Do Not Neglect Your Spiritual Gift..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Do Not Neglect Your Spiritual Gift

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Timothy 4:12-16

Every Christian is given at least one spiritual gift with which to serve the Lord and build up the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7). But many believers neglect this special empowerment of the Spirit. Although Timothy had some good reasons to forsake his calling from God, Paul advised him to "take pains with these things" and "be absorbed in them" (v. 15). As you look at Timothy, ask yourself if either of the following situations are hindering you from fully serving the Lord.

Age: No matter how old we are, the Lord wants us to use our spiritual gifts. Because Timothy was young, he could easily have been intimidated by those with more experience. However, youth isn't our only excuse. Some believers think they're too old to serve the Lord. Even though our areas of ministry may change over the years, we're never called into spiritual retirement.

Inadequacy: Have you ever avoided a service opportunity simply because you felt totally unqualified? That's probably how Timothy felt about leading the church at Ephesus. Our spiritual gifts rarely come to us fully developed. God often requires that we step out in faith and trust Him to work in and through us. Over time, as we obey and serve Him in our areas of giftedness, He increases the effectiveness of our ministry.

Is anything keeping you from using your spiritual gifts? Though given to us, these abilities aren't for us; they're for the church. To neglect them would not only deprive fellow believers but also rob ourselves: there is joy and blessing in serving others and doing the work God has designated for us.

Grace-filled Presence..... Craig Denison

 Grace-filled Presence

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

Grace is a gift most of us don’t know how to receive. We’ve been so inundated with the earthly systems of give-and-get and work-and-earn that grace is a concept few ever fully grasp. Yet it’s grace alone that has the power to transform lives. Grace alone has the power to bring freedom to the captives. By grace alone we are saved. There could be no better use of our time than consistently and passionately pursuing a greater revelation of God’s grace.

Scripture:“The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.” Numbers 6:25

Devotional:    

The most gracious gift God continues to give us as his children is his presence. Moses writes a beautiful and powerful prayer in Numbers 6:25: “The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.” Rest in the sweet imagery of that prayer for a moment. Reflect on the goodness of having God’s face shine upon you. Feel the peace that comes from God’s graciousness.

There is nothing better in life than encountering God because it’s only in his presence that we are truly satisfied. Scripture illustrates this truth in Psalm 84 when the Psalmist writes:

For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!

To encounter God is to experience his goodness. To spend time in his presence is to experience the very “favor and honor” that only comes from his nearness.

What would it be like to live your life entirely in the presence of God?What would change if you were to experience his goodness with every moment, waking or sleeping? How would the reality of his presence change the way you live your life for the better? The remarkable thing is that we have no reason to live our lives apart from God. When Jesus died, God tore the veil from top to bottom that separated us from him. His tearing of the veil symbolizes the entire reason for the death of Jesus: that God can once again dwell among his people. And furthermore, when you became a Christian you were filled with God himself. He’s closer to you than the very breath that fills your lungs.

You see, it’s by God’s grace that we have his presence. It’s by his love that he makes himself near to us. God’s word tells us we can never escape his presence. Psalm 139:9-10 says, “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” Acts 17:27-28 says, “Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’” Your greatest gift is always available to you. No matter where you turn, God will be there. No sin can separate you from his presence because his presence comes to you by grace, not by your works. So great is God’s love for you that he offers you his gracious presence regardless of anything you do, right or wrong.

All that is required of you is to open your heart and receive the gift he offers. There is an endless amount of God’s presence to receive. He is a vast and endless ocean that will never be fully discovered. But still he calls you to come and dive in. The Bible commands us in Ephesians 5:18 to “be filled with the Spirit,” to be filled with God himself. This passage is better translated, “Be being filled.” God asks us to constantly be filled with his presence because he knows it is our greatest gift. And the death of Christ has paved the way for us to receive this gift constantly.

Spend time today simply being filled with God’s presence offered to you by his grace. May you experience the “favor and honor” that can only be found by resting in the presence of your heavenly Father.

Guided Prayer:           

1. Meditate on Scripture about God’s presence. Renew your mind to the fact that he is with you right now and that his presence is your greatest gift.

“For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” Psalm 84:10-12

2. Receive God’s presence. Open your heart and ask him to come near to you. Take note of how you feel different in response to his presence.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

“But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” Psalm 73:28

3. Live today in the continual presence of your heavenly Father. If you notice yourself living outside of the nearness of God, just take a minute and receive his presence again.

“If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:9-10

“Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’” Acts 17:27-28

As you go out today in pursuit of the presence of God, keep this quote from Brother Lawrence close to your heart. May it fuel you toward the goodness and simplicity of encountering your heavenly Father in all that you do.

He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think (Practicing the Presence of God).

Extended Reading: Psalm 84

Living in the Good Now Days..... ARLENE PELLICANE

 Living in the Good Now Days

ARLENE PELLICANE

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) 

He declared his love for me in front of his friends, and it melted my heart!

When my son Ethan was in second grade, he usually rode his bike to school with my husband, James. One day, James couldn’t go, so I drove Ethan to school. When we arrived, he jumped out of the car, his huge backpack jostling up and down. He ran about 10 feet and then whipped around, looked at me and — surrounded by other elementary school kids — yelled at the top of his lungs, “I LOVE YOU, MOM!”

