Thursday's Thoughts

Americans have seen a lot of emotional scenes, watching families say goodbye as their soldiers and sailors ship out for duty in the world's danger spots. Not long after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, thousands of military personnel boarded ships bound for unannounced destinations. Imagine - your ship has set sail, but you don't know where you're going. The news reported that some of those ships left with sealed orders. When their ship reached a certain point, their commander was authorized to open those orders and find out just exactly where they were all going. And as people needed to know, they were informed by the commander. "Need to know," they call it. It's not uncommon in the military - you get your orders on a "need to know" basis.

It's not uncommon in God's army either. In fact, it God's modus operandi. Of course, like the military on those ships with the mystery destination, we think we need to know right now! But our Commander reveals our orders when He thinks we need to know. He won't reveal your ultimate destination, but he'll always make sure you know what you need to do today. You may be in a time when you're wondering where your Lord is taking you. It's one of those, "What is God's will?" times. It's a good time to review how God's guidance works. It's a good time for our word for today from the Word of God in John 10, beginning with verse 3. It says of Jesus, our Good Shepherd, "The sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out." Notice, you're not just lost in Jesus' great flock. He calls you by name - to follow Him into a plan that is uniquely yours, just for your life. It goes on to say, "He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. They will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize his voice." The issue for sheep is not "where am I going?" or "how are we getting there?" - the issue for a sheep is staying close to the One who's leading him. It's about being able to recognize the Shepherd's voice in the middle of all the other voices talking at you.

It's not about figuring out the Plan - it's about staying close to the Planner. He reveals His plans to you on a "need to know" basis - which is usually one day at a time. If He told you where He's taking you ultimately, you'd probably run from it because it would sound scary based on what you know now, or you'd run to it and get there before it's ready or you're ready. Either way, you'd mess it up and miss it. Your job is to be in His Word faithfully, every day, so you get real good at recognizing what your Lord sounds like. Then when you pray for specific guidance, you'll be able to say, "Now, that's Him - I know what His voice sounds like!" Get good at listening to your Savior's voice, and not stressing over where He's taking you. The orders of God always lead you to the great plans of God. They're revealed on a "need to know" basis. When you need to know more, you will know. But until then, give everything you've got to what He's already told you to do!

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Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it. ~Thomas Fuller

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Wednesday's Word

It would have been a lot easier on God if he had provided his creation with a series of 'how to' manuals, complete with helpful stick men illustrations and the necessary tools so we could build our lives according to his divine specifications. Every package would include building materials of the highest standards and everything would be clearly marked. Of course, a toll-free number to a 'help center' would be needed but that could be automated as well. As long as people followed his directions, there would be no need for time-consuming communication and God could sit back and watch his marvel of efficiency shine. Some people have referred to the bible as the greatest 'how-to' manual ever written. I believe God intended his Word to be so much more than mere instructions dictated from a distance.

God wants to get down on his knees with his children and help them to build their lives to be all that he intended. He delights in answering our questions, explaining how things work. He is the kind of Dad who has oil under his nails, dirt on his nose and a satisfied grin on his face as works with his kids in the family garage. Our God is the kind of Dad who knows that even though it would have been easier to buy a new car, he buys an old clunker for them as a project. He wants to sit with his kids around the kitchen table and make oatmeal cookies from scratch, even though it means countless hours of scraping dough from the walls, ceiling and floors when things get a bit out of hand.

While he works with his children, God delights in our accomplishments and encourages us through the momentary yet painful frustrations that threaten to abort projects and plans. God gives us His Word as a manual yes, but he gives us His Word so we can discover his heart. His written word was not meant to be a replacement of an intimate, heart-to-heart relationship with his creation. He wants our faith and trust to be in him and waits for us to spend time with Him so we may know more than merely his 'way of doing things'. He wants us to know his heart. What an amazing offer and it's not an offer that I will let slip by. How about you?

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Being more than overcomers is to have a shout at the end of the fight!

Weekend Ponderings

I was an onion before Christ set me free.
Layers upon layers of iniquity.
An ugly old onion whose fragrance was strong;
That my Jesus bought and loved all along.

Unknown to me what He was going to do.
Of what He was planning, I had not a clue.
Pulling each layer off one by one.
In order to make me more like Jesus the Son.

The first layer wasn't so bad.
I saw all the sins that I knew I had.
They were easy to fix, just change the way I talk.
And learn more of how He wanted me to walk.

Reading His Word, and learning again;
How to put aside my life of sin.
But the next layer was pulled which hurt more.
He was getting closer to the core.

Unknown what He would find there.
I simply gave it to Him in prayer.
As another layer was removed, He started to cry;
Pulling this layer brought pain to my Father on High.

And I was crying over the sadness I felt;
The brokenness and all of the guilt.
Past memories that I thought were gone;
Were buried under layers disguised in a fragrance so strong.

As we peel onions more and more;
They put tears in our eyes as we get closer to the core.
So my Father wept over my pain;
Giving me a balm of comfort and strength to sustain.

"NO MORE LAYERS" I would scream.
As he continued to peel them off of me.
"I'll have nothing left my Lord, what will I do?
I'll be nothing but a worthless core to you. "

But He just said "Trust me," and continued to peel,
I thought He was blinded to my pain that was so real.
Year after year I shrunk more and more;
Until all that was left of this onion was an unsightly core.

It was then that I began to understand;
As the Lord embraced me in His loving hand.
He said, now and only now can you be;
The creation that will minister before me.

