People of the Second Chance

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. 2 Corinthians 2:6-8

Compare and contrast. I mean, we do this every time we make a decision between two things on everything from vegetables to a new car. If we do it for everything else, how much more should we do it when we consider how to live?

We need to compare today between the old way, the old covenant, the Ten Commandments, the law; and the new way, the new covenant, the new commandment, and the Spirit of God.

Consider this about the old way, I don't know if you've realized it yet, but none of us can even keep those rules on a regular basis. Many people don't even know what they are. And what if your religion was attached to that? You'd be rather hopeless. If it was all up to us to be good enough and to follow all the rules all the time, none of us would make it. We all fail at that test.

Compare that with the new way. Instead of a law written on tablets of stone, we have a new way written on our hearts. This shows us that God has made us the people of the second chance, because God is gracious and merciful and has now given us an even better way than the old way.

Consider another thing. The glory of the Old Covenant is ever fading. That's why Moses covered his shining face after he delivered the laws God had given him, because he knew it was fading. But the New Covenant that God has now given to us has a glory that is ever increasing. The glory of this covenant in us and on us only grows better and brighter every day!

But here's the thing-that veil that was over Moses face, Paul says it is over our hearts, keeping us from seeing the truth of the new way, until we turn to Christ Jesus.

Are you ready to trade the old way for the new way? Are you ready to cross over from the way of failure, the way of death, the way of fading glory, into the new way of life, truth, beauty, and eternal glory? If you are ready, then turn to Christ today.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for opening a new way for me! I have had enough of the old way, and I long to enter into the new. I turn to You today for help, for salvation, and for everything You have for me in Your new way!

Amen

The Full Surrender

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

Unconditional surrender. It's a term of the battlefield that no one wants to have demanded of them.

It means that you give up all of your rights, all of your desires, and any hope of your interests being taken care of. It means throwing yourself completely upon the mercy of your captor, your conqueror, the one who has vanquished you.

And, depending on your perspective, it is an unfortunate thing that God demands of us, because His terms of our unconditional surrender are dire. He wants nothing short of our very lives. He wants us to die.

But forget your selfish desires to control your own life for a moment and think this through. Everyone has to die, but Jesus has given us a choice. In dying in our place, He has offered us the chance to say with Paul, I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

We have the incredible opportunity to count ourselves to have already died with Jesus on the cross. And while we still have the rest of our days on this earth to live in the flesh, we can begin to live with the life of Christ Jesus inside of us.

This life goes far beyond the experience of an unredeemed person's life, the life lived without Jesus. Our life with Jesus is the abundant life that will overflow into eternity!

It is a deal that we will not receive from anyone else, but the terms of our surrender remain the same. We cannot partially become living sacrifices. It is all or nothing. In or out.

The question that faces us today is this-will you allow Jesus to conquer you? Will you accept His terms of unconditional surrender? Will you unreservedly give your life over to Him and allow Him to live His life through you?

The abundant life of Jesus is waiting for you. Say yes to Him today.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You that You are merciful when I throw myself upon Your grace! I choose today to offer myself in unconditional surrender to You. Please take my life and begin to live Your life through me now and for the rest of my days!

Amen

Extra, Extra

For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack-that there may be equality. 2 Corinthians 8:3-5

Everyone is out for your money. You work hard for it, but everywhere you turn, someone is asking for it.

Why, then, would you bother reading a devotional that is about money? You'd read it because the truth is that God has called all of us to some very God-sized visions, and if we're going to see them come to pass, it will take wise use of our money. It is with this heart that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church to talk about our minds.

Paul tells us that we need a willing mind-a mind willing to learn new things, to give control of our finances over to God, and to give generously according to what we have. Now, Paul is not telling us that we should give ourselves into debt and lack. What he is telling us is that when we help supply what is needed when others lack, God will also supply to us what we lack.

You know what I think of there? I think of Africa. Some of us are like, Well, if you're on the radio in Africa, why aren't the Africans paying for it?

