May 6, 2012

"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple......" Luke 9:23

Perhaps it makes sense to define terms before we go much further in our devotional thoughts. Quite simple, "What is a disciple?' or "What does a disciple look like?" or "What does it mean to be a disciple?"

 

I am sure Jesus had a specific idea in mind when He called them to follow Him. I am sure the men he called were clear on what they were signing up for.

 

Do you consider yourself a disciple of Jesus? Are you clear on what it means to be a disciple? Don't you think that would be an important thing to know? Shouldn't you be clear on the concept?

 

Let me see if I can clarify it for you:

 

Being a disciple involves relationship - a disciple is a lover.

 

If being a disciple means anything it means being in a relationship with the one you choose to follow. You do tend to follow what you love and you grow in love as you follow.

 

To be in relationship with Jesus, or anyone for that matter, you must have constant communication with Him. For a disciple that means prayer. Recall that Jesus didn't teach His twelve disciples to preach but He did teach them to pray.

 

To be in relationship you must also be committed. Commitment requires obedience. You cannot be a disciple if you are not committed to completely obeying Jesus.

 

Being a disciple involves recognition - a disciple is a learner.

 

A disciple must learn and adapt to the beliefs of the one he is following. So, a disciple of Jesus must be a learner of Jesus' teachings and truths. And a disciple doesn't learn just to acquire knowledge and information, he learns for life-change.

 

Being a disciple involves reproduction - a disciple is a leader.

 

Thirdly, a disciple that loves his master and learns from his master will eventually live like his master. As he lives like his master he will look like his master. When you live like a leader and look like a leader, others will begin to follow you. A disciple not only conforms to the life-style of his master but he will influence others to live like Jesus.

 

So, what is a disciple of Jesus? One who loves Jesus and learns from Jesus until he looks and lives like Jesus. A disciple follows until he leads.

 

Let me ask you, do you love Jesus? How well are you obeying Him? How much are you committed to Him? Are you in regular communication with Him?

 

Are you learning from Jesus? Are you reading His Word and meditating on it? Is your thinking guided by His truths?

 

Are you leading others to Jesus? Are others following Him because of you?

 

If you consider youself a disciple and if you call yourself by that name - love Him, learn of Him, and lead others to Him.

May 5, 2012

"Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again." Exodus 14:13

Here is another expectation you can have of God. If He leads you into a difficult situation, He will make a way to bring you out. Moses proves it as do many of the great heroes of faith!

Another giant of faith, Paul, affirmed this truth when he wrote, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." I Corinthians 10:13

If you REALLY know that and if your REALLY believe that, you will be able to do what Moses told God's people to do as they became aware of the gravity of their situation. They were trapped between the viscious Egyptians and the Red Sea. When they felt like fleeing in panic he told them to stand pat and wait on the Lord!

Waiting on anybody or anything goes against the grain for us. This is the microwave, instant access, immediate gratification generation and waiting does not work for us. Yet, if you want God to bring you out of what He's led you into the first thing to do is wait.

While waiting is hard for us, it appears in the Bible some 135 times! So, it must be quite important to the Lord. Here are a few samples:

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” Psa. 27:14

“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.” Psa. 33:20

“but they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” Isa. 40:31

“I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lam. 3:24

“Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.” Jude 1:21

Most of the time the word for "wait" is closely akin to "hope". Waiting for God is not a passive activity. It is hoping in God while you fellowship with Him and continue steadfastly in prayer. Waiting shows your confidence that God is working in your behalf even if you cannot perceive it yet. Waiting is allowing Him to do a work in you while you await what He will do for you.

Waiting for God demonstrates your faith in Him because faith believes in what it can't yet see.

Waiting for God demonstrates your hope in Him because hope can develop patience.

Waiting for God demonstrates your love for Him because love always waits for the best.

Will you wait for God?

May 4, 2012

^"As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses,“Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Exodus 14:10-12

If I asked you to put yourself in the place of the Israelites, I bet you could do it. Not that you have ever stood between a charging army and a sea with no way of escape. But you know the sense of vulnerability they felt. Panic was setting in as they heard the approaching hooves and the rattling chariots growing ever louder. As the volume increased so did their sense of helplessness - and hopelessness.

Maybe it was that rebellious out of control teen-ager that made you feel powerless. Perhaps it was the catastrophic health issue that stole your strength and threatened your future. It could have been that unwanted divorce despite your best efforts to salvage the marriage that left you feeling powerless. Or, possibly it was the ordeal of losing your house because you couldn't keep up the mortgage when your hours were cut at work.

There are so many things in life that make you feel vulnerable. No one likes feeling vulnerable. You despise weakness. You want to feel strong and in control. These moments in life that force upon you unwanted situations, remind you of just how vulnerable you are.

In this familiar and beloved story of Moses at the Red Sea there is a lesson to the people often missed by Sunday School teachers and preachers. I want to zero in on that truth. For the people of God vulnerability leads to victory!

Think about it! Name for me one miracle or one great victory in the Bible that did not arise out of a vulnerable situation. I can't think of one, can you?