Clothed with the righteousness only from above;
Gone are your layers of self so you can be filled with my love.
He took my layers of sin, hurt and pain;
And clothed me with love, truth and mercy in His name.

Yes, we are all onions, learning with each day;
How to overcome as each layer is taken away.
Some layers tear and pull at our heart;
While others grieve us to our innermost part.

But we are nothing but an ugly onion without Christ.
Layers upon layers of pride, sin and strife.
Only God can take those layers away.
And clothe us with His righteousness in that final day.

O God, peel away the layers no matter how much it makes me cry. I so want to be what you created me to be.

Weekend Wonder

1 Corinthians 12:4-13, Paul reminds us that our spiritual gifts are given to us not for our own glory or advancement but for “the profit of all."

The film Pay It Forward tells the story of how one young boy's act of kindness touches the lives of a succession of people. One kind deed leads to another as each recipient “pays it forward” to someone else.

Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Yet often we act as though His gifts are for our exclusive benefit and enjoyment. The Spirit's anointing makes us fit to be in the King's presence. He gives us gifts so we can give them away. To hoard a gift or to seek one for our own profit is to prostitute its purpose.

When Philip preached the gospel in the city of Samaria , one of his converts was a man named Simon who had previously practiced sorcery in the city. Simon had amazed many people with his magic. After Peter and John arrived in the city and imparted the Holy Spirit to the new believers, it was Simon's turn to be amazed. He offered them money if they would give him the same power of imparting the Holy Spirit. Peter justly condemned Simon for his greed and selfishness and for thinking that “the gift of God could be purchased with money!”

In contrast to Simon's attitude, Paul said, “ There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all .” Our spiritual gifts are not for ourselves but for others . Paul says we are all members of the body of Christ. Each member is important. When we work together in selfless giving, the body is complete and fully functioning. Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Give freely of your gifts!

Friday's Feature

Is your desire to hear and know God’s voice? You may say, Yes, but He never speaks to me, or Yes, but how would I know if He did speak to me?

Well, He does speak to us, and He wants to do so even more than we allow. Jesus said, And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice (John 10:4). He also said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27).

How does He speak to us? He speaks to us through His written Word (His Word is alive and real, and will speak to anyone who has a heart’s desire and will make the effort to read it and hear it), He speaks directly to our spirit by the Holy Spirit, and He speaks to us through other people. He has many ways of speaking to us, but it is very important to know and remember that He will never speak anything to us that does not agree with His written Word.

So how do we know God’s voice? Well, how do we know another person’s voice? By knowing the person, right? Or at least by hearing that person’s voice enough that we recognize it – an example being that of hearing the voice of a singer or entertainer. Even though we do not really know the person, we know the voice. The better we know someone, such as a companion, a parent, a child, or close friend, the easier it is to know and recognize his or her voice. For instance, when answering a phone call from such, it is very seldom that a need arises to ask who is calling. We just know who it is.

The same is true with God: the more we really know Him – the more time we spend in fellowship and communion with Him – the easier it is to hear and recognize His voice. Our re-born spirit knows the voice of God, but sometimes we suppress our spirit with our flesh, instead of allowing our spirit to rule and have control like we should.

The question sometimes arises, If God speaks to us, why do we not hear Him more? The reason could very possibly be that we have not gotten to really know Him. Therefore, we do not recognize His voice. Or it may be simply because we do not listen: we do not get quiet before Him, turning our hearts and minds solely on and to Him. This may be because we are too busy, too lazy, or because we simply do not have the desire to hear Him.

Another important reason for not hearing God’s voice is hardness of heart, according to Psalm 95:7-8, which says, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness…

This is not just a salvation message, as has sometimes been said, that If you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart and turn away, but yield to Him and be born again. That is good, but that is not all this Scripture is saying. He is talking to Christians, and He said, Today, if you will hear His voice….. Not just If you hear, but If you will hear (if you desire to, if you wish to, if you are going to) do not harden your heart. If your heart is hardened, you are not going to hear God’s voice.

To harden means to make or become hard; not easily penetrated; to make or become stubborn, unfeeling or unsympathetic, (all of which are traits so unlike Jesus).

We usually think of someone who is hardhearted as being someone who is hateful, and who does not care for anyone or anything, and of course, these characteristics do indicate hardness of heart, but let’s look into God’s Word a little more and see some things He refers to as hardness of heart – some things which might come as a surprise.

Hebrews 3:8-10 says, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tested Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore, I was angry with that generation, and said, They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways. When God speaks of hardness of heart here, He refers back to His people in the wilderness, when He had brought them out of Egypt, and was taking them to the promised land, and how they rebelled, murmured, and complained, which provoked God. We can read in the Old Testament how they acted and re-acted. They would be fine as long as everything was going their way, but when they were confronted with difficulty, they would start complaining and murmuring against God. They would not trust Him to work things out, but would just look at what appeared to be. They would not remember (or think about) the great works God had already done and believe Him to still provide their needs. They doubted His ability, and many times they were unthankful. (Read Psalm 78.) And God tells us to not harden our hearts like those people, if we will hear His voice.

Jesus also made reference to hardness of heart in Mark 3:1-5: And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. And they (religious people) watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so they might accuse Him. Then He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” And He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. So when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored, as whole as the other.

The hearts of those religious people were not compassionate; they were not concerned about the man with the problem. They were only concerned about their religious laws.

