Life is full of opportunities to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Some of us are ‘people pleasers’. We find it difficult to say ‘no’. Sometimes we end up over-extending ourselves because we say ‘yes’ too much. We end up having to force ourselves to say ‘no’, just so we can get our life back. Other people seem to only know how to say ‘no’. They are naturally contrary. It is almost like it is their mission to decline every idea, regardless of its merit. Most leaders are looking for people in their organization who will say ‘yes’, but only if they really believe in the idea or the project. A great leader values honest response, and an eagerness to get on board if the person is convinced. But there are some leaders who are only looking to surround themselves with ‘yes men’. These leaders just want people who will support them even if their ideas stink. So there is a lot that goes into a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. The same is true with your spiritual life. You have to determine what we will agree to and what you will decline on a daily basis. There are multiple choices every day that will determine future success. We have temptations that we must resist, and tests we need to pass. The doing follows the saying. We say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in our hearts before we put actions to the words. When it comes to following Jesus, we need to be quick to say ‘yes’. The fact that He would call us to follow and obey Him is pretty remarkable. We have nothing in us that is commendable to the Kingdom before He gives us new life. Then He invites us to step into His mission with Him. It is indeed a great honor and privilege to answer His call. Throughout His earthly ministry Christ would call people to leave their current life and become His disciple. Sometimes it was a simple as looking at them and saying, “Follow me.” Other times it was more of a conversation and explanation of what following would look like. Various people had different responses. Some dropped everything, said “Yes”, and followed Jesus. Others wanted to know more about this commitment. And then there were those who after hearing the ramifications of giving up their own life to accept the life offered by Jesus said, “No”. Throughout history it has been the same way. Even today we have the same decision to make. God is calling you to do something today. He is asking or commanding that you give up some sort of comfort in your normal life and step out on an adventure with Him. It may be something great or small. But He is waiting for your response. Will you say ‘yes’ or ‘no’? The Bible is full of people who made that same choice. One such person is Isaiah. God was looking for someone to speak for Him in a culture that had forgotten God. Isaiah stepped into a worship time with God and this is what happened, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. Seraphim (angels) were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.’ The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I said: ‘Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed and your sin is atoned for. Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Who should I send? Who will go for Us?’ I said: ‘Here I am. Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:1-8) In saying “Yes” to God, Isaiah was able to experience and record some of the greatest prophecies about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. Saying ‘Yes’ to God is actually the most natural thing one can do. We were created to say ‘Yes’ to God. Nature responds to God. God has never proven Himself untrustworthy, so He always deserves a quick ‘Yes’. God is actually looking for ‘Yes men’, because He is only true and good. He will never ask anything of us that is wrong or bad for us. There is a blessing in our ‘Yessing”. When we say ‘Yes’ to God we loose the power of Heaven. Our ‘Yes’ is the seed. God’s transformational power is the harvest. If you want to see God do something you can’t do in your life, just say ‘Yes’ as soon as He calls you. If you want to open the door to the miraculous, ‘Yes’ is the key. If you want to be free from spiritual shackles that have held you bound for years, ‘Yes’ is the key. You never had any problem saying ‘yes’ to Satan when he led you into sin. Get this… it is as normal and easy for a child of God to say ‘yes’ to Him as it is for a child of darkness to say ‘yes’ to the Devil. Today you will have to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ several times for various things. Choose wisely. And when it comes to responding to the call of Christ, always say ‘Yes’… and say ‘Yes’ quickly. This devotional was inspired by a message delivered by Pastor Jack Harper at CrossRoads Church in Antioch, TN. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. Throughout the week as you walk through a dry and dusty world, you may become weak. I don’t believe you have to completely fail. But being drained of spiritual strength is part of a successful Christian life. Some of this draining comes from people who take from you. You give out to those in need. You pour into them. At the same time, you are not necessarily being refilled because you aren’t around a group of people who can pour into you. This constant rising and falling of spiritual energy can be discouraging. One of the reasons we as Christians come together on Sundays is to replenish this spent life. It isn’t that this life of Christ is not sustainable. It is. It is what carries us every day. Without it, there would be no successfully making it from one day to the next, much less from Sunday to Sunday. There is something special that happens when we commune with God on a daily basis. We are reminded that we can have power even if for some reason we find ourselves on our own. In the corporate community of believers we also find a powerful truth. We aren’t alone even as a family. God is with us. The corporate experience is a powerful one. It is easy to get caught up in the program or the process of a worship service. And there is nothing wrong with being caught up in the process, as long as we are making it all the way to the throne of God. We should come into His presence with an anticipation… a longing even for His refreshing. King David put it this way… “God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory. My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life. So I will praise You as long as I live; at Your name, I will lift up my hands. You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.” (Psalm 63:1-5) He says that he ‘gazes on God in the sanctuary to see His strength and His glory.’ He says God, ‘satisfies him like rich food.’ We all walk through a dry and desolate world. Jesus is the living water we need. He is the bread of life. We cannot survive without Christ. This is true individually. And when we come together, we should long for Him to satisfy us… not the music, nor the fellowship, or the preaching, but Him. The elements of worship are avenues for God’s refreshment, but we should seek God above all else. You can sing, listen, and raise your hands without ever experiencing God. But you cannot experience God without it changing and charging you. Today go into His presence seeking His strength and His glory. You will need both to complete your mission. He has promised you both as you surrender to Him. Be satisfied with Him. Praise Him. Lift up your hands to acknowledge Him. Be renewed and rejuvenated. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. Most days are crazy busy. Other days are just crazy. On our days off we seek rest. This is good. In fact, it is right and Godly. We weren’t designed to go all of the time. We need to have a way to unwind and focus on what is truly important. That is the point of the ‘day of rest’ every week. If you aren’t taking a day away from all labors every week, I encourage you to do so. Taking a day off is good for your soul. And believe it or not, it is good for your wallet. People have different ways of resting. Some go boating, others spend time caring for a garden, people golf, knit, watch movies, etc. There are a thousand ways to get worn out. There are also a thousand ways to rest. Resting is often called ‘recreation.’ This is an interesting thing. We are recreating when we enjoy recreation… when we rest. We are making ourselves new. There’s nothing wrong with most of those recreations. But one of the writers in the Bible said this, “I am at rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken.” (Psalm 62:1-2) I enjoy ballgames, hanging out at the beach with my family, traveling. All of these things help keep me centered. But I cannot find true deep spiritual health and rest anywhere except in God. I should rest in God alone. I hope this devotional helps rejuvenate you. I hope relaxing renews you. But I hope you realize that your spirit can only be protected and refreshed in the presence of God. Now, go rest today. Rest well. Rest in Him. Are you one of those people who loves to be told you are wrong? Do you live for the moment when someone tells you how you can do whatever you are doing better? Most of us bristle at being corrected. It isn’t that we want to be wrong. It’s just that we hate for others to notice when we are. And we really dislike it when they point out our error. We have a tendency to attach our personal value with our being right. We don’t do this on our own. There are plenty of cultural forces that reinforce this (sometimes extreme) thought process. The ones who make the least amount of mistakes win games, pass tests, get and keep jobs, etc. So there is definitely a premium on ‘being right in our society. Honestly, that isn’t all bad. Being right is good. It is right. We were not designed to be bumbling idiots, stumbling through life messing things up. No one wants a doctor, mechanic, airplane pilot, preacher, or chef who doesn’t place a high value on being right. We have ratings that we can check to see how often businesses are right in their dealings. Being right is good. We value it, and we should. Being right all the time is not the most important thing. And it is a good thing… because it isn’t even possible. Even though some people are right more often than others, no one is right all the time. Sometimes being wrong or doing the wrong thing is very costly. But most of the time it is just a regular bump in the road of being human. At those times we may need to be corrected. This correction is often the test of the kind of person we are. Some people take correction well. These are the successful people among us. Others do not take correction well at all. These are the idiots. If you think that is a harsh term, you are probably in that group. I can say this for two reasons. First, it is a fact. People who do not take correction are stupid. These aren’t my words. A wise author in the Bible wrote, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid.” (Proverbs 12:1) That is the Holman Christian Standard Bible. The King James Version says, “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.” The Amplified Bible says, “Whoever loves instruction and correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is like a brute beast, stupid and indiscriminating.” Okay… so the Bible states that the one who hates correction is stupid. That’s one reason I say it. But I can also say that resisting correction reveals your stupidity because I have been stupid. I was especially stupid as a teenager at times. It may be a special gene that teens have. But I’ve found that it is also prevalent in adults. We don’t like to be corrected because we feel it damages our credibility or value as a person… especially if we are a leader needing correction. But what damages your credibility and reputation more than being wrong, is being wrong and not being willing to be corrected. Now, to the one doing the correcting, it is important to correct the one who is wrong with grace as you would want others to correct you. The Bible tells us to correct others with patience and gentleness. One of the reasons we have the Bible and preachers is to correct wrong views and actions. The Holy Spirit corrects us. Everyone needs to be corrected at times. Sometimes God allows you to be corrected by a person who is in a better place than you. Other times He can use someone who doesn’t seem to have their act together. That’s tough. Everyone responds to correction. Some well. Others, not so much. The way you respond to correction will likely be the way others respond to your correction. God has a sense of humor… or maybe it is justice. Whatever you do, do not remove yourself from the process of correction. If you don’t have people in your life whose correction you will receive, you are stupid. If you think you don’t need to be corrected, you are stupid. If you are constantly correcting, but never following correction, you are stupid. But if you will embrace discipline, you will inherit a wealth of knowledge which will likely result in less wrong in your life, which will mean less correction. Then you will become one of the successful people. And isn’t that what we want to be anyway? The path to success is through the detour of correction. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.
