"We often dream our dreams of what we want to do for God. We formulate plans based on our priorities. Then we pray and ask God to bless our efforts and to help us accomplish our goals. (After all, we're doing it for Him!) We mobilize fellow believers to make our schemes successful. What is really important, however, is what God plans to do where we are and how He wants to accomplish His purposes through us. Here is what the Scriptures say about our plans and purposes: "The LORD frustrates the counsel of the the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart from geneartion to generation" (Ps. 33:10-11). "Many plans are in a man's heart, but the LORD's decree will prevail" (Prov. 19:21).
If your agenda is not the same as God's, you will not experience God working through you. God reveals His purposes so you will know what He plans to do. Then you can join Him. His plans and purposes will not be thwarted. They will succeed. The Lord foils the worldly plans of the nations, but His plans come to pass.
Planning is a valuable exercise, but it can never become a substitute for hearing from God. Your plans only have merit when they are based on what God has told you He intends to do. Your relationship with God is far more important to Him than any scheming you can do. The biggest problem with planning is when we try to carry out in our own wisdom what only God has a right to determine. We cannot know the when or where or how of God's will until He tells us.
God intends that we follow Him. He expects us to get our directives from Him, and He wants to equip us to do the assignment he gives. If we try to spell out all the details of His will in a planning session, we'll have a tendency to forget the need for a daily, intimate relationship with God. We may accomplish our objectives but forgo the relationship. It is possible to achieve all of our goals and yet be outside God's will. God created us for an eternal love relationship. Life is our opportunity to experience Him at work in us and in our world.
Planning is not wrong. Just be careful not to plan more than God intends for you to. Let God interrupt or redirect your plans anytime He wants to. Remain in a close relationship with Him so you can always hear His voice when He speaks to you. I have found that the best planning meetings are prayer meetings where we spend time with our Father finding out what He is up to. If churches are really serious about doing God's will, they will spend more time seeking God's will and less time arguing and debating about what each member thinks the church ought to be doing."
Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, Claude King
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
"God Guides Specifically"
"A popular teaching says God does not give people specific directives. It claims He gave us brains and the Bible, and these two are sufficient to guide us in all decision making. This position implies that a Christian always thinks correctly, according to God's will. It doesn't take into account that the old nature is constantly at odds with the spiritual nature (see Rom. 7), and it neglects the important fact that our ways are not God's ways (see Isa. 55:8).
After God spoke to Noah about building an ark, Noah knew the size, the type of materials, and how to put it together. When God spoke to Moses about constructing the tabernacle, He was extremely specific about the details. When God became flesh, He gave specific directions to His disciples - where to go, what to do, how to respond to people who accepted or rejected their message, and what to preach.
God called Abraham and said, "Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you" (Gen. 12:1). Since He was not very specific at first, God's instructions required faith on Abraham's part. But God did promise to reveal His plans as Abraham obeyed. God always provides enough specific directions so you can do what He wants you to do at the moment. When you need to know more, He will guide you. As time went on, God revealed to Abraham that a son would be born to him. He also spoke to Abraham about the number of his descendents, the territory his people would inhabit, and He revealed that Abraham's descendents would go into bondage, eventually to be delivered.
The Holy Spirit continues to give clear directives today. He will give you unmistakable guidance for your life. You may say, "That has not been my experience." But be careful not to let your personal experience become the measure of what the Christian life is supposed to be like. Rather than dismissing anything you read in the Bible that does not match what you have experienced, ask the Lord to raise the level of your experience to the standard presented in Scripture.
If you have not received instructions from God on a matter, pray and wait. Learn patience. Depend on God's timing, for His agenda is always best. Don't be in a hurry. Don't try to skip over the relationship to get on with the activity."
Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, Claude King
After God spoke to Noah about building an ark, Noah knew the size, the type of materials, and how to put it together. When God spoke to Moses about constructing the tabernacle, He was extremely specific about the details. When God became flesh, He gave specific directions to His disciples - where to go, what to do, how to respond to people who accepted or rejected their message, and what to preach.
