Volume 9 Post/Email 6 – The Boat
by brian
In my lesson last week, titled, A Church That Walks On Water, I mostly applied the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water in Matthew 14:22-36. Toward the end I asked the application question - "What might be represented by the boat?" A few answers were offered. I added security, familiarity, comfort, etc.
However, ultimately, I believe the boat represents human ability. The disciples had been rowing in the storm for over 9 hours in a manmade boat, using manpower to try and stay afloat. To leave the boat and walk on the water is to leave trusting and relying on self-sufficiency for that of God-sufficiency.
Our prayers shouldn't be, "Lord, help us do the best we can." (Have you ever prayed or heard those before?)
Our prayers should be, "Lord, help us get out of our boat."
-Brian
Volume 9 Post/Email 5 – Trusting God
by brian
Our VBS last week was on stories of God, David, Saul and Jonathan. We divided the adult class responsibilities among four of us guys. The story I taught on Tuesday was in First Samuel 22 where Saul kills the 85 priests of Nob.
This was an evil act! It was an atrocious decision fueled by an out-of-control leader. His cruelty went beyond those holy men who wore the linen ephod. Verse 19 mentions that Saul also killed the men, women, children and infants in the city of Nob.
What are we to make of this story?
God continues to permit Saul's madness in the chapters following, including allowing David to suffer as a fugitive. Why would God remain longsuffering? Why not intervene?
Without claiming to have all the answers, nor complete insight into the mind of God, His Word does provide His people with spiritual truths to hold to and guide us.
The following verses mostly convey a message about God. They magnify God and His transcendence and power as Almighty, and that we cannot fathom the depths of who He is. A few also provide the application that we are called to trust God 100%, which is a matter for which God's people wrestle.
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has been his counselor?" -Romans 11:33-34
"For who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." -1 Corinthians 2:16
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8-9
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." -Proverbs 3:5-6
"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the LORD a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The LORD is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." -2 Peter 3:8-9
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust." "Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you." -Isaiah 26:3-5, 8a
"This is what the LORD says: Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." -Jeremiah 17:5-8
Following the Nob massacre, David had an opportunity in First Samuel 24 and 26 to kill Saul. He chose, rather, to trust God and wait on God to deliver. He waits. David walked with God and waited for His timing.
Galatians 4:4-5 reads, "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights as sons."
God waited, and waited, and waited, and when the time had fully come, God sent his Son. Why? Redemption.
God provides a way for wicked men to become righteous! God punishes Jesus on our behalf! God provides an exchange of sin for salvation through Christ!
We can exchange all of our idolatry, bigotry, pride, and other sins, and receive salvation and newness of life! Now we live in peace and harmony with Him, including trusting Him.
Reflection Question: Can God be trusted?
-Brian
Volume 8 Post/Email 8 – God’s Presence
by brian
Exodus 3 communicates that God's presence is all that is required to turn ordinary desert sand into the Holy of Holies!
Luke 2 teaches that God's presence is all that needed to change a straw-stuffed manger into the birthplace of the Lord.
Genesis 28 reveals that Jacob may have missed the point when he built an altar and called the place "Bethel," meaning "House of God," because God does not stay put. Bethel is everywhere.
2 Corinthians 4:7 says that we are ordinary jars of clay, yet because of the presence of Christ we have all-surpassing power.
Reflection Questions:
Am I neglecting daily worship?
Is God who I worship and trust daily?
Is God's presence and available power through His Spirit evident in my life and decisions?
-Brian
Volume 6 Post/Email 4 – Psalm 111
by brian
1 Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are steadfast forever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever - holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
Volume 4 Post/Email 8 – Faith(#8)
by brian
As best biblical scholars can tell, Habakkuk was written in 607 B.C. just prior to the Bablyonian invasion and exile of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. This event results in thousands of casualties and loss of freedom for the survivors.
The first 2 chapters describe a conversation between God and the prophet Habakkuk about why this is happening to all of Judah, including the "righteous".
Chapter 3 concludes with a prayer set to music (v.1, 19). The end of the prayer is a powerful expression of faith, as Habakkuk tells God that no matter how bad circumstances become, he will continue to rejoice in the Lord. May this reading bless us.
