AUGUST 18 -Productivity Without Passion

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen!....” Revelation 2:2-5

Imagine a marriage in which the husband dutifully earns a living to pay his family’s bills, takes care of the house and cars and sees that his family has the clothing and other things they need. Yet he has lost all tenderness and passion for his wife. Is this a healthy marital relationship?

Productivity without passion. Just as the partners in a marriage can lose their passion for one another and yet carry on, a similar situation can occur in relationships between believers and God. In fact, the church of Ephesus had fallen into this very trap. Jesus noted that this church had “persevered and … endured hardships for my name” (Revelation 2:3 ). But, he pointedly added, “you have forsaken the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4 ).

What about you? When you compare your current relationship with Christ to what it was like when you first began following him, are you just as passionate about knowing him, being with him and worshiping him as you were then? Or do you find yourself busy serving him without bothering to further cultivate your relationship with him?

Sadly, like a marriage without passion, our relationship with God can go through a period during which spiritual passion wanes. We serve the Lord more out of habit or duty than out of a desire to know God more deeply.

Consider this possibility: God might occasionally want us to stop doing for him so that we can concentrate on being with him and recovering the love we had at first. Many dry marriages have been renewed. Dry relationships with the Lord can experience renewed passion and vigor as well. Put your relationship with Christ first, then let your service for him follow as a natural response.

(Crosswalk.com)

The Gaithers today, are singing “I Have Returned.” Click on the picture to listen.

AUGUST 7-8 - My son was drowning

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." Matthew 25:35-36 (ESV)

It all happened in a matter of seconds. We stormed through the hotel pool’s gate with kids, towels, floaties and a stroller. Still wearing my street clothes, I played pool police while my husband, Luke, secured the little ones into life jackets. Our 4-year-old son, who knows how to swim, waded down the steps with confidence. But this marked our first time at the pool since the previous summer, and time took its toll on Micah’s memory. He’d forgotten how to swim, but didn’t realize it until it was too late.

I spotted him first and shouted, "Luke! Micah!" Since my husband stood only a few steps away, sporting a swimsuit, I figured he was the guy for the job. I assumed my tone would communicate the urgency of the situation and I expected Luke to hop right in and rescue Micah. But he didn’t.

Luke looked at me confused. He didn’t see Micah. He didn’t know what was happening. And every second I waited for my husband to save our son, Micah struggled to breathe. I stood steps away, knowing he needed help. But because I reasoned someone else was more prepared or better suited for the job, I did nothing.

I share one of my worst moments of a mother because I often see the same struggles in our spiritual lives. We see someone drowning and, with good intentions, wait for the "right" person for the job. But God put us in front of the ones who need air. We see them with our eyes. We understand the need. God chose us for these jobs. And while we wait for an expert to jump in, someone is drowning.

Like the new girl at Bible study who unloaded her burdened heart into the middle of our comfortable circle. Just minutes earlier, I had greeted her with a smile and tried to make her feel comfortable. I didn’t know much about her, so I asked questions to ease the newness of it all. We grabbed some goodies then shuffled into the living room, where the group gathered in our usual circle.

We shared and prayed and pondered God’s Word and will for our lives. Then the dam broke. The headache in the heart of this new face made her wince as the words poured out of her mouth. Floods of self-doubt and confusion gushed through the gaping hole in her soul.

She described the uncertainty of new things, the unsettled places of old things and the unraveling of too many things. When the words ran out and the tears came close to spilling over, she lowered her head and pleaded, "I just need to know what to do."

And we all sat silent.

The girl who invited her should be the one to say something, I reasoned. Or surely the leader of the group will shed light on her situation. Or at least someone who’s known her longer than five minutes! I thought to myself. Everyone else must have rationalized the same way I did. Because not one of us offered a life preserver or anything to help keep her head above water.

In today’s key verse, Jesus paints the picture of the day we stand before God. He says people will ask Him, "When did we see you hungry and feed you? Or when did we see you naked and give you clothes?" In Matthew 25:40 Jesus shares the startling truth, "And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’" (ESV)

Thankfully, my son Micah’s story ends brighter than the woman at Bible study. That day at the pool, a stranger rescued my son. He saw Micah drowning and took action. I wish it had been me, but I thank God for that man who chose not to hesitate.

