A Windup World

Philippians 2:12-13

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202%3A12-13&version=NIV;NLT

 

Did you ever play with a windup toy when you were a child? They were a lot of fun except they didn’t last very long. You had to keep rewinding them over and over. Eventually, the key would break and the toy forgotten.

 

Some people feel that way about God. They seem to think that he wound up the world and just let it go, never to be seen again. David sure did at times.

 

¹ God, are you avoiding me?
    Where are you when I need you?        Psalm 10 MSG

 

^1-2 Long enough, God—
    you’ve ignored me long enough.
I’ve looked at the back of your head long enough.

    Long enough I’ve carried this ton of trouble,
lived with a stomach full of pain. Psalm 13 MSG

 

If we’re honest, we’ve all felt that way sometimes. God just doesn’t seem to care; He doesn’t seem to have a purpose for us; He doesn’t seem to be at work in our life. Paul wrote to the Philippians about a God who does care; who does have a purpose; who is at work in your life.

 

¹² Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.   NLT

 

Even David, who experienced such deep, discouraging moments, recognized that God was ever present in his life.

 

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139 NIV

 

¹⁶ You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.            Psalm 139 NLT

 

You don’t live in a windup world where God has randomly placed you, like a toy, to aimlessly wander. Indeed, God has a plan and a purpose for you to fulfill and is constantly at work in your world. Therefore, go and discover what He is doing, and be a part of it.

 

 

 

 

What Happens in Vegas…

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

Have you ever heard the phrase, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”? If it helps you to understand what it means, Vegas is also known as “Sin City”.

Like Vegas, Corinth was not an ordinary city. The citizens were affluent, well educated and highly religious. It was a thriving city at the time when Paul arrived. Corinthian believers had all the trappings of success, and yet their problems festered just below the surface. They were self-sufficient and needed to learn to be God-sufficient.

Because of the immaturity of the believers, Paul had to address many problems which included incest, sexual immorality, idol worship and divisions. Even when it came to the practice of the Lord’s Supper they couldn’t get it right. It became a party of gluttony, excessive drinking and exclusion.

 Although the Corinthian believers seriously struggled in many areas of life, there was still hope. God was at work in them and through them.

The same is true for us. Despite our struggles, God is at work in our lives. In fact, God has a history of working through those that struggle; the weak, the unqualified, the broken, the hopeless and the ordinary.

 “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most

dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.     Matthew 5:3-4 MSG

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”              Luke 4:18-19 NIV

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.           2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV

 “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is a catchy little phrase. But for those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, we are bound to share the Good News, not keep it to ourselves.

Despite their problems, the Corinthian church gave generously to the Jerusalem church. In the same way, we are called to give of our time, talent and treasure for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

Now Hear This!

(“Listen to me”)

Isaiah 46:3-13

 

According to Wikipedia, the phrase "Now hear this" is used in the United States Navy to instruct personnel to give their “full attention to an order or command that is about to follow”. When Navy personnel hear this phrase, they are to immediately stop what they are doing, listen closely and follow the instructions without question.

 

In today’s passage, Isaiah wrote his own version of “Now hear this”. Actually, it was God’s version.

 

³ “Listen to me, all Israel who are left; I have created you and cared for you since you were born. ⁴ I will be your God through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and be your Savior.       

 

⁸ “Don’t forget this, O guilty ones. ⁹ And don’t forget the many times I clearly told you what was going to happen in the future. For I am God—I only—and there is no other like me ¹⁰ who can tell you what is going to happen.

 

¹² Listen to me, you stubborn, evil men! ¹³ For I am offering you my deliverance; not in the distant future, but right now! I am ready to save you, and I will restore Jerusalem and Israel, who is my glory.”    TLB

 

 

God spoke these words through Isaiah to the people of Israel in a specific historical context. He was speaking to the remnant of Israel that had been taken as captives into a totally different culture including pagan idols and gods.

 

Now God was about to bring the remnant back to the Promised Land and He was reminding them of who He was, and who they were. But you get the definite feeling that the people of Israel have a history of being hard headed, stiff necked and stubborn.

 

Does that sound familiar? It does to me. How many times has God had to tell me something before I got it?

 

Now hear this Joe!

 

I have created you and cared for you since you were born. ⁴ I will be your God

through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age… For I am God—I only—and there is no other like me… ¹³ For I am offering you my deliverance; not in the distant future, but right now!

 

Look at your own life. God is sovereign. He is always at work in your life. There is no other like Him. There are many pretenders, but none can match Him. He is always with you, ready to deliver you; to bring victory to you.

 

Now hear this!

 

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah%2046%3A3-13&version=NIV;TLB

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Isa.46.3-Isa.46.13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE Silver Lining

Life on Mission: Serve

Matthew 5:1-12

The 2012 movie, Silver Linings Playbook, is a heartwarming story about two people who find each other in the midst of chaos and pain. Pat, after losing his job and his wife, has been recently released from a mental institution. Tiffany is a young widow who also lost her job. Together, they find their silver lining.

 An argument can be made that each Beatitude has a silver lining of its own. I like how Eugene Peterson interprets them. Here are the first three. See if you can find their silver lining.

³ “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. ⁴ “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. ⁵ “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.”

Even Jesus’ opening ministry statement in Luke 4 has an element of a silver lining. ¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

 What these verses are saying is that people are more likely to reach out to God when life is painful; when hardships are upon us; when we are dealing with difficulties. Pain, hardships and difficulties can all lead to a silver lining. We’ve all had them in our life.

 Pastor Cam Huxford shared in the DVD about a group of women at his church in Savannah who would take baked goods to the young women who worked at a nearby strip club. He pointed out that most women who work in the adult entertainment industry have been abused as a child.

 Here’s a group of individuals that are extremely needy. Their hearts have been broken; their lives shattered. What an opportunity to serve. What an opportunity to share the love of Christ.

 

 Jesus knew how needy people were. Those are the ones he served. Prostitutes, lepers, demon possessed, tax collectors, the blind and the lame: he touched their lives one at a time.

He was their Silver Lining. He has called us to serve and to share THE Silver Lining with those in need. Will you do it?

The Promise

Genesis 24:1-9

 

 

There comes a time in every person’s life when they look back to see what they have accomplished; how they got to where they are today; how they will be remembered.

 

This past week I turned 65, so these are the thoughts that came to my mind. Ultimately, it has to do with how has God worked in my life, and how has He used me in the lives of others. In the final analysis, all that matters is what is eternal.

 

In the passage today, it states that “Abraham was now very old”. He had just buried his wife who had born their only child Isaac. He was living in a land that belonged to others. In fact, he had to buy a field with a cave in order to bury his wife. He was a foreigner; an alien in the land. He was alone with his son and his faithful long time servant.

 

So it was natural for Abraham to look back on his life and remember the promise that the Lord had made to him. When Abraham was a young man God had called him to a life of faith with these words from Genesis 12:

 

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ² “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

 

Abraham believed in God’s promise and faithfulness. He wanted to make sure that the

Lord’s promise continued through his son Isaac. So Isaac was very much a continuance of that promise from God to Abraham... as are we.

 

Therefore, as I look back on 65 years of living, I can see how God has been faithful; how He has always been at work in my life; how He has always been with me; how He has always loved and forgiven me. He has kept His promise.

 

I hope and pray that you can see God at work in your life as well, and that His promise and faithfulness are evident to you.

 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%2024%3A1-9&version=NIV;TLB
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Gen.24.1-Gen.24.9