Stress and Distress

When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice, (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. (Deut 4:30-31)

distress (n) 1. great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble. 2. a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 25 Feb. 2008. . (italics added)

How often are you in distress? Ask some people, and they will tell you they are nearly always in distress. When you look at the dictionary definition, however, the key words are "great", "acute", and "extreme". The word is intended to convey a condition above and beyond the ordinary stresses of life. We are blessed that this is not the normal circumstance we live in.

But times of distress do occur, whether through physical illness, emotional turmoil, or external events which weigh down upon us, like loss of a loved one or financial difficulties. God knows this (notice that word "when"?) , and He wants us to know and understand that He is the Author and Architect of all things; there is no "oops" in God's vocabulary. In the verse above, the words of Moses ring out with God's promise to remember us and sustain us, if we only will turn to Him, and hear His voice, and obey His Word. No matter the degree of difficulty we face, God is able to overcome it, and when we trust in Him to help us, we bring glory and honor to His Name in the process.

An Amazing Testimony

I came across this little film posted as a MySpace bulletin, and it really struck a chord with me; so I'm reposting it here to extend the reach of the message. I see it as a call to arms for all believers in Christ, to proclaim His truth without excuse or delay, and not be afraid, ashamed, or intimidated by what others may think.

Deciding to Jump - For Faith

"But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." (James 1:25)

A teacher once asked his student, "If there are three frogs sitting on a log, and one of them decides to jump off, how many frogs are still sitting on the log?" The student replied, "Well, obviously, only two remain." "Not so," answered the teacher, "all three are still sitting there. Making a decision is not the same thing as acting upon it."

Many times in the Christian life believers will feel convicted to follow a particular calling or enter into a new mode of ministry. Sometimes, their walk with Christ brings them to a point where a commitment must be made, to dedicate themselves more fully to some aspect of worship or study they had not previously focused on. The prospect of change is always a little scary, and many times, even though they feel that God is speaking to them, they are hesitant to step out. The fear of the unknown (or even the known) consequences of their decision can cause a kind of mental gridlock to occur, where they know what they ought to be doing, but are simply unable to actually follow through on it. Or, they do move forward, but then "life" kicks in, and distractions and interruptions hinder their progress. Either way, they may begin to feel unworthy or incapable of carrying out the task given to them; begin to second-guess their decisions; and out of shame or guilt, stop doing the very things the know they are supposed to be doing, which of course spirals into more shame and guilt.

In the verse above, the Apostle James exhorts believers that faithful action, leading from the Word of God, will lead to blessings. The entire epistle of James revolves around the idea that faith in Jesus will lead to works for Jesus. This is completely the opposite of what many religions teach, that we can "work" our way into heaven; instead, what the Holy Spirit is telling us through James is that God will "work" His way in us.

"If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." (John 13:17)

Jesus speaks these words after He washes the feet of the disciples. He is imparting the greatest truth of love: that serving others is the highest form of loving them. At the same time, these words are a call to action; merely knowing about love, without "doing" love, is a great waste of the most beautiful aspect of Jesus' presence in our hearts: the love of God for His children.

I pray that each of us who feels a particular call to action would have the faith to step out, and follow through on what God wants for us; that we can be open with each other about these decisions, so we may encourage and be encouraged by each other; and that the blessings of a faithful, gracious, and loving God would fall upon each of us when we answer His call. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Blessings of Faithfulness

"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' " (Matthew 25:21, 23)

One of the recurring themes I have encountered as I have studied the bible is that of faithful stewardship - the wise use of God's resources entrusted to believers for the furtherance of His Kingdom. Much has been written and said about the perils of money, and rightly so: money is a visible, tangible measure of what is important to people, and how they spend and manage their money speaks volumes about where their priorities lie. But, it seems to me that there's more to it than just money.

Maybe it's the word "talent", which is used in the parable quoted here. In Bible times, a talent was an enormous sum of money, equivalent to 20 years of a worker's salary. (No small thing to be responsible for!) But when I think of "talent", the more modern meaning of "ability" always comes to mind, and I see this as equally valid in application of God's principle of stewardship. God blesses each of us with unique abilities, things which we are able to do, and it is vital that we, as followers of Christ, learn to appreciate these gifts and use them wisely for God's glory. A wonderful part of my own walk with Jesus has been recognizing how He intends to use me and the abilities He has blessed me with. I have long known that I could read with comprehension, write with clarity, and see relationships between intellectual concepts that were not apparent to others; to me, these things are as innate as swimming is to a fish: I don't have to try, I just do it. But I have never applied this to any meaningful endeavor; I just took it for granted. Lately, though, God has put it upon my heart that He has a purpose for me, and it's high time I got on about doing His work. Writing this devotional is just one step in that direction; I also have been spending most of the last year in preparation to begin leading a small-group bible study, aimed at high-school age students. I am currently working through two different daily bible reading plans, as well as developing outlines for guided group studies. And I am loving it! The more energy I spend studying God's Word, the more He blesses me with further revelations of His presence and glory, and I am almost giddy with the joy of it all.

