Drinking Deeply

Great words to inspire us all to drink deeply of the living waters that Christ offers. As we drink deeply, from the excess with flow God’s love to share with others.

Don Merritt's avatarLife Project Blog

Earlier today, I posted about Ezekiel 47:1-12, a story about a river the prophet saw coming out from the temple, the very place God was said to dwell on earth. Everywhere that river flowed, from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, life sprang up where it hadn’t been before.  If you missed it, check it our here.

At the end of that post, I posed three questions and asked you to consider them, they are: What is God telling us in this vision about His presence? What is God telling us about the source of life? Do the words “living water” come to mind when you consider these things?042814 078-LR

Did you get a chance to think about them?

Here’s how it struck me: This story comes from a prophetic vision, not a historical event and so we ought to take it that way. Water flowed from God’s presence that brought life…

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Praying for the Unsaved

 

What is your motivation when you pray for the lost to be saved?  Generally I am motivated by the desire that the person I am praying for will have the best possible life on earth and a future in Heaven.  I don’t want anyone to go to hell, and I am certain the world would be a much better place if more of its inhabitants had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I read a devotional this morning by Charles Finney (Principles of Prayer, Day 6) that challenges that motivation as selfish and the wrong reason to pray for the unsaved.   Finney states that we tend to think about how our lives would be improved by the salvation of others, when we should actually focus on the glory God receives when a sinner comes to repentance and salvation. We need to pray that people come to Christ so they will stop dishonoring God through sin and so that God will be glorified by the conversion.

Perhaps you have known someone whose life was radically changed when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior.  Those close to such a person can’t help but notice the difference that salvation has made, and many of the person’s acquaintances are drawn to Christ through such a conversion.  God is glorified through all conversions, and our desire should be that God receives the honor and glory due Him. Jesus told us the Heaven rejoices over every person who comes to Him.  “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10) 

Christians need to pray frequently and fervently for the lost to be saved.  If we pray with the expectation that God will be honored as sinners turn away from sinful lifestyles and that God will receive glory as the world notices the changes, I believe we will see a great move of God in our nation.  We need to pray for the salvation of not only our loved ones, but also for the salvation of persons of influence.

Can you imagine the impact on our society if many of our political leaders, celebrities, and other public figures came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and began to live according to God’s ordinance?

 

A Challenge

I wanted to share this insightful blog. It looks at Paul as he ponders whether he would prefer to die and go to be with Christ or continue to work to share the Gospel with others. What an awesome choice! It is a win-win!

Don Merritt's avatarLife Project Blog

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Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and…

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Dreams Denied by Too Much Debt

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Every day I meet with people who dream of opening their own business, and far too often, they will not be able to fulfill their dreams due to the inability to manage their finances and to having too much debt.   The median household income in America is about $54,000; in the area in which I live, it is nearly $83,000.  That is $29,000, or 53%, higher than the norm. Yet, many of the people I meet with are living well beyond their means and are saddled with debt.

For example, I recently met with a man whose annual household income was more than 4 times the median at $220,000.  He has done somethings right–he has a government pension and he has invested on his own into a retirement plan.  However, he is drowning in debt.  He has children in college and owes more than $100,000 in student loans. His credit card balances, car loans, and consumer debt total nearly $200,000.  He came to us hoping to borrow $300,000 to open his dream business.  He wrote a great business plan, he had the right management team lined up, and he was willing to inject some of his retirement funds into the business.  However, no bank was willing to give him a loan due to his overwhelming debt.  I doubt that he even realized how deeply he was in debt until we required him to complete a personal financial statement.  It is likely that much of that debt represented purchases made with little forethought and for possessions with little lasting value.

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Unfortunately, this is not a unique story.  I see it time and time again.  I had one client tell me recently that the bank should understand that going into business was her plan for getting out of debt and improving her family’s financial situation.  Life does not work that way.  Opening a business is risky, and banks will only loan money to those who have proven that they can manage money. Of course, they also have to have a good plan.  But, no matter how wonderful your idea is or how great the potential of your proposed business, you cannot borrow money to start a business if you don’t have good credit, moderate to little debt, and your own money to invest in this business.

Your dream may not be to own your own business.  You dream may be to retire at an early age, to become a missionary, to buy a vacation home, to leave your children with a large inheritance, to donate millions to charity, or something else entirely. Whatever your dream, it will be difficult to accomplish if you do not manage your money well and live within your means.

Making a budget and sticking to it is the first step to living within your means.  Budgeting allows you to (1) discover where your money is going, (2) determine what level of expenditures is appropriate for your income, (3) develop a plan to pay off your debts, and (4) start building a nest egg to make your dreams come true.

