Romans 4:19 … he did not consider his own body…
I love this small passage from Romans 4 – let me give the contexts: Paul was teaching the Roman Church about the righteousness that comes about through faith and he was using an earthly illustration to demonstrate what that looks like. He was basically saying that Abraham was picture of someone who pleased God (just think about that for minute – pleasing God) by simple faith.
“And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory (honor) to God, being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
This is how the Lord wants us to live life daily. “Take no thought of your life, what you will eat; nor about your body, what you will put on …. And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Luke 12:23, 25) A life saturated in trusting God is so fun to live because all the work is His and we get to enjoy watching Him do that which only He can do.
We are tempted at times to take our faith filled eyes off of Jesus (who is the author and completer of our faith) and to place them on our circumstances or on our abilities or even inabilities. In times of waiting (as Abraham waited 25 years) we are tested and the faith that He has placed in our hearts becomes more and more grounded. It is not anymore, “can He do something”, but more of “when He will do something.”
I have a dear friend (another brother, David) who has been given great faith from our Lord. He has been waiting, “not considering his own body”, for almost a year with a broken toe that has kept him from work. He has confidence in the Lord’s time, things will work out – “But it is His time and waiting on Him is worth it.” I love the picture of faith that David paints for me as I watch him from a distance (he is on the other side of the United States). The Lord has not given me that kind of faith yet. I had cancer and now I don’t. David has had a broken toe and he still has a broken toe. His faith continues to be fortified as He waits on the Lord.
Thank you David for teaching me to wait on the Lord. Thank you for teaching me not to be concerned about myself with my situation. You are living example, my brother, of an individual saturated in trusting God.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Thankful (Post 3 Month Check up)
Romans 1:21…they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him…. (ESV)
Paul was explaining to the church at Rome that the world goes about their affairs – without ever bringing honor to God (even though they are aware He exists) and they certainly do not pause to thank Him even when He sends showers of blessings upon the them (Mat. 5:45).
As we were making our way back to NYC last week, we did not want to reflect our sinful human nature nor the world around us. We love the Lord Jesus and are very aware that He is with us in the course of whatever we go through and that He has reasons for doing what He does, and we do not need to know His reasons. We trust Him and will continue to trust Him.
We had asked the Lord to tune our hearts to honor Him through all that we do and give Him thanks for all that He causes to happen to us. This past Friday, the Doctor reported that the cancer has not returned and it was not necessary for me to have another test concerning cancer until 6 months from now. Our Lord Jesus is honored and we responded with gratitude as we saw that He has taken away the cancer.
Lynda and I are grateful for the body of Christ, the Church, you who have called on the Lord for us. We know the Lord’s will is being accomplished in our lives as you pray and as He does what only He can do. Please continue to pray for us as we share the love Jesus with people we come in contact with and use the past experience with cancer as an opportunity to call others to recognize His mighty hand at work and to thank Him. Please pray that we would speak boldly and with wisdom, saying what He would only want us to say.
We love you all and will let you know how the Lord continues to work out all things for His honor and glory and for our good.
Paul was explaining to the church at Rome that the world goes about their affairs – without ever bringing honor to God (even though they are aware He exists) and they certainly do not pause to thank Him even when He sends showers of blessings upon the them (Mat. 5:45).
As we were making our way back to NYC last week, we did not want to reflect our sinful human nature nor the world around us. We love the Lord Jesus and are very aware that He is with us in the course of whatever we go through and that He has reasons for doing what He does, and we do not need to know His reasons. We trust Him and will continue to trust Him.
We had asked the Lord to tune our hearts to honor Him through all that we do and give Him thanks for all that He causes to happen to us. This past Friday, the Doctor reported that the cancer has not returned and it was not necessary for me to have another test concerning cancer until 6 months from now. Our Lord Jesus is honored and we responded with gratitude as we saw that He has taken away the cancer.
Lynda and I are grateful for the body of Christ, the Church, you who have called on the Lord for us. We know the Lord’s will is being accomplished in our lives as you pray and as He does what only He can do. Please continue to pray for us as we share the love Jesus with people we come in contact with and use the past experience with cancer as an opportunity to call others to recognize His mighty hand at work and to thank Him. Please pray that we would speak boldly and with wisdom, saying what He would only want us to say.
