The apostle Paul was called by God to bring the gospel to his generation. He had perhaps the most unexpected conversion in human history, as he previously had set himself to effectively destroy the Christian faith. But when Paul, known then as Saul of Tarsus, met the living Jesus, that all changed.
Among other things, this is what Jesus said to him:
"Now stand up! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and my witness. You are to tell the world about this experience and about other times I will appear to you. And I will protect you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am going to send you to the Gentiles" (Acts 26:16-17 NLT).
Christ's commission of Paul took the form of three words . . .
Paul's Past. Verse 16 says, "I have appeared to you." In other words, Paul had seen with his own eyes the risen Christ.
Paul's Present. Verse 17 says, "I will protect you." Nothing would stop Paul from completing his life and ministry. He would not be silenced until his God-appointed work was done. That did not mean it would be easy, for Jesus also told him he would "suffer." But he would finish his work or, as Paul said earlier, "finish his race with joy."
Paul's Future. Jesus tells Paul in verse 17, "Yes, I am going to send you to the Gentiles." Jesus was personally commissioning Paul to do this.
In the same way, we too have our past, present, and future.
1. Our Past: Jesus has "appeared" to us. No, not in the same way as He did for Paul, but He has made Himself known to us. There is even a special blessing for the person who has not "seen Him" in John 20:29: "Then Jesus told him, 'You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway.'"
2. Our Present: Jesus will rescue us. We will finish the life God has given us to live and the task He wants us to complete. In Isaiah 54, we read that "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper" (NKJV). Psalm 91 has even more promises of protection for the believer.
3. Our Future: Jesus is calling us. We all have a calling to fulfill, a task to complete, a race to run. We all have been called to live godly lives that glorify Him. We have all been called to "preach the gospel." We have been commissioned by Jesus Himself to "Go therefore into all the world (your home,your job, your community) . . ."
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
"Remembering God’s Priority"
37) The Lord said to Moses, 38) "Speak to the Israelites and tell them this: 'Tie several pieces of thread together and attach them to the corners of your clothes. Put a blue thread in each one of these tassels. Wear them from now on. 39) You will have these tassels to look at to remind you of all the Lord's commands. Then you will obey them and not be disloyal by following what your bodies and eyes want. 40) Then you will remember to obey all my commands, and you will be God's holy people. 41) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God.' " Num. 15: 37-41 (NCV)
At times, people will say, “I’ve made Jesus a part of my life.” But this statement reveals that they have missed the point. The truth is, Jesus can never be simply a part of life; at salvation, Jesus becomes our life—everything revolves around Him, because He is the central focus.
For the believer, the essence of living is to walk in childlike obedience to Christ. That means we express His righteous life simply by faith; to do this, we depend on the power of the Holy Spirit for enablement and divine grace for forgiveness when we stumble. And stumbling will occur because we live amidst two kingdoms that are in constant conflict. On the one hand, there’s the pull of the world, and on the other, the pull of God. In other words, Satan throws temptations our way, but from our Father comes the appeal of holiness, peace, and joy in Christ.
That’s why Jesus taught, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The way to do this is by opening God’s Word daily and letting Him use Scripture to flush from our minds anything that doesn’t fit with His priority (Rom. 12:2). We are also to remind ourselves frequently of His commands and His greatness (Ps. 105:4-5; Num. 15:37-41).
The battle is ongoing. And it rages not just in the realms of education, science, politics, and finances but also within every human heart. Since there’s no way to make it in life without Christ, it’s critical that we keep God’s priority as our own and make continual course corrections to stay on track.
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
At times, people will say, “I’ve made Jesus a part of my life.” But this statement reveals that they have missed the point. The truth is, Jesus can never be simply a part of life; at salvation, Jesus becomes our life—everything revolves around Him, because He is the central focus.
For the believer, the essence of living is to walk in childlike obedience to Christ. That means we express His righteous life simply by faith; to do this, we depend on the power of the Holy Spirit for enablement and divine grace for forgiveness when we stumble. And stumbling will occur because we live amidst two kingdoms that are in constant conflict. On the one hand, there’s the pull of the world, and on the other, the pull of God. In other words, Satan throws temptations our way, but from our Father comes the appeal of holiness, peace, and joy in Christ.
That’s why Jesus taught, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” The way to do this is by opening God’s Word daily and letting Him use Scripture to flush from our minds anything that doesn’t fit with His priority (Rom. 12:2). We are also to remind ourselves frequently of His commands and His greatness (Ps. 105:4-5; Num. 15:37-41).
The battle is ongoing. And it rages not just in the realms of education, science, politics, and finances but also within every human heart. Since there’s no way to make it in life without Christ, it’s critical that we keep God’s priority as our own and make continual course corrections to stay on track.