Another example of hardness of heart is found in Mark 6:37-52, it tells how Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish, and fed a multitude. He then sent His disciples away by ship, and while they were sailing, a wind came against them, causing them to encounter trouble rowing. Jesus walked on the water to get to them, got into the boat, and caused the wind to cease, but when they saw Him, they were afraid because they did not recognize Him, and thought He was a ghost. The Word says they were amazed and wondered, For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.

They had so soon allowed their heart to become hardened after the miracle Jesus had performed, that they didn’t even think about it, so when Jesus (their Helper) came to them, they did not even recognize Him.

How many times do we not remember God’s promises and what He has already done for us, and allow our heart to become hardened? Then when we face difficulty, and He is there to help us, to give us the answer, to give us what we need, we do not recognize it as being Him – we do not recognize His voice, or maybe we do not even hear Him.

So we see that murmuring and complaining, failure to believe God and His Word, and failure to remember His works that He has already done are signs of hardness of heart.

Hebrews 3:12-13 says, Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, but exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Here, we are told that unbelief is evil. We seem to think of evil as something really sinful and wicked. We think our heart would never be evil. But notice, this Scripture says to take heed, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.

If we start departing from God, by growing lax with our walk with Him, by not spending quality time with Him, by not praising and worshipping Him, by not spending time praying and listening to Him, and by not spending time reading, studying, and meditating the Word, unbelief and doubt will start crowding into our heart. We will not think upon all His goodness, His blessings, and His works. Then when difficulty comes, instead of being so filled with the Word of God, the love of God, faith in Him and His Word, so that we go through victoriously, thoughts of doubt will come: hardness of heart, and the temptation to complain and question God. He will be trying to speak to us, but we cannot hear if our heart is hardened.

Notice, the Scripture says that if we start to depart from God, it is easy for us to be deceived by sin. This can apply to many different areas. If we are not keeping full of God’s Word, things that are not right can begin to seem not so bad. Another area of being deceived by sin is that our words begin to change when our walk with God grows more distant and colder. We begin to speak more negative words – things contrary to God’s Word. We may begin to talk more about problems, calling things as they appear in the natural, instead of saying what God’s Word says, which produces life and good things. You may say, “That’s not sin,” but if we are speaking words of doubt and unbelief instead of speaking faith-filled words, it is sin. Romans 14:23 says that whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Psalm 39:1 says, I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue.

Hardness of heart is a dangerous thing. It will stop us from hearing God’s voice, which we must hear and obey in order to live in His perfect will for us, living in abundant life. Our heart must be pure and tender before God. Proverbs 28:14 says, Happy is the man that feareth always (or is always reverent), but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief (evil, adversity, afflictions).

How do we guard against letting our hearts grow hard?

1. We need to ask God to search our heart and reveal it to us. He does that by His Word and His Spirit. Psalm 139:23 says, Search me O God, and know my heart…” Hebrews 4:12 says, The Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. We then need to be open to the truth that He reveals, and if our heart is not right, we need to ask and allow Him to make it right by the washing of the water of His Word.

2. We need to guard our heart with all diligence (Proverbs 4:23), keeping it full of God’s Word (not allowing junk in), hiding the Word there and keeping it there, and we must allow it to work in us. Psalm 119:11 says Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. We must receive it, believe, and do it.

3. We, as the body of Christ, must exhort, or encourage each other in the Lord and in His Word, as Hebrews 3:13 tells us to do, so that our hearts are not hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

So do not depart from God, do not grow cold in your walk with Him, and keep full of His Word. Do not doubt Him, do not complain, and do not forget any of His works and His benefits. Listen and hear His voice, then obey and walk in abundant life!

Thursday's Thoughts

Have you ever had God speak to you to do something, and even though you knew it was Him, you failed to obey, because you had very logical reasons as to why you shouldn’t do it? Maybe you have even told Him the reasons, in order to explain your disobedience.

Maybe there is something in your life now that you know God has told you to do, yet everything seems to indicate that it would not be wise to do it. So now you are faced with questions: Can you trust God? Do you really believe that He knows what is best, and that He wants the best for you? Well, the answers are: Yes, you can trust Him, yes, He knows what is best, and yes, He definitely wants what is best for you. But He will never force you to obey. He has given you a will, and the freedom to exercise that will.

Let’s look in God’s Word at some examples where God spoke to individuals to do something, and it looked totally absurd in the natural, but when they were obedient, they reaped the blessings of obedience.

How about Noah? It had never even rained when God spoke to him to build an ark! But we know that Noah did just as he was told, even though he was scoffed at, and probably had thoughts himself that what he was doing was ridiculous. However, when the ark was ready, and Noah had brought his family and the animals inside, God sent the rain and destroyed everything and everyone else, just as He had said. Of course, Noah and his family were all safe, due to his obedience.

In II Kings, chapter 4, we are told about a widow who had creditors planning to take her sons, because she couldn’t pay her bills. Things looked completely hopeless. She only had a little oil, which would not sell for enough to pay her debt. She went to Elisha, who was a man of God, and what did the Lord have him tell her to do? He told her to go borrow vessels (not just a few) from her neighbors, and to pour her oil into them and sell it. She could have said, That makes absolutely no sense at all, because there is not enough to fill enough vessels to do any good. I am just going to waste my time and effort if I go gather more vessels. That will accomplish nothing in solving my problem. But she didn’t respond that way. She chose to be obedient to the Lord’s instructions, doing what He said, whether or not she understood what was going to happen. She borrowed the vessels, she started pouring the oil into them, and the Lord multiplied the oil so that it filled them all. She then sold the oil, paid the debt, and she and her sons lived on the rest.