3:17-19 "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." For the director of music on my stringed instruments.
Reflection question: Would my current faith be described accurately as one of worship and rejoicing when circumstances are challenging or unpleasant?
-Brian
Volume 4 Post/Email 4 – Faith(#4)
by brian
Peter mentions (in 2 Peter 1:4) that God has given us "very great and precious promises."
In the last post I referenced the aspect of faith being precious, from Peter's opening statements in his first letter.
Now I want to highlight from Peter's opening statements in his second letter the aspect of his promises being precious.
God has promised us all that we need for this life and everlasting life. We can trust in his promises, even when our circumstances are negative, difficult, and even make us feel despair.
Faith in God's promises produces hope. The Bible is full of words of faith and encouragement for us. We have every reason to be optimistic!
Our future is as bright as the promises of God!
-Brian
Volume 4 Post/Email 3 – Faith(#3)
by brian
Faith is precious, especially when dealing with adversity.
Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:7, "These (v. 6 'trials') have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold (NKJV 'much more precious than gold'), which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."
Whether it is sickness, loss, or other forms of suffering, faith in God is what propels us forward with a positive attitude and actions of perseverance. Faith says "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
I honestly don't know how people without faith deal with problems and trials of life.
The longer I live, the more grateful I am for faith, and the more I realize how precious my faith is to me.
-Brian
Volume 4 Post/Email 2 – Faith(#2)
by brian
Do you navigate toward believing matters are possible, or impossible?
In Matthew 17:20 Jesus states, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
What an incredible concept! Mustard seed faith moves God to move mountains.
Jesus is looking for faith. Discipleship requires trust.
Consider some of the many challenging teachings of Jesus - forgiveness, not worrying, loving an enemy, generosity, servanthood, accepting ridicule and persecution, and prayerfulness.
Whether or not we do all of these hinges upon the issue of faith. When matters don't make sense, or we would tend to worry, faith is what transforms us and causes obedience to these teachings.
Faith and prayer are lifestyle choices and habits of Jesus-followers. Believing "the impossible" is to be typical for Christians. Jesus says, "Nothing" will be impossible for you.
Remember that whatever mountains are in your life are not nearly as big as the God in your life!
-Brian
Volume 4 Post/Email 1 – Faith(#1)
by brian
Greetings ELGUY readers,
I plan to do an entire volume on this topic.
Faith is essential to life, including pleasing God (Heb. 11:6).
And yet, it is a spiritual quality that can be lacking in our lives.
We can struggle to believe, or trust. We can even doubt entirely.
It seems that Jesus challenges his disciples lack of faith continually in the Gospel Narratives. When in a boat during a storm, He says, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mk 4:40) He asks Peter, "Why did you doubt?" when he sinks in the water. (Matthew 14:31) Jesus states that the entire generation is unbelieving (Matthew 17:17), and asks, "How long shall I put up with you?"
When the disciples question Jesus as to why they couldn't drive out a demon, he replies, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20)
The positive aspect is that God responds to even a tiny measure of faith. The negative aspect is that many then (and now) lack even this.
Churches today desperately need leadership. Churches desperately need leaders with faith and vision.
How many of us trust God to move mountains? How many of us believe that we can be Christians who walk on water? How many of us believe that we can be churches that walk on water?
There is a Church of Christ in Nashville that has grown from 40, to 80, to 500 in less than 7 years. They attribute their growth to God, and to members and leaders with vision and faith. They are willing to take risks. They are willing to trust God to move mountains, to provide for them, and to bless them.
In contrast, why are so many churches dying? While there might be some unique situations, and perhaps more than one or two variables that affect some situations, a primary reason in most cases is a lack of faith, a lack of leadership, a lack of vision, and a lack of prayer.
Perhaps God is calling more Christians and congregations to repentance, revival, vision and faithfulness?
Jesus commissions you and me to a lifestyle of discipleship and faith that moves mountains.
-Brian
Volume 3 Post/Email 7 – “Disturb us, Lord”
by brian
Below is a prayer Deanna passed along to me some time back. "Disturb us, Lord" isn't your typical, comfortable prayer. May the thoughts and perspective of this prayer be a blessing to us this day. -Brian
Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.
[Sir Francis Drake]