Tues Devo: Good reminder

Hello,

Sometimes we should just let scripture speak for itself….I felt today was that kind of a day. Enjoy Psalm 3  (NASB), and be blessed by the love and protection of our God:

O Lord, how my adversaries have increased!
Many are rising up against me.
 Many are saying of my soul,
“There is no deliverance for him in God.” 

But You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
My glory, and the One who lifts my head.
I was crying to the Lord with my voice,
And He answered me from His holy mountain.
I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustains me.

I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me round about.

Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;
You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
Salvation belongs to the Lord;
Your blessing be upon Your people! 

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill 

Discipleship

8 Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”  Mathew 28

I'll admit, after Christmas, I changed my whole morning routine around and I haven't gotten back into a good regular groove with my daily devotionals, so my weekly devotions have suffered.  Anyways, back in December I stumbled across a book at a Christian bookstore that was a 12 week study guide on discipleship.  I went through the first few weeks, and it's really made me think about my own walk and what I'm doing to build disciples.  I'm going to start trying to pull some of that book into the devotionals here, so you'll get a mini-tour of the book.

If you're interested, it's Real-Life Discipleship Training: Equipping Disciples Who Make Disciples.

Are you making disciples?  How are you doing this?  What tools do you use for this?  I and the other writers have brought up how everyone is seen as a leader by others, but how many see you as a disciple?

More to come in the next 12 weeks.  

Ask, Seek, Knock

Matthew 7:7-8

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

The past couple of weeks I have been writing about our plans verses the Lord’s plan for us.  We started with having a plan and then having our steps directed by the Lord, then we talked about how the Lord’s purpose would prevail.

This week I want to focus on Matthew 7:7-8.  We are told to ask, seek and knock.  In our lives, we will make plans, there is nothing wrong with that.  As long as we are allowing the Lord to direct our steps and prevail in our lives, we should confidently go to him, asking for whatever it may be, seeking his guidance and then knocking and waiting for a door to be open. 

Does that mean you will always get what you want?  Of course not.  In prior weeks we learned that sometimes our plan isn’t exactly how the Lord has it planned for us and he will redirect our steps.  What we ask for may end up changing before the door is opened. 

This week I encourage you to take your requests before him.  Ask him to guide your steps and the plan that you are seeking.  Then look for the door that he opens for you!

Thurs Devo: Where to Hide?

Have you ever played Hide and Seek with small children? Often they hide in very visible and easy to find places! Just the other weekend, two small foster kids (ones we’ve been keeping some weekends) sat next to each other and “hid” on the other side of our large living room chair. Since they couldn’t see me, they assumed I couldn’t see them!

Similarly, we can’t hide from God. Just because we can’t “see” Him doesn’t mean He can’t see us. He sees everything. At the end of time, when He releases His wrath, all kinds of people will try to hide from His wrath.

Revelation 6:12-17    ¹² I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red,¹³ and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴ The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

¹⁵ Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. ¹⁶ They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

No one can hide or escape from God. Death will not give relief to those experiencing God’s wrath. In fact, eternal death will be far worse. If those running and hiding from God would instead turn and run towards God, He will forgive them, even in the last moments of time.

When God’s final judgment day comes, will you be hiding in dread or resting secure in your relationship with God Almighty? Who do you and I know that even now seems to be trying to hide from God instead of running towards Him? What truths will you and I share with them?    

Alice

The Case for Vulnerability - Pt. 1

That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:10

A group I was in had a conversation about the topic of ‘vulnerability.’  This is a topic that I am very passionate about.  I am so passionate about it that I wrote about it once in a devotion a couple of years ago.  That did not get a lot of traction not only as a devotion but also in the conversation.  A lot of it has to do with how it has been defined as many people define vulnerability as weakness.  I once thought that way.  Then I found out something.  The less vulnerable I made myself to others, the less authentic I was.  I became less caring and dare I say dishonest.  Not just with others but more importantly myself. I believed I could handle everything.  “You can’t break me,” I thought.  What’s worse, I placed that framework on others.  Thus I became less forgiving and more judgmental.

Shortly after being born again, the script began to change.  Rather than try to hide my vulnerability (very trusting and emotionally caring such that it could be taken advantage), I opened my heart up to those who I knew.  Did this mean I was disappointed at times?  Yes. In fact, one of my greatest disappointments happened very recently where I ended up losing a friend.  However, it has not changed my willingness to be emotionally vulnerable.  Why? Because all of a sudden, I have a group of people who have become my closest friends, most passionate defenders, and most authentic relationships that one could ever have.  They are people who bring joy in my life, and while this sounds all warm and fuzzy, we actually have fights and disagreements!  But there is so much love and respect we have for each other that the bitterness never lasts.

I have thus come to realize that loving God requires utter and complete vulnerability.  Vulnerability does not make you weak.  Contrary to that thought, you gain strength when shown at the right time.  You will find that you become resilient in the face of uncertainty.  You find love in the midst of a great deal of pain, and trust me, you will have pain.  If you end up being vulnerable to those who matter the most, you all of a sudden realize you are courageous willing to put yourself out there where others are unwilling to and being more authentic than ever.  You find comfort knowing no matter how bad it is, God is with you, and from that, there is nothing you cannot overcome.