In the 5^th chapter of Luke, we read that Peter, who was a fisherman, had been fishing all night and had caught not one fish. Jesus came to him the next morning and told him to put his nets (plural) down to catch fish. Now, after a night of catching nothing, it made no sense to Peter, to now let the nets down in the same water, expecting to catch anything. It probably sounded like it was a lot of effort for nothing. And before being obedient, Peter did point out the fact to Jesus that he had been there all night and hadn’t caught anything, but he went ahead to say that he would do it, just because Jesus told him to do it.

So the Word says he let down the net (singular), and caught so many fish that the net broke, and he had to have help in bringing all the fish to shore. Peter was partially (right there is another sermon) obedient – he dropped a net, not nets. Maybe he wasn’t convinced that the results would be great, so he didn’t want to expend any more effort than necessary to check it out, but yet, he didn’t want to miss out if a blessing really was in store.

Have you ever been there? The Lord told you to do something, but you didn’t want to completely step out in obedience, just in case things did not work out well, so you just did part of what He told you to do. If so, you may still have received a blessing, but it may have been only a portion of what God had wanted to give you. Now, if you have done that, do not condemn yourself. Ask forgiveness, and move on in obedience.

Let’s look at one more example of Jesus telling someone to do something that seemed to make no sense at all. It was after Lazarus had died and was buried, and Jesus went to the place of the burial and saw Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus. They were sad, and Mary even told Jesus that if He had been there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus then told them to take away the stone that covered the grave. Well, as much as they loved Jesus, and knew they could trust Him, this was just too much for their minds to readily accept. There was not instant obedience. Martha tried to explain to Jesus why that was not a good idea, as though maybe Jesus didn’t know all the details of the situation. She explained to him that her brother had been dead four days, and would already be stinking!

Had Jesus not known that when he told her what to do? Of course, He knew, and He also knew what the outcome was going to be if they would believe Him and then act in obedience. They would receive a blessing, and God would receive glory. They moved the stone as they were told, and then Jesus spoke to Lazarus to come forth, and restored him to life.

All the situations mentioned above prove that God has ways for our lives sometimes that we do not understand at the time He gives us direction, but if we will just step out in faith and be obedient, we will see His plan unfold, and we will reap the rewards of obedience. We need to remember that He has ways of getting blessings to us that we would never dream. We just need to be in tune to His leading, and obey Him.

So whatever God tells you to do – just do it!

Tuesday's Tab

God’s Word is truth (John 17:17), and God’s Word is forever settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89).

God and His Word are one, and God changes not (Malachi 3:6), therefore His Word never changes. Circumstances may change, lives may change, but remember God never changes, and His Word never changes. What He has promised us, He is able to and will perform for us. We must believe Him with simple childlike faith.

We may not see how He can bring manifestation of His promises to us, but that is okay. All He asks us to do is to believe Him.

When He gave His Word, He knew exactly how He would bring it to pass. He did not commit to something flippantly (as we sometimes do) and then wonder what kind of situation He had gotten Himself into. He had a plan to bring all He promised to pass.

Once we find out what He has promised in His Word, let’s relax in Him, and not be anxious, or overly concerned about anything. Let’s make our requests known to Him, based on His promises, with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6), realizing we have a God – a Heavenly Father – Who loves us, and Who will do for us what He has promised, in the way and the time He has planned. Let’s believe Him and receive from Him, by faith.

When we trust God to do what He has promised in His Word, we give Him pleasure, for we read in Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him”, so when we walk in faith we are pleasing Him.

So take courage – God’s promises will never fail. I Kings 8:56 says, “Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.”

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God never made a promise that was too good to be true. ~Dwight L. Moody

Tuesday's Tab

Did you ever have God tell you something He wanted you to do, and you knew in your heart it was God speaking to you, but because you either did not want to do it, or you felt incapable of doing it, your response was, “Who, me?” And when God said, “Yes, you”, you began to explain to Him why you were not the one He should choose, reminding Him of reasons that He surely had not taken into consideration.

If that's you, you are not alone, but just remember that God never has, or never will ask you to do anything that He has not equipped you to do, or will equip you to do, as the need arises. (Do keep in mind the equipping may take time, and it can be painful for our flesh!) He just wants you to have a willing heart to do what He asks, and then put action to it by being obedient. He will honor your willingness and obedience, and He will provide whatever you need to accomplish the task.

When God spoke to Moses and told him He was sending him to Pharaoh to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, Moses’ response was, “Who am I?” or in other words, “Who, me?” (Exodus 3:10-11) And then he proceeded to tell God why he was not the one. He told Him the people would not listen to him because they would not think God had spoken to him.

When God did not accept that excuse, but continued with instructions, Moses tried another. He said “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue” (Exodus 4:10).

He was saying that had been the situation up to the point when God first began to speak to him, and that it had not changed since then, so he must not be the right one, because surely if he were the one, his speech would instantly have changed when God told him he was going to be speaking to the people. But, the ability to do things does not always come as far in advance of the need for the ability as we would like.

Whether Moses just did not want to do what God had called him to do (perhaps because of fear), or whether he really felt he had legitimate reasons that he could not do it, and that God had failed to take those reasons into considerations before He had confronted him for the task, we don’t know, but God had not made a mistake. Moses was the one He had chosen to use to lead the children of Israel out, and He was going to make sure he was equipped to do so.

God’s reply to Moses’ last excuse was, "The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." (Exodus 4:11-12).