Using sign language, he made the sign for “I love you” on each hand. In our family, we call that “double love.” I choked up right there in my minivan. I treasured that moment of him yelling in a crowd of his classmates, unembarrassed and totally devoted to his dear mom. In just a few years, I knew he would get out of the car, head toward middle school and never look back.

And that’s OK. Every stage of life has a beauty and delight all its own. Sometimes when hard days and seasons come, we fall into the trap of wishing for the “good old days” instead of seeing that the “good now days” are happening right in front of our eyes.

My son Ethan isn’t little anymore. He’s a junior in high school who is already taller than me (and I’m 5 foot, 10 inches!). Now when I drop him off at school, I don’t expect him to turn around and yell, “I LOVE YOU, MOM!” That would be a little weird. But when he sometimes says “love you” at bedtime, that is just right.

James and I have made the decision to enjoy every season of parenting, no matter what it holds. We are living in the “good now days.” And so are you! Whether you are a parent or not, you are in the exact season God has planned for your life … even when it doesn’t feel like it.

Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” There are some seasons we want to savor forever and other seasons we want to skip all together. Yet every season contributes something valuable to this precious life. We can’t stop or slow down time. Before I know it, my son will graduate from high school and go out into the big, wide world. The house won’t be the same without him, and I know we will all miss him so much.

But I choose to believe that in my future season of letting go, God will be working, and it will still be good. Maybe you have little ones, and you’re exhausted and sleep deprived. You kind of wish you could fast forward a few months. Or maybe you’re parenting teens who take every chance to rebel, and you’re at the end of your rope. Take heart. There’s beauty to be found in today.

Whatever season you’re in, God is working it all out for good.

The same Solomon who wrote our key verse also wrote Psalm 127:3-4, saying, “Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth” (NIV).

What does it mean that kids are like arrows? An arrow goes to a place where an archer cannot go and accomplishes a purpose the archer cannot. With God’s help, children are launched out into the world to do good. Children are not a burden but a blessing.

Psalm 1:2-3 shows us how to make the most of every season and stage: “But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers” (NIV).

Right here, right now, you can prosper. What season of life are you currently in? Whatever it is, commit to enjoying this phase while you have it because with God, you’re living in the good now days.

Lord Jesus, for every season, I give You praise. You know everything about me, and I know I can trust You to guide me. Please draw my family members to Your heart and direct them so they will walk on Your path, accomplishing great things for the Kingdom of God. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Lamentations 3:37, “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?” (NIV)

How Springtime Flowers Teach Us (Matthew 6:28–29)..... By: Lia Martin

 How Springtime Flowers Teach Us (Matthew 6:28–29)

By: Lia Martin

Today’s Bible Verse: Why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. – Matthew 6:28–29

Has there ever been a time when worry has served you well? When you’ve been so glad you spent energy conjuring up a potentially bad outcome...or plowing past better thoughts focused solely on your structured vision of security?

Worry can actually weaken us, and yet, we worry still. Hoping all our hand-wringing and hard working grow a shield of protection from life’s inevitables. God knows we’re made this way. Which is why Jesus teaches us how to handle worry when it comes.

Freedom from worry is one of so many reasons he arrived in the flesh. He shepherds our anxious hearts. And he gave us these words about the splendor of flowers, so we can learn from them. His words are alive. When we read or repeat them, they can actually renew us.

This verse in Matthew calls to me now because where I live, it’s almost bloomin’ time. It has me recalling the many times God has spoken to me in the language of flowers. Or trees, mushrooms, birds, and butterflies.

His message of resurrection and renewal is prevalent in all of creation. Waves that ebb and flow, the rhythm of sunrise and sunset, and the return of flowers—are all among many of his mind-blowing “object lessons.”

His work on the branches in springtime to unfold buds into bursts of glory is breathtaking. It’s like seeing a song painted all around you. Every year, spring teaches that no matter what—God is at work. Work we can only receive...not control, direct, or worry into our intended outcome.

I remember when I was a little girl, I would run up to the far back corner of a hill behind my house to be alone with a patch of violets. Their welcome mat was lowly, haphazard, and tiny. From their rocky landing they offered smiles of purple and gold. In a place you wouldn’t expect to find “splendor,” less-than-inch-high wildflowers spoke volumes.

And over the years, here’s what they taught me. They were willing to be overlooked. They were always being trampled. Yet they were consistent in their contribution. Content in sun or rain. And not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

I didn’t know then exactly why in difficult times I would run to be flat-out, face-down connected with these minuscule miracles. I do now. These flowers, decorating the untamed places, were demonstrating what Jesus wants us to know in Matthew 6:28-29. That he is able even if we are not. And his power isn’t reflected in our fancy clothes, or impressive garments, but in our surrendering to what God will do.

Although commentary on this verse explains that the original word “lilies” could be translated into any showy flower of many varieties, Jesus is clear that these blossoms are in the field. They’re not groomed or manicured or planned by humans. Rather, they’re growing freely in his design. Trusting in his provision.

