Tag Archives: Mark

Be the champion your church needs

Posted on January 3, 2017 by | Comments Off on Be the champion your church needs

championChampion – what does it mean and are you willing to step up to the challenge? Do you have it takes to be a champion for your church and family? A champion is defined in the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary as a militant advocate or defender or one that does battle for another’s rights or honor. Within the King James Bible there are two ways this concept is used. The first is seen in Samuel and references Goliath, the enemy of God. The second concept, God calls more than our modern definition of champion, and this is a man of valor. In our modern usage of the English language, it is the second concept I will be using.

The challenge put forth to me by the Lord

The Daily Walk, for the most part, is the vehicle the Lord has given me to share my faith and my walk with my Lord and Savior. As a part of this ministry, I’ve shared my struggles with my faith and the ministry where the Lord has called me to serve. The week before Christmas (2016), the Lord began working in my heart. At the center of the struggle were two verses. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4:17). The second verse is found in the Old Testament. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me (Isaiah 6:8). Within the week of Christmas, two more verses were added to what was already going on in my heart.

At the center of my confusion, the two verses the Lord brought into my mind simply brought everything else into focus. The one that stung the most was: And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). I know the specific ministry the Lord has called me to serve. I also have problems with my past; can our Lord forgive completely? Yes. This has never been the problem and I know I have been forgiven. The problem lies in my own frustration and anger in what I was and the time I wasted pursuing things that have no eternal value. 

Becoming the champion that the Lord needs

The last verse the Lord brought into my heart was one penned by the apostle Paul. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9). Throughout 2016 many people tried to share with me the simple wisdom of this message – if the Lord has called you to do something, he will bring you to the place you can do it. Those two weeks before Christmas and the week after, the Lord began to show me something about myself that I didn’t know. I had become so fixated on worrying about things I could not change that I missed opportunities to serve Him. God was calling me to be a man of valour – not in the future, but now.

The concept of a man of valour is found forty-two times within the King James Version of the Bible. Thirty-five times, you’ll find the exact phrase, men of valour and seven times, man of valour. According to Biblical mathematics, the number thirty-five refers to hope and seven refers to completeness and spiritual perfection. Both numbers added together, forty-two, refers to the oppression of Israel and the first and second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. What the Lord was working on was my heart and the need for men and women to stand up and become these servants of valour – champions the church needs today.

The men of valour were equipped, willing, and ready for combat

As I began to study what made these men so noteworthy that the Lord inspired them to be recorded as men of valour, several traits became obvious. In 1 Chronicles, the Lord gives us a trait: All these the sons of Jediael, by the heads of their fathers, mighty men of valour, were seventeen thousand and two hundred soldiers, fit to go out for war and battle (1 Chronicles 7:11). These were men who knew, understood, and drilled in the art of war. They knew what it took to win the battle and once committed to battle, would only break off an attack when given orders from their king.

The second trait these men of valour possessed is also found in 1 Chronicles: And their brethren, heads of the house of their fathers, a thousand and seven hundred and threescore; very able men for the work of the service of the house of God (1 Chronicles 9:13). The Hebrew word translated here for able men is the same phrase meaning men of valour (חָ֫יִל – Strongs 2428). These men were ready to do the work that the Lord set before them to do. Within our faith as Christians, we have a lot of things in common with the description given of these men. Our Lord and King has left us a specific set of instructions. We know what He’s asked of us, and we know we have all the equipment we need.

Continued on the next page.

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Posted in My Walk, Our place within the local church, Stewardship

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A testimony of personal sacrifice

Posted on September 14, 2016 by | Comments Off on A testimony of personal sacrifice
sacrifice

© Rudi Jetten | Dreamstime Stock Photos | 190753

Personal sacrifice. Two of the most difficult words for any Christian. Since 2006 I have come to learn a great deal about my faith in Jesus. I am still learning what it means to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. There’s always been a passage of scripture that I really didn’t understand. It’s found in the gospel of Luke: Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me (Luke 18:22). For years, before and after the date I received Jesus as my Savior, I’ve heard preachers say this verse is really geared to showing God’s hatred of the wealthy. Is that really so?

