Tag: glorify God

January 31 2023 – Mark 4 – Kingdom Growth

If you have ever tried to grow a garden, you realize there is a mystery to it. It is possible to do everything right, as far as you know, and still not produce much of a crop. It is also possible to put the seed in the ground and not do much more than that and have a bountiful harvest. We partner with God when we plant and garden. You can’t go wrong in asking God to bless your efforts.

In Mark 4, Jesus is explaining the Kingdom of God to his disciples. And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” Mark4:26–29NASB1995

In this parable, Jesus teaches us an important truth. It is God that gives growth to the Kingdom. We certainly have a part in it. We are called to be in faithful relationship with our Heavenly Father. That means as an expression of our love for the Father, we join him in what he leads us to do. However, we must remember that Kingdom growth comes as a result of God’s mysterious and miraculous power at work in us and through us. God calls us to step out in faith and join him where he leads. We step out in faith in some tangible way. God blesses that miraculously with spiritual growth in our lives and in the life of our church family.

We must be careful not to ever think that it is our work alone, our efforts alone, that bring the growth. We must never think our efforts are the bigger part of what is happening in the Kingdom of God. Our faith, our efforts, are tiny mustard seeds that when sown, God gives phenomenal growth. Reading the Bible apart from God is confusing. Loving your neighbor apart from God is tedious and can become a way to satisfy a prideful desire for recognition. Apart from God, sharing the Gospel can become a way to satisfy a prideful desire for recognition for a church or denomination… “look at all the people we got saved.”

As an expression of our love for the Heavenly Father, we go and do what we are called to step out in faith to do. We are filled with wonder and awe when we see the Kingdom growth that God mysteriously and miraculously produces in our own lives and in our churches. By joining our Heavenly Father in what he is doing in and through us, we come to love him more and more.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for calling me to your love through your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you for the mysterious and miraculous Holy Spirit at work in my life. Help me to step out in faith to experience more of your love and power. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

January 9, 2023 – Leviticus 10 – Living with a Holy God

Leviticus 10, Matthew 10, 2 Thessalonians 3

The Old Testament reveals a God that seems dangerous, strict, and harsh. It also reveals a God that is long suffering and full of loving kindness and forgiveness. God was teaching the Israelites that He is Holy through the dangerousness, strictness, and harshness.

In Leviticus 10, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu came into the presence of the Lord with incense that wasn’t the kind the Lord had prescribed for use in the tabernacle. As a result, fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them. That seems harsh.

God told Moses exactly how to make the tabernacle, what the priests were to wear when conducting worship, what kind of incense to use, how to sacrifice the animals…  If you read through Leviticus, you are overwhelmed with details. God left nothing out. So what Nadab and Abihu did wasn’t out of ignorance. Maybe it was carelessness or maybe it was willful disobedience.

Moses went to Aaron about it. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: ‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored…’” Leviticus10:3NIV

God is Holy. We come to God on God’s terms. The creatures do not get to tell the Creator how the game is played. We have examples of the Holiness of God and what happens when that is willfully encroached in the New Testament. There was the man cast out of the wedding banquet for not having a wedding garment in Matthew 22:1-14. There is the example of Ananias and Sapphira, husband and wife who sold property and tried to lie to the church about how much they sold it for, in Acts 5:3-11.

The point of all of this is we come to God on God’s terms. He has removed every barrier through the precious blood of his beloved Son, Jesus. Jesus is the way God has made for us. We cannot come any other way. If we try to, the consequences will be just as disastrous as the examples we have seen here today.

