Make the most...

I love a good sale!  My shopping motto has always been “four letter words are best…SALE”!

I grew up in the era of SH Green Stamps.  As kids we would lick them and then put them in the squares of the SH booklet.  Once the booklets were filled and we had enough for what we wanted, it was off to the S&H Store to redeem the stamps for product.  We would walk into the store wide eyed with possibilities and the motivation to save and redeem!!

Every day we are given redemptive opportunities with those who are hurting, bound by addictions and life style choices or just weary of doing-life-my-way.  Life has become burdensome and hard.

   

You are probably saying, “What does that have to do with a sale?”  Glad you asked!   This is the thought behind make the most in Ephesians 5:15 and Col 4:5-6.

So be careful how you live.  Don’t live like fools but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Eph 5:15-17

Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Col 4:5-6

In the Greek “make the most” is Exagorazo which means ‘to redeem by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off (i.e., metaph. of Christ freeing us from the power of the Mosaic Law and power of Satan at the price of his vicarious death).  It also means to buy up for one's use to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well doing are as it were the purchase money by which we make the time our own.’

With that in mind for those who call themselves followers of Jesus, it is time to 'make the most' in:

• redeeming all the head knowledge learned through the years about  grace and mercy
• giving the gift of grace and mercy to those around us no matter their circumstances
• living wisely as skilled craftsman (from practice) through our actions and speech among those who are hurting  

In making the most of every opportunity our actions can become a catalyst pointing others to Christ to experience peace, freedom and recovery from the power of addictions and hurts. 

So how about it, want to go redemptive shopping?

'those' people

One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus. But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is?

Luke 5:17, 21

Detractors will always show up where God’s harvest field is ready…but Gods power will show up even greater.

What if Jesus had given in to the pressure and standards of the religious elite of his day?  Think of all the people recorded in the Bible (and today) that would never have been touched, healed, delivered or given hope.  You and I would never have been offered a taste of grace because Jesus mission of why he came would never have been filled. 

There will always be well meaning friends and even coworkers within the religious establishments of our day that will try to convince us to stay within the norm, warn us to be careful or not understand our choices or decisions.  

Where is it written we must be careful of Jesus calling to “go into all the world and make disciples?”  Where is it written we will never have to give up our lives for the sake of the gospel?  Where is it written we will not be misunderstood or abandoned by others because of our choice to be a follower of Jesus Christ?  

Yes, I agree some persecution we hear about today is brought on because of foolish actions.  At the same time true persecution will always be on the heels of total abandonment of self in order for Gods work, his Kingdom (not ours) to be advanced.

Our standard and foundation must always align with what Jesus taught.  That in itself will be at odds with not only the world view but that of the established religious communities view.  Do we really want to live and be as Jesus set the example for us?   

I grew up with ‘be a fisherman for Jesus’ but with the warning  ‘don’t go into certain establishments because you wouldn’t want people to think poorly of Jesus.’  Do fishermen wait for the fish to jump out of the water or do they go where the fish live?  Didn’t Jesus go into homes and the marketplace to eat and drink with the those people of his day who were searching and disenfranchised with lifeless religion? 

Today, don’t  those people  also deserve to hear, and more importantly, see the grace of God?  And would those people actually feel welcomed in our religious establishments today?  According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life only 39% of Americans attend a church service once a week yet 92% believe in God or a universal spirit. [i]  Those people are clearly not coming into the church building.  They are not interested in a building; there is no power in a building.  They are interested in someone walking grace with them, not condoning or condemning them. When we, the body of Christ, move out of the building and show them Jesus rather than just telling them Jesus, grace begins to grow. 

What Jesus was accused of as blasphemy was the very avenue for forgiveness and healing to occur.  His actions caused those around and usually those outside the religious elite to be gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!” Luke 5:26

Jesus not only spoke grace he lived it.  He requires no less from us as his followers.

I have not yet arrived but am trying with his help to walk in grace every day.  Some days I stumble a lot.  What about you, want to walk grace together?

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[i] http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report2religious-landscape-study-chapter-1.pdf

Change

God created me at my core a unique individual, just as he has you, for his purposes and to bring him glory.  Period. 

His purpose and plan may change from time to time, day to day, and perhaps even moment to moment; our response can be interesting, adventurous and yet confusing and defiant—not on God’s part but ours or more specifically mine. 