God called Abraham and said, "Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will show you" (Gen. 12:1). Since He was not very specific at first, God's instructions required faith on Abraham's part. But God did promise to reveal His plans as Abraham obeyed. God always provides enough specific directions so you can do what He wants you to do at the moment. When you need to know more, He will guide you. As time went on, God revealed to Abraham that a son would be born to him. He also spoke to Abraham about the number of his descendents, the territory his people would inhabit, and He revealed that Abraham's descendents would go into bondage, eventually to be delivered.
The Holy Spirit continues to give clear directives today. He will give you unmistakable guidance for your life. You may say, "That has not been my experience." But be careful not to let your personal experience become the measure of what the Christian life is supposed to be like. Rather than dismissing anything you read in the Bible that does not match what you have experienced, ask the Lord to raise the level of your experience to the standard presented in Scripture.
If you have not received instructions from God on a matter, pray and wait. Learn patience. Depend on God's timing, for His agenda is always best. Don't be in a hurry. Don't try to skip over the relationship to get on with the activity."
Henry Blackaby, Richard Blackaby, Claude King
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Dust, Drudgery, and Deity
"God made man a mixture of dust and Deity - "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Gen. 2:7). The dust of a man's body is his glory, not his shame. Jesus Christ manifested Himself in that dust, and He claims that He can presence any man with His own divinity. The New Testament teaches us how to keep the body under and make it a servant. Robert Browning, of all the poets, is the one who insists that we make headway not in spite of the flesh, but because of the flesh, and in no other way.
Drudgery is the outcome of sin, but it has no right to be the rule of life. It becomes the rule of life because we ignore the fact that the dust of the earth belongs to God, and that our chief end is to glorify God. Unless we can maintain the presence of Divinity in our dust, life becomes a miserable drudgery. If we live in order to hoard up the means of living, we do not live at all, we have no time to, we are taken up with one form of drudgery or another to keep things going."
Oswald Chambers
Drudgery is the outcome of sin, but it has no right to be the rule of life. It becomes the rule of life because we ignore the fact that the dust of the earth belongs to God, and that our chief end is to glorify God. Unless we can maintain the presence of Divinity in our dust, life becomes a miserable drudgery. If we live in order to hoard up the means of living, we do not live at all, we have no time to, we are taken up with one form of drudgery or another to keep things going."
Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
"Firmly Planted"
"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper." Psalm 1:1-3
"It is possible to spend your whole life knowing about the truths of God and never experiencing any of them. Simply knowing about them does not mean that they have become a part of your life. Here is the important question: What are you doing with the word of God? Some people allow themselves to come under the influence of ungodly thinking to the point that God's Word makes no difference to them. If you seek your counsel from ungodly persons, you will find yourself moving away from the direction God's Word commands. If you intentionally seek out sinners as your companions, they will lead you down paths that take you far from God. If you choose to join those who are scornful, you will eventually become cynical.
The righteous man does not find encouragement in the opinions of others but in God's Word. He is not content with a surface knowledge of Scripture but meditates on it day and night until he is satisfied that what he reads reflects his own experience. He becomes like a fruit tree standing firmly on the bank of the river. The tree is well nourished and produces delicious fruit and bountiful leaves. People come from miles around to sit in its shade and eat its fruit.
If you allow God to implement His Word in your life, others will draw encouragement from you. The more you grow in God's righteousness, the stronger you will become. A constant stream of people will see you out because they know that your life will be a blessing." Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, "Experiencing God Day by Day"
"It is possible to spend your whole life knowing about the truths of God and never experiencing any of them. Simply knowing about them does not mean that they have become a part of your life. Here is the important question: What are you doing with the word of God? Some people allow themselves to come under the influence of ungodly thinking to the point that God's Word makes no difference to them. If you seek your counsel from ungodly persons, you will find yourself moving away from the direction God's Word commands. If you intentionally seek out sinners as your companions, they will lead you down paths that take you far from God. If you choose to join those who are scornful, you will eventually become cynical.
The righteous man does not find encouragement in the opinions of others but in God's Word. He is not content with a surface knowledge of Scripture but meditates on it day and night until he is satisfied that what he reads reflects his own experience. He becomes like a fruit tree standing firmly on the bank of the river. The tree is well nourished and produces delicious fruit and bountiful leaves. People come from miles around to sit in its shade and eat its fruit.