We love you all and will let you know how the Lord continues to work out all things for His honor and glory and for our good.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Beguiling My Heart
Act 23:5 … You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.
(Paul used this OT verse when he was told that he had reviled a God’s high priest – Ananias. He had said something that offended Ananias and Ananias commanded the guard beside Paul to strike him on the mouth. Paul spoke out not knowing that he was in the presence of the high priest and then apologized with saying; “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”)
How many of us savor a good “clean” joke about our President? You know the one that shows up from a Christian brother or sister in your email box. “This is the best one yet!” Not knowing what good news is in store in that email, but trusting that person, you open the email and it a blistering joke or slanderous cut on President Obama.
This past week, in the Jr. High Bible class, we read from Mark 7:9-13 - 9 And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” (NIV)
I posed this question to the class; “How does your generation go about circumventing God’s will and command to honor your parents.” They gave some fascinating answers.
“When mom tells me to do the dishes, I say, ‘I have homework to do’, thus beguiling my own heart. I have just placed doing homework above honoring my parents.”
“When my parents say be home by 9pm and my friends say there is a great movie showing but it gets over at 9:15pm. I show up late at home because I wanted to see the end of the movie. I just beguiled my heart in placing the value of seeing the end of a movie over honoring my parents.”
“Dad says for me to stop talking on the phone (meaning turn off the phone) for it is time to go to bed. I go into my bedroom, start texting my friend that I was talking to and may even email, when my dad requested me to go to bed. I have beguiled my heart in thinking communicating with my friend is more important than honoring my dad.”
The illustrations continued to pop like popcorn, convicting all of our hearts more and more as we contemplated on how we have deceived our hearts into thinking something is more important than honoring those in authority.
Then the Lord brought what I read yesterday for devotions (Acts 23) together with what we were talking about in class. (These students preach Jesus so loud to his hard hearted teacher.) And I thought about the jokes I would pass around in my younger day about President Clinton. How when I found a good one, I passed it on. And I beguiled my heart in thinking that it was more important to slander (in a joking way) our president than to honor him, as the Lord would want. I confessed my sin and many other ways that I have beguiled my heart to thinking something was more important than honoring those in authority.
What has beguiled your heart today when it comes to authority? Here is a parallel truth – “If someone says I love God and hate his brother, he is a liar.” (I John 4:20) So it is, if someone says I honor God but dishonor those in authority, he is a liar.
Take a fresh breath of honoring those in authority today and in so doing, honor God also.
O Lord, the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked…. I have beguiled my heart in so many ways placing what I think is important over that which you declared important way before I ever took my first breath. Please have mercy on my hard heart and may I honor those who are in authority as Jesus. Lord Jesus, You honored the Father in every way. I want to be like You Jesus, and honoring those in authority around me, may I bring much honor to You.
I love you Jesus and honor You. To You be glory.
(Paul used this OT verse when he was told that he had reviled a God’s high priest – Ananias. He had said something that offended Ananias and Ananias commanded the guard beside Paul to strike him on the mouth. Paul spoke out not knowing that he was in the presence of the high priest and then apologized with saying; “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”)
How many of us savor a good “clean” joke about our President? You know the one that shows up from a Christian brother or sister in your email box. “This is the best one yet!” Not knowing what good news is in store in that email, but trusting that person, you open the email and it a blistering joke or slanderous cut on President Obama.
This past week, in the Jr. High Bible class, we read from Mark 7:9-13 - 9 And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: ‘Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” (NIV)
I posed this question to the class; “How does your generation go about circumventing God’s will and command to honor your parents.” They gave some fascinating answers.
“When mom tells me to do the dishes, I say, ‘I have homework to do’, thus beguiling my own heart. I have just placed doing homework above honoring my parents.”
“When my parents say be home by 9pm and my friends say there is a great movie showing but it gets over at 9:15pm. I show up late at home because I wanted to see the end of the movie. I just beguiled my heart in placing the value of seeing the end of a movie over honoring my parents.”