God wants us to see not only their beauty, but their lack of worry. He describes it as laboring and spinning. It’s true that Jesus is acknowledging our basic need for clothes, but he is asking us to shed the layer of worry we spin (which was how they made clothing in ancient times).

In this verse, Jesus isn’t saying “don’t work and don’t get dressed.” He is asking us to take in the lesson of creation. To see how even the most fragile among us rely on God’s provision and are dressed in just the way that gives him glory.

This is how he designed us to flourish...with a soul rooted in faith and at rest in his plan.

The Day I Rolled Down the Window ..... by John UpChurch

 The Day I Rolled Down the Window

by John UpChurch

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”  1 John 4:18

The guy had no teeth on top. Sadly, I noticed that first. His cigarette dangled between gum and lip.

While my wife jogged into Walgreens, this guy passed up dozens of other open spaces to squeeze his red coupe between our Prius and a truck that stuck slightly over the white line. He glanced over at us for only a moment before his window stuttered down and a mud-and-oil stained mitt poked out of the window to wave at my daughters in the backseat.

I confess. I didn’t exactly feel neighborly.

And then the guy began speaking and pointing to our car. I couldn’t hear a word through the glass, but that didn’t stop him from mumbling around his cigarette, which was probably 80% ash. Smiling from the silliness of it, I zipped the passenger-side window down and wondered what would compel him to speak to a complete stranger in a parking lot.

Gas mileage. Seriously.

This random guy in the parking lot of Walgreens wanted to compare gas mileage. At least, that’s what opened the door for conversation. From there, I learned what he did (shoeing horses), found out how his work had hurt his back (bulging disk), saw a picture of his prized new jackdaw (I had no clue either), and realized how much you can love a guy with no upper teeth.

He was real. He had no pretensions, no conceit, no desire to be anything more than he was. You got the raw, muddy man. And, sadly, I would never have spoken to the guy on my own if he hadn’t put his huge hand and ashy cigarette out the window. Sadly, I didn’t want to get messy.

But, really, love is all about the uncomfortable mess—just as God revealed in my life. To Him, I once looked much worse than toothless, much dirtier than mud-covered. But Jesus didn’t care. He saw something through all that muck He loved. And am I ever glad He did.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Love means getting close to people who are nothing like us. God may put people there for us to reach out to that don’t fit our ideal image of people we want to be around. They could reek of smoke, have few teeth, or even champion political views we don’t like. It’s enough to make us squirm.

But there’s one key here that we cannot forget: He loves them. Jesus touched the diseased, dirty, and destitute. He wasn’t afraid of engaging with the unpopular and scandalous. Instead, He specifically sought out those that no one else would. His grace knew no social barrier.

We can’t let being uncomfortable prevent us from sharing that love.

For Further Reading
1 John 1:1
James 2:1

A Prayer for Our Boys to Grow Strong in Christ..... By: Chelsey DeMatteis

 A Prayer for Our Boys to Grow Strong in Christ

By: Chelsey DeMatteis

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” - 1 Corinthians 16:13

I’ll never forget the day I found out I was carrying a little boy in my womb. My heart burst knowing I was carrying a little boy who would one day become a man. God has entrusted to me a son to raise up to know how to love and lead his family. God entrusted me to teach him what God thinks of him, loves about him, and commands of him.

Now, you might be reading this thinking: Okay, that’s great for you, but I’m not a mom of a boy, or, I’m not a mom at all. But, if I had to guess, there is a boy in your life through family or friendships. This means the Lord has also entrusted you with loving and leading a boy into godly manhood, too.

Our secular culture has made it a point to diminish men and the gift they are to this world. Boys are taught at a young age to suppress their strength, their tenacity, and their God-given designed ways of thinking. We see in 1 Corinthians 16:13 that the Lord commands, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” God made men to be strong and protective. He knit them to have a desire to lead and to be willing to fight for his family.

Instead of suppressing these things, we need to pray for them. We need to be praying that the boys the Lord has entrusted would grow up to honor God and obey His commands. We should be training up these boys to know that the way God knit them together was perfect and without error. We need these boys, who will one day be the men of this nation, to know that they are desired in this world.

Often, I find myself praying for my son to be a bold leader of men and a steadfast, unwavering follower of Christ. This is what our boys need. They need people pouring into them, praying over them, and leading them to what God says about them. They need those who shepherd them to remind them of who they are in Christ and that God handpicked them. They need to know that their confidence is rooted in God Almighty and that the world will never be able to strip them of His promises.

Our boys, who will grow up to be men, need to know that we are for them. We desire them. We want to honor them. Let’s pray now for our boys to grow in stature with the Lord.

Pray with me…

Lord, thank you for all of the boys you’ve knit together. God, we pray that your Almighty hand would be upon them and that they would know who they are in Christ. I ask that you stir up in us, who have the honor of leading boys, a desire to teach them to be bold for the Kingdom of God. May they not for a second question the gift they are to this world. I pray they know when you created masculinity it was not by mistake but by divinity.

Thank you, Lord, for our men.

In Jesus's name, Amen.