Acknowledgement

In Genesis 12:7, 8; 13:18 (Here at Bible Gateway), note the repetition:

• 7…he built an altar there to the Lord…
• 8…there he built an altar to the Lord…
• 3:18…there he built an altar to the Lord…

All of these were after the Lord had promised the land to Abram.  The last one was after he and Lot had gone their separate ways and the Lord reiterated His promise to Abram that He would give Abram the land.

It is striking to me that after the Lord promised him the land, on the journey toward what the Lord had promised, at each step, Abram built an altar.

It was an acknowledgement of the Lord’s promise, the Lord’s guidance, and Abram’s trust and dependence on the Lord.

There are projects that the Lord has given me that I may start well.  However, this passage reminds me that although the Lord may have assigned me that project, it is incumbent on me to walk in acknowledgement of both the source of the assignment and my dependence on Him to complete it.

Sharing the Truth

Jenny and I are traveling.  We landed in Vancouver this morning, or afternoon, depending on which time zone one referenced.  We got up a 0345 to catch a 0601 flight.  We are touring the Canadian Rockies.  To get to the first hotel, we were provided with a chauffeur driving an Escalade.  His name was “Joe” and he was from Uganda.

We talked with Joe all the way to the hotel.  He asked me to guess where he was from I guessed Africa but got the wrong country.  He was intrigued with the number of countries I had been to in Africa and asked why.  I told him I worked with pastors equipping them to study the Word.  He noted that he appreciated anyone that worked at helping other humans – an interesting way to put that.

He was also intrigued with Jenny’s Alabama accent.  He thought she would be an effective public speaker – which, in fact, she is.

About 15 minutes into the conversation I asked him where he was in his spiritual journey.  He responded that it was a complicated question.  I agreed.  We then talked about different aspects of his journey and he asked some really good questions, for one of which I did not have a really good answer.

While we had a great time with Joe, I did not get to the issue and ask enough directly if he knew for certain what would happen with him when he died.  Before I could get to that we were at the hotel.  I failed to get to the meat, but perhaps gave him some things to think about.  I should have given him one of my cards so we could contact one another.  I will chalk that oversight up to fatigue, but I should have done better.

The point in sharing this is at least two fold.  

First it isn’t hard to get people talking about themselves.  I have had similar conversations with multiple Uber drivers during my treks to MD Anderson.  They will share something that they are struggling with, and I will ask them how they are dealing with that trauma, looking for a way to steer the conversation to the gospel.  I have found that almost always they are willing to talk about struggles.

Second, I do not always do this right.  I didn’t get to the gospel with Joe, and I haven’t gotten there with many of the Uber drivers.  I got closer with Joe, using the question about his spiritual journey, but I did not get where I was trying to go.

When we begin to talk with someone, it seems to me that there should be a pull to share the gospel with them.  Jude 22–23 (NASB95) says, “And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”  Each time we get into a conversation with a stranger, we can apply this passage.  However, it is reality that we may not always get there.  We should be in prayer about doing this before, when, and after.

I am writing this to me as much as I am to you.

It’s Broken

This is a difficult time.  Not just in the US but in several places overseas.  I just read a Facebook post from an acquaintance that shared an article from an independent organization named after a major denomination.  It was a one-sided piece that was presented as a reasoned examination of pastors losing their ministries because of politics.  To suggest that the country is divided, would be an epic understatement, polarized may be more accurate.

I meet weekly with Christian leaders in Morocco, Cameroon, and Ethiopia – more accurately I am scheduled to do so.  In Morocco, while weekly I hear of new believers, the underground churches are meeting, knowing that they could be arrested for doing so.  In Cameroon, a country that has the potential to be both an economic and spiritual gateway to both the French speaking and English-speaking countries in the area since the country is bilingual, one language group is attempting to overrun the other, thus destroying one of their greatest advantages.  In Ethiopia the government controls access to the internet shutting it down to keep people from communicating.  Thus, my comment about being scheduled to meet with a leader there.

