Tilling the Soil of the Heart: The Body of Christ ..Craig Denison Ministries

 Tilling the Soil of the Heart: The Body of Christ

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

This week we'll look at a vital spiritual practice to all those seeking to grow in God:tilling the soil of the heart. Jesus spoke in Matthew 13 of two different types of soil—hard and soft. God longs for us to till the soil of our hearts that we might be receptive to the seed of his word and bear fruit. May your heart become more responsive to the presence, will, and love of God this week as you cultivate good soil with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture:“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Romans 12:4-5

Devotional:

One of the most useful gifts God has given us for making our hearts receptive to him is each other. The church is both a beautiful and broken group of people. Beautiful because of the grace of God working in each of us making us more like Jesus. Broken because we have yet to walk in the fullness of what Christ did for us on the cross. Most of us have been wounded by something that happened in a church. Most of us have felt anger, frustration, or annoyance with a fellow believer. But if we are to walk in the fullness of what God intends for us here on earth, we must continually forgive and ask forgiveness from each other, submit ourselves to a group of Christ followers, and share life with believers in accordance with God’s word.

The Bible is clear that the best place for us to thrive is in community with fellow believers. Romans 12:5 teaches us that we are all “one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” And Ephesians 4:15-16 teaches us that “speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” We need each other. We’re joined together as the body of Christ made to function as one—both for our edification and the fulfillment of God’s eternal purposes in the world.

In order to make the soil of your heart soft and receptive to God, you must have help from those God has placed around you. We are created to worship with the body of Christ for all eternity, and that includes right now! Don’t wait to live out the promises of God. The church is not perfect, but it is God’s Bride. His desire is for his people, and he loves to pour out his presence in unique and specific ways when we gather together. There is edification you need that can only take place in the presence of fellow believers. There is blessing that can only be received when you open your heart to the family of God. We all have wounds; we all need grace; we all need each other. The very person who most annoys you might need you the most. Just as you need what fellow believers around you have to offer you, others need who God has uniquely designed you to be.

God asks us to humble ourselves before him and each other. Philippians 2:3 teaches us to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” When you humble yourself, you will find a peace that is never available in living for your own ambitions. When you submit yourself to imperfect people, you give away your sense of entitlement and find the grace of God that’s poured out on those who truly count others as more significant than themselves. It’s in the submission to others and giving away of our own rights that the soil of our heart is made soft and receptive to God. It’s in spending time with fellow imperfect people that we become edified and are spurred on toward spending more time with God.

Often it’s in the extending of grace and forgiveness to each other that we become most like Christ, the one who suffered and died in the ultimate act of humility to we who are unworthy. Offer love to those who don’t deserve it. Place yourself in community with those who are imperfect. Open your heart to those who might not treat you with perfect kindness. Find your unique place in the body and serve the community God has placed you in with faithfulness so that you might be fashioned in the likeness of Christ.                       

Guided Prayer:

1. Ask God to show you the community he would have you be a part of.Whether this answer comes immediately or through seeking and visiting churches, trust that God will guide you to the local body he has planned for you.

2. Ask God to show you your place in the community.This will change over time, so it’s good to continually ask God this question, especially if you feel out of place.

3. Now ask God to show you how he feels about the church.We aren’t meant to live and love out of our own strength. Instead, we are to seek God’s heart for his people and align ourselves with him.

God’s desire for the church is vast and powerful. He has loved his people in perfect faithfulness despite all our transgressions and wandering. When we fail to show grace and love to those around us, we fail to live out of God’s heart for his people. If you want to live a life as near to God’s heart as possible you must search him out with the rest of his body. One day we will all be made perfect and be able to worship together face to face with the living God. One day, every tribe, tongue and nation will declare together the wonders of God’s amazing love. Live in light of eternity today. Worship here as you will in heaven, and watch as heaven invades earth around you with the glory and love of God.

Extended Reading: Ephesians 4

When God Gives You More Than You Can Handle..LYSA TERKEURST

 When God Gives You More Than You Can Handle

LYSA TERKEURST 

“Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV) 

I felt sure there had to be some sort of awful mistake. I had no family history of breast cancer. I was young(ish) and healthy. And I was already walking through an incredibly hard season that was making life feel impossibly heavy.

Yet there I was, sitting in a pink chair, wondering what you’re supposed to do after you get a cancer diagnosis.

I kept thinking about that statement everyone loves to throw out in times like these: “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” But that’s not actually in the Bible.