God loves us no matter what the world sees in us.  Someone once said, “Vulnerability is about showing up and being seen. It's tough to do that when we're terrified about what people might see or think.”  We must overcome this because it does not matter.  What's important is that showing vulnerability and owning that we are indeed weak alone but strong through Christ can indeed strengthen not only our faith but also how others view us.  What vulnerabilities do you have that you can tell to God?  How can you show strength through to others through your vulnerabilities?  My prayer is that we begin to make the case of being utterly and completely vulnerable to God.  Amen.  More on this next week!

Tues Devo: What is your focus?

Acts 1:6-8 “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’” (NASB)

Hello,

Ever had a seemingly endless task placed in front of you? It is so frustrating for us – we just want a deadline or an end date of some kind. But, some things are not accompanied by an end date. Sometimes there is an end date – but that knowledge would bias us against action, so we are not told that end date.

After Jesus rose from the dead and began appearing to people, His followers wanted Him to setup the kingdom right then – but it wasn’t time. In fact, Jesus gave no date at all….just a directive of what to do until the end came. They, and we, were to just be His witnesses everywhere they  went. But God was not unaware of the duration of His expectation – and knew we needed strength to endure in this task, which He gave us in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Do we know when the end will be? Nope. Do we know what to focus on until that time? Yup.

Have a blessed day, and keep going in the strength He has given us.

Will Hill

The Lord's Purpose vs Our Plan

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Last week I wrote about having a plan but the Lord establishing the steps.  This is something that is still very close to me right now as I’m trying to figure out some changes that I see coming in my life.  Sometimes we can have a plan, pray on it and seek the Lord’s will, thinking it is his will.  Yet in the end, his purpose will prevail and the plan that we had may not work out. 

As we go through life, we have to remember that the Lord has a plan for us.  We have to be willing to accept changes that were not in our own personal plan and embrace them. 

Today, it is my prayer that we each seek the Lord’s purpose in our lives, rather than just the plans of our own heart.  

Thurs Devo: How Long for Justice?

We often want justice served quickly and completely for those who harm other people. Even the saints in Heaven plead for justice.

Revelation 6:9-11     ⁹ When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.¹⁰ They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” ¹¹ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

God is Just and will eventually avenge evil. He patiently and lovingly withholds immediate justice to give people additional opportunities to repent of their rebellion against Him and turn to follow Him.

II Peter 3:9    ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Are you and I pleading for justice now? Or, are we waiting patiently for God’s final judgment day? Like the saints in Heaven, I think it is natural and acceptable to ask God “how long?”. As we await His justice, we can also focus on the grace and mercy He has already extended to you and me, and rest in the assurance that God will bring justice in His Sovereign time.

Alice

Always There

Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”

God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” Exodus 3:10-12

It seems maintaining faithfulness in tough times has become a theme for the New Year as I have been inundated with stories of people dealing with tough times.  Not just your ordinary ‘have a rough week’ tough times. Instead, more of the ‘the husband and pastor of my church was killed by someone he was trying to help and I do not understand why God allowed this to happen’ tough times (not my pastor by the way). These are the times you find out how real God is in your life.  What do you do when you feel all of the prayers are unanswered and the words of friends trying to comfort you fall hollow?  I admit at those times I initially feel lost and a bit alone.  However, this does not send me to a place of blaming God for my woes.  Instead, it becomes a time to exercise patience and trust in His word knowing He is there with me.  Always.

Tough times are when God’s promises will give you comfort.  The story of God revealing Himself to Moses is always encouraging to me. It’s not just the knowledge of God existence as I mentioned last week.  It is Moses’ perspective here that is revealing.  We all have the moment where we look at a task or situation that we are in, and we ask ourselves, “How can we deal with this?”  How do I overcome the pressure where there is no relief? How do I deal with the pain that seems never ending or sorrow that won’t go away?  After being given the directive to lead the people of Israel out from slavery, Moses, understanding how massive an undertaking God was giving to him, asked a similar question; Who am I to do this?  God reassured Moses saying, “I will be with you.”  Thus, Moses’ perspective went from just the average guy to God’s personal messenger.  This would instill all the confidence he needed to follow God’s instruction.  We all have those moments where we are simply overwhelmed.  However, these are the times where we should remain faithful and be filled with the never ending hope as written in Romans 12:12 (Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying).

Our journey of faith is an ongoing story filled with both struggles and successes.  Our goal is not to run from challenges.  It is to continue looking forward and focusing on God. Furthermore, we must maintain our hope that the purpose of our current situation will revealed in the future. So let us remember the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4 fighting the good fight, finishing the race, and remaining faithful.  How can assurance of God’s presence aide you in your current situation?  What challenge do you need to take to God today? My prayer is that we continue to look forward to God knowing He is always there.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Prayer beyond friends

Hello,

Last week I shared about prayer for our friends, and a model of how to approach that from all angles. As I have looked a little more at prayer for others through some of the New Testament, something caught my eye from Paul in Ephesians. Let’s take a look at Ephesians 6:18-20

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (NASB)

What first caught my eye at the tail end of v18 is the request to pray for all the saints – not just our close friends. Sometimes we get caught I believe in our prayers in 2 directions; either just praying for our closest friends – or only praying for large groups/countries that are more generic. Now, nothing wrong with either – but let’s not forget the group in the middle of believers we know of, though we may not count them as close friends. When Paul goes on in 19 and 20 to give some specifics of how he can be prayed for, I think that this doubles not just as what he was facing – but a good guide for how we can pray for that group of believers: they speak what God wants them to and they are unashamed of the Gospel – and this comes through loud and clear in their conversations and interactions.

Have a blessed day – and I hope we all take some time to pray for those believers that are beyond the immediate friend group.

Will Hill