It seems that regardless of one’s political leaning today, everyone is either frustrated or angry.  Larry Crabb always said that frustration was the result of a blocked goal, and that anger was the result of a continually blocked goal.  The corollary was that Biblical goals could not be blocked.  As I have pondered that over the years and rubbed his thought against the Scriptural data I believe he is correct.

So, what do we do with all of this?  There are several passages that come to mind that may be of help, consider:

• Psalm 46:2 – 3 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Hebrews 13:8 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 118:8 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Jeremiah 17:7 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Matthew 6:33 (here @ BibleGateway)

Regardless of what is happening in the country or the world, the Lord does not change.  The Lord can be trusted.  The world cannot be trusted.  It is broken.  All its systems are as well.  Our charge is to cleave to Him and invite others to do so as well.

Under Obligation

From time to time I read part of a devotional, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (VOV), during my personal devotions.  They are short; two pages.  But I tend to break them up into sentences and reflect on the message.  It seems that some of the Puritans thought when Paul commanded that we imitate him, that meant they were to write sentences like he did.  Some of their sentences are looooong.  I break those up.

Yesterday this was the sentence that I wrote out in my journal:

Send me forth to have compassion on the ignorant and miserable.

I was struck by the depth and simplicity of the thought.  Most of the time these excerpts bring to mind verses that support what I read.  This was no exception.  Five passages came to mind.  The first was Romans 1:14 (here @ Bible Gateway).  It is not my favorite verse.  I am ok with all of it but the last three words.  However, I know that I can’t pick and choose what I obey.  I have trouble with foolish people.  I have found that there are a lot of them.  Yet 1:14 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells me that as a believer I am under obligation to share the gospel with them.  The sentence in VOV, echoes Paul.

Then two passages in Ezekiel, 3:18 – 19 (here @ Bible Gateway) and 33:8 – 9 (here @ Bible Gateway).  When you read those you will see that our obligation extends to the wicked as well.  That the passages are virtually identical, indicates emphasis.  We are exhorted emphatically that we are obligated to share the good news with the wicked.

Then Jude 22 – 23 (here @ Bible Gateway) came to mind.  Jude speaks of the urgency of the matter.  We need to view the Greeks, barbarians, wise, foolish, and wicked as inside a burning building and we are the only one that can get them out.  Fun picture.

Lastly, Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway) came to mind.  You have probably hear messages on this passage.  We are told – well the only imperative in the passage is make disciples.  The other verb forms, go, baptize, and teach are all participles.  Participles get their force from the main verb, make disciples, so they take on the imperative mood of make disciples.  The point of this, is that we are expected to make disciples.  The first step in making a disciple is to lead them to Jesus.

It is easy to justify why we are not sharing the gospel.  I have essentially been under house arrest since last March because of my compromised immune system due to the cancer and subsequent chemo.  But, even before that, much of what I have been called to do focuses me on equipping believers in their study of the Word of God.  So in a sense I am insulated from non-believers.  But I don’t find in Scripture any out.  I am still under obligation to our list of Greeks, et al.  I have to use every interaction with another person as an opportunity to share Christ.  To go forth, intentionally, with compassion.  I am not very good about that.

Introduction to Dads Teach the Bible

Last Monday night, Entrusting Truth hosted an online introduction to Dads Teach the Bible, our core seminar.  Click here to watch and listen.  The presentation starts at 2:31.  Let me know what you think in the comments.

Is Jesus Enough?

Learning to deal with the reality that my capacity has been greatly limited, at least for the next several months, has surfaced several issues that I have needed to process.

In the past 13 years the Lord has given me the opportunity to serve believers in 11 countries on 4 continents.  It has been a privilege.  He has given men and women in those places tools to understand the Bible in ways they have not done before.  He has refined the process and the message.  The material has been translated into four languages.  He has given me lasting relationships with significant people.  I have been asked back to most of the places He has allowed me to serve.