But Moses was still hesitant, causing God’s anger to be kindled against him, and He agreed to send Aaron to be Moses’ spokesman, and the task was accomplished.

Another situation recorded in the Bible of someone’s response to God being “Who, me?” was Gideon. Israel had fallen into the hands of the Midianites, they had cried out to God, and He was going to deliver them. He chose Gideon as the one He would use to save them, but when He told Gideon He was sending him to save Israel from the Midianites, Gideon’s reply was, Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."(Judges 6:14-16). Gideon obeyed, allowing God to use him, and things happened as God said.

Neither Moses nor Gideon felt capable of doing what God told them to do, because they were looking at natural circumstances and at their own abilities, but God was just looking for a willing and obedient vessel that He could use and work through. He told each one, “I will be with you.”

God is still the same today. He is looking for willing and obedient vessels that He can work through to accomplish His plan in the earth, reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ, with His love, His power, and His deliverance. If He calls us to do something, regardless of whatever it is, or how impossible it looks to us, He will always be with us making sure that we have the ability to accomplish it. So let’s not respond to God’s calling with “Who, me?” in a negative attitude, as though we think He made a mistake in choosing us, or as though saying, “Am I really the one that has to do this?” But just (say, "yes, Lord!") be willing to step out in faith to God’s calling, knowing He will equip us completely for the calling. God will be pleased, and we will be blessed.

Monday's Meditation

Did you know that confidence and determination are two qualities that God wants His people to possess?

Confidence is defined as faith, trust, assurance (which is the state of being certain), and determination means firm or fixed purpose; firmness (which is not subject to change)

He wants us have confidence that we can trust Him and His Word, and He wants us to stand in determination to walk in His ways, therefore receiving the abundant life that He has given us through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:35-36 tells us to Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise (KJV). In the Amplified Bible verse 36, says, For you have need of steadfast patience and endurance, so that you may perform and fully accomplish the will of God, and thus receive and carry away (and enjoy to the full) what is promised.

What does it mean to have steadfast patience? Steadfast means firmly fixed in place; determination, and to be patient means to be steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity. To be patient does not mean that we are to just accept everything that comes against us in a passive way, with no resistance.

Our confidence that we are to hold to, not casting away, must be in God – in His Word. To receive from God, we must have faith in Him; we must trust Him, we must have confidence that He is Whom He says He is, and that He will do what He says He will do. We must know that He is a faithful God.

How do we acquire confidence in another person? By getting to know that one, through time spent together, through observance of that one’s words and actions. Do their words and actions correspond? It’s the same with God. We gain confidence in Him by knowing Him, through His Word and through intimate time spent with Him. We must first know what His Word says in order to have something to believe and to be confident in. Then we must be determined to live according to His Word, and to see His promises fulfilled in our life, in spite of opposition, difficulty, or adversity that comes our way.

Now, we must have our heart right toward God and be obedient to Him and His Word in order to truly be confident that we will receive what God promised. I John 3:21–23 says, Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God, and whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment…I John 5:14 , And this is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us; 15 – And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

If we are living in the Word, walking in love, our petitions to God will be in line with His will, and we need to stand with confidence that He will do what He has promised, and we must be very determined to receive those promises, not being moved from our stand – never allowing the enemy to steal our blessings from God.

We must make the decision that we will not cast away our confidence, but that we will stand in that confidence, determined, or with steadfast patience, firmly fixed, despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity, so we can perform and fully accomplish the will of God, thus receiving and carrying away, and enjoying to the full what is promised.

God will never fail. His Word will never fail. And if we are living in His will – in obedience to Him, we can stand determined to, and confident that we will, receive what He has promised. He will do what He has said He will do. We just need to do what He says to do in order to receive.

Let’s look at a few examples in God’s Word, of some who were very confident in His faithfulness, and were determined to stand against all opposition and pressure that came against them, knowing that His faithfulness would be shown – that they would receive what they believed Him for.

In 2 Kings 4:8-37, we read about a woman whose son died. Her son was a special gift from God. When she had no children, Elisha, a man of God, would travel through her neighborhood, and she and her husband would provide him with food and a place to stay when he was there. In return for her hospitality, Elisha had asked what could be done for her, and since she had no children, Elisha told her she would have a son, which she did at the time he said. The son grew and did well, but then one day he died. The woman immediately made arrangements to get to Elisha, believing that God would use him to restore her son to her. When she arrived where Elisha was dwelling, she told him the situation, and he was going to send his servant to pray for the child, but she knew in her heart that Elisha was the one that God would use to restore her son back to life, and she was determined that he would go. She would not settle for anyone else, so he went with her, he prayed over her son, and the Lord raised him up. Her confidence in God that He would restore life to her son, and her determination to do what was necessary in order to receive that blessing, brought about the manifestation of God’s power, allowing her to receive and enjoy to the full what God had for her.

Three Hebrew boys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, refused to bow down and worship a golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had commanded everyone to worship, because they obeyed God, to worship Him only. They did so even in the face of a threat of being thrown into a fire and burned to death. They were determined to stand true to God, confident He would protect them, and deliver them (BUT IF NOT!). They were bound and thrown into the fire, but God brought them out unharmed, with not even a hair singed (Daniel 3).

