No Pain, No Gain

“You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure. You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, in spite of great opposition. So you can see we were not preaching with any deceit or impure motives or trickery.”  1 Thessalonians 2:1-3 NLT

Derek Redmond was a great Olympic sprinter.  In the 1992 Olympic Games, he was running well in his event, the 400 Meters, winning his first two qualifying heats with ease.  In the semifinal, he started well, but midway through the race, something went terribly wrong.  He tore his right hamstring, and knelled to the ground in sheer agony.  Not to be deterred, he stood up, and hobbled on his good leg the next 100 meters even though the other competitors had already finished the race.  Still having another 100 meters to go, he was joined by a familiar face that would walk with him the rest of the way; his father.  As he sobbed on his father’s shoulder for the remaining 50 meters, the crowd at the stadium, which first started with a courteous applause, now had begun to cheer … louder and louder as they got closer to the finish line until his father and him crossed it.  In Derek’s pain and suffering, he still lost a race.  Because his father helped him across, he was disqualified.  However, he gained a world of fans and appreciators that watched his heroic feat.  No one remembers who won the race or even the gold medal for the 400 meters that year.  Everyone remembered that moment (https://youtu.be/t2G8KVzTwfw).

Some of you cannot relate to this kind of story, but many of us had parents who sacrificed a lot to ensure we could have a better life.  If so, I hope you appreciate all your parents did for you as mine did for me.  They many times struggled, but it was the pain of that struggle that allowed my brothers and me to do two things.  First, it set a standard for all our children to follow.  Second, it garnered attention that served as a platform to speak about who we are and who we serve.  These are the things that had me think about the writers of the Books of Thessalonians.  Like many of the early Christians, they suffered for what they believed in to reach something greater.  Something more important than a race.  Instead, it was the salvation of all mankind.  It reminded me of a saying my mother told me and what many of you have heard before; no pain, no gain.

Suffering is the currency of living a faithful life serving God.  Paul’s writing to the Thessalonians speaks of the suffering they encountered prior to their writing.  It is not the suffering that is of the greatest fascination.  It is clearly the ‘why’ behind it.  They saw a greater good in their suffering.  It allowed them to share the Good News of Christ.  It’s the suffering that gives credibility to their teaching.  We often look at suffering as tests of faith, and that is often true.  However, it is usually in preparation for something bigger that God has in store for you if you are willing to endure what comes with it.  We must prayerfully discuss with God His purpose, and remember the words of Hebrews 10:23, which says, “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”

While no one should look to suffer, we should always view it through a Godly lens.  Jesus Himself did not want to endure the suffering that came with the crucifixion saying in the beginning of Mark 14:36, “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me.” But as we read the latter half, He acknowledged the ‘why’ behind His suffering showing love for both God and us completing His thought saying, “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”  Whenever we are faced with suffering, let us remember our ‘why’ knowing there is something greater God has planned for His purpose.  What pain and suffering are you enduring today that could use a Godly perspective?  What lessons from the suffering of Jesus and Paul can you draw from in your life?  My prayer is that we remember the purpose of suffering along with the saying, ‘No pain, no gain.’  Amen.

The Power of Prayer

James 5:14-15

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. 

I tend to ask for prayer a lot.  Sometimes for me, sometimes for others.  I know some people that are shy to ask for prayer as they don’t want to burden others.  Prayer should never be a burden!  This last week, I begged my community of people for all the prayers I could get.  I knew that God was the ultimate healer!  You see, I ended up in the ER Monday for very severe chest pain.  I really thought I was having a heart attack.  After they ruled out the heart and a blood clot, they discovered that I had pneumonia.  What??  I hadn’t even been coughing. 

How could this be?  Simple, the power of prayer!  Either of the things the doctors were evaluating me for would have been far more serious.  My community of people prayed hard over me.  God answered their prayers.

What is it that you could use prayer for today?  Do you have a community of people that will pray for you?  If you need prayer, please know that we as a group are here to pray for you.  The leaders of this group will pray for you in private if you do not wish to share with the group. 

The Lord answers the prayers of those who come to him in prayer.  Even when it is not always answered the way that we are hoping, he still answers them.

