Telling Our Own Story

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3:3-4
   
One of my colleagues has mastered the skill of telling their own story.  Here is how it works.  A situation will occur where a peer asks questions about a situation.  The reality is the peer just wants information to help solve a problem.  However, my colleague will tell their own story saying, “They are questioning my judgment!”  I have to laugh about it because I can clearly see what is happening, and then subtly inform my colleague of what the reality is.  The truth of the matter is we all fall prey to this.  We might see someone homeless, and ‘tell our own story’ that they must be lazy.  Or we see a child running wild in a store with their mom chasing them, and then we ‘tell our own story’ that they are not a very good parent.  It raises the question that as a Christian what is the true story about us and how does God see us?

God knows us inside and out, and focuses on the potential of what we can be.  There are numerous stories in the Bible that show how God uses people for His will to be done.  In many cases, these were not perfect people, and like us, they had sinned before God.  However, God saw the ‘inner self’ of those individuals, and used them where they were rewarded for making the choice to follow God.  We often gravitate to the ugly stuff of other people because it sounds more interesting (ex. We love to tear down our heroes after building them up).  However, if we were to use our God centered lens, we’d see the potential, beauty, and positive aspects of people.  That is at the center of a Christian’s heart.

Seeing things through God’s eyes always provides the right story.  The Pharisees had ‘told their own story’ that Jesus was blasphemous and disobeyed God’s laws.  The reality was Jesus is the Son of God who sacrificed His life so that we would not suffer for our sins.  When you begin to assess another’s situation or motive, remember to ask yourself like those bumper stickers would ask, “What would Jesus do?”  How can you see others as God sees them?  Do you tell your own story to justify wrongdoing before God?  My prayer is that we see the world as God’s sees it and not tell our own story. Amen.

Tues Devo: Whose Orders?

Exodus 1:15-17 “Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah; and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.” (NASB)

Hello,

Ever been faced with a scenario where you just don’t quite feel right about a decision in front of you? The right choice is fairly obvious, but the impact of that choice is not something you want to think about? Well, you are not the first! The midwives faced this test – the obvious choice was to not kill the babies (up there on my list of most obvious things) – but the consequences here are strong. The king of Egypt could have them killed for not obeying. They could even cover it up, as death rates were much higher then than now. But they evaluated the two sets of orders – one from God and one from Pharaoh – and made their stand based on who is really in control, and on the long term, not the short term.

What did they get for obedience? Not only protected, but God blessed them with families of their own.

Whose orders will you follow?

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

The Five Solas: A Cry for Truth! (Part 5 of 5)

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to part five of The Five Solas: A Cry for Truth!

This week we will investigate the fifth and final Sola known as SOLI DEO GLORIA…

The Five Solas: #5 – Sola Deo Gloria

Glory to God alone, also known as Soli Deo Gloria meaning all the glory is due to God alone not only in the atonement of Jesus Christ, but even granting the faith which unites us to Christ and brings us into the salvation provided by His atonement.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord – 2 Corinthians 3:18

It is affirmed that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God's glory and that we must glorify Him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for His glory alone. It is denied that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment or man-centered techniques, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self-fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the true saving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Following Jesus Christ isn't just a “lifestyle choice” to be tried; it's an ongoing process of transformation know as sanctification. Followers of Jesus Christ – Christians – exposed to God's grace and glory each day, naturally begin to reflect that glory into the lives of those around them. Is your life experiencing this transformation? May it be so!

A Call To Repentance!

The faithfulness of the evangelical church in the past contrasts sharply with its unfaithfulness in the present. Earlier in this century, evangelical churches sustained a remarkable missionary endeavor, and built many religious institutions to serve the cause of biblical truth and Christ's kingdom. That was a time when Christian behavior and expectations were markedly different from those in the culture. Today they often are not. The evangelical world today is losing its Biblical fidelity, moral compass and missionary zeal.

