God and You

“Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.” – Psalm 25:4-5.

Psalm 25 teaches us to seek God in the hard times. If you read the entire Psalm, you quickly notice just how much David desired to learn how God wanted him to do things. That makes sense because whatever we think is important will determine the direction of our lives. Or as Andy Stanley said in his book, The Principle of the Path, “your direction determines your destination.”

David wanted to follow God by discovering the paths that God wanted him to follow. David asked to be guided on those paths so he waited on God for instruction. You can understand why David felt he needed direction and more importantly guidance from God when you read this Psalm; David had problems. 

He has enemies that are waiting to “rejoice in his defeat.” (v. 2). It is not one enemy he is facing and they don’t much like him. “See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! “(v. 19) David is alone and in distress and his problems are going from bad to worse. (vv. 16-17)  And, David’s repeated requests for God to teach him the right path to follow (vv. 4-5, 8-9, 12) imply that he is confused about his future direction.  David is not alone in facing trials in life. None of us are exempt from facing trials if we are a follower of Jesus. Yet there are people who believe that if they obey God, He will give them a free pass from trials. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way. One of the many things I love about the Bible is the numerous stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things through the power of God. Most of these men and women went through difficult trials. “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” (1 Peter 4:12)

Trails are not a referendum on the fairness of God. The trial you are in is not just about God, it is about you and God. We will have trials in our life, but the question is how do we view trials. If we truly want a deep, meaningful relationship with Jesus Chris, then our trials is one of the ways we can grow that relationship. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” (James 1:2)

The only way you will truly consider trials a great joy is if we want more of God than you want to get rid of your trial. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you view trials as a referendum on the fairness of God? How can you change that?
  2. What can we do this week to begin looking at trials with joy? 

God Wants To Do Something In You

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” – Philippians 2:12-13.

As a pastor, I hear this lament all of the time –  “why doesn’t God help me in my troubles?” This is a legitimate question to ask. A lot of Christians tend to be afraid of asking God why, or earnestly seek to resolve their crisis. God uses problems in several ways. 

For example, God uses problems to examine you. When God tested your faith with a problem, how did you respond? What did you learn? Is Christ on the throne of your life? God also uses problems to lead you in the right direction. Sometimes God needs to get our attention, to wake us up.  Without such wakeup calls we will blindly fall onto the wrong path. He may need to light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems will point us in a right direction if we surrender our will over to His. And finally, God uses problems to discipline you. Sometimes the only way to learn the lessons in life and to make us better is only by suffering and failure. It is like as a child being told by his or her parents not to touch a hot stove. God is not in heaven thinking about ways to make our life miserable. Pain is a part of life, so it is best we accept and learn from it so we do not have to keep getting burned. Psalm 119:71-72 says, “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.”

The method does not change the goal; the goal is to make something out of each of us who are followers of Jesus. We may be willing to settle for mediocrity, but God has so much more for you. We should ask ourselves a simple question: what are you asking God to do in your life? Because God wants to do supernatural things in you, things you could never imagine. Isaiah 43:19: “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” In other words, God is saying, “Look! Can’t you see it? Can’t you feel this new thing that I’m doing?” 

Discussion Questions:

  1. How is it possible to know what God is trying to do in you?
  2. What can we do this week to get in step with what God is trying to do in our lives.    

Did I Do That?

“People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.” – Proverbs 19:3. 

The family TV show Family Matters aired for nearly 10 years in the 90’s. Actor Jaleel White played the role of Steve Erkel, a nerd with big glasses, high-water pants, and suspenders. His most popular catchphrase uttered usually after damaging something beyond repair was, “did I do that?” Yes, Steve. You did, and everyone knows it.

As we reflect back on our life, we often ask the same question: “did I do that?” We make mistakes, vow to do better, but sometimes we just can’t seem to get over the hump. The natural tendency is to find a culprit. So we turn to God saying: “Lord why is this happening to me? Why have you abandoned me? Why is my life such a mess? Where are you?” After all, it would not take much effort from the Creator who knows all, sees all and is the master of all, to solve our problems. But if we stop and reflect for a few moments, we would have to come to the conclusion that some, if not all of our lows were because of or caused by us. Yes, you did do that.