I was scheduled to leave this Friday for the second trip to a sub Saharan country.  The treatment canceled that trip along with a three-week vacation to South Africa and a large game reserve in eastern Africa in July.

While I still meet with three Bible studies and our small group at church online, and talk to men on the phone, I have not been able to meet with anyone in person since the middle of March.

As I was praying about this a sentence in a devotional I use from time to time stood out:

Thy goodness has been with me during another year, leading me through a twisting wilderness, in retreat helping me to advance, when beaten back making sure headway. (The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, page 204)

Reflecting on that sentence, I wrote in my journal, “This describes well my life, Lord please – don’t shunt me aside…”  As I wrote that down it became clear that I valued serving Christ more than Him.  It was a clear rebuke.  Two passages came to mind, Luke 10:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway) and Luke 10:38 – 42 (here @ Bible Gateway).  The question for which I do not have a good answer yet is, “If all I have is my relationship with Jesus, is that enough?  Is He enough?

I know what the answer should be…

Models of Prayer

Do you struggle with prayer?  I do.  I have been helped by studying the prayers in the Bible.  That started with Paul as I shared some time ago, as I shared here.

There are also prayers in the Old Testament.  Psalms, of course, are full of great examples.  There are others as well.  While I will not attempt to catalog them here, there is one which I have found really helpful in praying for those who have chosen to serve the body as leaders.

Ruth 2:12 – Its worth the time to read so:

“May the LORD reward your work,
and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel,
under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” 

The content of Boaz’s blessing on Ruth, seems to me to be a great model of prayer for those who serve.  I would especially pray this for those who are laboring in situations that are challenging and or personally dangerous.

Subtle Snares

Gideon was a judge of Israel, the fifth mentioned in the book of Judges (here @ Bible Gateway).  The Lord led him to save Israel against Midian with 300 men.  We looked at that a couple of days ago.

Read through Judges 8:22 – 27 (here @ Bible Gateway).  There is an interesting lesson here.  Gideon was asked to lead Israel.  He was a hero.  He had earned the people’s allegiance.  But when asked he refused.  Instead he asked for one gold earring from each.  That resulted in Gideon having about 70 pounds of gold.  In todays dollars that works out to be about 1.7 million.

Gideon brings the gold back and makes a 70-pound ephod which is the part of the priestly garment that is over the robe.  He places it in his home town and it becomes an idol that Israel and Gideon worship.

There is a lesson here.

Success and devotion to the Lord does not insure finishing well.  Things we do to honor Him may become, like it did for Gideon, a snare for us.  We can become focused on those things rather than the Lord.  For instance:

• Worship – Our worship, or how we do it, becomes the focus, not the Lord.
• Bible – The knowledge of or about the Scriptures becomes the end not the means of knowing Him.
• Religion – We work hard as pleasing what we think is God rather than living in His grace.
• Service – Our service to Him, be it missions, teaching, serving, whatever our gift or what He has equipped us to do becomes the end, our focus and not Him.

There are probably other ways we can get off track, those are just a few.  Gideon’s means of remembering his defeat of Midian became his god.  We have to guard daily against making what we do well for Him a similar thing for us.

Overwhelmed

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, helpless, and useless?  Faced with a circumstance that, regardless of any effort, looked insurmountable?

Read Judges 6:11 – 12 (here @ Bible Gateway).

If you look at the context, the Midianites were treating Israel like their corner grocery store.  They were coming in at harvest and taking everything they saw.  Judges 6:5 (here @ Bible Gateway) compares them to a plague of locusts.

In the midst of this the angel of the lord finds Gideon – now Gideon was hiding in a wine press beating out wheat.  I do not have any experience with growing and harvesting wheat, nor have I ever been involved in the making of wine.  That being said, I am relatively certain that a wine press is not a normal wheat harvesting implement, nor is beating out wheat a regular task in the making of wine.  The text backs this up.  Gideon was hiding what he was doing so the Midianites would not get the wheat.