Lord, we repent of our worldliness. We have been influenced by the "gospels" of our secular culture, which are no gospels at all. We have weakened the church by our own lack of serious repentance, our blindness to the sins in ourselves which we see so clearly in others and our inexcusable failure adequately to tell others about God's saving work in Jesus Christ.

We must earnestly call back erring professing evangelicals who have deviated from God's Word. This includes those who declare that there is hope of eternal life apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ – Amen!

Thank you for reading! It is our hope that you now have a better understanding of these theological principles that are rooted in the Word of God.

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 <><‏

To Know

12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4

We don't know what Esther was thinking her own future would be as a result of Haman's actions, but Mordecai really lays it on Esther.  He essentially tells her, "If you do nothing, the Jews will be saved by another, because our God is that great that he will prevent this from happening.  And so the Jews will survive, but you will still die.  God placed you here to stop this!"

In doing a little more research on the book of Esther, one very interesting nugget of information that I've picked up is that this is one of two books in the entire bible that do not speak of God.  So we're missing key pieces here.  Later verses say that there was fasting and prayer before Esther visited the king, but there's no mention of "Esther felt God on her heart," or "Esther questioned God," or "God told Esther."

Most of the interpretations of this are that the author wrote the book to be a purely historical account of events.  They wanted anyone to be able to read this book and understand what happened, and infer God's role in the events without explicitly stating such.  There are examples throughout the bible of people that obeyed God's word without question, people who doubted, and people who even ran from God.  We don't really know what categories Esther and Mordecai fall into.  We can infer, but we do not know.

What about you?  If someone meets you, would they have to infer your relationship with God, or is it obvious with you that there is no doubt you're a follower of Christ?  If you remain silent about God, won't you and your father perish?  So then, do not be silent!  Do not let people infer and make sure they know!

A Special Message

Have you ever received a special note or voicemail? What did you do with it? Did you read or listen to it once and discard it? Or did you read or hear it over and over?

I have several voicemail messages from family members that I’ve saved and listened to over and over. One of them was the very first voicemail message Joe left on my phone, but I accidentally deleted it the other day. ☹ I smiled every time I listened to it! Just because I heard it once, didn’t mean I didn’t need to or want to hear it again. Plus, I caught different things about Joe and what he said by listening to it over and over.

God has left us a special message (and thankfully it can’t be deleted!). We can read it once and dismiss it. Or, we can read it, study it and apply it (like Kent wrote about yesterday).

Matthew 7: 24-27       ²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

When we hear and apply God’s message, we will get to know Him, our true love, better! He will in turn delight our hearts, renew our joy, strengthen our faith, help us avoid sin, and enable us to face life’s storms.

Are you and I wise or foolish?

Do you study and apply God’s message on a regular basis?

How special is God’s message to you and me?

Alice

Fighting for Control

Praise be to the Lord,
    for he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise him.  Psalm 28:6-7

The other day I got a scare.  Not the type of scare that you yourself have to face.  But rather, one that is faced by one closest to you.  In my case, it was my wife.  As I struggled to deal with the potential worse outcomes, tears came down my cheek.  Then, as my fears began to run rapid, I realized that I had no control over the situation.  But God did.  I just prayed for wisdom and strength.  You see, many people like myself do well going against the odds because we believe we are in control.  However, when it is someone dear to you, you realize just how little control you have.  It is then that you reach to God and ask for Him to do what we cannot; take over.

True strength comes from surrendering all to God.  While we all know our judgment day will come, we walk through life anticipating that it will come when the time is right.  We hold out hope that it will be on our terms.  However, none of us are promised tomorrow, and as I learned this week, even the day does not guarantee we will be able to lay down by our choosing.  Thus, we have two choices.  We can continue to believe that we have the power, or we can lay our trust in the one who I call ‘The Great Healer,’ to strengthen us.  While many believe the former, those who love God know ultimately that His will trumps all, and true strength lies in the living God through whom all things are possible.

God understands more than we can possibly imagine.  We ask for understanding as to why we go through what we do, and we realize that deep inside, we already know.  God’s strength is true power.  Who will you rely on when the odds are against you?  How will you trust in God’s strength above your own?  My prayer is that we learn to rely on His strength above all and stop fighting with God for control of things.  Amen.