The Bible study visitor never returned. She likely left disappointed and embarrassed. I pray God uses someone else to draw her to Him. I wish it had been me.

I urge you today, if you see someone drowning, jump into the water. Grab them by the hand and guide them to the only true Life Preserver. Whatever you do for them, you do also for the King of Kings.

Lord Jesus, give me the courage to jump. I want to be Your vessel who brings hope and rest to those You love. Give me Your eyes and help my arms be like Yours and reach for those who are sinking. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

(Acknowledgments Katy McCown)

The music today is from Bryn's selection – very appropriately Guy Penrod singing “Why Me Lord.”

AUGUST 13 – Taste and See

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” - James 1:2. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” - James 1:12.

Robert had cerebral palsy. The disease kept him from riding a bike, or going for a walk. But it didn’t keep him from graduating from high school or attending university. Having cerebral palsy didn’t keep him from teaching at a Junior College or from venturing overseas on five mission trips. And Robert’s disease didn’t prevent him from becoming a missionary in Portugal.

He moved to Lisbon, alone. He rented a room, found a restaurant owner who fed him after the rush hour and a tutor who instructed him in the language. And daily in the park, he passed out booklets about Christ. Within six years he led seventy people to the Lord. I heard Robert speak. He could’ve asked for sympathy or pity. He did just the opposite. A Bible in his lap, he held his bent hand up in the air and boasted, “I have everything I need for joy.” So do we.

From The Applause of Heaven

Where are you, spiritually?” content to stay within small, self-imposed boundaries, afraid to go beyond? Or willing to step into the unknown, go with God, and discover what He has in store?

“What are you, asking of God?” Robert asked big things and received them – humility, love, faith, hope and passion – big blessings, big opportunities in ministry, the desire to be used up for God's purposes. He went from being a disadvantaged victim living in painful circumstances, to becoming a victor. He willingly placed his trust in a big God.

Whether we like it or not, most of us, like Robert, are born with a disadvantage. Question is, do we let that disqualify us from winning souls, or will we like Robert, trust God? Don't look at the 'what ifs' or 'whys', they'll cause you to stumble. God gives the call, and He'll provide the means to carry out the task.

Are you content to let the disadvantages of life disqualify you?

Music today is Steve Angrisano singing “Taste and See.” To listen, click on the image to the right.

AUGUST 12 - Risky Business

“Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days” - Acts 16:16-18

After working together for nearly a year, John and Dave became good friends. Dave supervised John at work, but the two men shared a mutual interest in water sports. They even spent a few weekends wakeboarding together at a nearby lake.

One afternoon at the end of the workday, Dave asked John if he wanted to grab some dinner. While they were eating, Dave commented to John, “You know, you just seem different from the other people I supervise. What is it?” With that opening, John shared his faith in Jesus. Dave nodded his head politely but didn’t enter the discussion.

The next morning, the way Dave treated John suddenly changed. The joking stopped, as did their daily discussions about water sports. After he later lost a job promotion that required a positive reference from Dave, John finally confronted his former wakeboarding partner. “What happened at dinner last month?” he asked. “All of a sudden I feel like you’re treating me like a leper.”

“Look,” Dave replied, “I don’t appreciate people trying to ‘convert’ me. And I have no tolerance for any religion that claims to be the only way to God.” With that, the conversation ended. Within six months, John was laid off.

Let’s face it: Our faith sometimes causes us problems. It’s always been that way. When Paul and Silas delivered a slave girl from spiritual oppression, their actions resulted in a citywide uproar. Authorities accused them of advocating unlawful practices counterproductive to Roman society. The magistrate ordered them beaten and thrown into jail.

While we might not risk imprisonment or beating, when we follow Jesus we do risk accusations of propaganda or of being too spiritually narrow. Our stand for faith might even result in ridicule, rejection and discrimination.

Paul and Silas responded by allowing themselves to suffer on behalf of Jesus. In the midst of their suffering, they even invited their jailer into a relationship with Jesus.

While we might not suffer to the extent Paul and Silas did, we can still choose to make spiritually correct choices, as they did. We can follow in their footsteps—standing for our faith and even inviting our enemies into a relationship with Jesus.

(Crosswalk.com)

Music this morning is provided by the Heritage Singers - “Can You Reach My Friend”

August 10-11 – At the stroke of twelve

“And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power” - 1 Corinthians 2

Do you stay up on New Year’s Eve to wait for the clock to strike midnight? If you do, you probably don’t care that much about when the New Year begins in places like Fiji or Auckland, New Zealand. However, you probably cared a bit more on December 31, 1999, as TV cameras captured the stroke of midnight in those locations to see whether the world had avoided the Y2K disaster. As clocks struck 12:00, 12:01, 12:02 in each time zone around the world, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief that televisions still functioned, nuclear power plants hadn’t failed and cars continued running.

Remember the craziness that preceded Y2K? Companies and governments spent billions of dollars to hire software programmers to pore over and correct millions of lines of computer code. All because of a looming catastrophe if computers were to misread the last two zeroes in the year 2000 as 1900.

Ironically, most of us have zero understanding of computer code. The apostle Paul said that wisdom is much the same way. Unless we have the Holy Spirit to help us know the language of God’s wisdom, we won’t really understand it. “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14). People who don’t have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them quite naturally struggle to grasp spiritual wisdom—God’s Word, his desires, his character, his values. In fact, God’s wisdom often seems foolish to non-Christians. It’s like a foreign language to them. But when people trust in Christ as Savior, God sends the Holy Spirit to dwell within them (see John 14:16–17). They can begin learning God’s wisdom while the Holy Spirit helps them understand it.

If we believe that true wisdom comes only from God, where should we turn when we seek wisdom? Paul provides the answer: “’What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit’” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10). In the Bible God speaks the language that drives us—our spiritual operating system. If we want to know God’s wisdom so that we can process the joys and trials of everyday living, we need to turn often to God’s Word and ask the Spirit to help us understand it.

(Christianity.com)
Music is the Isaacs singing “Sweet Holy Spirit.” Click on the picture to listen.

AUGUST 7-8 - Soaring with God

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your oown understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” - Proverbs 3:5-6

“The Lord is my strength and my shield: my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him” - Psalm 28:7

It's impossible to pass through life without experiencing times when you can't see your way through a deep valley. Right now you may be faced with one of the hardest decisions of your life, a time when you may have to take a deep breath and make a giant leap of faith.

These thoughts went through my mind last evening as I watched a nature programme on TV. The scene was set around the Grand Canyon in America, and the life of the remaining Giant Condors. Regarded as one of the rarest birds in the world, the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is the largest land bird in North America with a wingspan up to 9 1/2 feet and weighing up to 23 pounds. Incredible creatures. Using thermal updrafts, adult condors can soar and glide at up to 50 miles per hour and travel 100 miles or more a day searching for food while expending little energy.

It was the condor chicks however, that caught my interest. Hatching from an egg after 56 days – an egg that is five inches in length, weighing in at 10 ounces, the chicks grow rapidly as both parents share responsibility for incubation and for feeding the nestling. At 5 to 6 months old young condors are ready to leave the nest. This was the point at which it struck me that the Giant Condor chick has something in common with us. Roosting in the clefts of high cliffs above the Grand Canyon, the day came for the chicks to make the leap of faith – flap their wings and launch out into the unknown – ride the thermals, or plunge to the valley floor (a mile and half below).

Did you know that, like the Giant Condor chick, we operate at your poorest when we are scared? A little fear is good when danger is present, but a lot of it is demoralising, taking away hopes and dreams First Peter 5:7 invites us to cast “all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” He cares about our fears that are like heavy anchors dragging us down.

Moses had an anchor dragging him down. Running for his life, Pharaoh and his men were looking for him to kill him (Exodus 2:15). Then forty years later God told Moses to return to Egypt (Exodus 3-4). Needless to say Moses was reluctant but eventually agreed to go. It was only then that God told Moses the men who had sought to kill him were all dead – it was safe for him to return.

The experience of Moses demonstrates the truth of the before-and-after proverb (Proverbs 3:5-6). We have certain responsibilities that must be dealt with, by us, beforhand, so that afterward something might occur that is God's responsibility. We must make the leap of faith – jump off the cliff edge of the mountain, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart...” Rely on Him, let Him take the lead - be the thermals under our wings. Get rid of the crutches we normally depend on – don't lean on them, lean on God, “....acknowledge Him....” that is our part.

The “after” part? “He will make your paths straight....” (Proverbs 3:6). If we do our part, He will be there with us through all our fears, our scares, our disappointments, and failures. God takes care of the barriers when we take our hands off....and He often does it in the most surprising ways – ways that defy explanation, and at times appear illogical. That's God working. Things happen that seem to be totally contradictory, but these are God's arrangements. That's simply the way God works. He honours faith and obedience. And when we trust Him completely, we will have a secure confidence that we are walking in His will.

The Giant Condor chick flapped it's wings and leapt off the cliff edge. Catching the thermals it soared high into the air above the Colorado River – twisting, turning, rising and falling with every flap of it's wings. It had made that leap of faith, and now was soaring free.

“From Heaven's Point of View” - sung by Jessy Dixon is our music of faith today.

^{AUGUST 6 – A friend in need}

^“They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven” - Mark 2:2-5 [NLT]

In our daily lives we all meet, people who are down and troubled – individuals who don’t seem to have anything in their lives going quite right. All of these people aren’t strangers either. They’re actually our friends. In the moments of dark skies, black clouds, and harsh winds, do we take time out of our lives and reach out to them or leave them hanging? Do we seem at loss to find a reason to actually run to their aid?

The man on the stretcher was totally immobilized. We don't know his name – we'll call him Simon. Simon's condition was undiagnosed, and slowly over the years he had deteriorated until he had become bedridden. Throughout, his friends had remained faithful and it was only through the immense effort of four of those friends that he was able to be brought to the Healer. And that’s what happened.

As they approached the house where the Healer was staying, the crowds of sick, disabled, and curious, grew thicker as they jostled to try and get into the house – the sound of groans and cries for help drenched the air. The house was packed to over-flowing. Simon's heart sank as the seeming futility of his situation struck home – again. He was paralysed, there was no way he could get off the stretcher, let alone get into that house and attract the Healer's attention....they may as well go home. Why did they even come on such a futile journey? Why did he agree with his friends when they offered him hope of meeting the Healer and being cured?

Simon had given in from despair, but his friends saw the situation as just one more challenge to be overcome. An alternative entrance to the house was the only answer – but how? The house had one door, one way in, and one way out. They 'took five' and decided the roof was the only way to go. They made a hole and carefully lowered Simon on his stretcher....right to the feet of Jesus, the Healer.

Imagine the amazement, the commotion, the protests! But what if these men had instead come to the conclusion that it was just way too much work? Would take way too long? Seemed pointless because, really, what was Jesus going to do with him anyway? Their friend would have never been able to experience the forgiveness and healing he so desperately needed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l5yFH64QhQ

There was more to the challenge than just the accessibility of the building. In amongst the crowd were hostile opponents. Scribes and Pharisees sitting in judgment of Jesus feeling he didn’t possess the power to forgive nor grant anyone any healing. They couldn’t understand how anyone but God alone could do such works. 'Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”' - Mark 2:6-7 [NLT] What if Simon’s friends feared the condemnation of others? The judgment of the lawmakers certainly wouldn’t stop with Christ. His supporters could be condemned right along with those who received healing. Could this fear have prevented this man’s future?  Yes,definitely, but the friends cared more for Simon than they did their possible punishment. They demonstrated their faith in a way Jesus could outwardly see.

Many people say they believe in Jesus, but only those who have corresponding actions really do. Sometimes, Christians say they believe certain promises in the Bible, but their contrary actions prove they really don’t. Let us have awareness for those in need, who are paralysed spiritually, and bless them with our friendship. We’ve been been there and had our sins forgiven.  Christ will bless those who seek this forgiveness, too. lead others to the power of Jesus as a friend of faith willing to help.

“Be careful you don’t throw people off a roof that you should be lowering them through.” – Todd Adkins, Lifeway

The Gaithers bring us today's music - “He Touched Me” - (LIVE)

“Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19

Christians recognise the Godhead three as the trinity, but what do they do? How can three people have different functions but act as one person? Well, one way of separating the various jobs is to think of the trinity as a pizza.

There are three parts to a pizza.

1. There is the dough. You cannot have a pizza without dough, it is the foundation. God the Father is our foundation. 1 Corinthians 3:11 reads ' For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ' So when you look at the pizza base, the dough, think of foundation - God the Father.

2. Next we have the tomato sauce. The tomato sauce in this analogy is Jesus, God the Son. He is the source of life, all life, and like the colour of the sauce his red blood was spilled, given freely to pay the price of our sins. 1 John 1:7 reads 'the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin'. 

3. The last integral component of a pizza is the topping. The topping is the Holy Spirit which flavours the dish in a variety of different ways and has many different functions. In John 14:26 he is the comforter 'But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.' The Holy Spirit shows us how to pray in Romans 8:26 'Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.'

So the trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit do individual jobs that perfectly complement each other. Like the pizza, you cannot have one of the three parts or else it is not a pizza. God on his own is not the trinity. We need God the Father as the foundation of our faith; God the Son, the sauce, the lifeblood of what we believe and finally God the Holy Spirit to provide those individual functions of the Godhead three that we need on a personal basis.

Digest it and share it with someone else!

Todays song is 'Sweet Holy Spirit' by the Isaacs. Click on the picture to listen.

AUGUST 3 - Wrestlin'

"So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak" -  Genesis 32:24

When I was in school, I remember there were brothers who, at home, would clear the living room of furniture and have multiple wrestling matches until everyone was wiped out.  They were not on the wrestling team and had no formal training, but that did not keep them from these bouts.  While there may have been a few minor injuries and they didn’t keep score, mostly they walked away feeling better for having been challenged. I think there is a life-long desire in all men to test what they are made of, not just physically, but in all areas of life. It is not always about winning every time, but finding out where your strengths and weaknesses are and trying to be better each time.

One of the greatest struggles in scripture was when Jacob wrestled all night with God, in the form of a man, which many believe to be the pre-incarnate Jesus. As a result of this process, Jacob is injured and has a limp for the rest of his life, but is also blessed by God and given a new name, Israel. There are many things we can learn from this illustration, but there are a couple that I want to focus on. The times we grow most often involve struggles and pain. It is also through our interaction with God that our lives are transformed and we receive His blessings.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,  for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.   Philippians 2:12-13

What happens when you struggle with God, when you fight and kick against his prodding and attempts to form you into a better man? Often, I find that my fighting wears me out, and I am better off in the end yielding to His desire instead of fighting for my pride and selfishness, which in the end is not worth fighting for in the first place. But there is often something to be learned in all of our struggles, something to be used to form us into a more genuine man in the process of sanctification. We learn how to pick and choose our fights and learn to not fight against those who are trying to help us.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   Ephesians 6:12

If you find yourself coasting and just getting by in life and in your faith, be on guard, as you are most vulnerable to attack in these times. When you are actively engaged with listening to God and in tune to how He is working in your life and the lives of those around you is when you are most effective. Time in the Word and in prayer is essential in preparing us to being used in ways we can only imagine. So, be encouraged in the fact that our struggles are not in vain. We become better equipped to help those around us that are facing the same challenges we have gone through, and we can better face anything that lies ahead of us when we know that we are empowered by the One that gives true life.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

Hope and Courage in Christ,
Adapted from and acknowledgments to Clark

Todays music is by the Gaithers - "Where No One Stands Alone"