Tues Devo: Ready to answer

1 Peter 3:15-17 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. “(NASB)

Hello,

As the parent of a couple toddlers, I do find myself asking questions to a couple young folks who are not ready with answers! It is very clear when they aren’t ready…there is that pause, some stammering, looking around, and the answer never starts with the answer – but rather with their rationale.

When we are not ready there is generally one of two reasons. 1) We are not expecting the question or 2) We are hoping the question won’t be asked.

In the past I have thought of these verses as defensive verses – be ready to answer in case you get asked. That approach of these verses being used on the defensive I believe have us leave out a valuable element. We are not just to have emergency answers, but to be ready to give an answer at all times, that answer must be natural in us – and reflective of our constant motivation.

What is your motivation? Are you ready to answer – or are you hoping you won’t be noticed and asked?

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Whom Shell I Fear? continued

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?

Last week I wrote how we are to fear God, not this word.  I didn’t take it far enough and a couple of you added to what I wrote so thank you!  They were exactly right, we are to fear God however in the sense that we fear him with respect.  Our fear of God is what keeps us walking in obedience to him, loving him and serving him with all that is within us.  It is why we keep the Lord’s commandments. 

God will protect us from the earthly fears that we face.  He will be there to carry us through the hard times, when we live for him even in the good times.

Thurs Devo: Clean Ashes

Does “clean” or “dirty” come to mind when you think of ashes? Dirty comes to my mind. However, God gave the Israelites instructions on using ashes in their water of cleansing. 

Numbers 19:9     ⁹ “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin.

It may seem strange, but that’s what God decided as a way for the Israelites to purify and cleanse themselves in His sight. Jews followed this law for centuries, otherwise they would have been cut off.

Numbers 19:20-21       ²⁰ But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean. ²¹ This is a lasting ordinance for them.

Now that God sent Jesus as our once and for all sacrifice for sin, accepting Jesus’ blood in our place purifies us from sin. Then, we can live a life pleasing to God, in fellowship with Him and others.

Hebrews 9:13-14             ¹³ The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴ How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

I John 1:7  ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Are you cleansed and purified and forgiven by God?

Are you trying to clean yourself your own way?

Or have you accepted and submitted to the one way God determined?

Alice 

I Can Do It!

When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

“Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  Matthew 14:26-29

Last week, I felt entirely spent mentally having dealt with many things that had been going on in both the short and long term.  Even though I would like to think I have a pretty high threshold for taking on things, I was struggling to find a way to be energetic.  Fortunately my annual recharge known as The Leadership Summit ended the week, and as usual, it greatly uplifted my spirits.  While there were typical well renowned speakers that gave great informative talks, it was a gentleman from Nigeria (Sam Adeyemi) who gave me the greatest pause for thought.  He provided a different spin on an old story.  He spoke on the story of Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:26-31).  As Christians, we tend to focus on the moral of the story, which is to have faith in Jesus.  While that is true, the story is also a reminder how Jesus encourages us to do His will.

Jesus wants us to know that we can do anything through Him.  We already know of the literal words of Paul in Philippians 4:13 (For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength).  The story of Peter walking on water with Jesus is a prime example of this.  Peter could not visualize how he could walk on water.  However, Jesus, the great leader He is, does not try to teach Him to walk on water.  Why?  First, Jesus is already standing on the water as proof that it can be done.  Second, He knows Peter’s heart, and understands the faith he has in Jesus.  What Peter lacked was the confidence that he could do it.  So Jesus says plain and simply, “Yes, come.”  This is Jesus being the encouraging force saying ‘if I can do it, you can do it!’  We often come across situations where we cannot see a clear pathway.  When God calls us to do something, we need not focus on the obstacles ahead or the lack of preparation we were given.  Like Peter, we must simply come to Jesus because if He says we can do it, we can!

God has given us everything we need to do His will.  Like most things with God, we must not focus on what we see.  We must trust in what He says.  If Paul focused on his circumstances (murderer of Christians) and education (not well versed), we would not have the majority of the New Testament.  When you find yourself stuck or struggling to achieve something God is asking of you, do not run to the corner of ‘failure’ and ‘disappointment.’  Trust in Christ not just in word but through His examples.  When is the last time you trusted God beyond what you could see?  How can you look less at circumstances and focus more on what God is asking of you?  My prayer is that we are encouraged by Jesus Christ to know that if He could do it, “I can do it!”  Amen!

Tues Devo: Growing pains

Hello,

A couple of weeks ago we had an interesting experience at our house. My son started complaining that his leg was hurting. He hadn't fallen or done anything – it lasted for a few days, and we believe it was growing pains. I never really thought that was a real “thing” – but there was no doubt he was being honest about the pain.

It got me thinking about our walk with God as believers – there is often pain with the growth. We may not make a bad choice to bring the pain – it may just be a necessary element of the growth process at the time.

So what? Well, when we encounter pain in our walk we need to ask the right questions. If we only focus on getting out of the pain as fast as possible, we may very well miss that growth opportunity. We need to ask what we can learn and how we are to respond. If we focus on learning and responding, we can then trust God to bring the right ending/next step for His glory and His purpose.

A passage from Philippians 3:7-11 to encourage us to focus on Him and keep moving forward:

“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (NASB)

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Whom Shell I Fear?

Luke 12:4-5

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”

It seems that we live in a world where more and more evil can be found all the time.  Many are scared of the world anymore because of everything you hear on the news.  No one trusts their neighbors anymore let alone a stranger that you run into on the street, at the mall or sometimes even at church.

