Day 106 – Approved! (Colossians)

Working at Social Services, there was frequent discussions about eligibility.  If you were found ineligible, you did not qualify for benefits or services.  Every case had to be determined “eligible” or “ineligible”.  Every quarter, we would have contact with the client to ascertain whether the client remained “eligible” for services.  This approval process required significant written documentation placing quite a burden on some clients.  Aren’t you glad that Social Services isn’t the gatekeeper to Heaven?!?!

Christ died on the cross purchasing tickets for every person to have a seat on the trip to paradise.  Some people opt not to pick up their ticket or board the plane, but Christ made it very simple.  We need only “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead [and] you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)  Once we are saved, our salvation is secure and our desire is to mature in our faith.

Paul warns, though, not to let others shake your feeling of security or use human traditions, regulations, or false teachings to question your faith. (Colossians 2:8)  “Let no one disqualify you…” (2:20), because Christ “cancelled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  He disarmed the rulers and authorities…” (2:14-15)   Your salvation cannot be “lost” or taken away, because “the Father…has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” (1:12)  I suspect we will get to Heaven to find that God qualified people to enter His Kingdom that we would have found “ineligible”.

Knowing that my salvation is secure, I am free to grow and nurture my faith.  “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6)  I will not be fully mature and perfect in Christ until He comes for me, but Paul writes, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (1:28)  In maturity, Paul encourages us to put on our “new self” free from evil desires and allow “the peace of Christ rule in your hearts”. (3:15)  Growing faith in maturity requires letting “the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (3:16-17)

My prayer today:

Lord, thank you for the gift of salvation and the assurance of its security which allows me to focus on maturing my faith.  Thank you for making it so easy to qualify.  Lord, help me to continue to grow in faith and wisdom.  Amen

Add a comment September 3, 2010

Day 86 – Meet them where they are. (1 Corinthians)

Social workers frequently say, “I have to meet the client where she is.”  Our meaning is that despite seeing the big picture of problems that the client is facing and path that the client’s choices are taking her down, we will start by meeting the client where she is in her thinking, her actions, her options, and her consequences.  We hope to influence her and her life in a small way as a means to getting to the big stuff.  Much like a parent who approaches a big subject, like sex, by opening the conversation with an age-appropriate dialogue.  No sense in talking about ovulation, if the child does not know what a vagina is.  In many ways, Jesus was sent by God to meet humans where they were then (and where we are now).  Like when a parent uses vocabulary that their 3-year old can understand, God sent Jesus to relate to us in a way that we can understand.

Paul suggests that we use this technique in reaching the unsaved.  Paul is saying that we need to meet them where they are by infusing ourselves into their lives but without becoming like them in their slavery to sin, the law, or other elements against God’s word.  “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.  To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.  To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.  To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.  To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.  I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

Paul is saying that we must go to the unsaved.  The truth is, they are very unlikely to just walk through the front doors of the church and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Our greatest influence is usually found in relationships and “winning” them over to Christ.  This is only possible by putting ourselves in position to build relationships.  For most of us, one of the greatest opportunities is at work where we spend so much time and are forced to build relationships in order to effectively conduct our work.  Are you capitalizing on those opportunities?  Are you sharing your faith with unsaved co-worker?  Are you missing out on other opportunities, like at the gym, weekly girls’ night out, your child’s preschool/school, or neighborhood events, to get involved with the unsaved?  Can you “make” an opportunity to share your faith with someone you know who is unsaved?  The only other question to ask is, “Can I meet them where they are without joining in with sin or violating God’s Word?  If the answer is”yes”, it’s time to “do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:23)

Is your relationship with Christ a blessing in your life?  Arm yourself with several examples of how your salvation and relationship with Christ is a blessing.  Practice sharing the story of those blessings to yourself until you get comfortable with your own stories.  Start sharing them with people who love you to build your confidence.  Pick one or two verses that are meaningful to you and memorize them.  Know 1 verse that explains how to get saved…I prefer Romans 10:9 which says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Then, trust God and the Holy Spirit.  He will give you the words to speak.  We needn’t worry about the outcome; it’s God’s!  “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6)

Today’s prayer:

Lord, thank you for saving me and for the relationship that I enjoy with you.  Help me to seize opportunities to develop relationships with unsaved people, share how you’ve blessed me, and how they can be saved.  Lord, help me to have the words and the message that needs to be heard.  Lord, I want to be a blessing to the saved as well.  Help me to be encouraging to my brothers and sisters, too!  Amen

Add a comment August 15, 2010

Day 83 – Holy Spirit (Acts)

The Holy Spirit didn’t just show up one day after Jesus was gone.  There are lots of examples of the Spirit coming and working in the lives of God’s people in the Old Testament, but He seemed reserved for special tasks in hand-chosen people.  After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, the Holy Spirit was available to all people (Jews and Gentiles) after salvation.  Peter preached, “Repent and be baptized everyone one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

If we have Jesus, why do we need the Holy Spirit?  The Holy Spirit serves many purposes in our lives.  He reminds us of Jesus’ commands (1:2), empowers us to be witnesses (1:8, 4:8), gives us boldness to share the good news (5:29-31), comforts us (9:31), provides guidance about our actions and decisions (10:20, 11:12, 15:28, 16:6, 19:21), sends us to do God’s projects (13:2-3), helps us to recognize sin (13:9-10), and prepares us for difficult life circumstances (20:22-23).  My question was silly, wasn’t it?  Even with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, I still manage to sin every day.