With what? I mean, they desperately cling to every word, not having Bibles, wanting a page out of your Bible, knowing you have multiple Bibles probably in your house on shelves gathering dust. You have extra, okay? Don't be looking at me like, Extra! Extra! I don't think this applies to me. I have none.

Look, if you parked your car inside last night, then you have extra. If you have clothes hanging in a closet, then you have extra. If you have food in your cupboards, then you have more extra than half the world has. Do you have money in the bank? Most of the world lives on two dollars or less a day.

That's called extra. And maybe this extra is more like an Extra! Extra! This is news to me! That's okay for it to be news to you, but we need to know what to do about it. For us where I pastor, our extra is helping to supply Africa's lack.

But you know what? We have a need that they are helping to meet by sending missionaries to reach our nation.

Give of your extra, because if you do, God will supply for your lack.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You for giving me extra! Now please also help me to really see it as extra so that I can see how to give of my extra to supply others' needs.

Amen

MySpace.God

I have declared the former things from the beginning; they went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it. Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. Isaiah 48:3

How do you believe the world began? It would be interesting sometime to walk down the street and interview people to see what they think.

It just so happens, though, that God has an opinion on the matter. He says that He did it; He spoke the world into being. If you don't believe Him, then let us reason with each other for a moment. However you look at it, there are only four possible explanations for the origin of the universe.

First, it is just an illusion; it doesn't really exist. Well, I'm sorry, but if you believe this then you are a little crazy. I think, therefore I am, applies here. Something has to exist in order for you to think and experience all the things that you do.

Second, the universe spontaneously arose out of nothing. This was once very popular, but has now been proven to be completely absurd scientifically. Matter cannot create itself, it is simply impossible.

Third, the universe has always existed in some form. This remains a widespread belief today, but also is disproven by science and mathematics. The theory of thermo-dynamics tells us that everything is gradually losing energy, slowly wearing out and going away. This indicates that there has to have been a beginning to everything, which leads us back to the indefensible theory number two.

This leaves us with our fourth and last explanation: Somehow, sometime, somewhere, everything was put into place by a Creator. This is the only remaining scientific explanation. It is the only reasonable view of the origin of the universe. Because matter and energy are both finite things-ever decreasing and never increasing, ever decaying and never creating, ever ignorant and never intelligent-they are completely incapable of creating an ordered universe or a populated planet, whether by design or by chance.

These things have to have been done by an infinite God, a God who exists outside of time, matter, and space, an uncreated God who is not limited by the boundaries of creation.

Have you met this infinite God?

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You that You are God, the Creator of all things! Thank You for revealing Yourself in the intricacies of creation. I worship You today and ask You to help me live out the reason for which I was created.

Amen

Being Wise in Foolish Times

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-7

This has got to be one of the best promises in scripture. Seriously! God promises that whenever we need wisdom, all we need to do is ask.

Just ask, and He'll give it to us liberally. Not just a little bit, not just barely what we need, but liberally, God will give us wisdom. Now that's a great promise in this day and age in which we have a lot of tough decisions to make and a huge need for wisdom!

But God says that when we ask, we cannot doubt, because if we doubt then we won't receive anything. So to help us receive when we ask, let me give you four things about wisdom that we need to pray for together.

First, we need to pray for wisdom that produces a hearing heart. This means that the first thing we're listening for when we pop out of bed in the morning is God's voice of wisdom. More than the voice of Fox News, more than the voice of whatever newspaper you grab first, you are living to hear His voice.

Second, we need to pray for wisdom that produces a clearer vision. Here's the scary thing about this-it's not the same as what we see as logical. Why? Because God's wisdom told Peter to get out of the boat during a storm. What's His wisdom telling you?

Third, we need to pray for wisdom that produces a deeper passion. I've heard it said that as we get older, our wisdom increases and our passion decreases. I never want that said of me. Wisdom should bring us closer to the Lord to the point where our passion to serve Him increases more and more.

Fourth, we need to pray for wisdom that produces a higher calling. I believe, in all the events that are happening in the world right now, God certainly desires to see His Church step up the plate and swing for the fence, embracing His wisdom that enables us to accomplish great things for the glory of His name.