We want to fight against our enemies when sometimes the worst of those enemies is ourselves. We are our own enemies when it comes to spiritual growth. We create some of our problems and pride serves as a buffer against admitting that we are the real source of our problems. Many of us can’t escape this scenario because we are so cozy in our comfort zones. We don’t want anything to disturb our regular schedules. We don’t want anyone to dictate what we should do. We just wanna be our own masters, live like we please but and when things go sideways, we question why God does not intervene. That mentality suggests that we want a full-time committed God when we are not willing to make the same commitment. If we aren’t doing our part, why do we keep begging God to do His? 

The Bible clearly teaches the concept of personal responsibility: “The person who sins is the one who will die. The child will not be punished for the parent’s sins, and the parent will not be punished for the child’s sins. Righteous people will be rewarded for their own righteous behavior, and wicked people will be punished for their own wickedness.” (Ezekiel 18:20).

The first step is to realize God is the only one who can guide and direct us into our paths and purposes in life. And acknowledge that many of the mistakes we make we bring upon ourselves due to our bad choices. Check yourself again and stop blaming God. Pray and ask God to reveal to you whatever it is within you that is hindering you from growing. Then ask God to help you make the right choices going forward. 

  

Discussion Questions:

  1. Someone once said that ”no man was ever endowed with a right without being at the same time saddled with a responsibility.” Agree or disagree and why?
  2. What can we do this week to make better choices? 

The Blame Game

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

It seems like a lot of people these days are angry at God. Why does He allow babies to starve in third world countries, why does He allow bad things to happen, why does He — either actively or passively — cause so much grief? Recent studies indicate that nearly two thirds of people surveyed admit they sometimes feel angry at God in response to some current thing they are suffering with or when life seems unfair. It is called the blame game. 

People blame the government, blame others, and blame luck. And we blame God for the bad things that are happening to us. We can believe wholeheartedly in the sovereignty of God, yet we blame God for what he does in our life, in other’s lives, and in the world. “If God is so loving, why is there so much suffering in the world?” Or, “Why is life so unfair?” Or, “What have I done to deserve this?”  This has been happening since man first walked on the earth. 

God will bring trials into our lives. God will test us. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” (James 1:2–3). The question is will we blame God or will we have the faith to trust God. 

God is not asking us to deny reality, but He does ask us to view life through eyes of faith.

How do we view life with faith? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Notice that it says in all circumstances give thanks. That means even in trials of health, relationships, finances, accidents, and job losses, we thank God, because none of these things are able to separate us from His love.

In fact, God will use them all for our growth and His glory. We do not rejoice because we have a difficulty, but we rejoice in the midst of difficulty because we know that God loves us and that He will use anything that happens to us for our good.

Discussion questions

  1. At some point we have all played the blame game. How fulfilling was it? What was the outcome? 
  2. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13: Who/what causes sin in your life? Is sin a choice? Why or why not? Who is to blame for the choice made? 

Am I Getting A Fair Deal?

“God is fair and just; He corrects the misdirected, Sends them in the right direction.He gives the rejects his hand, And leads them step-by-step. From now on every road you travel Will take you to God. Follow the Covenant signs; Read the charted directions.” – Psalm 25:8-10 (MSG).

We all want to be treated fairly. Most of us figure that if we do our best, God will deal with us fairly. So we tend to get mad when something is unfair—especially if we are on the receiving end. Unfairness seems to pervade life and while God can make things right in this physical life— He doesn’t always choose to do so. In His wisdom, He sometimes allows things to be unfair to get our attention or for our benefit: “I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair; you disciplined me because I needed it.” (Psalms 119:75).

In Matthew 20: 1-16, Jesus paints a portrait of the Kingdom that looks and sounds so patently unjust, at least on the surface.  Jesus tells the story of a farmer, who represents God. Needing to harvest a bumper crop in his vineyard, he goes into the marketplace and hires a crew of laborers. He promises them a fair day’s wage. Later in the day, he realizes he’ll need more help. So he again goes to the marketplace and hires a few more men looking for work. He does this several more times and hires his last crew with just an hour of harvesting remaining. At the end of the day, each worker is given the same pay, regardless of how long they worked.

If we were one of the people who started in the morning, we would jump up and complain that those who worked the hardest and longest should be rewarded more. It just makes sense, unless we look at this story through the lens of grace. When we do that we see the difference between what we view as fair and how God views what is fair.   

