A Minute In It - Using What You’ve Got

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

““It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.

“After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

“The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

“The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’

“The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

“‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25:14-30‬ ‭(MSG)‬

The Bible says that God gives us all gifts and talents to use. What are yours?
What things are you good at that come naturally to you?
How do you use those talents?
How do you use them for God? Remember, using them for God is not the same as using them for yourself.
If you are not using them ‬for God, why not?
What is preventing you?
If you were face to face with Jesus and you were talking about this story, what would he ask you about it?

Afraid But OK!

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.  His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. Luke 5:8-11 (NLT)

Jesus had just performed a huge miracle. Peter and his crew had been fishing all night and caught nothing. Exhausted and wanting to go home, Jesus says “Let’s fish some more.” Peter reluctantly agrees and the haul of fish was more than he could imagine.

Peter realizes the magnitude of what had just happened. He understood the man he was standing in front of was no ordinary man and he understood the ramifications of this realization. The Bible says he was awestruck or “overwhelmed by awe” in the ESV version.

As that awe began to sink in and overtake his ability to comprehend, he drops to his knees and says “I am not worthy to experience this. Please leave.”

Don’t we do that? When we encounter Jesus and the magnitude of that experience hits our souls, we want to hide. We understand we are not worthy. We understand there is no way we can grasp this and we understand that this, this Jesus, is way bigger than we can handle.

As we are dropping to our knees in worship we are also saying with our words and deeds, I am afraid of this. It doesn’t fit in what I understand. Maybe I’m not your girl (guy.)

But Jesus says “Yes. You are. Don’t be afraid. Come with me on this adventure and I will show you things you are not going to believe. Stick with me and you will be fine.”

That’s what the disciples did. They dropped what they were doing and followed him.

How about you? The Bible is clear that we all have a call on our lives. What is keeping you from following yours? Are you afraid? It’s OK. That might be why the Bible says “Don’t be afraid.” so many times!

Can I Do Both? Puuuulllleeeeessseee?

I have loved you with an everlasting love—
        out of faithfulness I have drawn you close. Jeremiah 31:3 (VOICE)

I was scheduled to go out of town to a training conference for my church. The conference had been scheduled for a year and I was so excited to be able to attend. Something else had been scheduled for a long time, the birth of my second grandson! My daughter was due 2 1/2 weeks after my conference.

In the months leading up to the conference I was praying. A lot. I was praying the baby wouldn’t come early and that I could do both the conference and be there for the birth (I was there for my first grandson’s birth.) At one point during my prayers I felt convicted that I was not doing to be there. I felt convicted that the baby was going to be born while I was away. Honestly, I started crying. This is not what my heart wanted. After some more time in prayer though, I submitted and told God that I knew he knew best and I would follow his lead.

The day I was to leave for the conference came. My daughter started having contractions. And I thought “Well, it’s early and the last delivery was quick so maybe I can be there and get on the plane this evening.” I packed my bag and waited. And prayed.

The day continued with the contractions getting closer and closer together. At about 3 (my plane was leaving at 5:45), I texted my daughter that I was going to stay and take a flight out in the morning. She called me and said “Mom, right after you sent me that text all my contractions stopped. I think you are supposed to go.”

Oh my. Now, my heart was truly torn. As I prayed about it some more (lots of praying this day), I felt very convicted that God had told me his plan before and nothing I did was going to change that. I felt that I needed to obey what I heard and go to the conference and leave it in his hands. So, I said to God that I was going to leave but that if her water broke before I got on the plane, I would like to stay and fly out in the morning. I texted my daughter and told her I was going to go.

We got to the airport in the middle of a snow storm. Our plane was delayed 45 minutes so we decided to get dinner. As I sat there, my heart heavy but at peace, I started to enjoy the idea of being able to go to the conference and accept where I was. We decided to head to the gate because the boarding process had started. We were about to leave the restaurant and my phone rang. My husband said “Her water broke.” I looked at my Pastor (and traveling companion) and she said “Go!” I walked her to the gate and they said “Get on the plane! We are getting ready to leave.”

On the way to catch a cab to the hospital, I changed my flight to the next day. In the cab I cried again, thanking God that I could both be there for the birth of my grandson and serve him by also going to the conference.