If you allow God to implement His Word in your life, others will draw encouragement from you. The more you grow in God's righteousness, the stronger you will become. A constant stream of people will see you out because they know that your life will be a blessing." Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, "Experiencing God Day by Day"
Friday, January 22, 2010
Our Motivation of Love
"'I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.' John 17:26
You do not "organize" the kingdom of God; you "agonize" the kingdom of God. You cannot be close to God without being affected by His love. The heavenly Father loved His Son with an eternal love. Everything in the heart and life of the Father was released to His Son. As the Father expressed His love for a broken and sinful world, this passion was manifested through the life of His Son. The Father initiated His plan to save mankind, and out of a heart of devotion, the Son accepted the assignment that took Him to the cross.
As Jesus walked among people, the Father's love filled His Son. Jesus recognized that no ordinary love could motivate Him to go to the cross. No human love could keep Him perfectly obedient to His Father throughout His life. Only His Father's love was powerful enough to compel Him to commit His life to the saving purpose of His Father.
Jesus prayed that God would place this same love in His disciples. He knew that no other motivation would be sufficient for the assignments God had for them. God's answer was to place His Son in them. It is impossible for a Christian to be filled with this measure of love and not to be on mission with God.
You will be incapable of ministering to everyone God sends you unless you have His love. You cannot forgive others or go the extra mile with others or sacrifice for others unless you have first been filled with the boundless love of God. Seek to know the Father and His immeasurable love; then allow His Son to love others through you!" ("Experiencing God Day by Day", by Henry and Richard Blackaby)
You do not "organize" the kingdom of God; you "agonize" the kingdom of God. You cannot be close to God without being affected by His love. The heavenly Father loved His Son with an eternal love. Everything in the heart and life of the Father was released to His Son. As the Father expressed His love for a broken and sinful world, this passion was manifested through the life of His Son. The Father initiated His plan to save mankind, and out of a heart of devotion, the Son accepted the assignment that took Him to the cross.
As Jesus walked among people, the Father's love filled His Son. Jesus recognized that no ordinary love could motivate Him to go to the cross. No human love could keep Him perfectly obedient to His Father throughout His life. Only His Father's love was powerful enough to compel Him to commit His life to the saving purpose of His Father.
Jesus prayed that God would place this same love in His disciples. He knew that no other motivation would be sufficient for the assignments God had for them. God's answer was to place His Son in them. It is impossible for a Christian to be filled with this measure of love and not to be on mission with God.
You will be incapable of ministering to everyone God sends you unless you have His love. You cannot forgive others or go the extra mile with others or sacrifice for others unless you have first been filled with the boundless love of God. Seek to know the Father and His immeasurable love; then allow His Son to love others through you!" ("Experiencing God Day by Day", by Henry and Richard Blackaby)
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Discipleship Is Christ in You
"To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27
The heavenly Father's plan from the beginning of time was to place His eternal Son in every believer. If you are a Christian, all the fullness of God dwells in you. Christ's life becomes your life. When Christ lives in you, He brings every divine resource with Him. Every time you face a need, you meet it with the presence of the crucified, risen, and triumphant Lord of the universe inhabiting you. When God invites you to become involved in His work, He has already placed His Son in you so that He can carry out His assignment through your life.
This has significant implications for your Christian life. Discipleship is more than acquiring head knowledge and memorizing Scripture verses. It is learning to give Jesus Christ total access to your life so He will live His life through you. Your greatest difficulty will be believing that your relationship with Christ is at the heart of your Christian life. When others watch you face a crisis, do they see the risen Lord responding? Does your family see the difference Christ makes when you face a need? What difference does the presence of Jesus Christ make in your life?
God wants to reveal Himself to those around you by working mightily through you. He wants your family to see Christ in you each day. God wants to express His love through your life. There is a great difference between "living the Christian life" and allowing Christ to live His life through you." ("Experiencing God Day by Day" by Henry and Richard Blackaby)
I feel very much like I have been trying to "live the Christian life" rather than actually surrendering to God and letting Him live in and through me. I don't want to continue down this path. Help me surrender fully, Lord, to Your control, so that You will be the one others see.