Tues Devo: The right filter

Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (NASB)

Hello,

Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking (yes, it does hurt…) – and wondering if I have been putting my plans and decisions through the proper filters before acting on them. I think that the above 2 verses are a tremendous filter. These verses are not about the outward part of the action, but the ‘why’ or motivational part of what is done. We have to be able to be honest with ourselves. When we evaluate our motives are we rationalizing, or truly evaluating and putting them through the proper filters?

I challenge all of us to find a few scripture verses as those above to be able to use as filters for our plans and decisions.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

The Five Solas: A Cry for Truth! (Part 4 of 5)

Hello Friends!

Welcome back to part four of The Five Solas: A Cry for Truth!

This week we will investigate the fourth Sola known as SOLA GRATIA…

The Five Solas: #4 – Sola Gratia

By grace alone is from the Latin Sola gratia. In salvation we are rescued from God's wrath by His grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Jesus Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life. It is denied that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerate human nature.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast – Ephesians 2:8-9

Our justification before God and our resulting eternal salvation are both solely by the sovereign distinguishing grace of God and are not dependant on any action or condition provided by man. By His grace, He has given man the ability to choose or reject Him.

Thank you for reading! Don’t miss next week’s edition as we investigate the final Sola #5 – SOLI DEO GLORIA…

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 <><

Who's the Focus On?

15 The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered. Esther 3

The story so far:  Haman has been elevated to a high status, so high that everyone must kneel before him.  Mordecai refused to do so because Haman's ancestors were the Amalekites, enemies of the Israelites.  Haman wasn't pleased and then proceeds to take his revenge on not only Mordecai, but all Jews.  He wants to kill all of them within the kingdom.  He convinces the king to agree, and a proclamation is sent to all in the kingdom of the day the Jews are to be killed.

The last verse in the chapter covers two ends of a spectrum.  The king and Haman relax and enjoy some wine after the proclamation is sent.  Haman is practically celebrating the upcoming defeat of the Jews.  Meanwhile, the rest of the kingdom is giving a resounding, "Huh?" They don't know where this came from.  EVERYONE is confused.  The confusion is not specific to only the Jews.

Compare this to today's world.  If a foreign leader refused to shake our President's hand, or if a member of the military refused to salute a high ranking and public officer, it would be plastered all over the news.  Everyone would know the players, the backstory, and the rumors about what would happen next.  There would be little in the form of a surprise, other than the initial act.

Mordecai stood up for what he knew to be right.  He stood up for his people and for his God.  He didn't think of the severe consequences, nor did he think of the notoriety that would follow from his act.  He didn't think of the possible book deals or talk show appearances that may arise from his actions.  He stood for God, not himself.

We are to do the same.  Standing for God may sometimes put us under a spot light, but that should not be the reason we act.  We need to present God as being front and center, not ourselves.

God of the Impossible

Has anyone ever told you that some of the stories in the Old Testament didn’t really happen? Is it because they seem too far-fetched or too impossible?

Many of these “impossible” events (Noah and the flood, destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire, Jonah swallowed by the fish, etc.) are not just mentioned in one Old Testament book, but are referenced in the New Testament thousands of years later. In fact, Jesus Himself references all of these!

As Jesus was explaining His second coming to His disciples, He used Noah for comparison.

Matthew 24:36-39      ³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

I’ve heard some people say that they can’t deny that a flood happened, but they question whether it was a total flood or just regional. Well, then why did Jesus say “the flood came and took them all away?” Plus, in Genesis 7:21-23, it says everything was wiped out. Since God created everything from nothing, then He can certainly destroy it, change it, or have it do the impossible.

In answering the disciples questions earlier about who can be saved:  

Matthew 19:26           ²⁶ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Do you and I believe God can do the impossible?

When has God done the impossible in your and my life in the past?

How can you and I remember those times as we face new “impossible” situations?