In the big scheme of what is happening in our world and in people’s lives, this event is inconsequential. But, it was not inconsequential to me. In this moment God showed up in my life by allowing me to have the desires of my heart - both to serve him and be there for my family.

God doesn’t reach us through someone else’s encounters. Sure, we may be amazed at what God does in someone else’s life but he really shows us who he is and how much he loves us is in ours. Look for him in your life. He is alive and well and talking to you through your circumstances, your friends and through his Word. He loves you.

For The Love Of.....

Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this? Esther 4:14 (NLT)

Our sermon series and Bible Study theme at church right now is “Fleshing Out Love.” Have you ever read the Bible with this in mind? Recently, I put on this lens and read Esther. What an eye-opening experience. And boy does the lesson apply to our world.

As you read the first chapter, you can see what King Xerxes is in love with. He is in love with his wealth, his things, his pleasure, his power, his self-importance. Pretty much he is in love with himself. All of his actions demonstrate this. Because of this, Esther ends up in the palace in his harem.

Chapter 2 and 3 moves through the story and Esther is chosen as Queen. All throughout, her cousin Mordecai comes to the palace to hear word of her. He adopted her when his Uncle and Aunt died. He loves Esther and his family. He also loves integrity. When he overheard a plot to kill the King, he didn’t harbor bitterness because of what the King did to Esther, he revealed the plot and saved the King’s life.

Chapter 4 introduces Haman. He is also in love with himself and his power, his money and his position. Oh, and he’s in love with his belief that anyone that doesn’t believe like he does is useless and needs to be done away with. He acts on this and goes to the King asking permission, offering to pay for it and unfortunately, the King says yes. They issue a decree saying all Jews will be slaughtered on a specific day.

In Chapter 5 Mordecai goes into mourning and sits outside the palace gates in sackcloth and ashes. Esther hears and a conversation ensues. Mordecai demonstrating love for his people and his family asks her to help. Here, Esther demonstrates love for her own life and says that she can’t. She will die. Mordecai says “You are going to die anyway. This is why you are here!” Esther agrees and she goes before the king loving her people and her calling more than her life.

As you read through this story, I bet you thought of people that may have fit in every single role. Right? Can I challenge you with a thought? We probably all fit in every role at some time in our week. None of us is above the self-love that is demonstrated that caused harm to others. We do it every time we judge. What we need to get to is the sacrificial love exhibited by Mordecai and Esther. The love that puts others first always. The love that sacrifices what we think for what is best for human beings.

This is the love that was lived out by Jesus. I know I have a long way to go but this is what I want my life to look like. How about you?

Let Him Be God

Your ears will hear sweet words behind you: “Go this way. There is your path; this is how you should go” whenever you must decide whether to turn to the right or the left. Isaiah 30:21 (VOICE)

All throughout the Bible God spoke to people. He spoke to them in many different ways. I would venture to say that he never spoke to anyone in exactly the same way.

He spoke to Adam and Eve face to face.
One of the ways he spoke to Abraham was through angels he sent.
He spoke to Moses in a burning bush.
He spoke to Samuel audibly.
He spoke to Balaam through a talking donkey.
He spoke to the disciples through Jesus but also through miracles and experiences.
He spoke to Saul by appearing to him and stopping him dead in his tracks.

Those were just a few of the ways he spoke. He also spoke through people, dreams, visions, circumstances and answers to prayer.

Can you imagine if Moses was talking to Esther and she explained how everything had happened in her story and Moses said “That wasn’t God. He has to appear in a burning bush for it to be God.” Moses would never say that because he knew that God could show up any way he wanted to.

The Bible is so clear when it tells us that God’s walk with us, his journey for us and his communication to us is personal. He is going to call me to do something different than you. Even if we are serving in the same area, our service is going to look very different. We should celebrate that!

God meets us where he created us to be. He takes that heart and passion that he lit on fire and uses it for his glory, in his way, in his time.

When God gives someone a vision of service, we should celebrate and encourage each other! We should say “You can do it! How can I help?” We should pray for each other, support each other and remember that God is in control of this world. And most importantly, let’s stop putting God in a box He doesn’t fit. Can you imagine what life would be like if we let God be God?

