You Could Give Up, Or You Could Do This…By Stephen Altrogge

 You Could Give Up, Or You Could Do This…

By Stephen Altrogge

“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”- 2 Corinthians 1:9

The Christian life is full of utterly impossible challenges. You think you can overcome your sin and live a holy life in your own strength? Have at it, my friend! Come back in six months and tell me how it’s going for you. You think you have enough wisdom to help your children navigate all the landmines and pitfalls of life? Well huzzah for you! (Side note: we really need to bring the word “huzzah” back into usage.) Do you think you have enough insight to untangle the sticky relational mess you find yourself in? Do you think you have the strength to sufficiently lead your small group, worship team, counseling team, church planting team, or church? Right. Have at it my friend. I’ll have a bed in a padded room waiting for your return.

The reality is, God constantly places us in situations that are far beyond our ability to bear. He places us smack dab in the middle of befuddling, perplexing, overwhelming, even crushing circumstances. Why does God do this? To humble us. To make us painfully aware that we cannot make it through this life apart from him. To highlight our desperate dependence on him. God strips us of our own strength to make us totally reliant upon his strength.

God allowed Paul to be pushed and pressed, hit and hammered, even sentenced to “death,” SO THAT he would not rely upon himself, but upon the power of the God who raises the dead. God puts us in situations that are so far beyond our ability to survive so that when deliverance comes, only God can receive the glory.

Speaking of pastoral ministry (but this quote applies equally to a million other situations), Charles Bridges says:

“Did we depend upon the failing support of human agency [strength], or upon the energy of mere moral suasion [our ability to persuade] – we should cry out, prostrate in heartless despondency – “Who is sufficient for these things?” But the instant recollection – that “our sufficiency is of God” – “lifts up our hearts in the ways” and work of the Lord.” (The Christian Ministry, page 19)

Are you in a situation that is too hard for you? Are you being stretched beyond your giftings and abilities? Are you pushed down and crushed, even to the point of despair? Do you feel like butter scraped over too much bread? You really only have two options.

Behind door number one: give up. Let despair, anger, and unbelief wash over you like an acidic shower, eating away at your faith. Start calling yourself a “realist.” Allow cynicism to have its way with you.

OR…

Behind door number two: rely upon the God who raises from the dead. Throw aside any foolish remnants of self-sufficiency and depend wholly upon our mighty, powerful God. Depend upon God to work in your rebellious children. Depend upon God to work mightily in your shaky marriage. Depend upon God to save your “unsavable” relative. Depend upon God to give you physical and emotional strength to serve your family. Depend upon the God who slays giants, shuts lions’ mouths, and rescues out of fiery furnaces.

God does incredible things when we stop relying upon our own abilities and start relying on him. He does incredible things when we finally give up on our own abilities and find all our strength in him.

Moses, Isaiah, and the Holiness of God.....Craig Denison Ministries

 Moses, Isaiah, and the Holiness of God

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview: 

God’s presence is real, full of love, and completely transformational. It takes what was broken and brings healing. It takes what was lost and guides us to our rightful place in the Father. It satisfies the weary, brings light to the darkness, and pours out the refreshing rain of God’s love on the dryest, deepest parts of the soul. Scripture contains story after story of God coming down to meet God’s children where they are, and your heavenly Father has the same heart for you as he did them. He longs to make the reality of his presence known to you. He longs to refresh you with his nearness. You were created for encountering God, and you will never be satisfied until you continually live in the experience for which you were created. Allow your desires to be stirred up to encounter the living God this week as we read powerful stories of God’s people encountering his manifest presence. May you respond to God’s word by seeking out that for which you were made: continual encounter with your heavenly Father.

Scripture:“And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.” Exodus 3:2

Devotional:

Two of the most powerful recorded encounters of God’s presence are found with Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-7 and with Moses in Exodus 3:2-6. Let’s open our hearts to both learn from these encounters and allow them to guide us into a powerful encounter with the living God ourselves.

Isaiah 6:1-7 says,

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”                  

Isaiah demonstrated that experiencing the holiness of God and seeing our own sin in light of his holiness are consistent and important parts of encountering God’s presence. Time after time in Scripture, God’s people see their own sin, repent, and are healed after having an encounter with the presence of God. In fact, Moses has a similar response to being in the presence of God for the first time in Exodus 3:2-6:

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

In light of God’s astounding holiness, Moses was filled with fear to look at the face of God. These two descriptions of God’s presence illustrate an important truth for all: the light of God’s holiness has the ability to pierce into the depth of our soul, bringing to light the darkness that destroys us from within. My prayer today is that we would follow the examples of Moses and Isaiah and allow God’s holiness to shine light on our sin and draw us to repentance. And may we experience healing today the way Isaiah did as the angel of the Lord cleansed him with the coal.