“Dad says for me to stop talking on the phone (meaning turn off the phone) for it is time to go to bed. I go into my bedroom, start texting my friend that I was talking to and may even email, when my dad requested me to go to bed. I have beguiled my heart in thinking communicating with my friend is more important than honoring my dad.”
The illustrations continued to pop like popcorn, convicting all of our hearts more and more as we contemplated on how we have deceived our hearts into thinking something is more important than honoring those in authority.
Then the Lord brought what I read yesterday for devotions (Acts 23) together with what we were talking about in class. (These students preach Jesus so loud to his hard hearted teacher.) And I thought about the jokes I would pass around in my younger day about President Clinton. How when I found a good one, I passed it on. And I beguiled my heart in thinking that it was more important to slander (in a joking way) our president than to honor him, as the Lord would want. I confessed my sin and many other ways that I have beguiled my heart to thinking something was more important than honoring those in authority.
What has beguiled your heart today when it comes to authority? Here is a parallel truth – “If someone says I love God and hate his brother, he is a liar.” (I John 4:20) So it is, if someone says I honor God but dishonor those in authority, he is a liar.
Take a fresh breath of honoring those in authority today and in so doing, honor God also.
O Lord, the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked…. I have beguiled my heart in so many ways placing what I think is important over that which you declared important way before I ever took my first breath. Please have mercy on my hard heart and may I honor those who are in authority as Jesus. Lord Jesus, You honored the Father in every way. I want to be like You Jesus, and honoring those in authority around me, may I bring much honor to You.
I love you Jesus and honor You. To You be glory.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
What Moves You?
What moves you?
As I was reading this morning, something caught my attention that Paul said to the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20).
“… I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulation await me. But none of these things move me: nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (NKJV)
Paul’s life, physically speaking, did not matter. He did not count his life dear to himself. He desired to finish the race that the Lord set before him with joy and to make sure the good news of God’s grace was proclaimed where ever he went. He knew the “race” was from the Lord Jesus as well as the “ministry”. He was fixed on Jesus Christ and nothing else mattered.
As Lynda and I travel to NYC to hear if the cancer returned or not, this has become our heart beat – “let none of these things move us.” Why? It is our joy to take the gospel to these dear people. If He says, “no cancer” this time, then we have an open door to come back to Phoenix right away to continue our work in dispensing the good news of Jesus here in the valley. If He says, “cancer” this time, then we have an open door to stay in NYC longer to dispense the good news of Jesus there. Our desire, our joy is to carry about in our bodies the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else moves us.
What has been moving you lately? What have you counted so dear to your life? Compare that which moves you; that which you count so dear to the desire of getting the good news to those the Lord has placed in your life. When we look at the joyous opportunity that the Lord gives to us to bear His name, let nothing underneath this ministry, this calling, this charge move us.
As I was reading this morning, something caught my attention that Paul said to the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20).
“… I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulation await me. But none of these things move me: nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (NKJV)
Paul’s life, physically speaking, did not matter. He did not count his life dear to himself. He desired to finish the race that the Lord set before him with joy and to make sure the good news of God’s grace was proclaimed where ever he went. He knew the “race” was from the Lord Jesus as well as the “ministry”. He was fixed on Jesus Christ and nothing else mattered.
As Lynda and I travel to NYC to hear if the cancer returned or not, this has become our heart beat – “let none of these things move us.” Why? It is our joy to take the gospel to these dear people. If He says, “no cancer” this time, then we have an open door to come back to Phoenix right away to continue our work in dispensing the good news of Jesus here in the valley. If He says, “cancer” this time, then we have an open door to stay in NYC longer to dispense the good news of Jesus there. Our desire, our joy is to carry about in our bodies the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else moves us.
What has been moving you lately? What have you counted so dear to your life? Compare that which moves you; that which you count so dear to the desire of getting the good news to those the Lord has placed in your life. When we look at the joyous opportunity that the Lord gives to us to bear His name, let nothing underneath this ministry, this calling, this charge move us.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
God's Forbidding and Permitting Hand
This morning as I was reading my Bible (I just read through the Bible, Genesis – Revelations, which takes 2 or so years for me and right now I am in Acts.)