We have been told that those people are not who we are to fear.  We are to fear God!  God is probably someone that you often don’t think of as someone to fear because you know that he loves you and wants the best for you.  While this is true, he is also a just God and he does hold the power to throw us in hell. 

I think we need to wake up and remember these things because we often just go through our lives without worrying about our future beyond this earth.  This world is just temporary however Heaven and Hell are forever. 

Let’s start today with fearing God and as a result, live to please him in everything we do.

Thurs Devo: Gift Management

 In addition to our local churches, there are also so many wonderful Christian organizations furthering the cause of Christ in the world. We have so many different ways we can give to God’s work. The Israelites in Moses’ day didn’t have near as many choices or opportunities. Most of their financial gifts were to one place – the Tent of Meeting (Tabernacle).

Numbers 18:21 and 24       ²¹ “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting. ²⁴ …I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”

Just like our tithe at church goes toward the living expenses of our church leadership, the tithe of the Israelites went toward the expenses of the priests and Levites who did all the work at the tabernacle.

Sometimes I wonder if my gift is being used most effectively. However, it struck me that God didn’t tell the Israelites not to give their tithe if the Levites weren’t doing their job efficiently. He gave no caveat. The Israelites were to give to the Levites and the Levites were to give a tenth of that back to God. No exceptions!

Numbers 18:25-29   ²⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ²⁶ “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering. ²⁷ Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. ²⁸ In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. ²⁹ You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’  

Giving is an act of worship and obedience to God. The gift belongs to the Lord. If we try to micro-manage how our gifts are used, then we probably aren’t giving from our heart in true worship of God. God will hold the recipients accountable for the use of our gifts.

How will you and I prepare to give cheerfully, in sincere worship and obedience to God? After prayerfully considering where and how God would have us give, we can leave the rest in His hands!    

Alice

Selfless Fulfillment

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.  Philippians 2:3-4

This year, my department did some volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.  It was a lot of lifting, hammering, and performing of laborious work, and after each day, you felt physically spent.  Not a typical day for someone who works in a call center.  However, there was something else that I felt after it was all was done; fulfilled.  It was not because of what I or the team of us had accomplished.  Rather, it was what we were doing in service to someone else.  In this case, it is another family.  What could be better than that?  The spirit within me was awakening, and yes, I felt humbled because I had an opportunity to spend a day out of work giving freely to someone where many do not have such liberties.

Giving of ourselves to God and to others is what we must do as Christians.  It is easy to see ourselves as focused on others.  However when we are caught up in our own lives, do we turn a blind eye to a person in need in lieu of our own ‘stuff?’  Reading Philippians 2, you get an idea of Paul’s heart for new followers of Christ becoming selfless, and he speaks of Christ’s example.  In verses 6-7, he says:

Though (Christ) was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.

He describes one of Christ’s many perfect selfless acts, which is what the life of Jesus should represent to us.  He could have just stayed in Heaven as God, but He chose to serve others as a sacrifice for all sins.  For this, we cannot ignore our own obligation to serve others.  It is woven into us, and is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.

There is a reason for the saying ‘It is better to give than receive.’  While a worldly view obsesses over the ‘me’ or ‘selfie,’ we know of the righteous path taught by Jesus Christ, the master himself.  After washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus said, “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15)  So the next time you feel down or depressed, do not fall into the trap of self-doubt and isolation.  Instead, find a way to give to another as Christ has given to us.  How will you respond when conflicted with the needs of you and another?  How can you challenge yourself to give more of yourself to others?  My prayer is that we selflessly give more of ourselves knowing in the end we will find the fulfillment that only a Christ centered life can give.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Me first

Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (NASB)

Hello,

When we think of Biblical principles, we don’t often think of “Me First” as one of them. However, I do think there are some things in the Bible that call for a ‘me first’ attitude. Ephesians 4 lays some of these out – we are to be ‘me first’ in kindness and forgiveness when it comes to our interpersonal relationships. (We can’t be me first with those things between us and God – thankfully, He beat us to it already!)

Our society is a heavy ‘me first’ culture. It wants us to put ourselves first in everything – except kindness and forgiveness. When it comes to those two things our culture wants us to carefully examine how much has really been given to us, and extend no more than what we must.

Why bring up the cultural opposite? Isn’t that to be expected? Sure it is! However, I believe there is power in knowing where our culture and society are counter-influencing Biblical principles – as that awareness helps us tune in and more carefully examine the messages of our culture.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Go away!

Genesis 3:8-9

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.  But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

I’m sure we have all at had a point or two in our lives where we did something and wanted to hid because we were ashamed.  After the fall in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve hid. 

My son right now is at a stage where he knows when he’s done something wrong and if I come into the room, he’ll tell me, “Go away Momma”.    He knows that Mom is not going to allow him to keep doing wrong.  Yesterday at church, he wanted to sit with us instead of going into the nursery so we allowed him to.  He was being pretty good, only needing an occasional reminder to be quite.  As he was sitting next to Daddy, I looked over only to have him yell, “Go away Momma!”.  Thankfully his yell isn’t too loud but I chuckled to myself, thinking I was only checking in on him.  It then made me think about my life.  Do I ever find myself telling God to go away? 

Have you ever told God to go away?  While I surely hope that none of us truly want him to go away from us, I do hope that we feel the quilt when we do something wrong that makes us ashamed of what we have done. 

In verse 9, God called out to Adam, “Where are you?”   God already knew where Adam was, but he wanted Adam and Eve to realize what they had done wrong.  Next time you do something wrong and you feel like hiding from God because you are ashamed, remember that he knows where  you are and is just waiting for you to admit your wrong doings.