the teen who does harder and harder drugs on a never ending quest to reach a high that will erase all the lows of her life. We all have an emptiness inside we want to fill, a purpose in life we want to find, questions we want someone to answer.

The Christian narrative gives us these answers. Christ fills us up, he gives us purpose- but we have to be willing to “get in the water”- believe in him- to experience these things. We yearn for more because we were created for more- for eternal life in the presence of our Lord and Savior. Through faith in Jesus, we’re given purpose for today and in the days to come, and satisfying joy when we live for God’s glory and not our own. Sadly, we resist believing this good news because we think the world can give us what we yearn for. To think this way is pointless, a “chasing after the wind.” (Ecc. 1:14)

C.S. Lewis wrote about our longings for more so exquisitely. My favorite of his writings comes from the Chronicles of Narnia, in the Last Battle, when those who have faithfully fought for Aslan and Narnia are finally entering the “New Narnia,“ Lewis’ version of the new heavens and new earth. The Unicorn summed it up beautifully: “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that is sometimes looked a little like this. Bree-hee-hee! Come further up, come further in!”

Intersecting Faith and Life: Do you wish for more out of life? Do you have unnamed desires that you can’t seem to satisfy? Lewis wrote, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” Stop standing on the edge, “get in the water” with Jesus and experience the all-satisfying joy and life he promises those who know and put their trust in him.

Further Reading:
Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Does the World Hate You? .....By Lynette Kittle

 Does the World Hate You? (1 John 3:13)

By Lynette Kittle

“Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you” - 1 John 3:13

Are you scratching your head today, surprised by the current cultural climate towards Christians? Are you hearing reports of singing being banned inside churches and worship services forbidden within the building?

As well, have stories of churchgoers being fined for just parking outside their churches, pastors being arrested, and houses of worship deemed “non-essential” in our society, catching your attention?

If so, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us who know what God’s Word says about the reception Jesus received on earth. He explains in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

Still among Christians, there seems to be a disbelief at what is happening in our society, as if they don’t understand and didn’t see it coming. But as Proverbs 29:27 explains, the wicked detest the upright.

Yet, in today’s culture of trying to get the most likes, views, and followers on social media, many believers have become more interested in gaining cultural love and approval than dealing with the hate sure to come when we love Jesus more than we love the world.

Likewise, many churches are adopting worldly attitudes and actions into their services and programs in attempts to attract larger crowds through their doors.

However, in doing so, are Christians losing site of what it means to follow Jesus? Are some pastors leaving their congregations malnourished in the Word of God, as well as unprepared to face a hateful world?

As believers in Jesus, John 15:19 explains, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

Isn’t being chosen by Jesus and belonging to Him worth being hated by the world?

Still, wanting to be popular and liked by people more than being known as belonging to Jesus isn’t a new thing. John 12:43, describes how, “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.”

Growing up as a pastor’s kid, it didn’t take long for me to figure out how when other kids discovered my Dad was a pastor at a local church, most didn’t hang around for long. Feeling rejected and left out, I learned how to skirt the issue and avoid mentioning his ministry.

Yet, funny how unlike me, my future husband walked around high school wearing a big wooden cross around his neck and carrying his Bible everywhere he went. Interestingly, his boldness and willingness to be rejected by others for his faith was one of the main things that drew me to him. Now I realize how even though I thought I truly loved God growing up, my actions seem to point to my loving human acceptance more.

Like I thought growing up, maybe there are those who truly believe they love God most but are living more concerned about being liked by people, than being known as a believer in Christ.

If during these chaotic and unstable times, you find yourself surprised by the world’s hatred towards Christians, ask what Galatians 1:10 urges. “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

If the world does hate you, be encouraged by Jesus’ words in Mark 13:13. “Everyone will hate you because of Me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

A Prayer for When You Feel Empty..... By: Kristine Brown

 A Prayer for When You Feel Empty

By: Kristine Brown

“Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future.” - Psalm 16:5 HCSB

A dry, parched land stretched out before them. Hagar and her son Ishmael had used up the last of the water given to them by Abraham before he sent them away (Genesis 21:14). Discouragement saw opportunity and came calling. With no water in sight, Hagar knew they couldn’t survive. So she set Ishmael under a tree and walked away.

She couldn’t watch her only son suffer this way. No water, no future, no hope. The emptiness of the water skin reflected the emptiness of her spirit.

Uncertainty and emptiness often walk hand-in-hand. Our concern for the unknown causes us to try and fill our questioning hearts with answers. Find solutions. Because we long to fill the void with something that will satisfy. And the more we try in our own strength to fill the void, the emptier we become.

Only one thing will fill the emptiness when life’s battles leave us depleted.

“Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future.” Psalm 16:5 HCSB

Hagar had forgotten God’s promise to fill her cup with abundant blessings. Ishmael would have a future, greater than anything Hagar herself could’ve planned. But she needed to trust God to be the portion to fill the emptiness with the fullness of His presence. “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well full of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” (Genesis 21:19)

When we remember to turn our focus to our everlasting Father and seek Him as our portion, He supernaturally becomes whatever we need to fill that void. It may be strength to face another day, joy in a time of loss, or peace instead of panic. Whatever we need, God is the sustaining portion.

If you’ve forgotten to ask God to be your portion lately, take heart. Then take your uncertainty to Him. Let’s begin with this prayer, and find satisfaction as God fills our cup with blessings today.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your precious Word. Thank you for the encouragement it brings me in difficult times. Lord, I’ve been sensing a void lately that I can’t quite explain. It seems like I’m facing one thing after another, and when I look at my struggles I feel empty. Hopelessness and discouragement threaten me. Help me to remember that You are my portion. You fill my cup and are the only One who will satisfy my parched soul.

Help me hold onto this truth. Your Word says in Psalm 16:5, You hold my future. I can rest in knowing even in my uncertainty that You are in control, and You have good plans for me.

Psalm 73:26 assures me that You are “the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” When I’m tempted to search for temporary things to fill the void in my heart, help me recall this verse. You are my portion. Not only today, not only tomorrow. Forever.

I pray as You fill my cup to overflowing, I will discover the strength, joy, and peace that comes from You alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.