In Daniel 6, we read how a decree was made and signed that no one was to pray to anyone except the king, and that whomever would be caught praying to anyone else, would be cast into a den of lions. The decree was made to try to trap Daniel, because he openly prayed to God. But Daniel was determined that he would not pray to any other, and he would do it with the same boldness he had been doing. He continued to open his windows and pray as usual. He had confidence that God would deliver him, regardless of what was done to him. Of course, he was thrown into the den with the lions, but God sent angels to shut the lions’ mouths, and Daniel was unharmed (Daniel 6).

We read of another man’s confidence and determination in Mark 10:47-52. Here we are told of a blind man, who was in a crowd when Jesus came on the scene. When he heard it was Jesus, he began to cry out, asking Jesus to have mercy on him. Many around him tried to get him to be quiet, but he cried even louder. He knew if Jesus would hear him, He would respond. He had already heard of the miracles Jesus did. So no one (including religious people) was going to keep him from getting his miracle. He had his confidence in Jesus, and he was determined to get what he knew Jesus wanted him to have. Verse 49 says Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. Jesus asked what he wanted, the man told him, and Jesus told him that his faith had made him whole, to receive his sight, and he did. Had he have listened to those around him and have given up, he would not have received the blessing. But his confidence and determination brought it to him.

Let’s rise up in faith in God – in His Word – and be confident that He will do what He has promised if we will believe and doubt not, and then let’s be determined to receive his promises, regardless of what it takes, so we can receive, carry away, and enjoy to the full what is promised.

Friday's Feature - Are you a plodder?

I am reminded of a scene from "Alice in Wonderland". The Mad Hatter told Alice that she had lost here "muchness"-and that she used to be "much, muchier". I was reminded as I will remind you - to not lose your "muchness". We were born to serve Him, love Him and live into the abundant life that He has for us. Don't grow weary. He's got a plan. Wait for it, my friends.

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Imagine this ... if you want to know approximately how long an animal is going to live, determine how fast its heart beats. Most creatures get about 800 million heartbeats per life, so animals with a rapid heart rate will reach the 800 million average sooner than those with a very slow metabolism.

For instance, a mouse's heart beats about 700 times per minute, and they live less than three years. The hummingbird's heart beats up to 1,260 times per minute during the day, but it actually slows to 50 beats per minute at night, and they live twice as long as mice. But an elephant's heart plods along at about 35 beats per minute, and they have been known to live more than 80 years.

"Plodding." It's not generally thought of as a pretty word. It conjures up images of a person trudging along with their legs knee deep in mud or crossing sandy dunes in a blistering desert. According to the dictionary plodding means "to work or to act perseveringly or monotonously; to drudge; the act of moving or walking heavily and slowly making laborious progress."

We can sometimes get discouraged when we're plodding, because we aren't seeing results soon enough. Our dreams don't quickly materialize, so we consider throwing in the towel. But many times, if we would just plod on a little longer, we'd reach our goals.
Christians likewise must often plod our way to the kingdom. We need to adjust to the idea that being a Christian is not always a dazzling mountaintop experience, but involves plodding through the lowly valleys. And sometimes these spells of plodding may even last years.

That's why I believe God loves the plodders. The Christian life is not so much of a sprint as it is a marathon, and it's better to have a good finish than a quick start. Many people have had very bad starts, but if you are to be in the kingdom, what matters most is a good finish, and that is often determined by how you recognize the power of plodding.

Destination Unlimited
It's a new year. We need to have goals. If we're plodding, we might as well plod toward something worthwhile.
Thomas Edison, one of my plodding heroes, set very ambitious goals. He planned to come up with a major new invention every six months, and a minor one every 10 days. That might sound like a crazy goal, but by the time he died, he had 1,092 U.S. patents and more than 2,000 foreign patents. He knew that by setting goals for himself and relentlessly striving to reach them, he was bound to increase his output.

Edison was the embodiment of a plodder. One time, he challenged his scientists and chemists to find a solution that dissolved rubber, which at the time was still a new invention. So his chemical crew got out their pencils and paper and started calculating their formulas. After many fruitless days, Edison got frustrated at their lack of progress.

But instead of giving up, he took a strip of rubber and went to a well-stocked chemical warehouse and began going from jar to jar. He would open a jar, stick in the rubber, and pull it out and watch what happened. If it remained intact, he went to the next jar. Finally, after a week of plodding through the huge chemical stockpile, he found the solution that would dissolve rubber. When he got back to his lab, the scientists were still working on their formulas.

That's a practical explanation of plodding, and that's how you achieve what you want. With determination you can find a needle in a haystack, but you have to persistently pull the haystack apart - one straw at a time.

The Peril of Impatience
Are you impatient with reaching your goals? If so, you're not alone. I think Americans are more chronically impatient than anyone else. We get irritated at the drive-through if our fast food isn't fast enough. "I've been here five minutes," we groan. "I'm starving!" But you go to Russia, and they'll stand in line all day just for basic needs.

This chronic impatience also means we're quickly impatient with ourselves and even with God. So many give up on the Christian life because they don't see rapid progress. You're tempted to quit because you want to be like Christ overnight, but it seems as though it's taking forever. You say to yourself, "I'm not getting anywhere. I'm a failure." What's the answer?

God's plodders must have patience. Like Joseph, for instance. He has these fantastic dreams that God has big plans for his life, but they aren't being realized because his brothers sell him into slavery. Where did his dreams go when he's sweeping a pagan's house? Then things go from bad to worse when he is falsely accused of adultery and is tossed into a gloomy jail. For 13 years of his life, he was a prisoner or a slave - and none of that by his own fault. Would you be discouraged? Would you think your dreams are over? We know Joseph's answer by his actions. Though he doesn't know why God is allowing it, he decides to plod along by being the very best he could be at what God gave him.