Letting Go

“And we know that all things work together

for good to those who love God, to those

who are the called according to His purpose.”

   Romans 8:28-29 (NKJV)

To let go and let God’s will prevail in your life is the essence of faith.  To really trust and turn everything over to God means giving up the expectations of what your life is supposed to be like. When you commit yourself wholeheartedly to God, you don’t necessarily get what you thought you wanted or would have. 

You trust God and get God’s plan.  But you can be sure that Jesus knows your heart and your prayers, and is working things out for good.  You can trust that He knows your heartaches and sorrows, and that He loves you through it all.  Yield all to Him and His glorious plans will be accomplished for His glory and your good.

When you give your life to Jesus, you can trust Him with your dreams and your plans.  Even when your heart breaks because things seem to have gone awry, trust Him.  He will work things out in a way you might not expect, but His plans are perfect and better than any we have. 

There is blessing and contentment when we submit to His will.  Then we know the peace that comes from resting in God’s sovereignty. 

Thursday Devotional - Prayer Yesterday

Thank you to those who were able to join us at any of the locations yesterday!   

We in Ann Arbor were told to move See You At The Pole™ to an offsite location, so we met at the flagpole and walked to an off-property spot.

After a time of praising and thanking God, we read through the following passages before each section of prayer specifically for our company, leadership, co-workers and ourselves.  

Company

I Timothy 2:1-4   I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Leadership/bosses

Ephesians 6:9     And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Co-workers

Ephesians 1:18    I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.

Ourselves

Ephesians 6:5-8  ⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. ⁶ Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. ⁷ Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, ⁸ because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

Closing

Ephesians 6:18    ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 

We can use these verses (and others) to remind us to continue to pray for our company, leadership, co-workers and ourselves!

Alice

Celebrating Victory

“So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.  Then the land had rest from war.”  Joshua 11:23

Now hear is an interesting story.  I read the book of Joshua, and come across this verse.  After looking at it, I say to myself, “Good grief!  These guys go on for years (not to mention 11 chapters) fight after fight even after Moses delivered them out of bondage, and only NOW do they get to rest?”  You would think that God could have made it just a little easier, wouldn’t you?  I mean this is God that could take on the mighty army of Egypt and render them helpless!  Surely, He could have rid the smaller armies in Jordan in little time, couldn’t He have?  Certainly after the people of Israel had been forced to wander in the desert for years, they would have figured out that the Lord is God, and He will handle things, right?  Apparently not.

Now if we take a closer look into this story, there are a couple truths to be remembered.  The first is we know that God is always in control, and secondly, we should also know that God tests us on occasion just to see if we will remain faithful.  The book of Joshua was about one of God’s most faithful servants, and in every instance that God spoke to him, Joshua followed His instructions to the letter.  As a result, Joshua was allowed to lead the people to the promise land giving the people of Israel victory after victory over their enemies.  Thus, those who followed God’s law were entitled to Lord’s promise, and given land section by section and city by city.

It led me to think about celebrating our own victories.  If we as Christians are faithful to God and His word, do we fail to acknowledge the victories He gives us?  When we pray at night, does He not give us the victory of another day that we were allowed to serve him?  When we return from our job to our homes, did the Lord not give us the victory of safely reaching our destination?  When family, friends, and loved ones are in His care, does He not give us the victory of peace and tranquility?  I could go on and on about this, but hopefully you will have realized just how much God has given us.  Even at times where we feel our prayers are not answers, it is not about the prayers not being answered.  It is often that we are not patiently waiting for the right time.  If we truly trust in Him, we realize that what seems like ‘no’ really means ‘not yet.’

God is a good God.  When we commit our lives to the Lord saying that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and believe that Jesus was resurrected as proof of his overcoming death giving eternal life through him, it was the greatest victory of all.  I am thankful God’s truth allowed for me victory over the past, and as a result I have everlasting joy sharing with those truths with all of you each and every week.  The more we rely on the Lord and stay faithful to him, we, just as Joshua, will experience victory over our enemies, shortcomings and hard times, and despair and solitude.  If for nothing else, remember the words of Bear Grylls, who simply said, “Never forget how lucky you are to be alive.”  Let us remember that each day is a victory!  Could you imagine how much joy you would have in life knowing that every day you are a winner?  Don’t wait for it.  Claim it!  My prayer is that having God in our lives means we can celebrate victory every day.  Amen!