As you know, I fear the hospital, blood, IVs, needles etc., so I was surprised when a friend asked me if I would be willing to do a “ministry” visit (this was a few years ago before Edward booked us regular accommodations there).  My mouth said, “Yes!” before my head even had a chance to form my real answer, “No, way!  Are you kidding me?!?!”  Before I could try to retract my “Yes”, the Holy Spirit played the scene for me.  I saw myself standing alongside the hospital bed sharing basic Bible verses and the path to salvation.  In the scene, the patient accepted Christ, and I prayed with him.  Then a peace swept over me, and I was no longer afraid to go.  Indeed, the visit happened just as I’d seen it.  The patient died two months later, never having left the hospital.  Edward and I count knowing him as our blessing rather than his.

Unfortunately, there are many, many more times when I squelched the Holy Spirit prompting instead of seizing an opportunity.  Fear of rejection, embarrassment, and lack of confidence are the culprits that persuade me to stay in my comfort zone.  The liar (Satan) that we talked about two days ago loves to use these devices against me…quite successfully, I might add.  Maybe you know him, too.

Today’s prayer:

Lord, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit!  Help me to be sensitive to His guidance for me and responsive to His convictions of me.  I pray for protection from Satan’s lies and influence.  I ask that such protection be extended to my friends and family who are also under attack.  Amen

Add a comment August 12, 2010

Day 62 – You can run, but you can’t hide! (Amos & Obadiah)

The day of the Lord, or judgment day, will come for each of us.  “Why would you have the day of the Lord?  It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion and a bear met him.” (Amos 5:18-19a)  There is no escaping, hiding, or avoiding – you are either with Christ or with Satan.  “…if they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them.” (Amos 9:3)  Failing to deliberately choose God means a default choice of Satan. 

As your eyes roll across this screen, are you prepared for your day of judgment before God?  Don’t let procrastination and the entertainments of the day distract you from this decision.  Having Christian parents, being a “good” person, and making generous charitable contributions do not secure your ticket to heaven.   “The pride of your heart has deceived you…” (Obadiah 1:3a)  You may feel that you have life under control and that everything will work out, but don’t be blinded by your feelings.  “…though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.” (Obadiah 1:4)  You may feel that this is God’s harsh judgment, but remember, God is responding only to your decision.  He has empowered you with the choice…God’s team or Satan’s team.

If you want to join God’s team, a simple prayer between you and God can secure your place on the team.  You only need to pray something along the lines of:

God, I know that I am a sinner.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins.  Please forgive me of those sins and come into my life.  Amen

Add a comment July 19, 2010

Day 51 – Sin, Judgment, and Salvation (Isaiah 15 – 66)

The theme in today’s reading centers around our sin, God’s judgment, and salvation.  Every human sins – sometimes subconsciously and sometimes with deliberate intent.  Isaiah 47 clearly describes intentional sinning in verse 10 which reads, “You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, ‘No one sees me.’”   Sound familiar?  Sins committed in thought certainly fit the bill, but I’m sure you can think of other overt sins committed in the privacy of your home.  Isaiah 24:5 reports, “The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.”  Any time we fail to live up to God’s standard or Jesus’ example, we are sinful. 

As a Christian, the consequence of sin is most devastating in how it impacts our relationship with God.  “…your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)  What can be worse in a relationship than separation?  How about God not hearing your prayers?!?!  Sin creates distance between us and God, destroying the opportunities for intimate conversation and relationship building.

As we discipline and guide our children following wrongdoing, God may judge and discipline us.  Judgment for sin may bring mourning, suffering, desolation, terror, snares, brokenness, and shame. (Isaiah 24)  In recognizing their sins, the people see that God is the answer.  “He will shallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces…he might save us…let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:8-9)  There is hope in those words and with good reason, as God wants to remove sin from our lives and restore our damaged relationship.

Why does God offer us salvation?  “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah 43:4)  God makes it clear that He not only wants to be in a relationship with us but to be the priority in our lives.  “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, you Savior.” (Isaiah 43:3)

Lastly, God offers much more than just forgiveness of sins.  He promises to care for us and to be there through the tough times.  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2)  I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I feel like I’ve been burned.  The problem is that I will never know all that God protected me from.  God doesn’t say I won’t feel the heat, but in my self-centeredness, as soon as I see flames, feel heat, and start to sweat, I think I’m ablaze!  God has to remind me, “…my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)  I will never be as holy or as righteous as God, so I can never understand my circumstances and my world like He can.  He promises, however, to “…hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’” (Isaiah 41:13)  We don’t need to know and understand everything when we trust God who knows all things, is ever-present, and all-powerful.

My prayer today:

Lord, I know that I am a sinner.  I am due much harsher judgment and punishment than I’ve received.  Thank you for wiping my sin away, restoring my relationship with you, and walking through the fire with me.  I can’t bear to have you turn away and not hear me, Lord, so forgive me for the sins that separate me from you.  I know that it is my actions that cause our separation, and I ask that you cast those sins away forever.  Amen

Add a comment July 7, 2010