It is in this context that the angel of the Lord addresses Gideon as a valiant warrior.

He’s hiding in a wine press to beat out wheat so the bad guys won’t get it – hiding, valiant warrior – the math doesn’t seem to work.

Gideon does turn out to be a valiant warrior.  But, he wasn’t at the moment – or perhaps the better way to say that is that he was not functioning as he was designed.  Perhaps the Lord views us through the lens of Ephesians 2:10 (here @ Bible Gateway).  We are made to do His work.  We are His workmanship to accomplish what He wants.  So, He sees us how He made us.

So, when confronted with the overwhelming, perhaps our best course of action is to seek the Lord as Gideon did and tackle the overwhelming in His strength.

The Source of Perseverance

I am struggling with where to go with this post.  Some weird things have occurred in the last couple of days, I may share those later.  Further, I have sustained ministry in sub Saharan Africa in the past year, in doing so I have encountered strong elements of the Word of Faith heresy.  It surfaces in many places but primarily in multiple discussions I have had about prayer.

I am sitting in the Rotary House Hotel across the street from MD Anderson.  You have to be a patient or have family that is in the hospital to stay here.  I have stayed here for both reasons, this time it is the first.  There have been multiple obstacles in our path in the past several years.  It would have been reasonable, I suppose, to quit and just coast for the rest of our lives.  Neither my wife nor I am wired that way.

Why?  What is it that equips one with perseverance?  What is it that gives one the desire to keep going when it is difficult?

Look at these passages:
Romans 5:3 – 5 (here @ Bible Gateway)
Romans 15:5 – 6 (here @ Bible Gateway)
James 1:2 – 4 (here @ Bible Gateway)
1 Peter 1:6 – 9 (here @ Bible Gateway)

Now consider these passages on prayer:
Mark 11:22 – 25 (here @ Bible Gateway)
John 14:13 – 14 (here @ Bible Gateway)
John 15:16 (here @ Bible Gateway)
John 16:23 – 26 (here @ Bible Gateway)
1 John 5:14 – 15 (here @ Bible Gateway)

I couldn’t resist putting in that last list, it is too fresh.

Focus on the first if you have time look at the second and make observations.  I will share mine in the next post.

The Source of Chaos

This afternoon a man with whom I have both served overseas and worked through the various methods of Bible study covered in the seminars.  We talked for about an hour.  The subject was one about which I have some relatively deep convictions.

My friend had spoken with a Christian leader about the type of study I have been sharing on 4 continents.  That is Inductive Bible study.  Essentially this type of study has four elements and essentially four questions.  They are Observation, What does the text say; Interpretation, What does the text mean; Correlation, What other parts of the text shed light on this portion; and Application, What does the text say that I need to do.

The leaders response to my friend, while not totally surprising, was extremely disappointing.  He told my friend that it was the wrong approach to scripture.  He said that my friend should be going to his pastor to listen to what the pastor says and then go to the Word.  There is so much wrong with that last sentence, I literally could write a book about it – oh, I did.

I am trying hard to resist listing all of the Bible passages in which that statement is in conflict.  If you were to scan this blog you will find most of them.

But I want to go in a different direction.  In Deuteronomy 28 (here @ Bible Gateway), Moses is nearing the end of his life.  He has led the nation to the edge of the Promised Land for a second time.  He cannot enter.  In the first 14 verses (here @ Bible Gateway) Moses tells the people the benefit of following the Lord.  In 15 – 68 (here @ Bible Gateway), he warns them of what will happen when they disobey.  Look at Deuteronomy 28:28 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Disobedience, not following the Lord, results in madness, blindness, and bewilderment of heart.