Just the time I get comfortable it seems he changes the game plan AND without consulting me! 

Could this ‘change’ be the refreshing everlasting water[i] constantly flowing in and through me rather than stagnant and unyielding water I tend to gravitate to?  At heart, I am a very private person and like my time and my ways.  But I’m coming to realize God did not create me for…well, me.  That is not to say we don’t need quiet and/or alone times to refresh and be rejuvenated.  I’m talking about the avoidance of others just because I don’t feel like interacting or feel like changing my plans. 

Could it be that chance meeting was an ordained crossing of two paths God orchestrated for encouragement, healing or salvation?  Perhaps it was to be the exact moment in time for God’s glory to be revealed to one who is desperately seeking someone higher than their thoughts and ways.  Could it be God wants to teach me rather than the person I come across something or open my eyes in an area I have shut? 

I recently read that God could have created us with incorruptible bodies and morally flawless character but instead he created us out of dirt—clay.  Why?  So it would be absolutely obvious that anything of eternal value accomplished through our lives is from God and not from us[ii] (2 Corinthians 4:7).   

So in the end, it’s realizing my comfort is not God’s purpose for my life.  OUCH!!  Obedience and surrender are not popular topics nor are they to come from a defeatist attitude.  Obedience and surrender are costly.  They are also at the heart of understanding and accepting who God is, why he created me and how he takes great pleasure in my partnering with him for the amount of years he has given me to live.   

So at times it is with kicking and throwing tantrums that I surrender.  And with a grateful heart God doesn’t treat me as my sins deserve[iii] but rather with grace he loving opens his arms and walks beside me--wherever that may be.  Am I to do anything less for those around me? 

What about you?  Where are you in your process or should I say progress?

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[i] http://www.youversion.com/bible/John.7.38.nlt

[ii] Becoming A Vessel God Can Use by Donna Partow (pg 78)

[iii] http://www.youversion.com/bible/Ps.103.10.nlt

Bold confidence

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence.  And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.

And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.  Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

1 John 3:18b-24

Truth is our foundation for confidence, not our feelings or emotions.  When our ‘house’ is built on this solid foundation the winds of doubt, discouragement, fear, disbelief, etc. will not destroy it.  This bold confidence does not come with a spirit of arrogance in demanding our own way or dictating to God what he should do in any given situation.  Rather it is a spirit of freedom in whom and whose we are that brings an innocence of trust, of hope and of expectation. 

David said in Psalm 5:3,7 “Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.  Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.”

David didn’t live under the freedom of grace that we do today, his was a covenant of laws and regulations that brought death and guilt not life.  Yet David proclaimed this bold confidence not in his feelings or emotions but the truth of God’s unfailing love towards him. 

Today, if you believe in the name of Jesus Christ and call yourself his follower no matter the circumstances you find yourself in start building your house on truth not feelings…on hope and confidence not fear and guilt.  

Celebrating uniqueness

I was in a meeting recently where there was a clear distinction between different personalities and even God given gifts. From the discussion it would seem some were either trying to become like others in the room (and becoming frustrated or disappointed in their “lack of___”) or trying to get others to come into their
particular gifting (“you just need to allow the Spirit to……………”). While I believe we need to allow the Spirit to move in and through us, this too can be frustrating at times. But what happens when we don’t sense the Holy Spirit moving in a particular situation; revealing the answer for either yourself or the person asking you for help; or when we don’t hear the Holy Spirit concerning the next move we should make? All the while He seems to be doing all these in others.

While I truly believe everyone’s motives were not to duplicate themselves in that meeting but rather be an encouragement for each other to think-out-of-the-box for new possibilities, let’s face it--it can be frustrating to not see ourselves or others in a spiritual gift we want to be in.

It was very clear at this meeting that hearts were touched by the message; they believed the message, stood in awe at the results of the message yet at the same time to fulfill the message would be a complete 180 in not only thinking but ‘doing’. It would take a complete overhaul of preconceived ideas so ingrained it would
shatter their world as they knew it. It was also very clear the Holy Spirit had been working in their hearts and lives moving toward this change. This too was frustrating.

