Open Space

Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water.  But then the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed the spring. “This is our water,” they said, and they argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen. So Isaac named the well Esek (which means “argument”).  Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it. So Isaac named it Sitnah (which means “hostility”).  Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means “open space”), for he said, “At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.”  Genesis 26:19-22

How many times in your life have you dealt with a seemingly ‘no win’ situation only to find out there was an option not previously considered?  Not too long ago, I had a conflict where a colleague and I seemingly could not see eye to eye on a situation.  We both had the right objective but differing motives.  We were so caught up in our own views that neither of us could see past it.  After taking a step back and getting some good guidance, we sat down again, and still seemed to be at warring sides of the equation.  Then, an open space for compromise occurred to me.  I asked what is it that they needed, which was the right to manage the situation within their team.  My goal was to ensure the situation fit within the framework of the bigger group’s standards.  Once I was able to get assurances their management of the goal fit within those parameters, we were able to agree.  Without patience and persistence to meet the objectives of both sides, we never would have been able to achieve success.

Sometimes, God wants to test your patience and persistence to help you realize there is something better.  In this story of Isaac, he can never seem to find a place for his group to settle.  One place created an argument, and in another, hostility was found.  How often do we face situations where we encounter arguments and hostility?  Perhaps Esek and Sitnah could be names of a conference room at your location in the near future  J  Back to the point.  Isaac could have very well fought for the land, and in fact because the land was promised to his father Abraham, he was entitled to it.  Yet, Isaac showed restraint and patience having faith God would deliver as He had numerous times before.  Of course, Isaac persistence was rewarded as they not only found space to prosper but later another space where God would appear and bless him to build a great nation.  In reading these verses, you do not hear God promising anything to Isaac that would have guided him to move as many times as they did.  But what we can pull from this is through patience and persistence, God will show up and provide as He did for Isaac.

God always delivers without fail.  It may not be at a time we either expect or want, but we should have faith it will always be on time and usually better than what we can see.  So if you are dealing with a situation where things are not quite working out or there is outright hostility, step back, and look for the open space where God lies.  Then, watch as He allows for you and those connected to you to prosper.   What conflict is troubling you that may require more patience and persistence from you?  How can you trust God to be your provider at all times?  My prayer is that we apply a practice of patience and persistence knowing that God will always find us ‘open space.’  Amen.

Thursday Devotional - Born Good or Bad?

Are people born good, but become bad? Or are all people born bad and some become good?

Romans 5:17-21 ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adam’s sin brought death while Jesus’ obedience brought life. Sin and death entered the world through Adam. Everyone is born a sinner. We aren’t born good and don’t become good. Only God is Good. However, as we’ve been talking about being credited with Christ’s righteousness, we can receive God’s gracious gift of righteousness (vs. 17) because of Jesus’ one “good” act (vs. 18).

Watching children, it doesn’t take long to realize they enter the world sinful and selfish. As caring as James can be, he and Sarah both wanted to go first when we played Candy Land last night (and since they argued about it, I went first!).

Have you accepted the fact that everyone is born a sinner? How does that change the way you and I view others or situations around us?

Have you accepted God’s gift of righteousness? If so, how are you and I enjoying His gift and experiencing life now?

We’re born sinners, but we can accept God’s gift of righteousness!

Alice

Tues Devo: Return on investment

Matthew 25: 24-28 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seek. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who  has the ten talents.’” (NASB)

Hello,

All of us have been given skills and abilities, in addition to varying amounts of material resources. Similar to the challenge from last week about being engaged – I think a challenge for all of us about investing ourselves is warranted. Are we multiplying our abilities through generosity? Are we building into others, so they can do the same?

When Christ returns, and we stand before God – what account will we give for His investments to us of skills/abilities/resources?

I hope this challenges all of us!

Have a blessed day,       

Will Hill

An extraordinary feast

Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.  When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

 “Bring them here to me,” he said.  And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.  They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.  The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Not too long ago, my small group served a meal for a group that meets at our church.  This group tends to be more people that have been unchurched, who have faced a lot of challenges in life.  We were told we would be feeding about 70 people.  We spent time planning the menu, what it would take to feed that many people, how much food we would need and everything that goes into an event like this. 