Hope through the suffering

Romans 5:1-4

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 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.  Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

Can you honestly say that you are happy in your sufferings?  I know that I find that hard.  At the same time, I truly know that the Lord our God has a plan for me so while there are times that I get frustrated through sufferings, I somehow also remain hopeful. I have had people question how I can be positive when I get the raw end of the deal.  I believe this scripture really explains it.  It is through suffering that perseverance comes and from perseverance that character comes and then from there comes hope. 

Today I want to encourage you, if you are suffering through something in your life, remember to remain hopeful as God is pouring out his love for you through it.

Stayed on Him

“You will keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind is stayed on You,

because he trusts in You.”

    Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

“They looked to Him and were

radiant [lightened]. . .”

    Psalm 34:5 (NKJV/KJV)

It’s easy to get our focus off God.  He’s there in the background, but not always front and center where He should be in our hearts and lives.  This can happen when our schedules are busy or when our circumstances have us worried. But the Bible gives us the remedy. . .keep our mind stayed on our Lord.  That almost seems too simple, doesn’t it?  Yet God’s word is true and His promises are trustworthy.  We’re promised peace if we keep our focus on God and when we look to Him, our burdens will be lightened.  He is our rock, our refuge, our firm foundation. . .and His grace is sufficient for all our needs.

I can say from my personal experience that it works. My mind doesn’t always stay on Him, but I keep re-focusing and peace returns. I remember His faithfulness in the past and know He’ll always be faithful, today and every tomorrow. I think about His sovereignty, nothing is too hard for Almighty God, and know that He has me and all my circumstances under His control. I look to Him and my burdens are lightened. 

So when you find yourself caught up in busy-ness and need rest or when you’re fretful and fearful about your circumstances, follow this simple prescription to regain your peace by looking to the Lord Jesus for He alone is able to meet our every situation. Focus on our all-sufficient Almighty God and be radiant in His care and love.

Thursday Devotional - See You At The Pole™

See You At The Pole™ was started by a group of students in Texas back in 1990. It has grown to become a global event, the 4^th Wednesday in September, which is next Wednesday! I know Eagan, MN is planning a gathering at their flagpole from 12-12:45 pm, Wednesday, September 25, 2019. We, in the Ann Arbor office, are planning a gathering at our flagpole from 12-12:30 pm (see the Hub event: See You at the Pole).

I think I first heard about this event back in 1993. My family was living in Oklahoma and I had just started at a new high school. I didn’t know anyone at my school, much less any Christians. I nervously decided to go early to school that day to hopefully meet others at the flagpole. When I got there, no one else was there. However, eventually others came!   

This year’s official See You At The Pole™ theme verse is:

II Chronicles 7:14              ¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Please join us next Wednesday, if you are in Eagan or Ann Arbor (or plan your own for other locations!).

In Ann Arbor, we will start with a song or two, and then alternate between Scripture reading and prayer.

A – Adoration - Praising God for who He is

C - Confession of sin (personal silent time and corporately for corporate sins)

T - Thanking God for what He has done

S – Supplication – praying for our company, leadership, bosses, co-workers, and ourselves

I hope to see many of you next Wednesday! Also, please pray for and encourage students you know to participate at their schools.

Alice

Know Your Value

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.  He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.  James 1:16-18

This life we are given is so precious.  I think about my life.  There are moments of happiness and where things have gone well.  There are other moments of sadness and grief.  There are achievements and disappointments and successes and failures.  It is fair to say that life is indeed a roller coaster.  However, God has been a constant through all of it.  But if He is truly in control, why are there so many ups and downs?  Can’t there just be a level of consistency that one might consider ‘normal?’

