Thursday, April 30, 2009

Be content with what you have

"Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' " Hebrews 13:5

Content. What does the word mean?

The Greek word means enough, sufficient - to have enough for your needs.

In its context, today's verse is talking about money. The same Greek word is used by John the baptist when addressing the soldiers who had come to hear him in the wilderness, "…and be content with your wages." (Luke 3:14).

Paul is saying, Let your life be lived without the love of money.

Look around you. Count your blessings - and know where they come from. God is the kind Benefactor of His earth-born children.

May you rest content, knowing that Jesus will provide your every need.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Jesus travels the road of life with us

"And they said to one another, 'Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?'" Luke 24:32

This verse springs from Jesus' walk with two of His followers late in the day on the Sunday He rose from the tomb. These two were in the shadow of gloom when Jesus showed up to journey with them. The words of our verse are a question spoken by one of the two, as he turns to face his traveling companion, after they have returned with joy to Jerusalem and the other disciples.

Did not our heart burn within us? - This is the fire Jesus lights within us by His Spirit. There are three things typical of fire: Fire is light, fire is warmth, and fire consumes. Have you watched the start of a fire? First there's the struck match, the small flame. Then the flame gradually spreads to the surrounding combustible material, until the whole is ablaze.

Out of our deepest gloom comes His burning fire that gives light, consuming the darkness; warmth, consuming the chill; and is itself the consumer of our despair. Jesus knows our need; that's why he wants to travel with us.

While He talked with us on the road - Life is a journey. Jesus sees our need and draws near, to talk. He speaks to us daily through so many avenues. Are we listening?

And while He opened the Scriptures to us - Without the Spirit's help and guidance, the Scriptures remain closed to our understanding. When Jesus opens the word to us, what a meal! (By the way, as I read this story - verses 13 through 27 - I picture the speaker in our verse being so excited and hope-filled, that the question mark is replaced with at least three of these: !!!)

Have you experienced spiritual heartburn lately? Jesus is the answer to whatever is on your heart. Let Him walk and talk with you. He longs to draw near and travel with you. (verse 15). He's waiting enthusiastically to strike the match.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Consider Jesus

"For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." Hebrews 12:3

Consider Him - Study His life. Paul, the author of Hebrews, tells us in verse 2 to "look to Jesus". This is not the same as "look at". To 'look to' means to expect Him to do something for one who is helpless. It's like a cry for help! There's an expectancy, a hope of being helped. Our helplessness is His strength.

Who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself - the word Endure is used at least three times in the passage. The word is translated from the original Greek to mean "to remain, stay behind, have fortitude, bear trials, persevere, take patiently." The New International Version renders the word hostility as oppression. Jesus pressed on, persevered, going so far as to make Himself the sacrifice for sin and sinners, even though He could have turned His back on our situation and walked away.

Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer of the last century named the expedition ship The Endurance, borrowing the name from his family motto: By endurance we conquer. You see, Shackleton and 26 others planned to cross the Antarctic on foot - something that had not been done before. But his ship became ice-bound at the start of the winter. The party abandoned the ship, which later was crushed by the ice and sank, and hauled the lifeboats across the ice to get to open water. By enduring the bitter Antarctic winter in difficult circumstances, Shackleton saved himself and his men. Had he given up, they all would have perished. Jesus demonstrated to the universe that by "staying behind", not giving up on His mission, He conquered the enemy on our behalf.

Lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls - Weariness and discouragement come to all of us. We are admonished to fight against these two forces by looking at the life of Jesus. Because He never gave up on us, we are encouraged to endure also.

To encourage us further, in verse 4 the writer states that, "In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood." Jesus did. Today, consider Him!

Friday, April 17, 2009

Be still and know that I am God

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Be still - the word 'still' is translated from the Hebrew root word meaning 'to slacken'. It is further translated as 'cause to heal, repair, make whole'. This gives new meaning to God's admonition to be still. When circumstances around me drive me to the point where I feel like erupting like a volcano, God says 'be still, slacken the tension in your rope, and let Me heal'. When the climber is on the vertical rock face, everything is in tension: his rope, his harness, his muscles and his mind. But, after the climb, when he reaches level ground at the bottom of the cliff, the rope is slack and he can relax. God is telling His children, living in a busy world, to 'be still'.

And know that I am God - this is the experience of inner knowing. You cannot know until you have quieted down. You cannot experience peace until the wind, the earthquake, the fire have ceased. Then you will be able to hear the still, small voice of God. (See 1 Kings 19:11,12). The great "I AM" is speaking.

Our world is a busy place. It's easy to get caught up in the hum-drum. That's why we need to take time to get out of the rat-race, to pause and know that He is God. It is only in stillness, when every other voice is hushed, that we can hear the voice of God. Be still, and know.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Recipe for Victory

"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." James 4:7, 8a

In the context of today's verse, the word "therefore" is used by James to indicate a better way to deal with human pride. Because the human heart is proud by fallen nature it steers away from dependence on someone else.

In the previous verse James quotes Proverbs 3:34: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James continues: "Therefore submit to God." The Greek word 'submit' is translated as obey, be subject to. So, if we are humble and see our need of Jesus, He will give grace (and more grace, as we need it. Verse 6). Grace is a small word, but what does it mean? The Greek renders the word grace as the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life. Grace is heaven's gift to help us cope with sin and the problems of life. Grace is His presence when the going gets tough.

How do we resist the devil? By prayer and study of the Word, just as Jesus resisted the devil in His wilderness temptation. When you pray and claim God's promises in His word, the devil runs! Think of resistance as you, building a wall to keep the enemy out. The thicker and higher the wall, the harder it is for the enemy to break through. The building blocks you use for the wall are verses of scripture, and the mortar in the joints is prayer. It takes effort to build the wall, to resist the devil. But we aren't left to build alone.

James continues: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. All it takes is you, praying in the crisis, "Lord, I need You." And He's there, in a flash! He stands at your side, and the enemy cannot advance. He has to flee.

And so we have a threefold recipe for victory in the battle of life: submit to God; resist the devil; draw near to God. Take courage, we cannot lose!

Friday, April 3, 2009

God specializes in man's impossibilities

"Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Genesis 18:14

Today's verse is in the form of a question. God had personally come to visit the aged couple Abraham and Sarah to tell them that they would have a son. Sarah was in their tent and heard the LORD speaking to Abraham. She laughed to herself as she thought about such an impossibility, since she was well advanced in years and past the age of childbearing.

But God heard her laugh and asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?'" Then God went on to ask Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

In your life, do some things look impossible? Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." [Matt 19:26]

Turn your impossibilities over to God - this is His special area of expertise!