In Matthew, we read about how Jesus had gone off in a boat to be by himself.  Yet when he came back to land, he found that this huge crowd had followed him.  Instead of pushing them away, he welcomed them, healed the sick and fed them.  It was not a small group either.  This what a huge group with five thousand men, besides women and children.  He didn’t have to take time to plan a menu, shop or anything else.  He took five loaves of bread and two fish.  The same amount that would barely feed many families these days.  With that he fed all of them and had left overs! 

The acts that Jesus did on earth as an ordinary man were not at all ordinary.  Each day he still does extraordinary things in our lives.  Do you take the time to think about these things?  Today I want to encourage you to think about the extraordinary things that Christ puts in your life.  How can you take and multiple that to do something extraordinary for someone else?

Confidence Of Ali

Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ.  It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.  2 Corinthians 3:3-5

Confidence can at times be a fragile thing.  For example, an undefeated fighter will have supreme confidence.  However after numerous successes, they finally taste defeat, and then there comes a lack of confidence.  Thoughts like, “Can this happen again,” or “How do I recover,” become questions that float around in their head.  Now I was never a fighter, but I have been a fan of boxing since I was a small child watching Muhammad Ali.  There was no one who was more confident than him.  Yet when I became a fan, Ali had not only lost once but also been knocked down.  The latter is usually detrimental to a fighter’s career because that is when they really lose that aura of confidence.  Nonetheless, Ali always remained supremely confident, and thus would be considered arguably the greatest fighter in the world.

This aura of confidence is a reminder of how we should view our faith.  We should be supremely confident in Jesus Christ because He not only died for our sins but also overcame death.  This is not something we think of.  It is something we know deep in our hearts with a high degree of confidence.  Furthermore, it is through this level of confidence that we are empowered to be lights for Christ here on earth.  This was what Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians.  When Jesus left, He said that we will receive the power from the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:7-9).  With this power, we can endure any challenge or trial knowing that through Christ anything is possible.  This is a source of endless strength that is available to us.  The trick is to remind ourselves of its existence.  We are often blinded by worldly distractions that may inhibit us from tapping into this, and life will at times knock you down.  However if we are prayerful and deliberate in our outreach humbling ourselves to realize we can not make it without Him, we are assured of our connection to this power, and thus can remain confident in Him.  We can get up off the canvas, and weather the storm knowing in the end we will raise our arms in victory.

We are indeed made perfect through Jesus Christ.  As such, we should be confident in every step we make.  It’s not that we will be perfect with each step.  Instead no matter what step we make, Jesus is with us, and through Him, all wrong steps will be made right.  So let us move forward knowing that if we have love for Him, the Spirit of God will dwell within our hearts for all to see.  What doubts do you have today that Jesus Christ can bring surety to?  How can maintain greater boldness through this heightened level of confidence? My prayer is that when we have doubts in this world, we look to Jesus with the confidence of Ali.  Amen.

Thursday Devotional - Hope for the Helpless

When James was struggling to breathe a few weeks ago, he looked up at me in the middle of one of his steam treatments and asked me if I thought he was going to die. I told him no, I didn’t think so. As concerned as I was for him, I realized he was not only miserable, but scared too. Both feeling helpless, we prayed together. I also heard him pray again by himself when he was in bed.

We can feel helpless, but God is always able to help. In fact, He’s already taken care of our biggest problem – our sin.

Romans 5:5-11  “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”      Romans 5:5-11

Because of Jesus’ death, I am a reconciled child of God; I have been forgiven; my debt has been paid; and my debt was paid in full by someone else (Jesus Christ).  If that was all Jesus did for me, I would have more than enough for which to rejoice.  However, Jesus didn’t just die to pay for our sins, God raised Him from the dead to give us eternal life!!!  We not only receive peace and joy here on earth as a result of our reconciliation, but we will receive everlasting life with God in Heaven because we have been saved through Christ’s life! 

Will you thank God for His love in reconciling and saving you?         

How are you and I extending that same love to others, offering hope to the helpless?    

Alice

Tues Devo: Engage

Hello,

Nope….not talking about marriage, or captaining a star ship. J

In business we talk about the concept of “Engagement” quite a bit. We look at surveys and other metrics to evaluate how engaged the employees are. We want to see how committed to the work and to their peers they are. We know that if we have more engaged staff we will reduce turnover, improve teamwork and efficiency – and likely innovation as well.