Budgeting isn’t glamorous, but it pays big dividends.  As Proverbs 21:5 tells us “The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.”    Make a commitment today to start budgeting and managing your money, so that your dreams will not be deterred by excessive debt.

What dreams are you being held back from fulfilling do to too much debt?  How can you make changes in your spending to make your dreams come true?

 

If you need help with budgeting and money management, please see my earlier blogs on “Honoring God With Our Money.”

Have You Tasted Jesus?

Beautiful illustration that one cannot know Jesus from studying books. One most “taste and see that the Lord is good” to really know Jesus.

Pastor Tim's avatarTim Burt

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

At the University of Chicago Divinity School, each year, they have what is called “Baptist Day.” On this day, each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every “Baptist Day” the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center.

One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. Dr.Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours attempting to prove that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection, the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo… because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.

After about 30…

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Preach the Word

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“Preach the Word:  be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage–with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge the duties of your ministry.”  2 Timothy 4: 2 – 5

I read these verses in my devotional time this morning while doing a self-study on patience.  I was struck by how appropriate these verses are for our times.  It seems that almost daily I read about laws being passed or courts rulings being handed down that are opposed to God’s Word. Yet, those making the laws and the rulings claim to be acting for the best interest of our nation and trying to do what is ‘right.’  I believe that most of them do believe they are acting to correct injustice and bring about fairness.  The problem is that they are using human reasoning without basing their decisions on a foundation of truth.  As Paul told Timothy, they have found ‘teachers’ who will tell them what they want to hear, and these teachers provide them with justification for making decisions that are contrary to God’s teachings.

Most of these decisions have to do with morality.  Sexual immorality is not merely tolerated, but celebrated, as the freedom to do as one pleases.  Abortion is hailed as giving women the right to have control over their own bodies.  Divorce allows couples to easily dissolve their unions and go their separate ways in the search happiness.  Proponents of these views include many who claim to be teachers of the gospel.  Rather than teaching, correcting, and rebuking those in their charge, these false teachers have given into liberal viewpoints and and political correctness; they are seeking to build their own kingdoms by telling their congregations “what their itching ears want to hear.”

Paul charged Timothy to preach the truth.  Biblical truths are not meant to ease our conscience and allow us to sin without guilt or remorse.  Instead, they were given to convict us when we go astray and lead us back onto the straight and narrow path that leads to God.  Those called to be ministers and evangelists are charged with correcting, rebuking, instructing, and training their flocks and to do so “with great patience and careful instruction.”

In the previous chapter of this letter, Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  2 Timothy 3:16-17   If we are to become the people God intends us to be, we need to spend time daily in God’s Word.  We need to read the Bible and allow it’s truths to penetrate our hearts–to rebuke us when we go astray, correct us when we are in error, and instruct us how to live in a manner that pleases God.  And we need ministers who will teach sound doctrine–the truths of God’s Word.  In this way, we will avoid chasing myths and can be equipped to do the good work that God has called each of us to do.

Satisfaction in Labor

“Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 5:18

 

I came across this verse this morning, as I was searching for verses on self-discipline and self-control. My first impression was that this verse did not really apply.  What did it have to do with self-discipline?  But, then it occurred to me that Solomon was not instructing us to find jobs that we like so that we will be satisfied.  Rather, he was encouraging people to “find satisfaction” in their work, even if their work requires “toilsome labor under the sun.”  It certainly takes self-discipline to find satisfaction in circumstances that are less than ideal, and I, for one, would find physical labor performed outdoors in the heat of summer and the cold of winter to be trying circumstances.  It would be hard for me to find satisfaction in ‘toilsome labor.”

Fortunately, I am blessed to work inside in a comfortable environment.  I also find great satisfaction in my job.  That doesn’t mean that I am always anxious to get up in the morning and go to my job.  It takes self-discipline for me to crawl out of my warm, comfortable bed when it is still dark outside to prepare to go to work.  Doing my job, however, brings great satisfaction.  I have pleasant co-workers and I enjoy helping my clients to start new business.  I know that the work I do is valuable and that adds to my satisfaction.

Last year, I chose Isaiah 55:2 as my ‘life verse’ for the year.  It says, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?”  It helped me to focus my time and energy on satisfying activities and my purchasing on things I truly needed. Today’s verse reminds me again that I should exercise discipline and self-control in the way I spend my time.  I will truly be happier and more satisfied if I devote my time to my work, my ministries, and my relationships and if I avoid frittering away time in activities that do not truly bring satisfaction.

