Fire, Passion, and Faith

 This morning I got up and sat by the fireplace and started praying or at least trying to. Sometimes I find it hard to articulate what to say to God and sometimes it just flows out of my mouth because there are circumstances and situations that are heavy burdens. Many times I forget to ask God to open my eyes before I begin reading the Bible but today I was intent on making that request to Him and so I prayed that He would open my eyes and ears to see and hear and to know Him deeper. So, I found myself reading Psalm 97, Daniel 2, and Matthew 25. Psalm 97 was a reminder that God reigns over all the earth and that we as believers should rejoice because of this and seek righteousness. If we love the Lord then we should hate evil.

Daniel 2 is what really hit me today though. Mandi and I were talking about the Dominican Republic and raising support and checking our hearts to make sure that we’re both ready. Packing up all your belongings and leaving everything you’ve known for a foreign country sounds romantic but it is not without questions. Questions are good though because once we are there the questioning we’ve done here will help us through difficult times…more importantly, the God we serve will help us through those times and so we must know Him deeper here, now. But as we discussed these things I was reminded of my desire and my passion to GO! The needs are great everywhere in the world for the Gospel and for believers to help equip and train fellow believers to take the Gospel further and to more people. Daniel was a captive in Babylon, he and his fellow Jews were taken away from their homeland in chains and delivered over to king Nebuchadnezzar for service in his kingdom. That sounds great until you realize that he was probably made a eunuch…ouch! But still he and a few others served God faithfully.

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and he couldn’t remember it and summoned the expert dream interpreters to tell him his dream and then interpret it. Typically what would happen in those days is that the king would tell the interpreters his dream and then they would tell him what it meant…this was a whole new ballgame! The interpreters were saying “Let me get this straight, you want me to tell you what you dreamed…and then tell you what it means? Nobody other than the gods can do that.” So, being the supreme authority that he was, Nebuchadnezzar decided to order ALL of the interpreters and wise men to be killed! Daniel and his group of men didn’t have a clue what was going on until the soldiers came to take them away and kill them. Daniel asked one of the captains of the guard what was going on and he explained to Daniel the situation. Daniel didn’t hesitate or even pause to pray but went and made an appointment with the king so that he might show the interpretation of the dream. After that he went back to Shadrach, Meshach, and Obednego and told them “seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery.” What a great step of faith. The reality was that he had nothing to lose but everything to gain. If he didn’t ask for the opportunity to interpret the dream he was going to die and if he did and failed to then he would die. The only option for him to live was if the Lord intervened and gave him the dream and the interpretation. That is bold. I think it’s important to note that Daniel didn’t stop and pray first. He acted in response to a need and then he prayed and gathered others around him to pray. The book of Daniel is full of references to prayer and so I found it very interesting that this is the same response they had in chapter 1 when they decided they would not defile themselves with food sacrificed to idols and were bold enough to present the option of eating “the Daniel fast”. Through all of this it is important to note that verse 17 of chapter 1, God gave them learning and skill but it specifically points to Daniel having “understanding in all visions and dreams”. Daniel knew who he was in God and he knew his skills that God had given him and that is why he had confidence in the Lord in this situation. It all comes back to the Lord and our trust in Him. We can take risks for the cause of Christ and trust that whatever the outcome, the Lord is good.

Next thing is that Daniel prays such a beautiful prayer to God in verses 20-23. This is too good not to put in here:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to those who have understanding;
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

So, Daniel then gets to meet with the king and he says to Daniel, “Are you able…” Daniel’s response and said “No wise men, etc can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, BUT there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries…” Daniel gives all glory and honor to God. He points Nebuchadnezzar to the one, true, living God! How bold and how beautiful? Then as Daniel interprets the dream, he tells the king that it is the God of heaven who has given him his kingdom, his power, and his might. He tells this to a man who is some respects considered himself a god and was known for having men killed for displeasing him. What a beautiful life of complete abandonment to God? No fear of men and a strong desire to be faithful to the Lord and not to defile himself by the things of the world. Where are these men in our churches today? Oh that God would raise up men who know who they are in Christ and know what they have been gifted to do and who see needs and act trusting in the Lord.

So, this is what I read today and what has been fueling my desire to GO overseas and teach and train and make disciples. This passion and this fire is what will sustain us in moments of weakness because this passion and fire are rooted in God and not in our abilities. May the Lord equip us and bring glory to His name just as He equipped Daniel and Daniel was obedient and was used to bring glory to the God of heaven!