Something that is crystal clear in the Bible is the Lord’s command, expectation, that we each, individually, embrace, engage, and abide in His Word.  Unfortunately, the leader to which my friend spoke, is not unique.  His tribe is legion.  Rather than following the command of the great commission, these refuse to accept the clear assignment of Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway) with its implications.  Rather, they set themselves up as the expert, the professional, and place themselves between those they serve and the Word of God as the arbiter and dispenser of truth.

Is it any wonder then that in the Church today, there is madness, blindness, and bewilderment?  Chaos.

Stamina

More frequently in the past couple of years I find myself tired during the day.  I am used to working 12+ hours a day.  Sometimes late into the evening.  I find that I cannot do that as much.  I can’t tell if this is normal for being old and decrepit or an oncoming symptom of the cancer.  They say getting tired faster is one of the things that will happen.

It appears that the Lord is setting up three trips to serve men in three different African nations this year.  A couple of them are close to back to back and those two are close to a vacation trip with my wife that is also overseas.  When I look at the schedule I wonder if I am going to have the stamina to make that work.

In reality sometimes I am struggling to get through the schedule here.

Last week part of my reading was Matthew 11:28 – 30 (here @ Bible Gateway).  The Lord tells us there – you know the passage – that His yoke is easy.  He got tired though.  Look at John 4:6 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Processing this, I was drawn to Isaiah 40:28 – 31 (here @ Bible Gateway), Colossians 3:1 – 4 (here @ Bible Gateway), and Romans 6:8 (here @ Bible Gateway).

The thing I have known is that He is our life.  He is our strength.  John 15:5 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells us that we cannot do anything apart from Him – that theme shows up at least 12 times in John.  What I need to do is learn to live in His strength.  To function in Him.  I suspect that more often than not, I am possibly doing the right thing in my own strength.

As I write this 2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway) leaps to mind.  I have to function in Him, in that way it is only He who gets credit.  So in a real sense I am looking forward to learning how to serve – the Lord just brought 1 Peter 4:10 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway) to mind – “by the strength which God supplies.”

This is going to be a great adventure.

Proclaim or Passive?

Look at Psalm 96:10 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Does that seem vaguely familiar?  Compare with Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway).  The imperative in Psalm 96:10 (here @ Bible Gateway) is “Say”: in Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway) it is “make disciples.  It would seem that one precedes the other.

Now look at Isaiah 39:8 (here @ Bible Gateway) and Psalm 78:9 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway).  How does the attitude expressed in these two passages align with Psalm 96:10 (here @ Bible Gateway) and Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway)?  The obvious answer is, they don’t.

Hezekiah was informed that his sons would be taken into exile, signaling the end of the nation.  His response?  Well at least that won’t happen on my watch.  Ephraim is depicted in Psalm 78:9 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway) as and archer, a warrior, an equipped archer.  But when they were needed for battle, they were nowhere to be found.

Are there many like this in the Body today?  Are there those who have been commanded to both “say” and “make disciples” who like Ephraim are nowhere to be found?  Not engaged?

Seems so.

One of the leaders in a church I know quips that many in the church cannot be bothered with engaging in what the Lord wants them to do, because they have a Netflix account.  I’m not sure that their reasons are that compelling.

How do you imagine the Lord will respond to this level of passivity in His people?

Equipping the Heart

Yesterday looking at Deuteronomy 4:39 (here @ Bible Gateway) and other passage we say that it is possible to engage in the Word and not take it to heart, that is not have it change or transform our thinking or behavior.

In the past I have used a three step illustration on how to move people intentionally toward the Lord.  You can see it below.  The idea was you engage them in the process, establish them in the disciplines, and then equip them to engage others in the process.

I have learned in the past three or four years that I left out a couple of steps.  Before one can be engaged in something they have to know that something exists.  So I added Expose prior to Engage.  Further, one will not really work at engaging others in the process if they are not aware that is the intent of the Lord.  Paul speaks of the Gospel being entrusted to him which he in turn entrust to Timothy and Titus with the expectation that they would entrust it to others.  2 Timothy 2:2 (here @ Bible Gateway) is the clearest example of this.