A Not-So-Subtle Difference

When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. Esther 4:1 (ESV)

King Xerxes kingdom was a powerful machine. And the people that worked with him and for him knew this all too well. One of the men, Haman, had King Xerxes’ ear. Haman didn’t like Mordecai. As a matter of fact, because he didn’t like him, he didn’t like all Jews. He told the king that they were different. They didn’t do things the same as everyone else. They didn’t believe the same as everyone else. So they should be destroyed.

The King agreed and a proclamation went out announcing the date of the destruction. Maybe it was like a “get your affairs in order.” kind of thing. Can you imagine being a Jew and reading that notice?

Mordecai read the decree and immediately kicked into action. He didn’t try to have meetings at the palace. He didn’t try to let the local media know where he stood. He didn’t try to cause discord between the two groups of people involved. He went to God. He and all the people began to fast and pray. He did do one more thing. He sent a message to the one person he could reach asking for help.

Esther, although reluctant at first, also began to fast and pray. She then decided to stand up for what was right and try to get help from the person she knew that had influence, the King. God intervened and the Jews were saved.

So often we feel that we cannot impact what is happening in our world, our country, or our neighborhood but we can. Each and every one of us can make a difference where we are. Be a Mordecai. Do something. The difference you make might impact one person or it might impact many.

We may not be able to influence people in power but there is something we can do. The Bible is clear on what really makes a difference. .Loving each other. Loving each other will produce an immediate, long-lasting result. We can’t stand around watching the world hurt and choose inaction.

When we seek God and ask “What do you want me to do today?” the answer will always start with love. Let’s reach our world, even if it is only one human at a time.

Today's Promise

Some days there is a promise that just catches your eye. One to write down and reflect on. That’s what today’s post is. Just a simple promise from God to carry in our hearts. A promise to reflect on and remember….remember who is in control….remember what it’s really all about.

God will be what holds things together,
    fast and firm during these times.
He will be boundless salvation,
    the roots and fruits of wisdom and knowledge.
Zion’s most precious possession
    is the people’s awe-filled respect of the Eternal.
Isaiah 33:6 (VOICE)

In that day he will be your sure foundation,
    providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
    The fear of the Lord will be your treasure. (NLT)

God keeps your days stable and secure—
    salvation, wisdom, and knowledge in surplus,
    and best of all, Zion’s treasure, Fear-of-God. (MSG)

And there shall be stability in your times, an abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the reverent fear and worship of the Lord is your treasure and His. (AMPC)

Get Your Bold Back

Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you, call me to come to you on the water.”  He said, “Come ahead.” Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”  Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?” Matthew 14:28-31 (MSG)

The disciples were just doing what they were told. Jesus told them “Get in the boat and go to the other side of the lake.” Probably sharing stories, managing the business of rowing the boat and maybe even relaxing a bit. Unexpectedly a storm showed up. The winds began, the waves swelled and the boat started tossing and turning in the black sea. I can imagine this would be frightening if not terrifying.

As Jesus came near them, Peter was emboldened and asked to get out of the boat. I do this. Feeling great after some time with God, trusting his plan, I say something like “Lord, I want to serve you! I want to do what you want! Let me do that please.”

And God says “OK. Step out and do this.”

I look around like Peter and focus on the size of the waves, the force of the winds and what I can’t see under the dark sea. I start to sink. My reaction is to stay in the boat. It’s super easy to get out of the boat when the sea is as smooth as glass. That’s not scary. It’s predictable. But when getting out of the boat involves a stormy mess, well….that’s different.

What we want to say is “Lord, I want to follow you anywhere as long as it’s a smooth ride and there are no problems.” But that is not how it usually works. Trust is most often built when you are in the thick of it.

When Peter realized he was in over his head, he did cry out to Jesus. And immediately Jesus reached for his hand. I love the word used in the MSG when Jesus addressed Peter. Faint-heart which means lacking courage.

I am so Peter. I am bold one minute and faint-hearted the next. But Peter did a couple of things I could learn from. First, he believed that Jesus could make him walk on water. Next, he did step out of the boat. Because he did, he had an experience with Jesus that no one else had. And finally, when he started focusing on his own abilities instead of what Jesus was doing, he refocused himself and cried out for help.

Maybe the lesson is this. Throughout life, you are going lack courage and you are going to want to stay in the safety of the boat. As long as you know where to go to get your bold back, you will do just fine.