God’s presence casts light on our sin and brokenness because in order for us to live the fullness of life God desires, we must walk in righteousness. It’s because of God’s love that he reveals our sin. It’s because God longs for us to experience a life of holiness and freedom as his children that he shines light on our darkness and draws us out into the glorious light of righteousness.

God promises in Isaiah 42:16, “And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” And 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” God’s desire has always been to lead his children into his righteousness. God’s longing for us to partake in his divine nature has been a chief desire of his from the first sin of Adam and Eve. And through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ our nature has been transformed. Ephesians 2:1-6 says,

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

You have been set free from what once separated you from your heavenly Father. But the key to experiencing this freedom is allowing God to shine light on what does not belong to you anymore: your sin. You must walk as a child of the light, not as a child of wrath, and it’s spending time encountering the holiness of God that will transform you from the inside out. Spending time on holy ground as Moses did will heal you from the sins that entangle you. Spending time allowing God to reveal your sin and purge it from you as he did with Isaiah will empower you to choose the light over the darkness. A vital part of encountering God is repenting of our sin in light of his wonderful, holy love for us.

Experience the holiness of God today as you enter into guided prayer. Repent of whatever is in you that’s not in line with your new nature in Christ and walk as the child of God that you are in light of his wonderful and powerful grace. 

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on Moses and Isaiah’s encounters with the holiness of God. Put yourself inside the story. Imagine yourself as their character. Feel what they would have felt. See what they would have seen. Allow the stories of Scripture to come to life around you.

“And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Exodus 3:2-6

“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!’

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‘Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.’” Isaiah 6:1-7

2. Allow the holiness of God to shine light on the darkest parts of your soul. Where do you have unconfessed sin? What’s holding you back from walking fully in the light? What sin does God want to heal you from today?

3. Confess your sins to God. Repent from any area of darkness and turn fully toward the light of holiness. Rest in his forgiveness and allow it to be the foundation on which you can live in the freedom bought for you by the blood of Christ.

Psalm 30:11 says, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” When we give our sin over to God he turns what the enemy meant to harm us into our greatest source of gladness. Forgiveness is something to dance over, to sing about, and to enjoy wholeheartedly. Our God takes what was dark and makes it light. He took what tied us to this world, placed it on the shoulders of Jesus, and put it to death with the last breath of his perfect Son. May you discover today a freeing joy in the presence of the God of holiness and forgiveness. And may you live your life in light of the glorious grace you’ve been shown through the love of God.

Extended Reading: Romans 8

You Don’t Have To “Crush It”.....KAREN EHMAN

 You Don’t Have To “Crush It”

KAREN EHMAN

“The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love will find life, righteousness, and honor.” Proverbs 21:21 (CSB)

The bright sunshine and cheerfully chirping birds were calling my name on a busy work-from-home spring afternoon. And so I grabbed my phone to venture out to the front porch for a little “brain break.”

I was feeling quite overwhelmed from all the responsibilities I have in life as a worker, wife, mother and daughter. And truthfully, I was certain I wasn’t doing a decent job at any of them that day.

So I parked myself on a wicker chair and hopped on social media, where I began to tap, swipe and scroll my way around. Big mistake.

Each click seemed to showcase others who were not struggling at all in work or at home. Instead, they were “crushing it,” as one post declared.

Within the short span of about three minutes, I was shown all the following:

A woman who was remodeling her kitchen by installing trendy subway tile all by herself.

A small-business owner who had doubled her profits in the last year by implementing some new selling strategies.

And finally, a mom who posted one of those “day in the life” series on her Instagram story, detailing her rather successful day. She had home-schooled her children, thoroughly cleaned her home from top to bottom and yet somehow still had time to whip up some homemade sourdough bread to accompany the from-scratch meal she was preparing for company that night.

Sigh. These sisters were crushing it, all right. I, on the other hand, was feeling my spirit crushed by comparison.

So often we wish we could be more like others whose lives seem so fruitful. After all, they must be doing something right … right? It isn’t wrong to seek accomplishments, run a side-hustle business or share productivity hacks with others. But is “crushing it” at home or at work what God calls us to strive for most? Or is there something altogether different God wants us to chase even more?

In Proverbs 21:21, we see a glimpse of what God deems an important pursuit: “The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love will find life, righteousness, and honor.” The Hebrew word used for “righteousness” means “honesty, fairness and just deeds.” In this verse, the concept of faithful love in Hebrew denotes human acts of kindness — especially to the lowly, needy or miserable. When I think of this deeper meaning, I am reminded of the life rule my mother taught me.

