Make a Meaningful Difference!

Hello Friends!

When your life is over, will your existence on earth have meant anything?

Deep down inside each of us, there is a desire to make a difference – to believe that our existence means something more than fun, comfort, self-indulgence, personal pleasure or financial wealth. So how do we live in such a way that our lives will make a meaningful difference in our world and to the people around us? 

Here are some thoughts on this very important subject…

Make a Meaningful Difference!

Undoubtedly, the greatest of all role models was Jesus Christ – God incarnate. Therefore to glean insight into this topic, we should consider how Jesus Christ – a humble Jewish carpenter – made a meaningful difference that continues to impact the world today:

I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do – John 17:4

Then I [Jesus] said, “Here I am - it is written about me in the scroll - I have come to do your will, O God" – Hebrews 10:7

These verses summarizes Jesus’ focus in life - to do God the Father’s will. God’s will can be understood to mean both the specific actions and choices that God desires as well as the ways that God wants those actions and choices to be executed. There are many aspects of Jesus' life that reveal the will and ways of God. 

For example, consider the topics of authority, circumstances, work, money, and priorities.

Authority: It appears to be common among humans to view authority with some disdain. If we are honest, we don't always want to submit to authority and often only do so begrudgingly. Jesus Christ, however, was fully submitted to the will and ways of the Father.

Circumstances: Our control over life’s events is limited; many circumstances are largely beyond our control. When bad circumstances occur, we naturally seek to escape them. But this was not how Jesus Christ lived. He recognized that God is sovereign over all and therefore the Author of circumstances. Jesus Christ did not seek escape from circumstances but sought God's will in all circumstances.

Work: For most of us, work is something we have to do – not something we are privileged to do. For Jesus Christ, work was part of His ministry. He recognized God’s sovereign hand in all His workplace assignments and activities.

Money: The ubiquitous measure of success and significance seems to be money. But to Jesus Christ, money was simply a tool used to obey God – to do God’s will.

Priorities: For most people, the choices of life today reflect personal pleasure and comfort – hedonism. Sacrifice and suffering are not esteemed virtues in our culture. But for Jesus Christ, His personal pleasure and comfort were always subordinated to the will and ways of His Heavenly Father – no matter what it cost Him.

Jesus Christ made a meaningful difference during His life because He viewed everything from God's perspective and lived to do one thing – the will of God according to the ways of God. This is how to live a meaningful life!

Closing Thoughts:

As Christians, we must seek to make a meaningful difference in our world for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The only way to do this Biblically is to live as Jesus Christ did with the singular focus of doing the will of God according to the ways of God.

For Christians to make a meaningful difference in their lives requires dedication to God. To do this well, we must be Christians who wish to live as Jesus Christ did. Some of the key ingredients to living meaningful lives are:

• Submission to authority
• Viewing the perfect sovereignty of God in all circumstances
• Recognizing that work is ministry
• Using money as a tool to obey the will and ways of God
• Making the will and ways of God the priority in all situations 

May the Lord Jesus Christ continue to bless you with His perfect love, mercy and grace!

Keep looking up and sharing the Gospel while there is still time… Hallelujah and Maranatha – come quickly Lord Jesus!

Blessings!

Shane <><

From Bad to Worse

18 But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.  Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, 19 the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.  Exodus 8

We're in the midst of the plagues, and while I could go into each one individually, I think picking a piece out of the chapter can be more beneficial.

So, there are gnats everywhere.  My study bible says that these were probably closer to modern-day mosquitoes.  Eeewww... I took my son out to play yesterday and just as it started to get dark out, I had two mosquitoes buzz right by my ear.  I was done!  I scooped up my son and we headed indoors at that point.  Now, think about what just happened in Egypt.  It's described that "all the dust became gnats."  Everything was covered, all people and all animals.  There was no escaping them by running indoors.

So Pharaoh called to his magicians to fix it (he does this a few times and they're never able to do so).  What I find really interesting is that the passage doesn't say that the magicians tried to remove the gnats, rather, they tried to produce more gnats.  They wanted to create so that they could see what trick Moses and Aaron had performed to create the gnats, and then they would know how to undo the problem.

The section on gnats is really short in comparison to the other plagues.  However, we aren't given any timeframes, and I doubt it was as fast as it took me to read those two paragraphs.  This took a while.  Those magicians were working for a while on creating gnats, and getting no where.  I'm sure they were frustrated, tired, itchy and uncomfortable.  It took a lot, but eventually, they realized that this was something more than they could do.  This had to be the direct work of God.  They saw that and accepted it, but we don't know if they turned their hearts over to God.  