I know that I am not the only one blessed in this manner. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12 about the different purposes of the various members of the body, and how this is a reflection of the different abilities of the various members of the church. I give glory and praise to God that He has allowed me to see where I fit in, and it is my prayer that each of you might find that same sense of purpose in putting your particular skills to work for the Lord. When I stand before God at the Day of Judgment, and am called to give an accounting, it is my greatest hope to hear Him say, "Well done, My good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord." I hope that for each of you as well. May God bless and keep every one of you, and guide you into His perfect will for you. Amen.

How to Lead with the Lord

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:6-9 NIV)

I was listening to a call-in show on Christian talk radio the other day, and the hosts quoted these verses to inspire a husband who had lost his confidence in leading his family. But I feel that anyone who is in a position of leadership can benefit from these words of encouragement.

In this passage God is speaking to Joshua, commanding him as he assumes leadership of the people after Moses' death. The talk show hosts pointed out the significance that God repeats the same words three times in four verses; He especially wants us to hear and believe the promises He makes here. I personally am often assailed by doubts in my ability to live up to the responsibilities put upon me, and these verses help to remind me that I am NOT doing it on my own, but that God is with me, just as He said He always would be.

The king is dead...Long live The King!

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own eyes. (Judges 21:25)

Well, it's election year again, and it seems you can't turn on a TV without seeing either a politician or some talking head going on and on about politics. I try to be an informed voter; I care about the process and it's impact on the course of our nation; I've voted in every election I've been eligible for. But this time around, I can't seem to find anyone to get behind...there just aren't any real leaders among the candidates. Maybe what we need is a king...

Of course, I'm not really serious about that. (I shudder to think what kind of man would be king in America today.) I enjoy the benefits of democracy, and the freedoms it brings. But in a lot of ways, the system of government our founding fathers set up leaves us sadly untrained in the ways of following Jesus, because nobody in America understands what a king is anymore. The verse above speaks of the nation of Israel during a period of widespread sin and unholy living, but it just as easily could be written today about us. Modern society in general values its freedoms above all else, and people tend to use their "rights" as justification for acting as selfishly as they can, with little or no regard for others.

"But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord', and not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46)

Jesus cuts right to the heart of the problem with these words: calling Him "Lord" is an acknowledgment of His sovereignty and our submission to Him; but to then turn around and live by our own standards makes hypocrites of us all. Often, the problem is that we do not fully comprehend the meaning of the word "Lord"; we merely use it as a title or a symbol of respect, and never recognize the depth of the commitment we are making. In Jesus' day, respect for the king did not have to be explained, it was a basic fact of life. Today, however, respect for The King must be taught, and practiced into habit, until it becomes ingrained and forms the standard upon which we live our lives. As my pastor preached this morning, habits do not appear spontaneously. They must be learned, and changes in habits require us to unlearn one behavior while learning a new one to replace it. This is very difficult, but we are blessed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to assist and encourage us as we make the transition from worldly to holy. I pray daily for His strength in this, because daily I fall short, one way or another. I would encourage each of you to take a moment and reflect on what a great King we have in Jesus, and what it means to be one of His subjects. It helps me a lot, and I hope it helps you, too.

My children or my Lord?

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." (Matt 10:37-38, NKJV)

This verse speaks directly to an issue confronting my wife and I in our walk with the Lord: how to balance our duty as parents against our duty as stewards. In all honesty, we stay in constant financial difficulty because we spend a ridiculous amount of our resources supporting unemployed, grown children who cannot or will not provide for themselves. What we are coming to realize is that this is NOT love; it is in fact sin, because we are placing our feelings for them above our duty to God to use the gifts He has given us wisely, and the verse above spells that out loud and clear.

A prevailing attitude that has grown in the world over the last few decades is that "Your children should come first in your life." People are judged on their parenting ability by how much they give to their kids, how much they do for them; parents strive to provide "a better life for my kids than I had growing up". Well, that sounds fine and well-intentioned, but when that goal becomes more important than following Jesus, haven't we crossed the line into idolatry? Shouldn't we, as Christians, be striving instead to follow Him, placing God first in our lives? Of course we should. The difficulty arises when we lose sight of how best to do that.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." (Prov 14:12)

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Prov 3:5-6)

In both cases, what Solomon is saying is that human beings will do things that feel right or seem to be the best, but are not God's way or will. The only right thing to do is seek God's face, and study His Word; only then will we know what is the proper course to take. This is done through prayer and meditation, of course, but also through reaching out to other believers, sharing our burdens with Godly men and women who can provide their experience, insight, and perspective, and help us to see the things we are too close to to recognize.

When Jesus says to take up our cross and follow Him, He is not speaking lightly. In Roman times, taking up a cross only had one meaning: death. This is precisely what Jesus meant - death to ourselves, which must precede being reborn into Him. Only then can we be worthy to follow Him into eternal life. Understanding this is key to living the life that God has called us to, to being all that He has in mind for us to be.

I praise God and thank Him anew each day that He reveals more to me of His love and commitment to His children. I praise and thank Him for the family of the Church that He has provided to mentor and support us as we grow more toward His image each day. I pray that each of you is aware of how much we need to depend on Him and each other to make it through the trials of this life, and live completely for Him. I am , and it makes all the difference.