So I added Entrust between Equip and Expose.

But there are two other things that have to happen with an individual.  To be established they have to learn to consistently apply the Word of God to their lives.  In order to bear fruit, they not only need to be equipped, but they have to abide in the Word.  One might argue that learning to abide is part of being equipped, but I wanted to emphasize it.

This is the model I am pursuing at the moment.  I will probably learn more as I go.

To Heart

If you were to read Deuteronomy 4:39 (here @ Bible Gateway), it seems to indicate that it is possible to engage in the Word of God, to read or study it and not take it to heart.

As cross references take a look at these passages as well:

• Psalm 27:14 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Psalm 31:24 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Malachi 2:2 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• James 1:21 – 25 (here @ Bible Gateway)

The clear message is that hearing, knowing the Bible is not enough.  We have – further, exposure is not enough – one has to take it to heart.  To use the word that Jesus and Paul used, we have to abide, live in, continue in the Word.  So we have to essentially, live by or apply the word to our lives.  Romans 12:2 (here @ Bible Gateway) describes that as being transformed, having our minds renewed.

If I am reading my Bible correctly, our assignment, that for which we will be held accountable, does not stop there.  We are to not only take the Word to heart, abide, we are to equip others to do the same.

More on that next…

Turmoil

Life has been interesting for the past few weeks, months, and years.  I was on the phone this morning with a friend who has been dealing with a family crisis for the past few days.  He found out this morning that his father is probably in his last hours.

This friend is in the midst of leading a ministry that is going through some changes.  The changes seem to be aligning the thrust of the ministry more closely to the purposes of the Lord described in the New Testament.  Since this effort has begun, all kinds of turmoil has erupted in that community.

The Scripture warns us of this.  1 Peter 5:8 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells us that the enemy is about destroying us.  He isn’t in the business of distraction or irritation, no, destruction is his end game.  But, there is a way to avoid destruction, don’t do anything that would get his attention.  That is don’t be engaged in making disciples or seeking first the Kingdom of God.

He will leave you alone then.  You are not a threat.

Step in the direction of obedience, expect turmoil.

What’s Your Job Description?

When you are asked what you do, how do you respond?  I am a consultant…  I am a salesman...  I am in IT…  I am a doctor...  I am a lawyer…

The apostles were a special group.  They were described by Peter in Acts 1:21 – 22 (here @ Bible Gateway), as men who accompanied them all the time they were with Jesus.  Peter may not have been entirely correct with that as Paul did not fit that definition, Jesus came to him directly after the resurrection and ascension.  Regardless they were special and few.

How did they view themselves?  Was the title apostle quick on their lips?  Based on the picture we have of Peter in the Scripture, he would be one that we might think would use that title first.  Check 2 Peter 1:1 (here @ Bible Gateway).  That is not the term, or job description, with which he leads, rather he calls himself a bond-servant.

Paul uses the same designation in Romans 1:1 (here @ Bible Gateway); Philippians 1:1 (here @ Bible Gateway); and Titus 1:1 (here @ Bible Gateway).  James echoes Peter and Paul in James 1:1 (here @ Bible Gateway).

Look at Deuteronomy 15:16 – 17 (here @ Bible Gateway).  There we have the law of the bond-servant.  It is voluntary, it is a lifelong commitment, it is based on the love of the servant for the master, and the reality that the master is very good to the servant.

These men, two of which are designated apostles lead with bond-servant to describe their “job descriptions”.

We are told to imitate them.  So that should raise several questions for us:

• Why do I do what I do in my church?
• Why do I share Christ with people?
• Why do I study His Word?
• Why do I join in fellowship with other men?

There are probably more but those are enough to get going.

Not Void

Isaiah 55:11 (here @ Bible Gateway) is a passage to which I return often.  I have written about it often here.  Many times I couple the verse with Hebrews 4:12 – 13 (here @ Bible Gateway).  It has been, and it still is, my belief and conviction that God’s Word does not return void. 