 

The books of Ecclesiastes contains a few other verses on finding satisfaction and joy in our work:

“So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad.  Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of his life under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 8:15

“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil.  This too, I see, is from the hand of God.”  Ecclesiastes 2:24

“That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil–this is the gift of God.”  Ecclesiastes 3:13

 

From these verses we see that God desires you to be fulfilled in your job.  Solomon even calls job satisfaction ‘the gift of God.’ If you find yourself in a job that does not bring satisfaction, I encourage you to ask God to help you adjust your attitude.   You should also prayerfully consider whether you need to look for another job.  As you allow God to direct you, He will lead you to the right job which will allow you to be satisfied and fulfilled.

God, Sex, and Popular Culture (Ephesians 5.3–6)

georgepwood's avatarGeorgePWood.com

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SCRIPTURE READING

Ephesians 5.3–6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

We live in a sex-obsessed culture.

Turn on the television during prime viewing hours, and you’ll see advertisements, entertainment news shows, sitcoms, and hour-long dramas awash in sex. Unfortunately, very little of the sex takes place in the context of marriage, and almost none of it has real-world consequences. When was the last time you saw a realistic portrayal of sexually transmitted disease, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, or the financial disadvantage of single-parent homes?

But sex, like every other human behavior, has consequences. Why don’t television and other popular media deal with those consequences realistically, instead of just portraying sex as a harmless free-for-all? I would suggest that it is because they—as well large chunks of our culture—are committed to an ideology of sexual liberation whereby any sexual choice is moral (and therefore above criticism), as long as it is freely and authentically chosen. Call this…

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Resilience Despite Mistakes and Adversity

I have just finished chapter 5 of Jodi Detrick’s book The Jesus-Hearted Woman.  The chapter is titled ‘Resilience.’  In it Detrick discusses the need to continue fulfilling the tasks God has called us to even when (1) we make mistakes, (2) others hurt us, or (3) life throws curve balls our way.  Detrick refers to these events as My Bad, Their Bad and Too Bad.  Her discussion questions at the end of the chapter focused on Joseph and the resilience he needed in order to become the leader God desired him to be. Unfortunately, Joseph experienced a number of My Bad, Their Bad and Too Bad moments along the way.

As a young man, Joseph had a dream that his brothers bowed down to him.  Unfortunately, sharing the first dream was one of Joseph’s ‘My Bad’ moments.  His brothers already were angry with him because he brought a bad report about them to his father, and they were jealous that their father loved Joseph more than his other sons. This dream added fuel to the fire.  Genesis 37:8 tells us, “So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.”  If this wasn’t enough, Joseph had a second dream in which not only his brothers but also his parents bowed down to him.  And, of course, he shared this dream with his father and brothers–another ‘My Bad’ action. His brothers were angry and wanted revenge on Joseph.

Joseph experienced a ‘Their Bad’ moment when his brothers sold him as a slave to a company of Ishmaelites.  Joseph was bought by Potiphar, a captain of the guard in Pharaoh’s army.  God favored Joseph, and he rose to a position of prominence in Potiphar’s household. Apparently Joseph wasn’t yet ready for the leadership role God had in store for him, as he was falsely accused of inappropriate behavior toward his master’s wife and thrown in prison–another ‘Their Bad’ moment.

We don’t know how long Joseph was imprisoned, but we do know that thirteen years passed between the time his brothers sold him and when Pharaoh released him.  At least several of these years were spent in prison.  It must have been difficult for Joseph to sit in prison year and year waiting for God to deliver him.  I am sure that he recognized that he and his father bore some responsibility for his brothers’ hatred toward him, but he was completely innocent of the charges brought against him by Potiphar’s wife.  It would have been easy for Joseph to become bitter about the circumstances of his life.  He could have convinced himself that God was against him and that his life was over.  But Joseph didn’t get angry and he didn’t give up.  He persevered.  He was resilient despite all the adverse things that had happened to him.

Genesis 39: 21 – 22 tells us, “But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.  And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing.”  Joseph’s rise in the prison to a position of leadership did not come overnight.  He had to prove to the keeper that he was reliable and responsible. As he did, his responsibilities increased until Joseph was running the prison.   After some time had passed, the king’s chief butler and chief baker were imprisoned.  Joseph interpreted dreams for each of them which came to pass just as he had foretold. Joseph had shared his plight with the butler and asked the butler to mention his situation to Pharaoh.  How he must have hoped that his release from prison would come soon.  Yet, we read in Genesis 41:1, that another two years passed before the chief butler remembered Joseph.  ‘Too Bad,’ but again Joseph was resilient and persevered.

Eventually, however, Pharaoh had a dream which his wise men could not interpret.  It was then that the butler remembered Joseph.  Joseph interpreted the dreams, being careful to give all the glory to God.  He shared with Pharaoh that God was giving him an opportunity to prepare Egypt for the coming famine.  Pharaoh appointed Joseph to a position of great power, second in command only to Pharaoh himself.  Joseph was used by God to save Egypt and Joseph’s own family from starvation.

