A True Friend

Tuesday February 17, 2015

A few months after his son´s tragic death, my friend told me that people who had been close were now avoiding him and his family. He said it was as if people no longer wanted to be around them. I asked him why he thought the poor comforters were acting this way. His answer troubled me, for I knew it was the hard truth : "When people don´t feel they can fix a situation, they try to pretend it´s not there. They feel embarrassed."

We tend to condemn Job´s friends for their incorrect representation of God and Job´s situation. Indeed, it´s true that they got things woefully wrong. But at least they came! (Job 2:11). Not only did they show up, they wept with their friend (v.12) - just as we´re instructed to do in Romans 12:15. Later, knowing that they couldn´t fix the situation, they simply sat with Job instead of talking or walking away. What a comfort it is when a true friend simply sits with another in their pain, offers no counsel, but stays nonetheless.

Sadly, Job´s friends didn´t keep their mouths shut. They offered their human "wisdom" and soon proved by their comments how little they understood. But, before that, they had been true friends of the highest order!

Before we condemn the poor comforters of Job, let´s reflect on this : God sent the men to Job and they were initially a comfort to him. And later, His rebuke of them was far from terminal! In fact, god allowed Job to minister to his friends even though they had unsuccessfully ministered to him (Job 42:7-9). He knew that they had wanted to help, but went about it in the wrong way.

Let´s choose to draw close to those who are grieving and hurting. Our help may not be perfect, but true friends will reach out. - Russell Fralick

Read
Job 2:11-13
When Job´s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon hi, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

John 15:12-17
My command is this : Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master´s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command : Love each other.

Question to Ponder
Are you available to comfort those who mourn, to weep with those who weep, even when you feel inadequate?
How can you be a true friend this week to a person who needs one?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

I Believe

Monday February 16, 2015

Being a Chinese woman raised in a polytheistic environment, I used to think that Christianity was a Western religion or the "white-man´s religion". My thought was, We Asians have our own gods. Later, as a young believer in Jesus, I still wondered from time to time if I had forsaken my own roots and believed in a foreign god.

Over the years, however, I´ve had the opportunity to visit churches in China, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and America. I´ve joined with believers across the whole world to sing familiar hymns and new songs of praise. And though worship styles may differ, I´ve seen that ultimately we worship the "only one God, the Father, who created everything" (1 Corinthians 8:6).

These experiences have helped me confidently testify that "I believe in GOd, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth" (taken from the Apostles' Creed). 

The Hebrew word for "Almighty" is El Shaddai. It means "the God who is over everything, the One who overpowers". He´s the maker of heaven and earth. In other words, His sphere of authority includes the entire universe.

I was once a polytheist - a person who believes that each race has separate gods with separate job descriptions for separate tasks. Then I became a henotheist - a person who believes that each god has certain sovereignty over a certain geography or ethnic sphere. But now, as a monotheist, I believe that there´s only one God before whom all tongues and nations must bow their knees, confessing that He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-10).

I know who I´ve believed in - the one true God. And I´m so thankful that He found me. I´m a member of His family with brothers and sisters in Christ around the world! - Poh Fang Chia

Read
1 Corinthians 8:4-8
So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols : We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defile. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Acts 17:24-31
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not serve by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring'.
Therefore since we are God´s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone - an image made by man´s design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

Question to Ponder
Are you certain of what you believe?
What will it take for you to have an even more confident faith in Jesus?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

The Source Of Life

Sunday February 15, 2015

In 2012, thanks to a rapper named Drake and the supercharged vehicle of social meia, "YOLO" became a popular acronym. It stands for "You Only Live Once." Though the message of YOLO is  test the limits, it became a justification to live life irresponsibly. The answer to drunk driving, parking illegally, disrespecting parents and missing class was simply YOLO. Its underlying meaning is that my life is mine and I get to live it how I want to.

YOLO, however, can point us to a few important truths about life :
- Life proceeds from God. Every human being owes his existence to the Author of life. God breathed the breath of life into Adam, and he became a living soul (Genesis 2:7; Job 33:4, Acts 17:25).
- Life is precious to God. Since people are made in the image of God, they´re precious and valuable to Him (Genesis 1:26-27).
- Life should be lived for God. Since life is a gift from Him, humanity´s posture towards God should include reverence and a commitment to live responsibly according to His standards as outlined in Scripture (Ecclesiastes 12:13). And those standards for life should make us suspicious of our own - causing us to reject the cultural meaning of the YOLO motto while making a full admission that life isn´t found in us, but in God alone. As Jeremiah 10:23 says, "I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course."