And one day everything changed: Joseph went from the prison to the palace.
Joseph is a great example for you and me to not lose patience or give up. Romans 2:6, 7 says God "will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life" (emphasis added). I've got big dreams, just like Joseph. I want to live and reign alongside Jesus. Do you know how I am going to get there? By patient continuance; in other words, patiently plodding.

Crossing Galilee
In John 6, Jesus orders His disciples to voyage across the sea as He withdraws into the wilderness to pray.
"Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum" (vs. 16, 17 NKJV). As the disciples are rowing, it's very dark and cold. Then quickly, "The sea arose because a great wind was blowing." By this time, the disciples had paddled three or four miles, so they're actually in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.

Would you be able to row by that time? It's one thing to paddle around lazily in a swimming pool, and quite another to row across an ocean with the wind against you. The monotony of one stroke after another, hour by hour, must have worn the disciples down, yet the Bible says they were doing what Jesus had commanded. They were in the dark, going against wind to do God's will, and that's when the Lord came to them.

Don't miss this! I believe it is a profound point: Christ came to them as they were rowing, not when they were simply sailing or drifting. He came to them as they plodded, stroke after stroke, in the midst of tribulation. When the disciples first see Jesus, they are afraid because they don't recognize Him. But when Jesus identifies Himself, "they willingly received Him into the boat." Then miraculously, "immediately the boat was at the land where they were going." The author specifically lets us know the distance, because only a miracle could have taken them so quickly from the middle of the sea to the shore. I don't know if it was angels or if God simply "beamed" them to the beach, but they were suddenly at their destination.

What really conveyed them there? The disciples' rowing? No. By receiving Jesus into their boat, they were brought to shore. But when did He come? While they were rowing, doing what they could to fulfill His will.

This is a very important spiritual truth! When at those times you are doing everything you can, and it seems as though you're getting nowhere and the wind and waves are beating you back, Jesus will pick up the slack and carry you forward. He'll take you the rest of the way. But I'm not sure He'll get in that boat if you're not rowing or at least willing to row. You need to do what you can, because God calls the plodders in life.

Remember that the Lord calls people when they're busy plodding. God called the apostles when they were busy fishing for one more cast of the net, Moses was patiently watching his father-in-law's sheep. Gideon was threshing wheat, Elisha was plowing, and Matthew was counting. Jesus calls those who are at it!

Naomi and Ruth
Naomi had plenty of reasons to be discouraged. First, her family was experiencing a famine, which is by itself a horribly dispiriting trauma. Next she was forced to move from her home into a foreign land with a foreign language. She also loses her husband, and still yet more discouragement, her sons too begin to die. At the end of all this, she has no husband, no house, her sons have died, and all she has left are pagan daughters-in-law.

Would you be discouraged? She was so distraught that she says, "Call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me." But God, having mercy, gives her a gift in Ruth. Although Naomi tells Ruth to go away, Ruth answers, "But Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. ¹⁷ Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." (Ruth 1:16, 17 NIV).

But what could Ruth do? The only work she could find was picking up sheaves that reapers left behind. How many of us would do that today - not work as a farmer, but as a beggar to farmers, picking up the scraps of grain not considered worth the trouble? Yet Ruth never complains, not even one gripe nor moan escapes her lips. She keeps going because she made a commitment - doing what's close at hand until God opened another door.

And what a door that was! The land owner, a prince in Israel, takes her as his wife, and she receives a great inheritance. Later we read that she is not only an ancestor of the great King David, but she is also an ancestor of Jesus!

Ruth was a plodder. She did not give up. Many of us may have jobs where we feel, "Lord, is this really my lot in life? I have greater gifts!" But even Moses watched sheep for 40 years, until God opened another door. Keep plodding.

The Ultimate Plodder
If you want to be a Christian, you're following someone who refused to be discouraged. A prophecy in Isaiah 42, about Jesus, proclaims, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; ... He shall not fail nor be discouraged" (vs. 1, 4, emphasis added).

Jesus is a plodder. He refuses to be discouraged. Did He have reason to get discouraged? Plenty! Once Jesus watched a crowd turn their backs on Him because they didn't understand His words. He was also betrayed and forsaken by His own friends. It looked to others like He was a total failure, but He did not give up.

Paul says, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). God's people are a determined people, and we should be as determined to be saved as Christ is to save us. So how determined is Jesus to save you? He is desperate. He wants to do everything He can; He died a horrible death for you.

But how determined are you to be saved? He'll get in your boat if you're rowing. If you are doing what you can do, God will perform a miracle of grace and take you to your destination. We are saved by grace, even as we are out in the middle of the sea. But He wants you to be plodding, looking for Him, until He comes. Even if you are the thief on the cross and it looks as though there is no hope for you. He said, "Lord, remember me." At the very last moment of life, that thief had faith to take one more step. Did Jesus save him? Yes, because He wouldn't give up on any soul, even at the end. God wants us to be a people that will plod on persistently.

In Philippians 3:12, 14, Paul says, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. ... I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (NKJV, emphasis added).

Jesus Endured
Christians can get discouraged during the fierce battles. We are almost always fighting with temptation, as if life was nothing but a series of wars. During World War I, a British soldier fighting in France saw his friends around him dying. Some were killed by mustard gas, and the trenches were full of the sick and dying. He thought, "What is this for?" He decided to give up and desert, so one night he slipped out of his foxhole and headed to a small coastal village. There he would steal a boat and row his way back to England.