So I read ahead.  I wanted to know if anything comes about with the magicians again.  During the remaining plagues, they're only mentioned once more.  They're mentioned during the plague of boils to state that their boils were so painful, that they could not stand before Moses.  The study bible I have explains that the meaning there isn't that they didn't want to be seen by Moses, but that these were so painful, and probably located on their legs and around their knees in particular, that they were physically unable to stand.  That's it.  That's the end of the mentions of the Egyptian magicians (at least for this section of the bible).  Pharaoh remains with a hard heart as the plagues continue, but there is no mention of the magicians trying to fix things or recreate the miracles Moses was performing.  

Sometimes, we are presented with situations that we try to rationalize.  We try to fix them or explain them away.  However, sometimes there are things so extraordinary, so far outside of our normal lives, that we have to realize that it's something direct from God.  Does that mean the situations will improve?  They didn't for the magicians.  They went from gnats to flies to dead livestock to the boils.  Their situation went from bad to worse.  Jesus is our rock.  He's our foundation.  When things are going from bad to worse, he is always there for us to lean on.  I don't know if the magicians did this (obviously they didn't know about Jesus yet, but they could have leaned on God), but I do know that we can do this.  We can put our faith in Jesus to know that even though the situation is uncomfortable and seemingly impossible for us, he will never leave us.

Greater Proof

Once the chief priests and elders succeeded in getting Jesus killed, they still weren’t satisfied. They continued to live in fear.
 

Matthew 27:62-66      ⁶² The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. ⁶³ “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

 
Many of the religious leaders refused to believe the truth and seemed quite consumed by their fear.  They appeared to misunderstand Jesus while He was alive and twisted some of his words, but here they clearly remembered and understood some of Jesus’ words. I’m guessing they were recounting their conversation with Him back in Matthew 12:38-40 ³⁸ Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” ³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
 
What’s amazing is that God worked through the religious leaders' fear in order to give them (and everyone else) greater proof that Jesus was the Son of God! The seal around the stone and the guard would be no match for the resurrected Jesus!
 
Who do you know that lives in fear? 
Do they refuse to believe God’s words and His promises? 
Do they think they can suppress or stop God?
You and I can pray for God to work through their fears to help them eventually see greater proof of the truth.

Alice

Just Smile

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.  Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.  Hebrews 10:32-35

People know that I love to smile.  I smile at those who I know well and care deeply about.  I smile at those who would call me an enemy because I want them to know the God I represent.  I smile because there is a joy inside knowing that I am saved from a sinful past that once told me grace was out of my reach.  I smile knowing I am God’s child.  Some people would accuse me of smiling too much.  My response is they focus on how they see the world too much and not the potential God sees in them.  This does not mean I do not have fears and struggles in my life.  What it does mean is that I believe with confidence Jesus came into the world, died for our sins, and rose to prove beyond any doubt He is Lord.

We must reflect the light of Christ even in our most trying circumstances.  Jesus says that we are the light of the world. (Matthew 5:14)  There are some days that we feel down, and others where the world punches us in the gut trying to take away the certainty we have in Christ.  But through Jesus Christ, we were given the precious gift of eternal life.  For that alone, we have a light within us that can endure any hardship or pain.  We must share that light without reservations, and no matter what the world may throw at us, it cannot put out His light that shine brightly within us.

With God, there is always reason to have joy in our heart.  While we may feel short term sadness over circumstances or be left with situations that concern us, we must never forget the suffering our Lord endured for us.  Knowing this, there is nothing we cannot overcome.  Where does your confidence lie?  How can you exhibit the light of God in times of struggle?  My prayer is that when the clouds of darkness head our way, we look at them, and confidently, just smile.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Great expectations

1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (NASB)

Hello,

Expectation is a funny thing. One’s thoughts on expectation differ based on whether you are talking about expectations of yourself or expectations you have of others. We look at others and set expectations based on the past and our perspective of circumstance. When we set expectations for ourselves we may start with hope, but then we start to hear the expectations of others and that hope may begin to fall. We start to see the failures of the past and push them into the present. We let the outside influences overcome the inside influence.

We need to have an expectation of overcoming the battle with sin. We have an incredible inside force in the Holy Spirit and our relationship with Jesus. Our forgiveness from Jesus is satisfactory (meaning of propitiation in verse) is not just about future forgiveness, but also a strengthening reminder of not needing guilt. The Holy Spirit living in us is the power to overcome sin and temptation.

That should be enough…..but we let the expectations of the outside creep in. We see a circumstance where we have struggled before – and our expectation of victory starts to fall. We hear people talk negatively about our past, or our decision making, and we let that sink in.

I am not trying to preach any kind of “name it, claim it” – but when we do not put ourselves in the mental position of victory we are lessening our chances. To a large degree, we are saying that we are OK with sin. But that is not what we are to do. We are to have an expectation of victory because of who lives inside of us and our position of forgiven thanks to Jesus.

As you face your day, what are your expectations?

Will Hill