The ruler can be any of us – so about those possessions?

The verse I shared above has always been applied by most preachers to be about rich people. Jesus also taught, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25). In our society there is a hatred of the wealthy. Even those who do not believe in God or the Bible will use its teachings as means to show how wealth is bad. What is it about personal wealth that God hates?

It is not wealth that is bad; it is the love of wealth where sin resides. All through the Old and New Testaments we see where God has used those who possessed wealth to carry out His goals. In all honesty, While Jesus is teaching about wealth, it is not wealth He is teaching against. Think for a moment about His time with Nicodemus as told in the third chapter of John. No where in the conversation does Jesus condemn Nicodemus for his possessions, position, or wealth. What Jesus is teaching throughout the gospels is anything we value more than our relationship with God becomes sin. While the most obvious is wealth and riches, there are others that we easily place before the Lord.

Within my own life, the Lord has dealt with me about the things I have placed before Him. Everything from jobs, hobbies, education and degrees, personal relationships, and possessions had to be placed in proper perspective when it came to my relationship with the Lord. These were my possessions and like the young ruler, I was hesitant to give them to the Lord.

Personal sacrifice isn’t easy; what’s the price of your soul?

It is a simple and straightforward question. It actually stopped me in my tracks a couple of years back. As I was trying to balance a career with the Boy Scouts of America, plus the demands of family and my personal responsibilities to the Lord, I soon found myself placing my position before both God and my family. It happened gradually and very much unintentionally. I hadn’t realized how far away from the Lord I had gone until the morning I learned that the council I worked for was being merged with another and my position would be ending by the end of that month. As I began to pray to the Lord for guidance in finding a new job, it was then I realized how far and long I had moved spiritually from where the Lord wanted me.

But the personal sacrifices the Lord asking from me didn’t end there. The apostle Paul wrote, Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ (Philippians 3:8). Before he received Christ as his personal Saviour, Paul (Saul) was well-known. He was a man of great power and authority. He had wealth and possessions. When he became a follower of Jesus, he was willing to sacrifice everything for Jesus. He even wrote to the Christians in Rome, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

Personal sacrifice pales in comparison to God’s sacrifice

If God were willing to send His own Son to die in my place, then what right do I have to hold onto things that He has laid on my heart to cleanse from my life? It is hard to forget Paul’s reminder, For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20). Almost six months ago, the Lord began again to work within my heart. Since then, I have gotten rid of about 14 inches of CDs, four movies, and am planning to get rid of more as the spirit leads. Was it hard? Yes, when the Lord first began to lay it on my heart to rid myself of them it was extremely hard. But as I continued in my personal devotions I became more convinced there was more to it.

Personal sacrifice is about our obedience to God. It is about putting our faith in Jesus and accepting His lordship over our lives. We must be willing to give every aspect of our life to His lordship. 

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Following Jesus wherever He leads

Posted on June 27, 2016 by | Comments Off on Following Jesus wherever He leads

following JesusFollowing Jesus wherever He leads is often a journey that is easier to discuss than to simply begin in complete obedience. This past October (2015), I made a decision that was not easy to make. Since 2012, I have been an active member of a local Baptist church and had a variety of roles. I had the privilege of serving as a trustee, a Sunday school teacher, a Christian discipleship mentor, song and worship leader, and even operated a small printing ministry, and video recording and editing of the various services for the church’s YouTube channel. I was active in the various ministries of the church but had struggled with the ministry the Lord had laid on my heart. Starting in November of 2012, the Lord began laying a burden on my heart that I could no longer ignore – the small and struggling congregation.