Life is temporary, and death is by God´s appointment. After we die, we´ll live eternally either with God or apart from Him. It´s wise, therefore, to submit our lives to Jesus and spend our days following His ways, for He´s the true Source of life. - Marvin Williams

Read 
Genesis 2:1-7
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he restsed from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens - and no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth and no plant of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to work the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground - the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

James 4:13-17
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord´s will, we will lvoe and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn´t do it, sins.

Question to Ponder
How will you live differently this week as you consider God´s view of life and its meaning? 
What will you do to become a more faithful and responsible manager of the life He´s given you?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue.

Bigger Than You Imagine

Saturday February 14, 2015

God loves us. Most of us know this. But how many of us feel it? Paul knew that understanding God´s love was a difficult proposition. He believed supernatural revelation was required even to get started (Ephesians 3:16, 18). God´s love is so large and our comprehension so small. How can we ever truly understand His love for us?

Part of our problem is that we interpret God´s love through the lens of human love. If we understand God´s love to be anything like the distorted, damaging "love" we´ve experienced from an abuser, or even the relatively good love of family and friends (at best limited, at worst tainted by wrong motives), we´ll forever feel cold about God´s love for us.

But there´s another way. Through the help of the Holy Spirit we can begin to grasp God´s love not by likeness to, but in contrast to, human love. Try this exercise : think of the most loving thing someone has done for you. Even as great as their act of love was, it´s tiny in contrast to God´s love for you. How tiny? Picture a grain of sand sitting next to a skyscraper. Picture a microbe next to Jupiter. Picture the tiniest trickle alongside the mightiest of rivers, or a strand of cotton next to a mile of fabric. Imagine the faintest scent against the strongest perfume, the quietest chirp against the loudest of thunderclaps. Compare a water drop to the Pacific Ocean, the flicker of a candle to the blaze of the sun, a single leaf to a forest of trees. That´s how tiny human love is, and how great God´s love is!

The truth is that God´s love can never be fully grasped, which means that all contrasts fall short! (v.19). It´s bigger than you could ever imagine. - Sheridan Voysey

Read
Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

Psalms 36:5
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, 
your faithfulness to the skies.

Question to Ponder
Do you struggle to feel God´s love for you personally?
What comparison can you think of to grasp God´s love for you?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

Daily Dose

Friday February 13, 2015

My vitamins come in three fruity flavours. Fortunately, someone designed them to look and taste more like sweets than health aids. The contents include stuff like vitamin B-6, niacin and folic acid. Each serving contains enough supplements to last for one day. Every morning I have to consume another dose because my body has been busy using up yesterday´s vitamin supply.

The Israelites experienced a similar sense of dependence on the mysterious breadlike food that fell from heaven. Having arrived in the wilderness of Sin, they began to gripe, saying ,"[In Egypt] we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted" (Exodus 16:3).

The Israelites' complaints reached God´s ears, so He decided to airdrop food from heaven. He told Moses, "Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day" (v. 4). They weren´t supposed to stockpile the stuff (vv. 16, 19), and those who did found that it turned into a smelly, worm-infested mess overnight (v.20).

Gathering the supernatural sustenance taught the Israelites to obey and depend on God every day. Eventually, depending on God became a way of life. "[They] ate the manna for forty years.... [until] they came to the border of the land of Canaan" (v.35).

God wants us to rely on Him as well. Consistent daily dependence leads to a lifestyle of reliance on God. Maybe this is why He often gives us a daily dose of His help rather than fixing our problems all at once. If we become disappointed when God doesn´t solve the big problems in our lives, we can remember that He´s still at work in the situation, supplying just what we need one day at a time. - Jennifer Benson Schuldt.

Read
Exodus 16:1-21
The whole Israrelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord´s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days."
So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?" Moses also said, "You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord."
Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community, 'Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.' "
While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the deser, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.
The Lord said to Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.' "
That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, "It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded : 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.' "
The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.
Then Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning."
However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

Psalm 125:1-2
Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, 
so the Lord surrounds his people 
both now and forevermore.

2 Corinthians 1:8-9
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

Question to Ponder
How did God supply a daily dose of help when you faced a difficult situation?
In what ways can you practice reliance on Him this week?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015

Face To Face

Thursday February 12, 2015

Technology is helpful, but it can also hinder communication. As the apostle John told Gaius, it´s hard to fully convey all that is in our heart when we´re not with the other person (3 John 1:13-14). If John were writing his third epistle today, he might sign off : "I don´t want to call, text or tweet my thoughts. I hope to come over soon, and then we´ll talk face to face."