We can only surmise as to why God delayed Joseph’s release from prison.  Certainly, in prison Joseph was developing the leadership skills he would need later as a leader over Egypt.  During those years, Joseph continued to serve the Lord and God’s favor was on him.  As the leader of Egypt, Joseph had grown and changed much from the arrogant teenager his brothers had sold into slavery.  When Joseph appeared before Pharaoh, he was humble and quick to give the glory to God.  God opened Pharaoh’s eyes to see that Joseph was the right person to lead Egypt through the coming famine.

Any one in leadership positions faces My Bad, Their Bad, and Too Bad situations on occasion.  The challenges Joseph faced prepared him for more leadership responsibilities. Like Joseph, we must be resilient and allow the adversities we face to help us develop as leaders.  As we do, we will be able to do more and accomplish more, until we complete the work God has called us to do.

Discerning God’s Will for You

We are two Sundays into the new year, and I have heard two sermons related to accomplishing God’s will for your life.  The first Sunday my brother Andy was the guest preacher at our church.  His sermon focused on not allowing sin to creep into our lives.  He used Samson as an example of someone who allowed the ministry God had given him to be destroyed by sin.  Sin separates us from God and prevents us from hearing from God and accomplishing God’s will for us.

The focus of Pastor Jackson’s sermon this week was that God does have a purpose and plan for each of our lives.  He used Jesus as an example.  Jesus followed the will of His father and perfectly accomplished all that the Father planned for him in only three short years of ministry.

So, it seems more than a coincidence that while organizing our home office that I should come across notes I took 5 years ago on finding God’s will.  God had my attention.  So I’ve been giving a lot of thought to doing the will of God so far this year.

Here are some of the steps I go through to discern God’s will for me.

1) Maintain regular contact with God through prayer, reading the Bible, worship, and listening. I cannot know God’s will for me if I am not spending time with Him each day.  I usually begin my time with the Lord with a few minutes of worship and a quick prayer asking Him to open my heart to what He wants to say to me.  Then I spend some time reading the Word.  Generally some portion of what I read will stand out and I write it in my journal.  I end with prayer, asking that God will guide me through the day and help me to honor Him in all I do.  During the day, I catch myself whispering quick prayers and listening for what God is saying to me.

2) Hold everything up to the light.  When I believe God has spoken to me, I consider if what I believe I heard is in accordance with God’s word.  God will NEVER ask me to do anything that goes against the instructions He has given us in the Bible.

I recall a story on a major evening news show many years ago in which a woman was interviewed for making an ‘unusual’ life change.  The woman claimed God told her to leave her husband and children to become a stripper; she said she was sharing God’s love with those who patronized the night club in which she worked.  WRONG! This woman was clearly acting in opposition to God’s will for her and her family, yet she seemed to firmly believe in what she was doing.  The problem was that she was following an idea that popped into her head, without spending time in prayer and reading God’s word.  If she had communicated with God, He would have revealed to her that her behavior was wrong.

3) Seek input from other Christians. Share what you believe God is saying to you with your close Christians friends and/or your pastor. Ask them to pray with you for you to clearly discern God’s will. Proverbs 15: 22 tells, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”  Ideally, you will get godly counsel and your friends will also pray for your success and may even assist you in fulfilling the work you have been called to do.

4) Fast and pray.  When the disciples wanted to hear from God, they typically spent time in prayer and fasting.  An example of this is found in Acts 13:2 -3, “As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.”

5) Ask God to close the doors you are not to go through.  Often we are presented with multiple opportunities which seem to be equally good.  Examples would include being offered jobs by two different companies or being accepted at more than one college.  In these cases, there may not be a wrong choice, but often there is a best choice.  When I was applying to college and when I am looking for a new job, I specifically ask God to let me only get one acceptance or job offer, so it will be absolutely clear where He wants me to be.  In the case of applying for colleges for undergraduate and graduate school, God made it clear to me where I was to go and I only applied to one school each time.  There was some risk to this strategy, as the colleges could have rejected me. But, I was absolutely certain that I had heard from God and was accepted into both schools.  Of course, when I am job hunting, I apply to multiply companies.  God has been faithful to let me be rejected by all by one possible employer.   Knowing God was guiding me, I have been able to go to job interviews with confidence.  God has not let me down.  I have loved each job I have held and knew that God put me there.

God does have a plan for each of us.  As we accomplish tasks and grow in our faith and our dependence on Him, He is able to give us bigger tasks to complete.  I encourage each of you to earnestly seek God’s plan for your life.  His plan will be more amazing and fulfilling that any plan you could device.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11