On his way he soon came upon a fork in the road, but it was dark and foggy and he didn't know which way to go. The top of the sign was in the dark fog, so he climbed up the pole for a closer look. At the top, he took out a match, struck it, and held it to the sign. The eyes of Jesus were staring back at him. The soldier soon realized he hadn't climbed a sign, but a crucifix, and now he was looking at the pain-filled eyes of Jesus. He thought to himself, "Christ suffered on the cross for the sins of the world, and here I am giving up on my friends and my country." His heart changed, he climbed back down and headed back to the trenches. When we consider how much Jesus suffered, it's a little easier for us to plod through life's challenges even when we fall down. Remember that Jesus not only has scars on His hands, but also on His feet, because He was a plodder.

Psalm 37:23, 24 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall ..." Stop here for a moment! This is a "good man" who loves God's commandments, and he falls. Can a good man fall going in the right direction? Yes! That's what the Bible says. "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand." God picks up those who love Him, so would you still rather not take the risk of trying and failing? Thomas Edison said, "He who is afraid to fail is afraid to succeed." So we need to set goals - like reaching God's kingdom. We might fall and suffer, but if we keep plodding, one day we can look back and say, "I've made progress. I'm at least halfway across the Sea of Galilee!"

Shooting for the Stars
There is absolutely no virtue to plodding around in circles - we must have a goal. During the moon shots, NASA didn't tell the public the scary reality that the spaceships were not always under complete control. The spacecrafts would veer off course about every 10 minutes, frequently forcing the crew to make precise corrections. NASA would warn the pilots, "You're drifting off course!" And then the pilots would hit a button to fire small rockets, and they would be on course again. Over and over again, from the earth to the moon and back again, the pilots would make continuous course corrections. Of course, because of those constant corrections, no astronaut was lost in space during the Apollo missions.

For Christians, those little rocket firings are our daily devotions and prayers. If we're going to reach our heavenly destination, we need constant course corrections from His Word.

We also need a little bit of plodding in our own witness. Have you ever felt discouraged and said to yourself, "I'm not bringing anyone to Jesus"? You look back and can't think of anyone you have led to a saving relationship with Him. God has called us to be a witness, and I believe it's important for our own Christian experience.

An insurance salesman might call on 45 people to pitch his product, but only 15 of those calls will even talk to him. Of that remaining 15, maybe only one or two will actually buy some insurance. Yet that's how they make their living. They manage to survive by plodding along, expecting an 80-percent rejection rate, and that's often how it is with witnessing.

Plodding in Prayer
In Luke 18:1-7, Jesus tells us the story of a poor widow being treated unjustly, so she goes to a judge, but the judge is also unjust and ignores her because she doesn't have money to bribe him. He dismisses her, yet she continues to plead, "Please! Appeal on my behalf. My adversary is mistreating me!" And the woman returns, every day. She perseveres, plodding back and forth to the courts each day. Finally the judge reaches his breaking point and realizes he has to deal with her.

Jesus closes the parable by saying that our Father in heaven will answer the cries of those who persistently pray day after day, much more so than a corrupt official trying to be free of annoyance. Do you not think the Father hears the persistent prayers of His people? He does! Don't give up; keep asking.

You also don't ever have to get discouraged in seeking and doing God's will. Galatians 6:9 promises, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." He wants you to keep plodding. Remember, we will be rewarded only if we do not lose heart - do not faint.

Are you praying for a lost loved one, yet see no progress? Are you going to quit? No! James 5:11 (NLT) promises, "We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy." Job had to be patient to the end, and his last was better than his beginning. Why? He hung in there. "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13).

Sand Dunes
There was a pile of bones found over a sand dune. Somebody had died in the middle of a blistering desert in Saudi Arabia. Next to the pile of bones lay a note scribbled on tattered parchment. It said, "I can't go on." Evidently, that person made a makeshift shelter and just sat down to die. Where they found him, just on the other side of the dune, there was an oasis. He could have survived if he just kept on plodding a few more feet.

Nothing concerns me more than when we see people become discouraged with their Christian experience. They stop coming to church because they don't see the progress they want to see. But I've got good news for you. It doesn't always come in spurts; in fact, almost all of it comes through plodding.

Are you discouraged with a financial situation? Keep on plodding, because you're still here. Are you troubled about a relationship? Keep plodding, because you have one with Jesus. Are you unhappy with your job? Keep plodding, because God will open doors.
Are you discouraged about anything in your life? The answer is to keep on plodding. Set goals, and if you fall short, get up and keep plodding. It will be that much sweeter when you finally make it.

The Race Before You
Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (NKJV). As I said earlier, being a Christian is something like running a marathon. My daughter-in-law once ran in a marathon, and it is a grueling experience even for the most well-trained athlete. While many experienced runners jog the whole way, the average person walks a little bit of the way. They get tired, so they can't keep running, but that doesn't mean they give up. They walk when they have to, but they don't stop until they reach the end. And they aren't carrying a load - maybe a little water, but nothing else. They lay aside every useless weight, just as Christians should lay aside every weight, except for the Water of Life.

Jesus is coming back. The wait is nearly over. So keep your eyes on the Promised Land. Be a plodder. Keep letting your heart beat, your lungs breathe, and take one step at a time. God will give you the victory. "If we endure, We shall also reign with Him" (2 Timothy 2:12 NKJV). That's a promise. A greater reward is coming. Run this race with endurance, looking at our Leader, the Author and Finisher of our faith.