In part I have been applying that by getting men into the Word and allowing the Word to work in their lives, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  My conviction and experience is if men get in the Word and I get out of the way, the Lord will lead them into truth.

Problem.

I read a lot.  Theological journals and some scholarly works are part of that reading.  I benefit from reading those – caveat: my primary time for input for my walk with God, is time with Him in the Word, I read the journals to understand what they are dealing with, but I do not accept anything I read without validating it Biblically.  The challenge I have encountered in reading these is that I find men who are “scholars” who are espousing some incredibly unbiblical positions.

How does that align with the Word of God not returning void?  How does that align with the Word being piercing?  Why are they not led into truth?

Thinking and praying through this over time I think an answer may be emerging for me.  You may already have figured it out.  But, I am a slow maze learner.  The last portion of Isaiah 55:11 (here @ Bible Gateway) states that the Word won’t return, “Without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

If the Lord’s purpose in a person’s life is to draw them to Himself, the Word will do that.  If it is His purpose to push them away, the Word will do so.  It is His purpose that is important, not mine.

It is a further reminder to me, a rebuke, that I am not in control.  It is His Word, His ministry, His gospel, His choice that matters.  He determines what is void and what is not.  My role is to still get men into the Word and get out of the way and let Him do with them what He desires.

Worship of the Giver

Have you ever admired someone’s skill?  Looked at something that they have created and was amazed at their work?  There are a number of artists for which I have great regard.  Some of them work in the medium of drawing or painting.  Many in music.  Some in the written word both in fiction and non-fiction.  Some as actors.  Some as carpenters.  Some as designers of buildings, bridges, or other structures.

There are others though who many would not consider artists, plumbers, electricians, welders, etc.  Artists, however, they are.

Exodus 31:6 (here @ Bible Gateway), the last part especially, tells us that any skill that we have was put there by God.  So when you admire someone’s work, you are in reality giving thanks to the One who gifted their skill.

Perhaps a new source of worship.

Incremental Victories

There have been issues in my life and ministry that the Lord immediately changed.  One was my focus on what was ultimately important, not airplanes but people.  Another was an immediate and sustained hunger for His Word.

But other issues took time.  Swearing was one.

Some I was able to overcome, later attempted, with some success, to reassert themselves.

Some, like journaling, I was off and on with for years and now has become consistent.

In ministry engaging people in the Word is a strength, but prayer is a challenge.

The point is not everything in this journey is easy.  Further, things that we may have nailed down today, may break loose tomorrow.

Why?

There are probably more reasons than we can possibly cover in a short post.  Someone has probably written a book about this.  But I find help on this in some places in the Word.  First, in Exodus 23:29 – 30 (here @ Bible Gateway).  When the Lord was sending Israel into the land, it was not done overnight.  It was a process.  He wanted them to take the land incrementally.  The stated purpose was so that the land would not become desolate.

I resist allegorizing the text.  Detest is probably a better representation of my reaction to that type of reading of the text.  With that firmly in mind Romans 15:4 – 5 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells me that this passage is given for my instruction.

Now it is not the case that I am currently engaged in a war of conquest of a large land mass.  It is the case that I have been enlisted in a project to help change the culture of a number of communities in which I am involved.

In both the war and the project there is resistance.  In my case if there was not resistance I would find myself in a situation where people would want help and because there were not enough leaders equipped to give that help, the communities would become frustrated and much future opportunity would be lost.

Romans 15:4 – 5 (here @ Bible Gateway) reminds us that this is a journey, a mission that requires perseverance.  Facilitating change, is part of that journey both personally and in a community of believers.

From time to time I forget that.  When I do, discouragement surfaces.  I have to be reminded that this is a journey of perseverance.  That requires me to abide in Him, in His Word, and in fellowship with others that are pulling with me in the traces.