God does say He won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear and that He always provides a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13) But that’s not the same as God not giving us more than we can handle.

God didn’t cause my cancer. But He was allowing it. And He sometimes will allow more and more.

As I type these words, I know I’m not the only one who feels they’ve been given more than they can handle.

The world is filled with people who are dealt more than they can handle. And, surprisingly, so is the Bible.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9, NIV).

No, God doesn’t expect us to “handle” everything we’re facing. He wants us to hand it over to Him.

He doesn’t want us to rally more of our own strength. He wants us to rely solely on His strength.

If we keep walking around thinking God won’t give us more than we can handle, we set ourselves up to be suspicious of God. We know we’re facing things that are too much for us.

After my diagnosis, I had some really difficult days. I needed God to show me His perspective so I could set my perspective. But it didn’t come right away. And that frustrated me. I was filled with fear and questions like, Why this? Why now? Why me?

The story I started telling myself was that life would never get any better.

But while I was thinking about everything I didn’t know … I wasn’t getting anywhere. So I started listing things I did know. And the main thing I know? I know God is good. I didn’t know the details of God’s good plan, but I could make His goodness the starting place to renew my perspective.

So now let me tell the story of the recent events in my life using God’s goodness as the central theme. Because I had a mammogram at the exact time an appointment was available, the doctors caught a cancer early on that needed to be caught. And because they caught a cancer that needed to be caught, I had every fighting chance to beat this cancer. And to God be the glory that I am now cancer free.

You see, we’re all living out a story, but then there’s the story we tell ourselves. We just need to make sure we’re telling ourselves the right story. Yes, God will give us more than we can handle. But He always has eventual good in mind.

We don’t have to like it, but maybe knowing this can help us live through it.

Dear Lord, I’m choosing to hand over to You today all the things that I don’t understand and that feel too overwhelming. I declare Your goodness over my situation today and believe You are working together all things for my good and Your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The Effectiveness of God's Way..Dr. Charles Stanley

 The Effectiveness of God's Way

Dr. Charles Stanley

Exodus 3

Yesterday we observed the ineffectiveness of Moses' attempt to liberate his people from Egyptian slavery, but today we see him given a second chance to do it God's way. If we could learn the lessons Moses learned about the dangers of self-reliance and the advantages of depending on the Lord, we would save ourselves much hardship. 

When we choose to cooperate with God and submit to His way, He will do amazing things in and through us. Despite Moses' past failure, the Lord still used him to accomplish the divine plan, but only after he became usable—that is, humbled and broken of self-will. Just consider what God achieved when Moses did it His way.  

• He showed what great things He could do through one yielded, dependent person. 

• He got more done in less time, and with fewer resources. There was no insurrection or long, drawn-out war—just a dramatic display of His power.

• He proved the superiority of His way by freeing over two million people without the loss of a single Hebrew life. 

• He sent impoverished slaves out of bondage with their captors' riches (Ex. 3:21-22). 

• He proved to both the Israelites and the Egyptians that He alone is the God of heaven and earth. 

• He received all the glory.  

Our past failures never prevent God's willingness or ability to use us. In fact, our weakness is a great opportunity for the display of His glory. In our own strength, we are totally ineffective. But when we submit to the Lord's authority, we can experience His victory in whatever He calls us to do.

What to Do When You’re Anxious..Anne Peterson

 What to Do When You’re Anxious

By Anne Peterson


“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

With everything happening in our world today, does God really expect us not to be anxious? The short answer is yes. God tells us not to be anxious about anything. And he goes on to say when he expects this of us.

In every situation.
Our heavenly Father is aware of everything that is going on in our world. God is sovereign, which means God is the ultimate power. He’s omnipotent, which means God can do anything. And if things look impossible, that’s okay. Because we’re told in scripture the things which are impossible with man are possible with God (Luke 18:27). All we must do is look all around us, and we will see evidence of God’s power. Did you know God placed all the stars in the sky and named them? That alone shows me God’s infinite power. So how are we supposed to be able to be calm when things around us seem to be out of control? It’s because of two things: 1) things may seem out of control to us, but they are never out of God’s control, and 2) God has given us the privilege of prayer.