Twice in the Paul’s letter to Titus he uses the phrase “engage in good deeds”. Both of these come in chapter 3:8-15 (NASB, bold added):

“This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned. When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, make every effort to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.”

Paul wanted Titus and the other believers to be engaged in good deeds. Notice 2 things: 1) this means on purpose, with planning. We see this in the first reference where Paul says to be “careful to engage in good deeds”. The implication there is not one of caution, but one of intent and purpose. 2) it drive spiritual productivity (productivity is the business word – fruit is the church word!). We see that in the second reference that the good deeds are to be aligned with true needs – and keeping people from being unfruitful.

I don’t know where you are today – but I pray you take a step forward in engagement in good deeds.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Fear in the storm

Matthew 8:23-27

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.  Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

As we continue through Lent, I am continuing to talk about the extraordinary things that Jesus did while on earth as an ordinary man.  If you have ever been on a boat during a big storm, you would naturally have a bit of fear.  I remember a time that my dad, sister and I went fishing on our boat, I was about 10 at the time.  It was rough, we got wet and I know that I experienced fear.

Imagine being in the middle of a large body of water, in a small boat.  The waves sweeping over the boat.  No doubt, each of us would likely be like the disciples, a bit scared.  There here is one person in the boat just taking a nap.  He wakes up and basically laughs at you for being afraid. 

And just like that, Jesus rebuked the winds and the waves and all was calm.  I can hardly get my son to listen to me at times and here is Jesus, controlling the winds and the waves.  Again, we see how Christ came to earth as an ordinary man yet lived an extraordinary life.  What a mighty God we serve!

Thursday Devotional - Peace and Perseverance

Last week I mentioned our basement flooded. That day and week was anything but peaceful. The same day our basement flooded, James was very ill and could barely breathe. We didn’t know if we were going to have to take him to the ER. In the midst of trying to care for James is when I found the flood. My first thought was “I can’t handle all this at the same time!!!!” However, God reminded me that He has been there through all my other overwhelming situations. That’s when I was able to stop and praise Him. He also reminded me that the most important thing is to have peace with God and I knew James had peace with God through his faith in Jesus! 

Romans 5:1-5     “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Peace with God doesn’t mean life will be easy here on earth, but it helps us put everything in perspective and lean on Him as we persevere.

How have past sufferings developed perseverance and character in your life?

What current situation can you and I let God use to develop greater perseverance and character? 

Let’s give God the glory through all these circumstances, remembering our peace with Him is the most important!

Alice

P.S. – James isn’t back to normal, but we’re so thankful he’s doing much better.

Bless And Be Blessed

For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.  Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.  So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

There is a gentleman at my church who is incredibly gifted and filled with the Holy Spirit. The other day, he gave me a picture.  On it were various thoughts of encouragement.  One of which caught me off guard.  It said, “Lord, bless this man.”  I paused reading it not because I thought something was wrong with him saying it.  It was humbling because it was directed toward me.  To acknowledge that someone thought so much of me that they would ask that God bless me was special.  This gave me strength throughout the day, and I harken back to the gift as a reminder that we all can both bless and be blessed.

Being encouraging of one another strengthens our faith in God. There have been many things in the world that cause sadness, and the sheer volume of them can seemingly steal our joy.  God however reminds us that these times shall pass, and one day we will have eternal life with Him.  Not for a short period of time but forever.  The letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is filled with words of encouragement like today’s verses.  Thus when times seem difficult for others, our role as Christ followers is to be His spirit to those disheartened by the many difficulties in life.  It may be a simple word or a gift.  Perhaps it could be a note just to say you are thinking of them, or a phone call to say you were thinking of them.  “God put you on my mind, and I thought to call and pray for you.”  This may sound minute and trivial in our minds, but for a person hearing it, it speaks volumes.  And for a person who may have been momentarily lost or needing to hear God’s voice, it could be the difference.

God’s powers are limitless. We often will look at things through our own lens, and see only what we can do.  If we change it to God’s view, we realize there is not much we can’t do.  We all need encouragement from time to time.  2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.””  Giving encouragement cost little, but its value could be immense.  Let us focus on those things which lift others up giving cheerfully to people in any way we can.  Who can you bless today in words or deeds?  How can you be encouraged by the blessing you are to Christ?  My prayer is that we look at ourselves realizing that we can both bless and be blessed.  Amen.