Paul said in Corinthians we are all part of the body. An arm can’t pretend or act like an eye, or an ear like a foot, yet all are important for the healthy function of the body.
“It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person” should have (1Cor 12:11)
Paul then describes the functions of the body and makes this statement, “So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other…one suffers…all suffer…one is honored…all are glad.” (I Cor 12:24-25)

I started thinking how I treat others that are different than me. Do I honor those that wouldn’t ‘do as I would do’ or who aren’t as ‘spiritually mature’ as I am (said with tongue-in-cheek)? Whichever part I am, am I working in harmony with the others?
Encouraging them in their uniqueness and different thinking? For those who are acting less honorable do I try to clothe them with love, grace and mercy or expose them for who they are?
“In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care.”

God not only gives to each of us gifts and the ability to work in those gifts, he uses our personality through which those gifts take shape. Each of us is going to be different. It is the vehicle through which the world around us sees God in action.

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” (Prov 27:16-18)
When we stop trying to mold fit but rather encourage one another in the uniqueness and richness God has created each of us for His glory to be seen, the body of Christ will once again become healthy.
There is friction in sharpening one iron with another…let us be careful not to stab one another in the process.

GROW…GROW….GROW

Growth…Our hearts swell with generosity as our waists grow with all the wonderful goodies the holiday season brings.  Cookies, candies, cakes, Christmas party buffets—my mouth is watering as I write this! 

Growth… Parking lots at area malls and shopping districts overflow from macadam to grass.  What usually takes five minutes to “run in and out” of a store now takes twenty minutes.  Restaurants have a longer than usual wait time to seat and serve their customers.  Lines at the post office get longer and traffic, well let’s just say it can be a bit testy! The thoughts of someone being without the basics of a home, food or clothing is heightened during this holiday season and we respond generously.

Growth…While all the above growths are temporal there is a kind of growth that should never stop or be based purely upon a certain season or emotion.   This growth produces both long term and short term affects in our lives that has the potential to change the course of our lives and those around us.

Webster defines what I am writing about as “anything believed; complete trust or confidence.”  Faith.

Peter gives us a beautiful picture of growing in faith in 2 Peter 1:3-8.
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life…And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires... Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.  The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NLT)

 Since I am a very visual person, when I read this passage I liken it to the growth of a tree.

God has given us everything we need in giving us the rich soil of our lives.  God allows all circumstances (whether good or bad) to come into our lives which creates fertilization for the soil to produce good fruit (vs. 3-4).  When we realize God has carried us through a difficult situation our faith begins to grow.  This faith becomes the foundation to build upon for future circumstances.  We learn God can be trusted even though we may not be able to see the outcome or even want what the outcome becomes.

When our faith is placed in God the way we approach life changes.  Our moral values begin to change and we set higher standards to our life choices and what we put into our minds.  We begin to realize the depths of God’s love and compassion for us.   To understand that He doesn’t view us with a big club waiting to smash us for making a mistake brings freedom and openness for intimacy with Him. God longs and desires to have an intimate and daily friendship with us. We become hungry to know who He is how He wants us to live and treat others.  This creates a drawing to read His Word which increases our knowledge. 

Through this knowledge we become aware of issues or life styles within us that need to be dealt with in order for that freedom and intimacy to grow.  Self control is the result of this realization, which becomes a lifelong respect of the change starting within us.  Patient endurance becomes the byproduct of this knowledge and self control.  We begin to view others around us not with a judgmental attitude but one of the same grace and mercy God has extended toward us.  This produces a godliness within us because we are beginning to take on the character of Christ (vs4) living within us (Gal 5:22-26).  It is only because of these characteristics we can have true affection and love for those around us.

Just as we can’t plant a seedling and expect fruit the next day or without giving it water or fertilization, we can’t expect fruit in our lives without living this process.  One area cannot be bypassed to move to another and get the same results.  This isn’t a “once-and-done” event or a feeling of “I’ve finally arrived.”  It is a lifelong growth process, but the end result is well worth staying the course.  We produce not just fruit but everlasting fruit (John 15). 

                                     

BUDS/FLOWERS: Patient endurance, godliness,

brotherly affection, love for everyone……fruit that can change the world

ROOTS:Moral excellence, knowledge, self control,

Fertilized soil 
 

So in this season of growth don’t stop when January 1^st comes around. GROW…GROW….GROW.