By prayer and petition.
We are told to pray without ceasing. That means our lives can just be one continual conversation with God almighty. I don’t know about you, but I am always talking to God. I let him know my needs, however small, and I love it when God meets those needs. One of God’s names is Jehovah Jireh, which means the Lord will provide. It doesn’t mean God might provide. Paul reminds us that God will supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19). God even likes to give his children the desires of their hearts (Psalms 37:4). Petitions are appealing to authority with a respect to a particular cause. God is our authority, and God gives us the invitation to let him know what it is we need. And the exciting thing is we have an open invitation. We are told to come boldly to God’s throne of grace, we don’t have to have wobbly knees like the cowardly lion who approached the Wizard of Oz. We have the God-given right, knowing that can ease our anxiety. Because God himself tells us to bring him our requests. But how we do that is paramount. 

With thanksgiving.
Why is it important that God tells us to do it with thanksgiving? I believe it’s because when we are thankful as we bring God our requests, the Holy Spirit reminds us of other requests God has granted. He reminds us of other needs our loving Father has met for us. Right now, take a few moments and jot down some of those answered prayers. It’s what makes our faith in God grow. When David stood before Goliath and David remembered how God had helped him when he faced a lion and a bear, David’s faith in God grew. David knew if God was faithful when facing a lion and a bear, God doesn’t change. So, God would faithfully help David with this Philistine before him.

When our hearts are full of gratitude, there is no room for anxiety. We know that we don’t deserve anything, and yet God showers us with so many blessings we can’t help but feel overwhelmed at times. And when can we give thanks? God tells us to give thanks in all circumstances (1Thessalonians 5:16-18). And God explains that it is God’s will that we do that. I have found when we feel we cannot do something that God tells us to do, we can trust that He will empower us to do it. Otherwise, God is not a loving God. And I know He is loving.

Present your requests to God.
All we’re asked to do is lay our requests before God. Sometimes we don’t have, God tells us, because we don’t ask. It can never be yes if we don’t ask. And one thing I know of God is that when He chooses not to grant a request, it’s because God has something better in mind, or it’s just not the right time. This is something we will learn the longer we walk with the Lord. The one verse I’m reminded of is a wonderful verse to memorize. He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all—how will he not along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32). God gave us Jesus. What could we possibly ask for that would be of more value? God tells us not to be anxious, but being the loving Father he is, God also instructs us how to do that. 

Intersecting Faith and Life:
When have you struggled with anxiety? Are you willing to try God’s method of dealing with your anxiety? How loving of God to spell it out for us. He really does want his children to have peace. Then the world will see something different in us, and perhaps they will want to know about our Jesus. 

Lord, I pray for anyone who is anxious. There are so many things happening in our world right now. We thank you, Lord, that you are on the throne. We thank you that nothing will happen to us that you are not aware of. I’m thankful you are sovereign. We love you, Lord, and we pray this in your Son’s precious name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Comparison Is a Trap..Betsy St. Amant Haddox

 Comparison Is a Trap (Hebrews 12:1)

By: Betsy St. Amant Haddox

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us… 

Comparison is an ugly manipulator, destined to destroy—and it goes hand in hand with envy. No good comes from comparing yourself to someone else. It’s easy to do, of course—maybe you’re hyper aware of your neighbor’s manicured lawn while your own front yard is covered in brown spots. Or maybe your best friend got the new SUV you’d been eyeing but couldn’t afford, or your co-worker got chosen for the big promotion. You look at them and think, why not me?

You immediately began creating a list in your mind of all the ways you’re superior and should have gotten it. Or perhaps you instead began to beat yourself up, charting the ways you’ve messed up and that’s surely why you were passed over.

Thoughts like that are only an endless, dark pit of the mind - one into which the devil loves nudging Christians. If he can’t have our security and eternal souls, he sure enough tries to steal our joy and tempt us into as much sin as possible in the meantime.

Think about this- if we’re so busy comparing ourselves to others around us, if we’re so consumed with seeing if we measure up or somehow condemning them if we don’t, we’re sure not focused on telling those people about the Gospel. If our hearts are eaten up with “less than” and discontent, we’re not thinking about anything holy or eternal or Kingdom-minded. Yikes! I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be guilty about that. I don’t want the devil to win that battle.

Here’s what the Bible says about being content:

Philippians 4:12-13 (ESV) I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

1 Timothy 6:6 (ESV) But godliness with contentment is great gain.

Here’s the thing about comparison - you’ll never come out pride-free. Either you’ll fancy yourself better in some way and therefore entertain pride, or you’ll consider yourself lacking and invite pride to dwell in the form of a self-obsessed pity-party. (and trust me, no one RSVP's to those events!) There’s nothing attractive or edifying about either of those paths.