Glorifying God for His Gifts

So, it's Christmas time and people are in the hustle and bustle of giving gifts. We are busy with the many lists for family and friends and trying to find the "perfect" gift for those we love most. I have been reminded continually in the past few weeks that the greatest gift that we have ever been given is the gift of grace. This gift has been given in many different forms to all people in the world...this gift is the Good News that Immanuel has been born!

Immanuel means "God with us" and God IS with us IF we are followers of Jesus. The Christmas season is often seen as one of "free" gifts and children and adults often respond to gifts in different ways. Some are excited about it and grateful for anything they get and some are ungrateful and offended. The Good News of this Christmas is that God sent Jesus as a gift. He sent His Son to forgive sins and to heal brokenness.

I was reading in Matthew chapter 9:1-8 this morning and was impacted by the words of Christ as he told a paralytic "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." But there were some self-righteous religious people there thinking to themselves that it was blasphemous for Jesus to forgive this man's sins. Jesus knew their thoughts and asked them this question, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?" Isn't that a tough question for anyone to answer? Ask yourself that question...why do I think evil in my heart? Isn't it strange to think about that? Jesus then tells the paralytic man that he is healed and he can get up and go home...AND he does! How amazing is that? But in reality what is more amazing, a mans sins forgiven or that a paralytic can walk?

The response of the people was one of fear and glory to God. Verse 8 says "they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men." What an amazing thing that they missed...Jesus was Immanuel, God with us! We can really miss who Jesus is during Christmas. We can focus on the play at church, the gifts under the tree, or even the fun times with family and friends. We can get caught up in what we get or don't get. We can even thank God for all the gifts and people he has put in our lives. We can be so focused on this material world that we forget that we have Jesus! Let us remember that "though He was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor that by His poverty we might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). That Jesus "being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him," (Heb. 5:9)...that God gave us the greatest gift, grace through faith "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God..." (Eph. 2:8)

May you all have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your family, friends, and gifts BUT most importantly remember the greatest gift of all and glorify God for it: Jesus was born, He lived, He died, He rose again, and now He sits at the right hand of God!

Generous Treasure

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." This is such a powerful statement by John Piper and one to truly mark our lives by. The depths of this statement reach into our hearts and minds and draws out questions. Can I truly say that God is being most glorified in me? Am I really satisfied in God? This world makes hundreds of offers each day. Every offer seeks to bring about satisfaction or gratification.

Have you ever noticed that the commercials on TV or on the side page of Facebook are geared toward catching your interest? Have you noticed that they seek to persuade you that you need "this" thing or "that" thing to be satisfied or happy? On Facebook, they track what you post about, the pages that you like, and probably way more things than we realize. What do these things say about you and I?

The current sermon series from church is about being generous and we discussed that last night in our life group. One of the greatest indicators of what satisfies us and what our heart desires is to see where our money, time, words and deeds are spent. Jesus said "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there will be your heart also.”

This is an assault on the views of our society and culture where we are told to look out for number one, me! We ask those having marriage troubles, “are your needs being met?” “Oh they’re not, well they don’t deserve you.” We focus on ourselves and we tell others to focus on themselves. We neglect the very words of truth that give life! Jesus didn’t give us this so that we would live a less fulfilled life, he gave us this because he wants us to live the most satisfied life we can. His life is the example we all should follow. He gave up his seat at the right hand of God, his kingdom, his power, and humbled himself to become like us. He lived the life we could not live (sinless) and exchanged it for our extremely sinful life.

One beautiful picture of this is of a father or mother teaching their child not to do something because it will hurt them but showing them the right way to use something. “Don’t touch the fire, it will burn you”…”use the fire this way and it is good and beneficial to you”. Such are the commands of our heavenly Father. This brings into question our belief in Him and what He has told us in His Word. As we approach Christmas and begin to get gifts and give gifts, let us remember not to store up treasures here on earth but to store up treasures in heaven. The encouragement that Jesus gave is not to deter us from giving or receiving but to give with eternal purposes in mind. If we give a shirt as a gift, it will eventually rip or tear, our shoes will wear thin, and even our earthly lives will end.

The time we have on earth can be fulfilling when we find our satisfaction in God alone. The beauty is that God’s commands and instruction bring about fulfillment in us. Marriage for God’s glory is immensely fulfilling. Marriage for your own satisfaction will crumble. Raising children for God’s glory is fulfilling (not easy), raising children for your own glory is destructive. A personal faith is fulfilling for a time but a personal faith that is shared brings immense pleasure and deeper knowledge of God. Jesus did not come to build a material kingdom he came to build a kingdom of people. He commanded us to go and make disciples not as a duty but as a joy. May we look to His Spirit, which is in us to lead and guide us. We cannot do this in our own strength, which is why he gave us the promise that ALL authority in heaven and earth has been given to him. Let us seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.