If you’ve ever had a heavy heart over an issue, you know how valuable it is to be able to be alone. Sometimes you just need to be able to work through stuff by yourself. We often are able to come to terms with who and where we are when we are not surrounded with people and things. And it even seems that God is clearer when it is only us and our thoughts.
There is value in solitude. In an age where we have so many media outlets and opportunities to hang out with other people, being alone on purpose has become a rare blessing. It is usually easier to pray, read the Bible, and reflect deeply when no one else is around. Even Jesus would take time away from the crowds and even His disciples to spend quality alone time with the Father. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Not only do we need to value this process in our own lives, but we also need to respect it in the lives of others. The wise author Solomon wrote, “There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.” (Ecclesiastes 3:7) So be wise yourself and figure out when your words would be an extra burden to someone going through a struggle. The right words delivered at the wrong time or in the wrong way can be as damaging as the wrong words. But even though solitude and silence have their place and value, it does not mean that these elements are always advisable. Another passage of Scripture tells us, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up.” (Proverbs 12:25) So apparently, a good word is the antidote to a heart weighed down with anxiety. Solitude can help you come to grips with a difficult thing in your life. It can help remove some of the additives in your mind. But solitude will not necessarily cheer up an anxious heart. It is a great responsibility to know that good words are the cure for a heavy heart. In the movie Lord of the Rings – Return of the King, Frodo has a mission that only he can complete. It is a heavy task that requires him casting a ring into a volcano. But he is very weary at the end of his mission. His good friend Sam steps up in the relationship and tells the fading Frodo, “I can’t carry it for you. But I can carry you.” The good word at the right time, in the right way. He didn’t diminish Frodo’s pain and struggle. But he offered a good word to bolster his spirit. One of the big ‘mental problems’ of our day is anxiety. The psychiatric and psychological community would have us believe that anxiety and depression are best dealt with by medication and ‘therapy’. But the Bible tells us that a ‘good word’ is the best medicine for these things. A good word is not simply a distraction from the pain you feel. A good word is truth in your life, and helps put difficulty in perspective. If you are in a difficult place and someone delivers a positive truth into your life, receive it. Don’t refuse it so you can wallow in your grief. There is power in a good word. Allow that power to lift you from your low point to a better place. If you are the one who is to deliver a good word, do it in the right spirit. Don’t simply throw out a nice phrase as a band-aid. Speak the truth in such a way that it actually lifts the other person’s heart, and not just their ear. Don’t offer platitudes and vain hope. Give the real deal. Don’t share a good word with someone to make yourself look compassionate. Give a good word from your heart to another’s in a way that lets them know there is a future to desire. Today you may be in a place where you don’t want to hear anyone say anything. I get it. Let the silence of earth and the Spirit of God be your comfort. But be prepared for someone to lift your heart with a good word that is not just truth on a page, but hope in the spirit realm. Perhaps you are not in a dark place, but you know someone who is. A good word is like a delicate colorful rose delivered to someone whose world has been invaded by a harsh storm of gray. In the end, I hope this has been a good word to a heavy heart out there somewhere. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. |
AuthorMy name is David, and I want to know God more, and help other people find Him. Archives
March 2019
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