Consider the words of Paul in Galatians 5:7 (ESV) You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? When we look away from our path - when we cast our eyes away from the Lord and from Truth - we run out of our lane. We sway and swerve and stumble over the lies of the enemy.

We would do well to heed the warning in these Scriptures instead and turn our eyes toward Christ, the only Source of trust contentment - and the only true escape from the comparison trap.

A Prayer during a Season of Waiting..Kyle Norman

 A Prayer during a Season of Waiting

By Kyle Norman

“I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry.” (Psalm 40:1)

On a scale of 1 to 10, how patient are you? Do you greet long line-ups with ease? Do you sit in traffic jams in a state of quiet contentment? If you are like me, probably not. Instead of patience and calm reserve, times of waiting can be met with upset and anxiety. Waiting can be frustrating and annoying, even in the life of faith. How, then, do we respond to David’s description of patiently waiting before the Lord? Are we condemned if we find waiting difficult? Does our impatience reveal a lack of faith in God or a lack of trust in God’s provisions? No.

Waiting is not a negation of faith. In fact, while the English translations often render this verse as “I waited patiently for the Lord,” this is not exactly what David writes. The Hebrew text is much more expressive. Literally, this verse says, “I waited, and I waited, for the Lord.” Can you hear those strained emotions? Do you recognize the echo of difficulty and strain? This verse doesn’t describe David sitting in the lotus position with his eyes closed and his palms outstretched. David remembers his time of waiting and how it felt drawn out and prolonged.

One of the hard truths about our life of faith is that God never promises us instant gratification. Faith doesn’t mean ease; it doesn’t mean prosperity; it doesn’t mean a problem-free life. Despite praying for something good and holy, our prayers may not be realized right away. Waiting is not a negation of God’s promises. The journey of faith, for everyone involved, involves times of wrestling and waiting.

Are you going through a time of waiting? Are you longing for one of God’s promises to be revealed in your life? Have you prayed for a healing that has yet to arrive? The good news is that, as hard as the waiting may be, this isn’t the whole story. David says, “he turned to me and heard my cry.” Ultimately, we have a Lord who hears us. God is never deaf to our cries nor blind to what we go through. Like a parent who reaches down to take the hand of an infant, God actively and lovingly reaches out to us. 

Times of waiting, therefore, are times when we are called to trust that Jesus is there and that Jesus is working, even if we don’t see it. Our external circumstance doesn’t dictate God’s love for us or God’s presence. The incarnation testifies that there is always hope; there is always promise. This is because the full redemption of our lives isn’t found in the satisfaction of wants and wishes but in the abiding presence of our Lord. 

This may sound strange, but a season of waiting may provide the opportunity for us to testify to God’s goodness. Waiting can even be a positive experience. It is through the periods of waiting that we experience God’s power doing “infinitely more than we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). David’s witness to the power of God in his life was enhanced by his waiting, and it fueled his testimony. Later in the Psalm, David expresses how he would “not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly” (vs. 10). David’s experience of waiting, and his experience of the Lord in response to that waiting, is proclaimed to the people of faith. David’s story is told to inspire others to remain faithful to God in the midst of their waiting. 

In a similar way, our story of waiting is part of our witness. Waiting opens us to ministry. Waiting provides the opportunity for us to experience the delights of God in sometimes miraculous ways. Our season of waiting, therefore, should not be looked down upon or condemned. Rather it should be lifted up and celebrated. As we hold ourselves open to God’s loving presence, we may just find ourselves experiencing the promises of God in a profound way. This, then, becomes an inspiration and an encouragement to others. 

How might Jesus be asking you to use your time of waiting for His purposes?

Let us pray:

Lord of all time and space, I give to you this season of waiting. I ask that use this time for your purposes. Where I am tempted to be frustrated or angered, may you bestow peace. Where I am tempted to long for my own will, help me desire yours; where I am tempted to desire only my satisfactions, turn my attention to the presence of my Savior. Help me wait with you, in you, and for you.

Dearest Jesus, I pray that this season of waiting be one where I grow in steadfast faith. Help me to hold onto your promises in joyous hope, and even if I don’t see your promise revealed in this moment, help me to trust in your goodness, your grace, and your love.

In this time of waiting, I pray that you give me a deeper vision of your presence. Help me, O Lord, to recognize the movement of your hand and the gentle guiding of your Spirit. Equip me with the gifts I need to proclaim your word and show forth your goodness. May my testimony increase and my witness extend as a result of this time of waiting. But more than anything, may you be glorified above all things. This I pray in the name of the one in whom I wait. Amen.