The heavenly Father's plan from the beginning of time was to place His eternal Son in every believer. If you are a Christian, all the fullness of God dwells in you. Christ's life becomes your life. When Christ lives in you, He brings every divine resource with Him. Every time you face a need, you meet it with the presence of the crucified, risen, and triumphant Lord of the universe inhabiting you. When God invites you to become involved in His work, He has already placed His Son in you so that He can carry out His assignment through your life.
This has significant implications for your Christian life. Discipleship is more than acquiring head knowledge and memorizing Scripture verses. It is learning to give Jesus Christ total access to your life so He will live His life through you. Your greatest difficulty will be believing that your relationship with Christ is at the heart of your Christian life. When others watch you face a crisis, do they see the risen Lord responding? Does your family see the difference Christ makes when you face a need? What difference does the presence of Jesus Christ make in your life?
God wants to reveal Himself to those around you by working mightily through you. He wants your family to see Christ in you each day. God wants to express His love through your life. There is a great difference between "living the Christian life" and allowing Christ to live His life through you." ("Experiencing God Day by Day" by Henry and Richard Blackaby)
I feel very much like I have been trying to "live the Christian life" rather than actually surrendering to God and letting Him live in and through me. I don't want to continue down this path. Help me surrender fully, Lord, to Your control, so that You will be the one others see.
Monday, January 11, 2010
When God Speaks, It is So
""So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please." Isaiah 55:11
When God speaks, nothing remains the same. At the beginning of time, God spoke, and a universe was created out of nothing. God followed a pattern when he created the earth: He spoke; it was so; it was good (Gen. 1:3-4). This pattern continued throughout the Bible. Whenever God revealed His plans, things happened just as He said, and God considered the result "good" (Phil. 2:13). God doesn't make suggestions. He speaks with the full determination to see that what He has said will come to fruition.
Whenever Jesus spoke, what He said came to pass. Lepers found that a word from Jesus meant healing (Luke 5:13; 17:14). The blind man discovered that a word from Jesus meant sight (Luke 18:42). Through a barren fig tree the disciples saw that a curse from Jesus meant destruction (Mark 11:20). The sinner experienced forgiveness through a word from Jesus (John 8:11). How many attempts did it take Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead? Only one (John 11:43). There was never a time that Jesus spoke that what He said did not happen.
Have you been reading the words of Jesus in your Bible without experiencing His word that transforms everything around you? Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they assumed that knowledge of the written Scriptures would give them life. They were satisfied with having the words instead of experiencing the person who spoke the words (John 5:39). How powerful a word from God is to your life! As you read your Bible and pray, listen to what God has to say to you about His will for your life."
Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, "Experiencing God Day by Day"
When God speaks, nothing remains the same. At the beginning of time, God spoke, and a universe was created out of nothing. God followed a pattern when he created the earth: He spoke; it was so; it was good (Gen. 1:3-4). This pattern continued throughout the Bible. Whenever God revealed His plans, things happened just as He said, and God considered the result "good" (Phil. 2:13). God doesn't make suggestions. He speaks with the full determination to see that what He has said will come to fruition.
Whenever Jesus spoke, what He said came to pass. Lepers found that a word from Jesus meant healing (Luke 5:13; 17:14). The blind man discovered that a word from Jesus meant sight (Luke 18:42). Through a barren fig tree the disciples saw that a curse from Jesus meant destruction (Mark 11:20). The sinner experienced forgiveness through a word from Jesus (John 8:11). How many attempts did it take Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead? Only one (John 11:43). There was never a time that Jesus spoke that what He said did not happen.
Have you been reading the words of Jesus in your Bible without experiencing His word that transforms everything around you? Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they assumed that knowledge of the written Scriptures would give them life. They were satisfied with having the words instead of experiencing the person who spoke the words (John 5:39). How powerful a word from God is to your life! As you read your Bible and pray, listen to what God has to say to you about His will for your life."
Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, "Experiencing God Day by Day"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)