Will you pray for this kind of wisdom with me today?

Prayer Father God,

Thank You that You promise to give wisdom to whoever asks! I ask for wisdom today, wisdom that produces in me a hearing heart, a clearer vision, a deeper passion, and a higher calling. Help me to be a part of what You're doing in the world today for Your glory!

Amen

Driving in the HOV Lane

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant...But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all...But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:1,7,11

Have you ever met someone who was gifted? This kind of person simply excels at a certain thing, having natural ability that goes beyond most other people's natural abilities in that area.

I want you all to be gifted, but with more than just your natural abilities. I want you to be gifted to do things that are impossible without the Holy Spirit.

This gifting of the Holy Spirit begins with an inner work before it goes to the outward signs. It begins with the role of the Holy Spirit as the One who convicts us of sins and opens our understanding of the scriptures, of all that Jesus taught. He works to internalize the realities of God's Word so that our lives-our actions, character, and motivations-begin to look like Christ. In this way the Holy Spirit glorifies God.

But the Holy Spirit does give other gifts, and we can see lists of them in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, among other places. All of these gifts are subject to the guidance and boundaries of scripture. Anyone who starts claiming that their gift of the Spirit somehow equals or supersedes the authority of scripture is not worthy of our trust. That is how cults get started.

The gifts never trump scripture. Never. I'm clear on that, right? However, the gifts are real. The Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers that empower them to do supernatural things they couldn't do on their own.

How does that work in your life? It works by faith. The Holy Spirit's role is to do the inner working of making you like Christ, and He gives you gifts that you use by faith. Why by faith? Because it takes faith to do something that you couldn't have done if the Holy Spirit didn't help you to do it!

What are the gifts for? As our verses for today tell us, they are for the benefit of all. So why should we pay attention to them in our lives? Because they benefit people and glorify God. Let's ask God together for the faith to use the gifts He has given us so that we can benefit all and glorify God.

Prayer Holy Spirit,

Thank You for Your gifts! Please help me to have the faith and character I need to use the gifts You have given me. I want to bless others with what You have given me.

Amen

What to Be Watching For

And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

Church, with all my heart and the greatest respect of love, some of you need to move from being believers into being followers.

To be followers of Jesus is an entirely different thing than just being a believer. It's to become a disciple, to go into all the world and make disciples who are committed followers of Jesus, not just believers. The Bible tells us in James 2:19 that even the demons believe, but we must go beyond believing into following.

Do you remember all the stories that Jesus would tell about this? He would say, Come and follow me. And some guy would come up with the lame excuse like, Well, I've got these oxen that I've got to go test drive first. Can I go back and say bye to my folks? Can I go do this and do that? I've got business to attend to.

And for Jesus, the excuses were never anything more than that. He kept on moving while people found reasons to not follow Him. Jesus even rejected the excuse of disciples pointing to other disciples saying, Hey what about him? What if he kind of... and Jesus looks and says, Forget about him. You follow me.

They became followers of us. They became followers of Christ.

Let me tell you one of the absolute hardest things about pastoring a congregation that God has given me. In the neck of the woods where our church is, everybody wants to lead. Nobody-and I mean nobody-in these parts wants to follow.

I don't know if it's that authority thing or that success thing or some other thing, but I'll tell you something I do know. Make sure you're following Christ, because if you don't follow Christ, you're not going to get to Heaven.

You are not going to get there on your own. You need to follow. You need to sacrificially follow Christ; and that is the biggest difference, I think, between believers and followers-sacrifice.

The disciples left their nets and followed Jesus. Paul counted his life as already lost for Christ's sake. They were followers who were willing to give their all. They weren't just believers, sitting on their hands, thinking that their ticket to Heaven was somehow already punched.

Are you willing to give your all today? Or are you just a believer?

Prayer Lord Jesus,

I'm so sorry for just living my life as a believer. I want to grow beyond that today. I want to be a follower. My life is Yours today! Please come and fill me so that I have the courage to follow You wherever You lead!

Amen