Costly Faith

Jesus said: “whoever does not bear his cross

and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For

which of you, intending to build a tower, does

not sit down first and count that cost, whether

he has enough to finish it---lest, after he has

laid the foundation, and is not able to finish,

all who see it begin to mock him. . .So likewise,

whoever of you does not forsake all that he has

cannot be My disciple.”

     Luke 14:27-33 (NKJV)

I enjoy reading about the lives of Christian missionaries; I find their stories very encouraging and inspiring.  One I just finished is “Evidence Not Seen” by Darlene Deibler Rose. She and her husband were missionaries in the Netherlands East Indies when World War II broke out and they spent a number of years there in a POW camp, where he died.  Her account of God’s all-sufficient grace, presence and provision during torture, severe deprivation and terrible suffering is incredibly powerful. The joy she relates of experiencing God’s wonderful blessings in the midst of such hard circumstances is so moving.  It brought me strong conviction about how shallow my faith is. 

Granted, I’m not living during a war in a third-world country, but God has work for me to do right here where I am. Yet how often do I seek comfort and pleasure rather than sacrificing myself to do His will?  How often do I hold back out of fear or nervousness or discomfort instead of being obedient?  God wants to use problems and challenging situations for my good; yet how often do I desire (and even pray) to be spared difficulties?  How often do I go through my days focused on my convenience and miss the opportunities He brings my way? 

The cost of discipleship is high, as Jesus explains in the passage above.  And if we truly live for Christ, we can expect to suffer for the sake of righteousness.  In response to His call, we're not to waffle or delay or seek the easy way out;  we’re just to say “Yes, Lord.” I regret that I did not come to Christ early in life and often wish I could have been called as a missionary in some far off place.  But I do have a mission field right here and now, wherever I am today.  

So I’m praying for a deeper faith--that I will have the courage to follow Jesus wherever He leads, even if it means sacrifice on my part. I pray for His abundant strength and grace to bear whatever He allows in my life, without running from it or complaining, because I trust that He will use it for my good and His glory. I pray that He will take my little life and use for His purposes, whatever the cost to me.

These can be hard things to pray for, and should not be undertaken lightly.  But faith is costly and I hope you will consider what your prayer should be in following Christ today.

Thursday Devotional - Sun Stands Still

God created the sun, moon, earth and everything in the universe. He created it all, so He has the power to have things happen that don’t fit the natural laws. Did you know the sun stood still for an entire day?

Joshua 10:12-15      ¹² On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
    and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
¹³ So the sun stood still,
    and the moon stopped,
    till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. ¹⁴ There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!

¹⁵ Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Last week God helped by throwing the Amorites into confusion and raining down large hailstones that killed more than the Israelites killed. I’m encouraged by so many details:

First, our forgiving and compassionate God helped Joshua (who didn’t even inquire of Him before making the treaty) help the deceptive Gibeonites!

Second, Joshua could have asked God to do lots of things besides stopping the sun. That meant he and his men had to keep fighting with no sleep after already marching all night the night before (Joshua 10:9). However, they got the blessing for participating!   

Third, I think the Holy Spirit (knowing it would bring the most glory to God in the situation) prompted Joshua to pray for the sun to stand still. As crazy as it seemed, Joshua did confidently pray it for all Israel to hear! They then witnessed God’s answer!

Fourth, not only did this show the Israelites, Gibeonites and Amorites that God was all-powerful, but the rest of the world would have experienced the phenomenon, too!

The more I think about it all, the more I’m in awe of God, His love, grace, forgiveness, compassion, personal involvement, power, might, and creativity! I’m challenged to boldly pray for things that will bring Him glory and ways I can participate in the solution.

How are you encouraged and challenged by this?

Alice

He Knows

God "will give to each person according to what he has done."  To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.  But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.  Romans 2:6-8

Around this time of year, many organizations spend time talking about raises and bonuses.  A lot of people focus on what they have, and are grateful for what they are to receive.  However, some are frustrated over the promotion they were passed over for or the increase that was not as great as they thought it would be.  They may get upset saying they don’t understand how one person got this, and they ‘only’ got that.  Early in my teens, I would have been one of those individuals always thinking that I should have gotten more.  However, my father taught me valuable lessons on getting things.  He said to not focus on what others have.  Instead, focus on those things that make you happy.  Furthermore, he told me not to get into who makes what.  Instead, focus hard on my own work, and the rest will take care of itself.  Now I won’t say that I got the message right away.  However when I did, my life seemed to get in order.  My family was never wanting and always safe.  I continued to grow in my job role.  Even the house that thought I’d never get suddenly became not only affordable but also available!  There is no doubt that my father knew what he was talking about.  But of course, he was a Christian long before I made that decision, and just as his father before him, somehow, he knew.

In understanding what God gives us, we are to always be thankful.  When reading these verses, it feels like one of those ‘faith by works’ verses, which we know is not how God operates.  However as the replay referee would say, “After further review,” these verses speak of ‘those who by persistence in doing good seek.’  If we seek for ourselves, God will be filled with wrath and anger, and the things we get have diminishing returns.  But if we focus on those things such as His glory, honoring Him, and focusing on eternal life, we will make decisions that are indeed ‘Godly.’  We are not focused on those things that are worldly at all.  We seek to please God, and trust that He will take care of us.  My pastor talked about tithing a few weeks ago.  I wasn’t always a tither, and even today I feel I could do better.  But thanks to a great friend, I learned to give faithfully.  This is not to either criticize those who haven’t given nor elevate me above others.  It is just about God and me.  My focus is on both my relationship with God and whether I have done His will or not.  I trust Him to take care of things, and then all works out for the best – His best, not mine.

If our life is in alignment with God’s will, all things fall into place.  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from Job that says, “ . . . the Lord gave, and the Lord have taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)  It is an understanding that we have in essence no control over what goes on around us.  The only thing we control is how we choose to praise the Lord.  Let us do our best to give all we can to glorify and honor our eternal God.  What have you been holding from God?  How can you seek more in your relationship with God?  My prayer is that we spend less time worrying about others and more time focusing on God because He knows.  Amen.

What are you asking for?

Isaiah 40:29

He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.

My mom shared this on Facebook the other day and I thought it was worth sharing.

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve; I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things; I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be happy; I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of everyone; I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life; I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.

Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.

I am, among all people, most richly blessed.”

Pray with assurance today that God is listening and cares for you.