John knew the power of face to face communication because he was a believer in Jesus. In his gospel he revealed that this is how God conveyed His love to us : "The Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father´s one and only Son" (John 1:14). God didn´t reveal His love in a blog post or social media update. He showed us His love by showing up in skin.

The power of touch can be intimidating. It often seems safer to retreat behind technological walls, commenting to those who aren´t with us rather than speaking with those who are. It´s easier not to make eye contact as we share our deepest feelings via characters on a screen.

Here´s the thing : we must open ourselves to the face of Jesus to fully experience His love. John says that soon Jesus will return, and "we will see him as he really is" (1 John 3:2). In that moment we´ll understand that we couldn´t possibly be more known or loved. Jesus already sees us as we really are, and He unconditionally accepts all who receive His unfathomable grace. This deeply personal love is best shared with others in person (3 John 1:13-14). If we want to reach others, we must be willing to do so face to face. - Mike Wittmer

Read
3 John 1:1-15
The elder,

To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth.
I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.
Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone - and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.
I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.
Peace to you. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.

Revelation 1:9-20
I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord´s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said : "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches : to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."
I turned around to see the voice  that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man", dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said : "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this : The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

Question to Ponder
How might you use and/or limit technology to deepen your friendships?
Who do you need to sit down with to have a face to face conversation that will bring God glory?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

Captain of My Soul?

Wednesday February 11, 2015

As Timothy McVeigh faced execution for a terrorist act that killed 168 people, he released as his last statement the well known poem Invictus. It says in part, "I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul," and concludes with these lines:

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul.

The author, William Ernest Hensley, was a likeable man. But it´s clear that he didn´t seek assistance from his Creator, and that some kind of lone-wolf spirit resonated a century later in the dark heart of an unrepentant terrorist.

What if McVeigh the terrorist had turned his face towards Christ like the thief on the cross, who said : "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom"? (Luke 23:42). What if McVeigh had chosen the poetry of another man - King David - a man who was also a murderer?

The king poured out his broken emotions to the God who forgives: "I recognise my rebellion; it haunts me day and night" (Psalms 51:3). David had arranged the murder of Uriah to conceal his adultery. Eventually he would commit more sins - one that resulted in the death of thousands of his subjects (2 Samuel 24:10-16). But David turned towards God in genuine repentance, saying to Him, "I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! ...... Let your anger fall against me and my family" (v.17). David was imperfect, and yet Scripture calls him "a man after [God´s] own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14).

Though our heavenly Father yearns for our affection, He never forces it. We can raise a defiant fist of independence against Him. Or we can look to the One who died to save us from ourselves and from our many sins. He leaves the choice to us. - Tim Gustafson

Read

Psalm 51:1-19

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin

For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you are proved right when you speak

and justified when you judge.

Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;

you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will turn back to you.

Save me from bloodguilt, O God,

the God who saves me,

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in brnt offerings.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;

build up the walls of Jerusalem.

Then there will be righteous sacrifices,

whole burnt offerings to delight you;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

2 Samuel 24: 1-17

Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."

So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are."
But Joab replied to the king, "May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?"

The king´s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.

After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.

After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.

David was conscience-stricken after he counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing."
Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David´s seer : "Go and tell David, 'This is what the Lord says : I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.' "

So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come upon you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me."

David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of me."

So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, "I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family."

Question to Ponder

How does it work to have a healthy independence and yet be fully dependent on God?

What happens when you defy God and act as the captain of your soul?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 

Surprise!

Tuesday February 10, 2015

For many years it was believed that Dr. David Livingstone, famed missionary to Africa, had just one convert. The man was a chief from Botswana named Sechele whom Livingstone wrote off, stating that the chief had backslidden. Sechele, however, might in fact have been one of Africa´s greatest evangelists. Missionaries arriving to work with the Zulu Ndebele tribe in 1859 were surprised to find that they already practiced regular Christian prayers. Sechele had taught them to read the Bible and many of the Bakwena had become believers in Jesus.