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Wanted: Disciples
If you are a true disciple of Jesus Christ, if you are living the Christian life as it was meant to be lived, then please talk about it. Some Christians who believe that if others observe the way they are living, if others see they are honest and love their family and work hard, then they will notice and will come to Jesus.
While it is true that others will notice, true disciples also need to step it up and tell others about what they believe. As Romans 10:13 says, "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"
In addition to being salt in the world, Christians are to be light as well. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world . . ." (Matthew 5:14). Someone who is being salt is stimulating in others a thirst for Christ. Someone who is being a light is someone who is proclaiming Christ. So let's be both. There is a place for living it, and there is a place for telling it.
But I would also add that if you are not living it, then please don't talk about it. If you are not going to really try to live as a Christian, then don't go tell others about Jesus, because you actually will do more harm than good.
The world needs to see true disciples of Jesus. What it doesn't need to see are any more bad examples. It doesn't need to see any more watered-down commitments. It doesn't need to see any more bland Christians who are trying to live in two worlds. What we need are living, breathing disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
While it is true that others will notice, true disciples also need to step it up and tell others about what they believe. As Romans 10:13 says, "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?"
In addition to being salt in the world, Christians are to be light as well. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world . . ." (Matthew 5:14). Someone who is being salt is stimulating in others a thirst for Christ. Someone who is being a light is someone who is proclaiming Christ. So let's be both. There is a place for living it, and there is a place for telling it.
But I would also add that if you are not living it, then please don't talk about it. If you are not going to really try to live as a Christian, then don't go tell others about Jesus, because you actually will do more harm than good.
The world needs to see true disciples of Jesus. What it doesn't need to see are any more bad examples. It doesn't need to see any more watered-down commitments. It doesn't need to see any more bland Christians who are trying to live in two worlds. What we need are living, breathing disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
"Counting The Cost"
There is a cost to following Jesus, but I would also add there is a greater cost in not following Him. Whatever you give up to follow Christ will be more than made up to you in this life and certainly in the life to come.
Jesus said, "And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?" (Luke 14:27–28). In other words, "Don't do this on the impulse of a moment. Count the cost."
Yet some people who set out to follow Christ haven't counted the cost, like couples who rush into marriage. Once you have made a marriage commitment, it is a lifelong commitment. And if you are not willing to make it, then do everyone a favor and stay single. Count the cost.
The Bible records the story of someone who saw Jesus walk by and blurted out, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus had not called this person to follow Him; he just volunteered. So Jesus said, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head" (Luke 9:58). Loose paraphrase: "Buddy, I am not headed to the Jerusalem Ritz-Carlton. It is a rough life. I am headed to the cross. Are you sure about that?"
Sometimes in the impulse of the moment, someone will say, "I will follow Jesus," but they don't follow through on that commitment. They didn't count the cost.
We must realize that being a true disciple of Jesus is not easy. Therefore, we must count the cost.
**VIA HARVEST MINISTRIES**
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
Jesus said, "And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?" (Luke 14:27–28). In other words, "Don't do this on the impulse of a moment. Count the cost."
Yet some people who set out to follow Christ haven't counted the cost, like couples who rush into marriage. Once you have made a marriage commitment, it is a lifelong commitment. And if you are not willing to make it, then do everyone a favor and stay single. Count the cost.
The Bible records the story of someone who saw Jesus walk by and blurted out, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus had not called this person to follow Him; he just volunteered. So Jesus said, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head" (Luke 9:58). Loose paraphrase: "Buddy, I am not headed to the Jerusalem Ritz-Carlton. It is a rough life. I am headed to the cross. Are you sure about that?"
Sometimes in the impulse of the moment, someone will say, "I will follow Jesus," but they don't follow through on that commitment. They didn't count the cost.
We must realize that being a true disciple of Jesus is not easy. Therefore, we must count the cost.
**VIA HARVEST MINISTRIES**
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
Monday, May 24, 2010
"God's Servants"
"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the
shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."
- Ephesians 4:11-13
The Body of Christ functions as each member fulfills certain commands from God. We are responsible not only to carry out the roles God has given us, but also for the way we allow others to carry out their roles on our behalf. The way we treat those in leadership is a crucial part of life in the Body of Christ. Here are the three things that God requires of you as it relates to the messengers that God brings into your life.
1. Honor
First Timothy 5:17 says, "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching." Those in leadership are to be honored especially those whom God calls to teach us His Word. That means that they are to be encouraged. That means that they are to be esteemed. That's your responsibility biblically; to make sure that you honor those who teach the Word.
2. Respect
First Thessalonians 5:12 adds, "We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you." So, you're to respect the people that teach God's Word to you, those who admonish you from the Scriptures. By respect, we mean deference. When push comes to shove, yield, give them the benefit of the doubt. No messenger is perfect. Those who have been around my church for any length of time have certainly seen my flaws. But we're on the subject of your responsibility right now which is honor, respect.