Following Jesus: the first steps are the most difficult

There’s a hymn that immediately comes to my mind. It’s chorus goes, “footprints of Jesus that makes the pathway glow; we will follow the steps of Jesus where’er they go” (full text of the song available here). It’s an easy song to sing; it is a much harder thing to actually do. All through the gospels we see people who came to Jesus but for some reason, when it came to following Him, they were simply unable or unwilling to let go of what they understood and were comfortable with what following Jesus would require them to do.

I think of the passage in Matthew, And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead (Matthew 8:21-22) and the one found in Mark, Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions (Mark 10:21-22). In both cases, these men were willing to follow Jesus until they realized the personal sacrifice that would be required. Both men decided the cost was too great. Both men walked away.

Since 2012, when the Lord began working on my heart, I knew that He had a purpose for my life and a specific way He wanted me to serve Him. What the question came down to was I willing to step out on faith and accept the work that Jesus set before me? I could either be obedient or I could stay where I was – which would be continued disobedience. For a while, I was willing to stay in disobedience and even congratulated myself for “working” on the calling through my efforts to meet the needs of the church we were already attending. In the process, we began a printing ministry, became the administrators for the church’s Facebook page and web page, and began filming the Adult Sunday School and a.m. service for YouTube and DVDs for shut ins, plus many smaller ongoing projects. 

Being busy is not the same as being obedient

Yes, we were busy, and for a while, I believed the Lord would be pleased with our best efforts. Many people, myself included, make the mistake of thinking that just because we are busy doing things at the church, then we must be serving the Lord. One of the ways the Lord has taught me about my relationship with Him is by the use of my relationship with my daughter. A while back ago, she wanted to help me do chores; instead of putting the pillows back on the couch as I had asked, she went into the bathroom and began to reorganize the items in the sink cabinet. Yes, she was busy, but she wasn’t helping me accomplish the goals for the day that I had set out. I remember thinking to myself, this is how the Lord must feel about what I am doing. Yes, we were extremely busy at the church but it wasn’t the right kind of busy. Our efforts were simply getting in the Lord’s way.

By early 2015, I had reached the point in my life where I could no longer just sit by in comfort and in continued disobedience. I began praying that the Lord would make it painfully obvious what He wanted me to do and that I was ready to do whatever it was He had for me to do. It was hard, beginning in October of 2015, to start the process of preparing to change from one church to another, to fully surrender to the full-time ministry, to leave friends behind at one church as we strive to be faithful to the calling placed in front of us by the Lord. It hasn’t been without some pain. There have been some earthly costs.  We have lost some friends along the way.

Following Jesus is an ongoing process

While most of this post has been about following the calling of Jesus into a specific ministry, there are other ways we follow Jesus. Recently, the Lord laid on my heart to purge my CD collection and as a result, nearly 14 inches of CDs were taken and sold to a used CD shop. Did I like the music? Yes. Was keeping those CDs more important than my obedience to Jesus? No. If I had kept the CDs then I would have allowed things – possessions that I cannot take to Heaven – become more important than following Jesus. Everything in life boils down to a simple and child-like choice: is it bringing us closer to the Lord or is it pushing us further away. I think at times we have a tendency to make things more complicated than absolutely necessary.

Jesus encourages all who will listen, Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4), and Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein (Mark 10:15). As I began to seriously study what these verses were saying, I was again reminded of my interactions with my young daughter. She will come to me and ask me the same questions every child asks, “why do plants have flowers” and while she is looking for an answer, she’s not wanting the scientific explanation complete with chemical formulas. She just wants to know why on the level as a child. It is how she can understand and it is all her young mind can handle. When we set to follow after Jesus, we have to have the mindset to see the decisions that must be made on the same, simple terms. It is either going to bring us closer to Jesus or it will keep us separated from His complete and perfect will for us. And once we have made our decision, follow through with it to the best of our ability and daily seek His help to do it.

 

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Posted in Journey in the Salvation Army, My Walk, Our place within the local church, Our relationship with God

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