Act 16:6 …having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
Acts 16:7 …they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
In these two verses in Acts we see something interesting in the fact that Paul wanted to take the good news of Jesus into all the world, but was forbidden to go to Asia and then Paul and his crew were forbidden to go into Bithynia. The Lord closed the door to Paul and his team twice, directing them away from these certain areas for the reason… only the Lord Jesus knows. The Bible does not tell us why, but Paul submitted to the will of the Lord and later took the good news to the people in Macedonia.
Lynda and I experienced a type of this leading when I found out a little over 3 months ago that I had an aneurysm. When the Dr. Brennan announced to us that I had this aneurysm, we had no idea where to go. Although we knew that progress would not continue till this issue was addressed, we set out to find a surgeon. So we knew no one in NYC. We did know my brother-in-law (Grady) would have a lead. When calling him in TN, we were given a name of a specialist that Grady thought would be a good choice. We pursued the lead but led into a dead end. We then were given a Doctor in AZ (after we returned to AZ) and that led to a dead end. Lynda called a dear nurse (Jennifer) and asked if we could visit one of the doctors also recommended to us by our Humana and a dear friend (Jacob) and Jennifer said to Lynda, “those will not do for your case, but I know the right doctor for your husband and his certain condition.”
The next day we found ourselves at the AZ Heart Institute and visiting with Dr. Diethrich. Dr. Edward Diethrich was the founder of the AZHI and had trained countless surgeons and was so happy to recommend the course of action.
Through the various closed doors to several doctors, the Lord seemingly forbade us to visit certain doctors. Why? That is His reason and we did not have to understand or even have His reason, we just trusted Him that He was leading us as He always has.
What is the Lord forbidding you to do today? What is the Lord directing you to do today? Can you trust Him without having all the details? Can you find the same kind of rejoicing in your soul for his forbidding as for his permitting? The Lord sees my heart and it is my desire to thank Him for whatever the position of the door may be (opened or closed).
“Thank you Jesus for your forbidding hand and for your permitting hand in our lives. Your gracious hand leads us along in the day to day affairs. Your will be done and we rejoice in You, the One whose will we desire to do with all our being.
Amen.”
Act 16:6 …having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
Acts 16:7 …they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
In these two verses in Acts we see something interesting in the fact that Paul wanted to take the good news of Jesus into all the world, but was forbidden to go to Asia and then Paul and his crew were forbidden to go into Bithynia. The Lord closed the door to Paul and his team twice, directing them away from these certain areas for the reason… only the Lord Jesus knows. The Bible does not tell us why, but Paul submitted to the will of the Lord and later took the good news to the people in Macedonia.
Lynda and I experienced a type of this leading when I found out a little over 3 months ago that I had an aneurysm. When the Dr. Brennan announced to us that I had this aneurysm, we had no idea where to go. Although we knew that progress would not continue till this issue was addressed, we set out to find a surgeon. So we knew no one in NYC. We did know my brother-in-law (Grady) would have a lead. When calling him in TN, we were given a name of a specialist that Grady thought would be a good choice. We pursued the lead but led into a dead end. We then were given a Doctor in AZ (after we returned to AZ) and that led to a dead end. Lynda called a dear nurse (Jennifer) and asked if we could visit one of the doctors also recommended to us by our Humana and a dear friend (Jacob) and Jennifer said to Lynda, “those will not do for your case, but I know the right doctor for your husband and his certain condition.”
The next day we found ourselves at the AZ Heart Institute and visiting with Dr. Diethrich. Dr. Edward Diethrich was the founder of the AZHI and had trained countless surgeons and was so happy to recommend the course of action.
Through the various closed doors to several doctors, the Lord seemingly forbade us to visit certain doctors. Why? That is His reason and we did not have to understand or even have His reason, we just trusted Him that He was leading us as He always has.
What is the Lord forbidding you to do today? What is the Lord directing you to do today? Can you trust Him without having all the details? Can you find the same kind of rejoicing in your soul for his forbidding as for his permitting? The Lord sees my heart and it is my desire to thank Him for whatever the position of the door may be (opened or closed).
“Thank you Jesus for your forbidding hand and for your permitting hand in our lives. Your gracious hand leads us along in the day to day affairs. Your will be done and we rejoice in You, the One whose will we desire to do with all our being.
Amen.”
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