The answer to that question is emphatically ‘no!’  The good times are those where we are enjoying God’s blessing.  The bad times are when God is shaping us for His will to be done.  You see when we take life as a gift, all that comes with it is of value. When my teenage daughter is pushing every button to get a rise out of me or my wife is asking the same question for the third time, somehow, I find joy because I love them so much.  It does not mean it is not a temporary source of irritation.  It means that there is a bigger picture to focus on, and if I am not careful, one can let the moment overwhelm the reality.  Jesus talks about this when He refers to storing our riches in Heaven (see Matthew 6:20-21).  We can easily get caught up into those things that are worldly and focus on those things as what we value.  However, God does not value our possessions.  He values us, and no matter how we may resist, defy, or challenge Him, we are still valued to Him.

We are God’s most prized possession.  Last week, I spoke of the prodigal son realizing he was lost as part of his (and our) journey of faith.  Today, we are to realize who we are to God, and as such, we must value all that He values.  One of the reasons Jesus said part of the Greatest Commandment is we are to love our neighbors as … ourselves is to acknowledge how valued we are to Him.  Our self-worth is not based on our sense of indulgence or vanity.  Instead, it is the worth God places on us.  Not some parts of us.  Not most of us.  All of us.  As such, we are to value God above all as Deuteronomy 6:5 says, “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”  This require our taking God’s word to heart.  This is where the real struggle often occurs.  Our goal is to have a willingness to engage the struggle within prayerfully.  It is a struggle because we will often not agree with what the word says, but if we are willing to acknowledge the greater value of a closer relationship with God, we agree it is worth it.

You are worth so much to God!  So much so that even as we do not meet God’s standard, he sent His son Jesus Christ to fix it.  In prophesying the coming of Jesus, Zechariah said:

Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
He has sent us a mighty Savior
    from the royal line of his servant David,
just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago. Luke 1:68-70

We are redeemed from sin because He loves us so.  Let us work to return the favor by loving Him and others as His most prized possessions.  What reassurance do you have knowing your worth to God?  How can you instill a sense of God’s value in others?  My prayer is that we know our value to God.  Amen.

How can you better yourself today?

Proverbs 31:10-31

A wife of noble character who can find?

    She is worth far more than rubies.Her husband has full confidence in her    and lacks nothing of value.She brings him good, not harm,    all the days of her life.She selects wool and flax    and works with eager hands.She is like the merchant ships,    bringing her food from afar.She gets up while it is still night;    she provides food for her family    and portions for her female servants.She considers a field and buys it;    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.She sets about her work vigorously;    her arms are strong for her tasks.She sees that her trading is profitable,    and her lamp does not go out at night.In her hand she holds the distaff    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.She opens her arms to the poor    and extends her hands to the needy.When it snows, she has no fear for her household;    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.She makes coverings for her bed;    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.Her husband is respected at the city gate,    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.She makes linen garments and sells them,    and supplies the merchants with sashes.She is clothed with strength and dignity;    she can laugh at the days to come.She speaks with wisdom,    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.She watches over the affairs of her household    and does not eat the bread of idleness.Her children arise and call her blessed;    her husband also, and he praises her:“Many women do noble things,    but you surpass them all.”Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.Honor her for all that her hands have done,    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

I realize that I just shared a very long passage when normally we just share a few verses.  I really didn’t feel there was just a couple that I wanted to share.  This passage was shared at my Aunt’s funeral last week.  She was a very strong, independent, woman of God.  She was the backbone to her family and was a staple to her husband and sons.  As they read through this scripture, I just kept thinking that I hope and pray that I can be half the women she was.  She was such a Godly example of what a woman is to be and as I read through this proverb, I see that the Bible clearly lays out for us how we are to be. 

There are other passages in the Bible that tell us how we are to live, act and simply be as a Christian, wife, mother, daughter, husband, father, son, etc.  While some may say these are not still relevant in this day and age, I must disagree.  While we are not servants, we are still called to be a servant of the King, which means being willing to live as we have been instructed.  I know that I have a lot to learn from the above passage for how to better myself. 

Where do you turn to find ways to better yourself?  I encourage you today to turn to the Bible first.  While there are many books available that we can read to help better ourselves both personally and in the workplace, we really need to start with the instructions we find in the Bible.