Paul commended the believers in Thessalonica with whom he had spent only a few weeks before fleeing to Berea (Acts 17:1-10). Out of concern for the young church, he sent Timothy to see how they were doing (1 Thessalonians 3:1-5). Paul was overjoyed to hear that despite persecution, they had remained strong (2:13-14), growing in their faith, love and hope (1:3, 6-7). Although he had to warn the believers of the dangers of sexual immorality and correct some views of the ressurection and the return of Christ (4:1-8, 13-5:11), Paul was immensely proud of the growing church (2:19-20).

We can despair at times when our attempts to bring someone to salvation comes to nothing. Paul reminds us, however, that some will plant, some will water and some will reap, but it is God who makes the seed grow (1 Corinthians 3:5-9).

Paul was overjoyed to learn that the Thessalonian church was thriving, and David Livingstone will likely be surprised at the harvest that came from his witness in Africa. One day, may we also experience joy and amazement when we see who is in heaven as a result of God using our witness for Him. - Ruth O'Reilly-Smith

Read
1 Thessalonians 1:4-8
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord´s message rang out from you not only in Maceonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not nee to say anything about it.

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Question to Ponder 
Who can you share your faith with today?
Why can we remain hopeful even if someone who we share Jesus with doesn´t appear to be interested?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015

Tempting with "Good"

Monday February 9, 2015

I´ve endured many cycles of success and failure in my long struggle with healthy eating and consistent exercise. Whenever my efforts fail, however, it´s because I´ve succumbed to the allure of something that seemed to offer me true pleasure : another slice of iced apple cake or a series of leisurely mornings where I dot have to drag my body out to the road for another run. The truth, of course, is that poor nutrition and a lethargic body yield nothing good at all.

From the first stories of human temptation to today, it´s obvious that we´re rarely tempted with something that looks purely evil. There´s often a trace of goodness mixed in with the rebellious suggestion that we would do well to refuse God´s instructions. In the Eden temptation, the serpent told Eve that contrary to God´s warning, she would not die if she ate from the tree. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you wilb e like God, knowing both good and evil" (Genesis 3:5).

In other words, the serpent suggested to Eve that God was selfish, and that if she would simply ignore His warnings she would find the knowledge and experience she lacked. And this knowledge and experience, the serpent assured, wasn´t evil, but so very, very good. After their tragic disobedience, Eve and Adam found only ruin and great sorrow. "They suddenly felt shame" (v.7). This was a shock. They had expected to discover new power and freedom.

Temptation always promises goodness that it can never possibly deliver. God is the source of all beauty, truth, and pleasure. Anything (or anyone) that draws us away from Him causes us to leave true life and joy behind. - Winn Collier

Read
Genesis 3:1-7
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animlas the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."
Jesus answered, "It is written : Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written : 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' "
Jesus answered him, "It is also written : Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written : Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."
Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Question to Ponder
Where are you most tempted to step away from God?
How can you learn to resist this temptation and cling to His goodness?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015 issue

Hard Conversations

Sunday February 8, 2015

I remember when someone on our church ministry team responded with disbelief upon discovering that my husband and I have disagreements. But I didn´t back away from sharing that we - like any family - had to work through conflict to relate better. Being spiritually mature doesn´t mean we´re exempt from challenges or failure. And it also means being honest, not trying to hide behind a squeaky clean façade.

The seduction of image is a temptation we all face. With the opinions of others as a tangible and ready means of feedback, we can easily lose sight of the real call to discipleship (Luke 9:23-24) and choose to focus on how others see us. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus instructed us, "Don´t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." We might craft our reputation under any number of guises, but this truth remains : a desire to protect our reputation is nothing more than a fear of other people (John 12:42-43).

Disappointed with Peter´s response to the Gentile believers (Galatians 2:11-16), Paul was unafraid to engage a brother in a hard conversation. Earlier in his life, Paul had focused on credentials in an attempt to prove himself worthy (Philippians 3:3-7). But now, refusing to curry favour with others, he reminded Peter and all who read his letter that caving in to people´s desires was not the answer (Galatians 2:20-21).

Being authentic in the church means holding Christ´s reputation above our own. Only then will we be the city set on a hill - the hope of Jesus shining in a world shrouded in the deception of appearances and man-made measures (Matthew 5:14-16). - Regina Franklin

Read
Galatians 2:1-21
Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain. Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you.
As for those who seemed to be important - whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance - those men added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.
When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so taht by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?"
"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified."
"If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

1 Timothy 1:12-17
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance : Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worse. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen

Question to Ponder
On a scale of 1 to 10, how much do the people in your local church body know about you?
What are some of the hindrances you face in being real with other believers?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Dec 2014 - Feb 2015