Mom encouraged me to stop looking at others who seem to have life better off than me and instead seek out the ones who surely don’t. “There is always someone out there who has things worse off than you. Go find that person and do something to make their day,” she would say. “In a strange way, it will end up making yours as well.”

This outlook can help us gain and maintain a ministry mindset. Showing kindness to the lowly, needy or miserable is not only in keeping with the advice in Proverbs, but it also can prevent our spirits from deflating when we spy others out there who seem to be “crushing it.”

Of course we should cheer on our real-life and online friends when we see them working hard or achieving success. However, let’s strive most to pursue righteousness and faithful love — love showered on us by God and then, in turn, shown to others.

Rest easy, sister. You don’t have to “crush it.” Let’s place our focus instead on looking for those who are crushed in spirit, and let’s do something to cheer, support or encourage them with the faithful love of Jesus.

Gracious Father, help me to get my eyes off others’ successes and instead be intentionally looking for those who need care and encouragement. Use my words and actions to help lift their spirits and point them to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A Call to Godly Living.....Dr. Charles Stanley

 A Call to Godly Living

Dr. Charles Stanley

Romans 12:1

The apostle Paul lived in an age when sensuality, the pursuit of pleasure, and rebellion against the Lord were prevalent. In response, he wrote letters urging Christians not to follow in the ways of the world. Like those early believers, we are to pursue godliness by...

1. Presenting our bodies to God. Our total being--mind, will, emotions, personality, and physical body--are to be turned over to our heavenly Father (James 4:7a). Submitting ourselves to the Lord requires a definite decision to give Him control and a daily commitment to remain under His authority. By surrendering to Him, we will position ourselves for godly living.
2. Becoming living sacrifices. The Christian life is built around the concept of sacrifice. Jesus left the perfection of heaven to dwell among a sinful people so He might reconcile us to God. He offered up His life to make payment for our sins (1 John 3:16) and brought us into His family. As believers, we are to follow His example. Paul called it a living sacrifice, because it is ongoing--one that is repeated daily.

Life is full of options. Many decisions involve a choice between following God's way or our own. Maturing Christians will increasingly sacrifice their own desires and embrace His will.

A life of godliness is characterized by a heart and mind bent toward the things of God. Although we will live imperfectly, our focus is to be on obeying His will and pleasing Him. Let's commit to becoming more like Jesus, the One who willingly gave Himself to God as a sacrifice for us.

Faithful in the Fire.....By Kyle Norman

 Faithful in the Fire

By Kyle Norman

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” (Daniel 3:24-25)

We would love to affirm that faith makes the problems of life disappear. How grand would it be if we could live our lives without hassle, discouragement, or frustration? Sadly, we know this is not the case. We are never removed from the frailty of life. We go through times of burden, hardship, and struggle. There may even be seasons where we feel tossed into a fiery furnace of affliction.

Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego knew about fiery afflictions…literally. These three young Hebrew men, probably no more than 20 years of age, find themselves on the wrong side of the King’s ire. They are arrested and threatened with death, all because they will not violate their allegiance to God. In refusing to bow down before the golden statue, they oppose the royal edict and must suffer the consequences.

What do you think they would be feeling as they are hauled before the king? Do you think they were afraid? Do you think they felt overwhelmed, discouraged, or downcast? And what about when they were bound and brought to the furnace? Do you think they questioned if that would be the end? Have you ever felt this way, or been asked those questions, in your life? Have you ever felt tossed into the fire?

Shadrack, Meschack, and Abednego, as faithful as they are, are not kept from the fiery furnace. There is no grand display of divine might that protects them from this experience. The three men are arrested. They are bound. They are tossed into a furnace.

I’m sorry to say this, but there may be times when we are asked to face a fiery furnace. There may be a season where life seems to turn against us, and where everything that we once knew feels ripped away. Israel was not immune from this. The disciples were not immune from this. Jesus was not immune from this. If we think that our faith in God means that such things don’t occur in our lives, then we will be left feeling condemned when these things befall us. We will feel that our fear, or our discouragement, somehow betrays the fullness of our faith. This is not true.

The truth upon which we stand is not that God shelters us from all struggles, but that God’s love remains with us during those times; God is present within the flames. Our times of hardship and struggle speak not of God's absence. In fact, these are the times when God draws incredibly near. True, Shadrack Meshack and Abednego aren’t saved from entering the furnace, but they are surrounded by the flames. It was in that oven, and not a moment before, that they meet the presence of the one who appears like the son of God. God dwells amid the fire. God incarnates God’s self in the flames. And it is because God is present in that place, that the power of God extends over the three men, and the flames have no power over them.