Abraham and Sarah couldn't have a son - but they did!

David couldn't kill a giant like Goliath - but he did!

Here are several more who were weak and vulnerable but won great victories: Gideon, Elijah, Noah, Three Hebrew Children, Daniel, the little boy with the lunch and most of all - Jesus on the Cross.

People of God must thing like kingdom people! In His kingdom life comes out of death and strength comes out of weakness and victory comes out of vulnerability.

One of the strong messages that comes out of this powerful story is God's strength works best through your weakness! Don't fear weakness! Don't despise vulnerability! Let God be your strength. Walk in His will and He will always make a way through your difficulties!

May 3, 2012

^"Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.  I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:13-18

Moses knew what the rest of Israel was about to discover, God will always make a way! If He leads you in He will bring you out! At this point Moses didn't know how but he knew Who!

Deliverance is God's part. It is His specialty.

God told Moses that what looked like their dilemma was about to become their deliverance if they would make the right decision. God is SO good at doing that! He will take the very thing that looks like a disaster and turn it into your deliverance!

Do you believe that?

You say, "I want to believe that! I see it in this story and I know the promise that with every trial and temptation He will make a way of escape but I am not seeing it."

Let's look at the story again and see if you can gain some insight.

God will turn your dilemma into your deliverance if you will wait - “Do not be afraid. Stand firm"

Waiting is always hard! Always! It gets harder when you have an vicious army riding down at you in your vulnerable moment.

Every instinct in your body is shouting, "Run!" but the voice of God whispers, "Wait! Don't be afraid, just wait!"

Why does He ALWAYS want you to wait?

I don't know all the reasons but I do know His timing is always perfect and yours isn't.

God will turn your dilemma into deliverance if you will watch - "you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again."

You have to do something while you are waiting for the Lord - so, why not just watch Him do what He does?

If you aren't keeping your eyes on God guess what you will do? You will either be focused on the enemy or fixed on yourself. Niether of those will get you delivered!

When those winds began blowing and when those waves rolled up on either side and that way of escape opened wide, don't you think they were glad they were watching!

Do you need deliverance from your dilemma? Wait! Watch!

God will turn your dilemma into deliverance if you will walk - "Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left."

There is a time to wait and a time to watch but then there comes a time to walk! God WILL open a way but when He does you must be ready to walk through it!

What an amazing way He chose to deliver them! Imagine seeing a wide and deep sea open up and make a path of escape from the enemy!

Now, let's be real about this! God could have built a gigantic battleship that he could have pulled up to shore to deliver them and then opened the big guns and missles on the Egyptians.

Or, He could have just had the Israelites simply walk across the top of the water like Peter did once.

But God chose to open the sea to deliver them so He could close the sea and destroy the enemy! They were delivered and the Egyptians were destroyed!

One thing you can expect from God - He will make a way for you!

But He will expect you to wait on Him and watch for Him and walk through the way when He opens it!

May 2, 2012

^"As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:10-18

God's people found themselves in a dilemma, trapped between the Red Sea and the charging Egyptian army. Not an enviable situation. Their best case scenario seemed to be a return to slavery and the worst case was probably being slaughtered.

They found themselves feeling very vulnerable and unsure what to do. The options they had to choose from were both seemed risky - give up and turn back or trust God and Moses for something they had never seen or could not imagine. It was a very hard decision, but that's what a dilemma is! The way out of a dilemma is to make a bold decision. And hopefully, the right decision! When you face a dilemma the next decision you make is HUGE!

The decision they faced was this, "Should I trust my gut or trust my God?" Would they follow their fears or would they face their fears with faith? When you feel vulnerable it is easiest to retreat to your comfort zone rather than risk commitment to the unknown. That is how slaves remain slaves and victims remain victims.

They had become slaves not by their own decision but by the decisions of people more powerful than them. And while they were in slavery they didn't have the freedom to make decisions that mattered. That's the point of slavery isn't it? So now they were free and they had to learn to make decisions that would keep them free. Remaining free requires right decisions.

In this study series we are doing on "HIMpossibility" - What Should I Expect From God? we are operating from the theme - "our expectations of God arise from our experiences with God and those experiences come from our encounters with God". Following 400 years of being slaves these folks didn't have a lot of experiences with God. However, based on their most recent encounters with Him, they should have been a lot more positive! He had sent plagues to break the iron will of the Pharaoh and not only were they set free but they were given the wealth of the land in the process! And everyday since they saw God leading them through the cloud and the pillar of fire. And, by the way, while they were in the throes of this dilemma, that very same pillar had moved between them and the attacking Egyptians for their protection. There was plenty of evidence to cause them to trust the Lord! But would they?

Like you and me, they were one decision away from solving their dilemma. They were also one decision away from turning back to slavery. Would they draw from their recent experiences with God and base their expectation on those powerful encounters or would they give into their fears and surrender to slavery again? This was the most important decision they had ever made. How do you make good decisions in the midst of such pressure?

Look, listen and learn!