That doesn’t mean we have to worry that God is going to strike us down for this or that mistake. What it means for us today is that there is no other way to be right with God outside of the way he has prescribed for us… receiving the grace he has offered us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Holy God, thank you for the grace you offered in Christ that makes me acceptable and reconciled to you. Help me to honor and worship you as the Holy God that you are. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

December 17, 2022 – John 9 – Intentionally Blind

Exodus 28, John 9, Galatians 5

I have been trying to adjust to wearing soft contact lenses for about a month. I have worn Rigid Gas Permeable lenses since I was 16 years old. I am also dealing with Presbyopia, a condition that comes with age that makes it difficult to focus on things close up. At times, when I can’t focus on things I used to be able too, I feel almost blind. I could alleviate the Presbyopia by wearing readers or progressive lenses. But doing so would be admitting I am old and sometimes I am too proud for that.

In John 9, Jesus heals a man who was born blind. Take a few minutes and imagine what it would have been like to not have that as a sense… to never know the color red or the beauty of a flower or butterfly. Also, you would have people trying to describe things they see and you would have absolutely no point of reference to what they are describing. Then your eyes are opened. What most people have had a lifetime to experience and take for granted, is now flooding your brain for the first time. Colors, shades, and perception of depth must have been overwhelming, not to mention seeing things you have only imagined by touch, sound, and smell.

The man Jesus gave sight to was experiencing this euphoria, but it was short lived. Not long after the miracle the Pharisees heard about it and began an investigation. They questioned the man, twice. They questioned his parents. They heard all of the details and confirmed that yes, this was an actual miracle. A man who had been born blind could now see after Jesus made some mud with his spit and rubbed it on the man’s eyes. However, they refused to believe.

In describing this event to his readers, John presents two types of blindness… physical blindness and spiritual blindness. The man’s parents and the Pharisees were spiritually blind. They both encountered this new spiritual reality possible in Jesus but both refused to see. They were intentionally, spiritually blind.

The parents were intentionally, spiritually blind because of fear. They didn’t want to be kicked out of the temple. The Pharisees were intentionally, spiritually blind because of pride. Jesus did not come through the proper channels. He did not follow their rules. He had performed this miracle on the Sabbath, for heaven’s sake! Therefore, even though the parents and the Pharisees had undeniably encountered this miracle and new reality in Jesus, they refused to see. They remained intentionally, spiritually blind.

At the close of John, chapter 9, we read: Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” John9:39–41NIV

What spiritual reality in Jesus Christ could you intentionally be turning a blind eye to because of fear or pride?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, open my eyes so that I may see the new spiritual reality that you open all around me. Cast out the fear and pride that cause me to want to turn a blind eye to what you are doing in the world today. Amen.

December 11, 2022 – 2 Corinthians 12 – Sufficient Grace

Exodus 22, John 4, 2 Corinthians 12

In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul is defending himself and his ministry to the Corinthians. He is pretending to boast about his qualifications, because his detractors were boasting about themselves. He tells the Corinthians about a time when he was caught up to the third heaven.

“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.” 2 Corinthians12:2–4NIV

Paul had training and education. He was a “Hebrew of Hebrews.” He had an encounter with Jesus Christ on the Damascus Rd. He had these divine revelations and visions of heaven. He heard things inexpressible, “things that no one is permitted to tell.” It would be easy for Paul to become proud. He says,  “…Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” 2 Corinthians12:7NIV

Scholars debate whether this “thorn in the flesh” was a physical defect or perhaps a struggle with a particular sin. Either way, Paul wanted it to go away. He asked God to take it away three times. “But he said to [Paul], “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…” 2 Corinthians12:9NIV

Paul goes on to say, “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians12:10NIV

Paul is a perfect example for us when we discover we have a thorn in our flesh. Whatever our thorn is, we should ask God to take it away, and keep asking. However, we may realize, like Paul did, that God has a purpose for us to endure it. In bearing with it, we will realize the truth of what Paul heard from God. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…”

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your grace that covers my sins and weaknesses. Help me to boast only of your power in my life that is made perfect in weakness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

December 8, 2022 – 2 Corinthians 9 – The Blessing of Cheerful Givers

Exodus 19, John 1, 2 Corinthians 9

When I was a boy my father told me, “you can’t out-give God.” At the time I didn’t understand that. However, later I was in a situation where I experienced that reality. Someone in our Sunday School class needed help covering a repair on a heat pump. My wife and I, essentially still newlyweds, had some extra money, but we had planned to use it for a trip we were wanting to take. We, along with others in our class, gave money to these friends. They were able to have their heat pump fixed. The interesting thing for us is that we got our money back plus some. It didn’t come from the friends that needed it for their heat pump. The money unexpectedly came from somewhere else, and it was more than we gave our friends, so we were still able to do the trip we planned.