God’s response to the fiery furnaces of our lives isn’t to destroy them, but to dwell in them. This is what is shown in this beloved tale in the book of Daniel. More importantly, this is what is revealed on the cross. The cross testifies that there is no place where the loving power of God will not be present. The cross, which is the most extreme example of the world’s rejection, is transformed into the place where Christ’s relentless love is disclosed.

Intersecting Faith and Life:
It hurts when we find ourselves in the fire. It is scary and dark. Yet we are not alone. Christ enters that darkness and bears that hurt. There is no place in our lives where Christ is not present. Jesus promises us; “Surely, I am with you to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). If you find yourself overwhelmed by struggles or stresses, simply repeat this truth. In fact, try inserting your name at the start of the verse as a way to hear this declaration spoken directly over you.

I pray that you know the presence of the one who journeys with you. May your eyes be open to the presence of your Savior as he stands with you and extends his power over you.

Almighty God,
When I feel overwhelmed by fiery furnaces, please open my eyes to see you with me. Help me to feel the comforting balm of your presence, as you uphold my life. I pray this in the name of Jesus, the one who comes to me, and stands with me. Amen.

For Further Reading:

• Deuteronomy 31:5-8
• Psalm 121
• Romans 8:1-4

A Prayer to Replace Our Worldly Cravings with Heavenly Desires..By Alisha Headley

 A Prayer to Replace Our Worldly Cravings with Heavenly Desires

By Alisha Headley 

“Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

We live in a world where everything is showcased across multiple social media platforms. Everything is displayed from our daily encounters to our house upgrades, vacations, job titles and responsibilities, children’s activities, outfits, fitness, and diet routines, and even our marriage and all our social outings are displayed for everyone to see. Perhaps you are not one to display your life, but you are on these platforms where you most certainly check on other’s life almost daily.

Maybe you are not a part of the social media world at all, but you are most likely inundated by your devices each day with a buffet line of alerts and notifications of every type of all latest and greatest events going on or items we must buy, and it’s easy to get lured into wanting the next shiny thing in order to keep up with others around us. If we’re not careful, this luring can turn into something we begin to start craving and we find ourselves building our life here on earth in ways that don’t line up with God’s life He desires for us to build.

While having nice things and enjoying shopping and socializing are certainly not wrong and things we should enjoy. But when it becomes wrong, is when we begin to depend on it and crave it more and more, and perhaps crave it more than the Lord.

Today’s verse talks about laying our treasures in heaven and not on this earth. Everything we can buy here on earth in a materialistic way or crave on this earth can be destroyed as today’s scripture states. In fact, not only can it be destroyed by wear and tear or stolen by a thief, but they are things that you can never take with you after your life here on earth. Not one thing you build here on earth with regards to things will go with you to heaven. 

1 Timothy 6:7 says, “for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” 

It’s ok to enjoy the things of this earth, but to crave after these things that are fleeting and not eternal can take away from our heavenly treasures. We need to begin to replace our worldly cravings with more heavenly desires. The more we crave things of this world, the more our heart molds into the world. As today’s verse says that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Let’s strive to crave the Lord more than we crave earthly things. Let’s begin to replace our worldly cravings and plant for ourselves treasures that we can take with us to heaven. Treasures of love, kindness, and forgiveness, and being a disciple to all we meet. Let’s turn those worldly cravings into heavenly lasting treasures.

Let’s pray:

Dear God,

Thank you, Lord, that you have given us Scripture like today’s verses to shed wisdom on our lives here on earth as we navigate through it. We confess to you today that sometimes we get caught up in worldly pursuits. Sometimes our flesh takes over and we crave the things of this world, more than we crave you and your purposes for us. Father, forgive us. We ask for your strength in these times of weakness. We ask that “your word will be the lamp that lights our path” (Psalm 119:105) that can lead us into a place of contentment rather than a place of wanting more of this world. Please change our desires in craving worldly things. Lord, you have called us to be set apart (Matthew 5:14) in this world, and we ask for your strength to shine through in our weaknesses. We ask that you guide our hearts to places and people where our treasures are laid up in heaven. We ask for fresh eyes and a new perspective to see our lives from a place of true contentment, rather than a place of scarcity as if we are missing out on what others have. Help us find our joy and worth in you and in your purposes for us. We love you and look forward to the day we spent eternity with you in all your treasures.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen