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"And He said to them, 'How many loaves have you? Go look!' And when they found out, they said, 'Five and two fish'" (Mark 6:38).
It all began with Moses standing before God, beloved, protesting that he was perhaps not the best choice to be redeemer of Israel. He tried to use the excuse that they might not believe God had sent him. What was he to do then? In response, God asked him a simple question, one that He has been asking throughout man's history and asks of us even today:
"And the Lord said to him, 'What is that in your hand?'" (Exodus 4:2a).
We all know how that simple shepherd's staff became in the hands of Moses "the rod of God," beloved. With it God used him to confound Pharaoh's magicians, to part the waters of the Red Sea, and to utterly defeat the Amalekites at Rephidim. And it all began simply with what he had in his hand!
And when the impoverished widow, in fear of starving to death, came to Elisha and appealed to him as the man of God on behalf of herself and her sons, he too asked her:
"And Elisha said to her, 'What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?'" (2 Kings 4:2a).
Here was a lady who needed a miracle from God and where did the man of God focus her attention? Upon that which was already at hand! Clearly, beloved, God operates within our lives with His own certain "expectation" from us. He expects us to take what we already have been given and use it for His glory with all of our might.
When the disciples came to Jesus expecting yet another miracle, asking Him how they could possibly hope to feed that great throng of people at Bethsaida, His reply to them echoed His Father's attitude found earlier in Scripture:
"And He said to them, 'How many loaves have you? Go look!'"
Jesus was asking them - "What is that in your hand?" - and letting them know for certain that they would begin with that provision already present. Jesus knew full well what He intended to do already to feed them all, but this was a wonderful opportunity to teach His disciples a very important lesson in life.
We have sadly become today a people who seem to live by the principle - "Have a need, expect a miracle." The thought of using what we already have for God's glory and our own good seldom seems to occur to us. But God is still operating within His world today with that same sense of divine "expectation," that is, by asking us first, "What is that in your hand?"
If you have your Bible handy as you are reading this devotional, beloved, let me ask you to pick it up and hold it for a moment. If not, then just imagine that you are holding it. Now let me ask you, "What is that in your hand?" God has already provided us with all of the resources of divine truth and principles for living as Christians that we could ever hope to receive via one miracle or another! But what are you doing with it? Do you live daily by its standards? Are you claiming its promises? Are you bringing your life into line with its expectations?
If you would see the miracles of God in your life today, beloved, then you must first make sure that what is in your hand already is being used for God's glory and for the advancement of His kingdom. What is that in your hand?
Ron
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Worship Outside the Walls
"I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (Romans 12:1)
How many of you have ever heard someone say, "I don't feel that I need to go to church in order to worship God?" Now, for the record, the focus of this week's devotional thoughts is not on who goes to church and who does not! But there is an unusual sense in which that oft-heard statement is true. "Worship" is not limited to what happens between 11 a.m. and noon on Sunday morning. I recall preaching a message years ago entitled "From the Postlude to the Prelude" which dealt with that very issue of what takes place when we are not "at church." Would it surprise you to learn that what takes place, or at least what is supposed to take place outside of scheduled worship services is worship itself?
It's true! Note in the words of the apostle Paul to the saints in the city of Rome his reference to that which is every believer's "spiritual service of worship." Our problem is that, whenever we see the word "worship," we customarily think of organ and piano music or praise bands, of free-flowing spontaneous congregational praise or solemn liturgy, of joyful jubilation or quiet reverence. But we seldom seem to think in terms of true "service" unto God. And that is what the thrust of the Greek word latreia is. In fact, it is likely that the King James Version carries for us the best translation possible here:
How many of you have ever heard someone say, "I don't feel that I need to go to church in order to worship God?" Now, for the record, the focus of this week's devotional thoughts is not on who goes to church and who does not! But there is an unusual sense in which that oft-heard statement is true. "Worship" is not limited to what happens between 11 a.m. and noon on Sunday morning. I recall preaching a message years ago entitled "From the Postlude to the Prelude" which dealt with that very issue of what takes place when we are not "at church." Would it surprise you to learn that what takes place, or at least what is supposed to take place outside of scheduled worship services is worship itself?
It's true! Note in the words of the apostle Paul to the saints in the city of Rome his reference to that which is every believer's "spiritual service of worship." Our problem is that, whenever we see the word "worship," we customarily think of organ and piano music or praise bands, of free-flowing spontaneous congregational praise or solemn liturgy, of joyful jubilation or quiet reverence. But we seldom seem to think in terms of true "service" unto God. And that is what the thrust of the Greek word latreia is. In fact, it is likely that the King James Version carries for us the best translation possible here:
"which is your reasonable service"
As latreia in that day focused upon the actual service which the Levitical priests offered unto God daily in the temple, so our "worship" must include that which we give to Him in ministry through the living of our lives, a "worship without walls." Your "spiritual service of worship," then, that which He has every right to expect from you as His redeemed one, is that sacrifice of your whole life in living daily so as to glorify His name and accomplish His purposes. Don't leave your "worship" at church, beloved, but make it a matter of ongoing ministry, moment-by-moment as you seek to glorify Jesus Christ!
Ron
Ron
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Watch Those Pine Cones!
"By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples" (John 15:8)
I remember so well visiting a specialty store one Christmas season, beloved, and marveling at the magnificent trees, ornaments, and decorations available for sale. While there, I suddenly noticed one gorgeous tree that was not only beautifully decorated, but whose branches were filled with pine cones that made the tree look as if it had just been plucked from the forest and brought into the store for decorating and display.
As I approached the tree, however, I noticed the tiny wires with which each of those pine cones that had caught my attention was attached to the limbs of an obviously artificial tree. No matter how attractive it was to the eye, then, its beauty lay in that which had been artificially created by the hand of man.
When it comes to Christmas trees, beloved, the issue of that which is "artificial" is not so important and even understandable. But when the same condition exists in the life of a Christian, it becomes a different matter altogether. Jesus told His disciples on the last night they were together before the cross that His Father would be glorified if their lives were to "bear" fruit, real fruit, spiritual fruit that would be eternal and life-transforming in their own lives and in the lives of others.
Think of it! People who do not know Jesus Christ personally coming to a saving knowledge of Him through faith in His name, believers transformed through the power of God's Word as they grow in the grace and knowledge of who He is, broken relationships saved and put back together by the power of God's mercy and forgiveness, minds and hearts encouraged to keep on serving the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, physical needs met in the lives of those who are suffering in this world of sin, and the church of Jesus Christ at long last becoming the power-force in this world that God envisioned all along that it become. These are but a few examples of the genuine "fruit" with which the branches of our lives are to be adorned, beloved! This is the kind of living that is meant to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
How easily, though, we settle for the artificial! How often we wire onto the branches of our lives those artificial "pine cones" of religious ceremonialism - the attended worship service, the bit of currency put into the offering plate, the carried Bible and the spoken liturgy of worship. Yet in those times when we are not "at church," what real fruit grows on the boughs of our daily living? Where are the transformed lives, those precious people to whom the Spirit of God longs to send us to be touched and changed by the power of His love and grace? Where are the souls gladly and joyfully receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord through the instrumentality of our personal living? That will be the real "fruit," beloved! Those will be the branches laden down with the true harvest!
Watch those pine cones, child of God! Don't settle for that which may be artificially attached by our own devices. Refuse to be satisfied with anything less than the divine power of God released in and through your life by the indwelling Holy Spirit. And as that happens, we will each discover for ourselves the difference between that which man is able to imitate and that which only the power of God can produce. Watch those pine cones!
Ron
I remember so well visiting a specialty store one Christmas season, beloved, and marveling at the magnificent trees, ornaments, and decorations available for sale. While there, I suddenly noticed one gorgeous tree that was not only beautifully decorated, but whose branches were filled with pine cones that made the tree look as if it had just been plucked from the forest and brought into the store for decorating and display.
As I approached the tree, however, I noticed the tiny wires with which each of those pine cones that had caught my attention was attached to the limbs of an obviously artificial tree. No matter how attractive it was to the eye, then, its beauty lay in that which had been artificially created by the hand of man.
When it comes to Christmas trees, beloved, the issue of that which is "artificial" is not so important and even understandable. But when the same condition exists in the life of a Christian, it becomes a different matter altogether. Jesus told His disciples on the last night they were together before the cross that His Father would be glorified if their lives were to "bear" fruit, real fruit, spiritual fruit that would be eternal and life-transforming in their own lives and in the lives of others.
Think of it! People who do not know Jesus Christ personally coming to a saving knowledge of Him through faith in His name, believers transformed through the power of God's Word as they grow in the grace and knowledge of who He is, broken relationships saved and put back together by the power of God's mercy and forgiveness, minds and hearts encouraged to keep on serving the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, physical needs met in the lives of those who are suffering in this world of sin, and the church of Jesus Christ at long last becoming the power-force in this world that God envisioned all along that it become. These are but a few examples of the genuine "fruit" with which the branches of our lives are to be adorned, beloved! This is the kind of living that is meant to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
How easily, though, we settle for the artificial! How often we wire onto the branches of our lives those artificial "pine cones" of religious ceremonialism - the attended worship service, the bit of currency put into the offering plate, the carried Bible and the spoken liturgy of worship. Yet in those times when we are not "at church," what real fruit grows on the boughs of our daily living? Where are the transformed lives, those precious people to whom the Spirit of God longs to send us to be touched and changed by the power of His love and grace? Where are the souls gladly and joyfully receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord through the instrumentality of our personal living? That will be the real "fruit," beloved! Those will be the branches laden down with the true harvest!
Watch those pine cones, child of God! Don't settle for that which may be artificially attached by our own devices. Refuse to be satisfied with anything less than the divine power of God released in and through your life by the indwelling Holy Spirit. And as that happens, we will each discover for ourselves the difference between that which man is able to imitate and that which only the power of God can produce. Watch those pine cones!
Ron
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Remembering the Lion and the Bear
"And David said, 'The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.' And Saul said to David, 'Go, and may the Lord be with you'"
(1 Samuel 17:37)
"Remembering" is without a doubt one of the most essential elements of victory in Christian living, beloved! Yet sadly it remains one of the least sought after truths in our lives.
David as a youth stands as a shining example of just how important this need is. Sent into the valley of Elah to take lunch to his brothers serving as warriors in the army of Israel, David heard the vile taunts of the Philistine giant, Goliath, as he slandered the soldiers of Israel and Israel's God. When David volunteered to fight Goliath, the king told him that he was no match for the Philistine champion. It was then that David made the conscious choice to "remember" when God had delivered both a lion and a bear into his hands and he had killed them as a shepherd guarding his flock. As God had delivered him from the threat of both lion and bear, so He would deliver him from the hands of Goliath.
What should we do, beloved, when confronted by the trials of this life? We should choose to remember those times when God has delivered us from past trials, from the "lion" or the "bear" that we could not overcome in our own strength. And what He has done in the past He will do in the present. We can face every trial of life, then, with utter confidence because we know that our God is able!
Now pay close attention to Saul's response to David's declaration of his complete trust in God - "Go, and may the Lord be with you." When once we have set our eyes upon the Lord and our trust is in Him, all that remains is for us to "go" - straight ahead as David did. Whatever we face, our direction is ahead into the future that God has for us. Remember the "lion" and the "bear," beloved? Good! Now "go" and may the God of all grace be with you!
Ron
(1 Samuel 17:37)
"Remembering" is without a doubt one of the most essential elements of victory in Christian living, beloved! Yet sadly it remains one of the least sought after truths in our lives.
David as a youth stands as a shining example of just how important this need is. Sent into the valley of Elah to take lunch to his brothers serving as warriors in the army of Israel, David heard the vile taunts of the Philistine giant, Goliath, as he slandered the soldiers of Israel and Israel's God. When David volunteered to fight Goliath, the king told him that he was no match for the Philistine champion. It was then that David made the conscious choice to "remember" when God had delivered both a lion and a bear into his hands and he had killed them as a shepherd guarding his flock. As God had delivered him from the threat of both lion and bear, so He would deliver him from the hands of Goliath.
What should we do, beloved, when confronted by the trials of this life? We should choose to remember those times when God has delivered us from past trials, from the "lion" or the "bear" that we could not overcome in our own strength. And what He has done in the past He will do in the present. We can face every trial of life, then, with utter confidence because we know that our God is able!
Now pay close attention to Saul's response to David's declaration of his complete trust in God - "Go, and may the Lord be with you." When once we have set our eyes upon the Lord and our trust is in Him, all that remains is for us to "go" - straight ahead as David did. Whatever we face, our direction is ahead into the future that God has for us. Remember the "lion" and the "bear," beloved? Good! Now "go" and may the God of all grace be with you!
Ron
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