Look at how you got here. Did God lead me here or did my bad decisions lead me here? If you know God led you in to this vulnerable situation you can be sure He will lead you out of it. Let that certainty guide your decision.

Listen to those in leadership above you. If you have a godly leader who regularly hears from God listen to him because listening to him is like listening to God. More importantly, listen to God! If what your leader is saying syncs with what God is saying to you commit to it.

Learn from your previous experiences with God and especially, learn from your most recent encounter with God. See how He is leading. Hear what He is saying. Also, learn from the bad decisions you may have made in the past and avoid repeating those.

The story of the Red Sea has a happy ending because a good decision led them out of a bad dilemma! They looked over their journey, they listened to Moses and they learned what God can do to people who are willing to trust forward and not turn back!

If you are facing a dilemma you just need to make a decision. But that next decision will be a big one! Are you looking? Are you listening? Are you learning?

May 1, 2012

"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon.  Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So the Israelites did this. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  Exodus 14:1-14

Moses and the Red Sea is one of the great epochs of the Bible.

For someone of my generation it is hard to think of this story without having a mental image of Charlton Heston from the Cecil B. De Mille classic movie "The Ten Commandments". Some of you are envisioning that right now!

As dramatic and spectacular as that scene was in the movie, I've got to believe that the actual event was far more awesome! Scholars I read have determined the Red Sea was ten miles wide where the Israelites crossed and that area today is 3,000 to 5,000 feet deep. They also estimate that for 2.2 million people to cross at that place in the time span indicated by the Bible the sea would have opened nearly a half mile wide. That's a lot of water to split!

This Sunday we will be looking  at the expectation of God to lead us out of trouble that He led us into! We will trace that study via this blog over the next three or four days.

They Had A Dilemma

They Had A Decision

They Had A Deliverance

Even though this event happened 3,500 years ago it is relevant to you today because you still find yourself in dilemmas. They were in an extremely vulnerable place between the charging Egyptian army and the expansive Red Sea. Pharaoh had chosen 600 of his finest and fiercest charioteers and they were not in a good mood. This was a tough spot!

So, how did the people of God respond? Panic! They responded like many Christians do today, they rebelled against their leader and began longing for the old days! It is hard to move forward when you are looking back!

The people of God had a dilemma and you may find yourself in a dilemma today as you read this. You find yourself feeling very vulnerable and very trapped. And, as painful as your past has been you are considering going back! That is the reaction of someone in panic mode.

No one likes feeling vulnerable. Vulnerable feels weak and powerless. There is a good reason for that - you are! Just like the Israelites at the Red Sea when you and I feel trapped in a vulnerable place and threatened on every side we tend to ask the wrong question, "How do I get out of this?"

You have asked it. I have asked it. They were asking it. Moses was probably wondering it.

The right question is this, "How did I get into it?" And, the follow up question is, "What can I get out of it?"

How did they get into it?

God led them there! They followed the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. When the pillar moved, they moved. When the pillar stopped, they stopped! And following the pillar led them to where they were!

That is why this question is so important! Asking, "How did I get into this?" helps you recall if God led you to this place. And if you know He did, then that answers the other question because you know that if He led you in, He will bring you out!

What you will get out of it is eventual deliverance and a deeper trust in God!

Feeling vulnerable and trapped? Finding yourself in a tough spot? Ask the right questions and the answers will become more clear!

(EDITORS NOTE: I didn't complete this devotional last night as I usually do and mistakenly published my outline. Apologies to you early risers who logged on and found it unfinished.)

April 30, 2012

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6

This is a great verse, isn't it? Most consider it the key verse of the great 11th Chapter of Hebrews. In one concise sentence it captures the essense of faith that pleases God. For that reason it is worthy of our consideration.

So, what IS this faith pleases God?

Faith is coming to God - "because anyone who comes to him"

Everyone is drawn to something - or someone. What you are drawn to reveals alot about you and, it will have a profound impact on you.

If you are drawn to money you may be greedy or ambitious.

If you are drawn to cars, boats, or houses you may be materialistic.

If you are drawn to God it is evidence that you have a measure of faith active within you.

Faith pleases God when it draws you toward Him!

Faith is believing God exists - "must believe that he exists"

Why would you come to someone Who does not exist? Why would you be drawn to an non-existant person?

Faith is seeing the invisible and touching the intangible. Faith is knowing that which cannot be completely known.

Faith is overcoming the natural tendency to disbelieve what we cannot tangibly verify or prove. So, believing God exists shows that we have moved beyond the natural to the spiritual. Faith comes from hearing the truth about God's nature and existance from the Word of God and believing what it says. That pleases God!

Faith seeks God earnestly - "that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

One evidence that God is real is that the more you seek Him the more you want to seek Him. That is because He rewards your earnest seeking with His presence and His goodness and His comfort and His joy and His love!

Earnest seeking means that you pursue Him not for what He can give you nor what you can get from Him. You seek Him earnestly to get more of Him! You let nothing stop you from your spiritual pursuit of God.

Who are you trying to please?

If you want to please God it will take faith.