3. Submission
Hebrews 13:17 summarizes the treatment of church leaders this way, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account." Obedience is a huge responsibility. One of the things that you want to do as a hearer is to make it so that it's not hard for your elders to lead you.
Is it difficult to lead you? If you make it hard to lead you; if you're dishonoring, disrespecting, unresponsive to spiritual leadership, you're the one who loses in the end.
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Great Faith
"Then Jesus answered, 'Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.'" Matthew 15:28 (NIV)
Devotion:
I used to covet others' faith. I'd watch the spiritual "giants" in my church and community and wonder why they were given a greater faith than me. It didn't seem fair. Even worse were people with great faith who never seemed to have any type of adversity. Do you know the kind of people I'm describing?
One day, I decided to get to know a person with obvious great faith. I think it was one of the best things I've done to increase my own faith. The first thing I learned was people with great faith got it from their abundance of trials, not from their lack of trials. Trusting God in one trouble gave them courage to trust Him in another. Before they knew it, they had developed great faith in God. Great faith didn't happen overnight; it was a process.
Through the course of trusting God, we discover several things about great faith. First, it leads to great undertakings. Take the Gentile woman with a demon-possessed daughter found in Matthew 15 - pause to read her story if you can. She cried out for Jesus to heal her daughter, but she received no response.
This action on Christ's part can seem confusing. Therefore, it is important to know that this woman was not only a Gentile, but was of Canaanite descent. The Canaanites were an immoral people God had commanded Israel to completely destroy during their invasion of Canaan under the command of Joshua. Israel did not fully obey God's order and some Canaanites survived the invasion. This woman was their descendant. Nonetheless, this didn't stop her from appealing to Jesus for mercy and help, by her attempts, the disciples urged Jesus to send her away. She was a nuisance to them, but to Jesus the woman was an example of great faith. She was determined to do whatever was necessary to get what she needed.
Great faith also brings about great expectations. If you're like me, you often don't expect great results from your labors and prayers. This is because we lack faith. This was not true of the Gentile woman. She expected the Savior to heal her daughter.
That's not all. Great faith awakens great earnestness. This woman didn't play by the rules so to speak. She didn't care what others thought about her actions. Crying, she fell at the feet of Jesus and worshiped Him. I've seen this kind of earnestness in others with great faith as well. They pray with persistence until God moves.
Great faith conquers great difficulties. The woman kept on pursuing Jesus even though He reminded her of her position as a Gentile, not a Jew. Christ responded to her begging, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs" (vs.26). In other words, why should He give her, a Gentile, what He had come to give the Jews?
Her answer to that was to agree with Him, "Yes, Lord." And then throw herself on His mercy again by adding, "...even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (vs. 27). She understood that even one morsel of God's power was more than enough to heal her daughter. Pleased with her faith, Jesus commended her.
Finally, great faith achieves great victories. Jesus rewarded the woman's faith by healing her daughter. Our difficulties can be overcome by expressing great faith in Christ's mercy and love, which provide for our needs.
Great faith isn't given to some and not to others. It is a choice we make to trust and pursue God even when at first there appears to be no response.
Dear Lord, my circumstances call for great faith. Today, I'm ready to undertake whatever I need to do in this situation. I expect You to hear and respond to all my concerns. With earnestness, I promise to seek Your will in this area so that I may be more than a conquer. Victory is already mine because I trust in You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
Do not give up. Find a mentor with great faith and become their student.
Practice great faith by expecting God to hear and meet your needs.
Reflections:
you ask God to provide for a need and then try to take care of it yourself? If so, why?
Do you think following the example of the Gentile woman will increase your faith?
Power Verses:
Mark 9:23b, "Everything is possible for him who believes." (NIV)
Psalm 130:5, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, in his word I put my hope." (NIV)
DAWN
Devotion:
I used to covet others' faith. I'd watch the spiritual "giants" in my church and community and wonder why they were given a greater faith than me. It didn't seem fair. Even worse were people with great faith who never seemed to have any type of adversity. Do you know the kind of people I'm describing?
One day, I decided to get to know a person with obvious great faith. I think it was one of the best things I've done to increase my own faith. The first thing I learned was people with great faith got it from their abundance of trials, not from their lack of trials. Trusting God in one trouble gave them courage to trust Him in another. Before they knew it, they had developed great faith in God. Great faith didn't happen overnight; it was a process.
Through the course of trusting God, we discover several things about great faith. First, it leads to great undertakings. Take the Gentile woman with a demon-possessed daughter found in Matthew 15 - pause to read her story if you can. She cried out for Jesus to heal her daughter, but she received no response.