In 2 Corinthians 9, the Apostle Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to support an offering for believers in Jerusalem who were in need. He says to them, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians9:6–8NIV

God blesses those who use what God has given them to bless others. We can’t out-give God. God allows others to have needs so that we can learn to be cheerful givers. He could just as easily bless them without us. However, he allows us to recognize their need and to participate in caring for them with him, so we can be like him… generous. In the process we are also more abundantly blessed ourselves. That may be a financial blessing. It may be a spiritual blessing. It may be both! Either way we are blessed by cooperating with our Heavenly Father. We come to know him better and we come to love him more.

In the end, it also glorifies God our Father. As their needs are met, they praise God. As we experience the blessing of being a cheerful giver, we praise God. Together, we all experience the love and power of God in our lives and praise him. Paul says it this way, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” 2 Corinthians9:12NIV

This is not the prosperity gospel. This is not greedy motivation… giving so God will give us more. This is learning to be a cheerful giver, so that we, as well as those we bless, can experience the love and power of God.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank you for the showers of blessings that you have poured out in my life! Thank you for those around me who have blessed me with their cheerful giving! Help me to be generous like you, using your blessings to bless others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

December 3, 2022 – Exodus 14 – Steps of Faith

Exodus 14, Luke 20, 2 Corinthians 4

In Exodus, Moses and Aaron have been called to be God’s messengers to Pharaoh to tell him to let the Israelites go. Through the messages they deliver and the signs and wonders God preforms, Pharaoh is brought to the place where he lets them go. Not only have they been allowed to leave, they asked for gold and silver from the Egyptians and they gave it to them, so scripture says they “plundered” Egypt when they left.

In Exodus 14, the Israelites find themselves with the Red Sea in front of them and Pharaoh and his army with soldiers, horsemen, and 600 chariots behind them. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. If you read Exodus 13 and 14, you will see these circumstances were orchestrated by God to show both the Israelites and Egyptians his glory.

In this predicament, the Israelites panic and turn on Moses and Aaron. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?” Exodus14:11NIV

I can understand their panic. I would do the same thing. My first thought would be how am I going to get out of this? I too, would have been hard pressed to remember the wonders God had done in Egypt.

God spoke to the Israelites through Moses. Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus14:13–14NIV

Moses was panicked too. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” Exodus14:15-16NIV

God had orchestrated circumstances through the entire process of the Exodus to show the preponderance of his power and glory to the Egyptians and the Israelites. Moses and the Israelites had these circumstances to experience and come to know “I AM” through his works on their behalf. In order to do that, to come to know God, they had to step out in faith.

In this particular instance, the Israelites had to move toward the Red Sea and Moses had to raise his staff over it. As they participated in these miracles God was performing on their behalf, they experienced the power and glory of God and they were able to understand the depth of God’s care and love for them. Through their experiences with God, they were coming to know him better.

God allows or orchestrates circumstances in our lives to grow our faith. When we answer the call of God and step out in faith into what seems like impossible situations, God works on our behalf. In these steps of faith, we experience God’s power and glory as God does what only he can do. We come to know the depth of his love and care for us.

Where have you seen God move in response to your steps of faith when you were between a rock and a hard place?

Prayer:

Almighty God, Thank you for loving and caring for me. Thank you for creating opportunities for me to grow in my faith. Next time I am in between a rock and a hard place, help me to see were you are calling me to step out in faith instead of panicking. In Jesus’ name. Amen.