This action on Christ's part can seem confusing. Therefore, it is important to know that this woman was not only a Gentile, but was of Canaanite descent. The Canaanites were an immoral people God had commanded Israel to completely destroy during their invasion of Canaan under the command of Joshua. Israel did not fully obey God's order and some Canaanites survived the invasion. This woman was their descendant. Nonetheless, this didn't stop her from appealing to Jesus for mercy and help, by her attempts, the disciples urged Jesus to send her away. She was a nuisance to them, but to Jesus the woman was an example of great faith. She was determined to do whatever was necessary to get what she needed.
Great faith also brings about great expectations. If you're like me, you often don't expect great results from your labors and prayers. This is because we lack faith. This was not true of the Gentile woman. She expected the Savior to heal her daughter.
That's not all. Great faith awakens great earnestness. This woman didn't play by the rules so to speak. She didn't care what others thought about her actions. Crying, she fell at the feet of Jesus and worshiped Him. I've seen this kind of earnestness in others with great faith as well. They pray with persistence until God moves.
Great faith conquers great difficulties. The woman kept on pursuing Jesus even though He reminded her of her position as a Gentile, not a Jew. Christ responded to her begging, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs" (vs.26). In other words, why should He give her, a Gentile, what He had come to give the Jews?
Her answer to that was to agree with Him, "Yes, Lord." And then throw herself on His mercy again by adding, "...even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table" (vs. 27). She understood that even one morsel of God's power was more than enough to heal her daughter. Pleased with her faith, Jesus commended her.
Finally, great faith achieves great victories. Jesus rewarded the woman's faith by healing her daughter. Our difficulties can be overcome by expressing great faith in Christ's mercy and love, which provide for our needs.
Great faith isn't given to some and not to others. It is a choice we make to trust and pursue God even when at first there appears to be no response.
Dear Lord, my circumstances call for great faith. Today, I'm ready to undertake whatever I need to do in this situation. I expect You to hear and respond to all my concerns. With earnestness, I promise to seek Your will in this area so that I may be more than a conquer. Victory is already mine because I trust in You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Application Steps:
Do not give up. Find a mentor with great faith and become their student.
Practice great faith by expecting God to hear and meet your needs.
Reflections:
you ask God to provide for a need and then try to take care of it yourself? If so, why?
Do you think following the example of the Gentile woman will increase your faith?
Power Verses:
Mark 9:23b, "Everything is possible for him who believes." (NIV)
Psalm 130:5, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, in his word I put my hope." (NIV)
DAWN
Friday, May 21, 2010
"Crucified with Christ"
Crucified with Christ
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20
People sometimes will use the expression, "We all have our cross to bear." But our cross to bear is not whatever we find difficult in life. The cross to bear, so to speak, is the same for everyone: it is dying to self.
Dying to self means resisting the temptation to do what everyone else is doing when you know it is wrong. Dying to self means forgiving instead of harboring a grudge. Dying to self means putting down the remote control and picking up the Bible. Dying to self means praying when you would rather be sleeping. Dying to self means swallowing your pride and telling someone about Jesus Christ. Dying to self means doing what God wants you to do rather than doing what you want to do.
Jesus said, "Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33). That does not mean you must take a vow of poverty and give every possession away to be a disciple of Jesus. "Forsake all" literally could be translated, "Surrender your claim to, say good-bye to." This means that true disciples of Jesus are not possessed by their possessions.
When you die to yourself and take up the cross, you will experience joy and an overflowing life. The apostle Paul put it this way: "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
Are you a fan or a follower/disciple (one who is learning,being trained,instructed, corrected & committed to lead others by example)of Jesus Christ? If you want to be a disciple, then you must love God more than anyone or anything else. You must deny yourself. And you must take up the cross and follow Jesus.
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20
People sometimes will use the expression, "We all have our cross to bear." But our cross to bear is not whatever we find difficult in life. The cross to bear, so to speak, is the same for everyone: it is dying to self.
Dying to self means resisting the temptation to do what everyone else is doing when you know it is wrong. Dying to self means forgiving instead of harboring a grudge. Dying to self means putting down the remote control and picking up the Bible. Dying to self means praying when you would rather be sleeping. Dying to self means swallowing your pride and telling someone about Jesus Christ. Dying to self means doing what God wants you to do rather than doing what you want to do.
Jesus said, "Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33). That does not mean you must take a vow of poverty and give every possession away to be a disciple of Jesus. "Forsake all" literally could be translated, "Surrender your claim to, say good-bye to." This means that true disciples of Jesus are not possessed by their possessions.
When you die to yourself and take up the cross, you will experience joy and an overflowing life. The apostle Paul put it this way: "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
Are you a fan or a follower/disciple (one who is learning,being trained,instructed, corrected & committed to lead others by example)of Jesus Christ? If you want to be a disciple, then you must love God more than anyone or anything else. You must deny yourself. And you must take up the cross and follow Jesus.
BE BLESSED!
DAWN
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