Were the workers justified in questioning his generosity?  We may say yes, but we would be wrong. Each person was paid their promised wage. This parable illustrates the broad theme of Scripture: God’s grace. Just like the idle workers in the marketplace, we were all in a position of need. They were looking for a job, but we are looking for mercy.

The master of the vineyard wasn’t concerned with how long the workers were unemployed—He only knew they needed a job. Similarly, God doesn’t see the amount of sin we carry. In His eyes, we are all sinners in need of salvation. We are all in need of grace.

We must realize that Christianity is not about getting what we want out of a cosmic, vending-machine God. It’s about worshiping a God who has given us far more grace than we deserve.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Jesus ended the parable of the vineyard workers with the phrase, “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” How is this idea illustrated in this story?
  2. What is your reaction to the story? Are you indifferent? Angry? Why?
  3. What can we learn from this parable that we can apply in our daily lives?

Easter And You

“Because of the empty tomb, we have peace. Because of His resurrection, we can have peace during even the most troubling of times because we know He is in control of all that happens in the world.” – Paul Chappell.

Growing up, Easter seemed to be all about me. Growing up, Easter revolved around egg hunts, chocolate bunnies, new clothes and family.  Easter is still about me, at least that’s what Jesus would say. This wonderful man whom His followers hoped would be the Messiah—the anticipated righteous King sent from God to rule their nation—was brutally seized, tried, tortured and left to die on a cross for use. He defeated death and lives on, for us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

On that first Easter, some women approached an empty tomb. The rolled-back stone surprised them. They were devastated, afraid someone had taken their Lord. “Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in.” (John 20:11) The tomb suddenly consumed with the brilliance of two angels. Mary explained to them her sorrow, then turned to meet Jesus face to face, yet she did not even know it.

“Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.’” (John 20:15) You can imagine her distraught, confused, looking for answers on where to find her Lord. Jesus could have demonstrated His power in any number of ways to reveal it was Him, but He did not. Instead Jesus decided to speak to Mary personally. “ Mary!” Jesus said.She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). (John 20:16) In a moment so raw, Jesus could have done anything. He could have opened up the heavens and called on a chorus of angels or announced His triumphant victory over death in a booming voice. He could have made the earth beneath her feet shake.

Easter can seem big. But it is also small. It is about loving and dying for the whole world and it is about loving and dying for you. My prayer is on this Easter and for the rest of the year, you see Jesus looking into your eyes. I pray that you recognize His voice, in the midst of a noisy world, just like this personal, intimate moment shared between the God of the Universe and Mary. And I pray that God wants a personal, intimate relationship with you. Because God loves the whole world by loving one life at a time.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How is Easter personal to you?
  2. What can we do this week and every week to make Easter a part of our everyday lives?

I Wonder How People Can Believe The Resurrection Story?

“Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”- Matthew 28:5-7.

Matthew 28: 1-15 is the full story of Jesus Christ isn’t in the tomb. The guards are lying on the ground like dead men, and the stone has been rolled away. Some of the guards get up and race to the chief priests with an amazing story. “There was a violent earthquake at the tomb, and this angel. You should have been there, the angel was bright like lightning and rolled away the heavy stone!”

Do the priests wonder if they made a mistake and that this man is who he said He was, the Son of God? No. They bribe the soldiers to lie. “Tell everyone that you fell asleep and that the disciples stole the body during the night.”  In Matthew 28: 15 we read, “So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.”

For centuries people have acted like the priests and have tried to disprove — even ignore — the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After all, anybody can claim to be God, but to rise from the dead is another matter. People have tried and failed at disproving the resurrection, and during the process of trying to disprove it, some have actually become Christians.

There will always be skeptics. And there will always be theories on what really happened. For example, maybe Jesus wasn’t really dead, and He just rolled away the stone himself. But think about that for a second. A man who has been beaten, tortured and mutilated for hours is going to lie unattended for two cold nights in a tomb and suddenly find the strength to roll away a 2-ton rock, fight off all the Roman soldiers guarding it, then show up convincing everyone that He has a glorious resurrected body. The Romans were experts at crucifying people. Blood and water flowed from His side when the soldier speared it on the Cross. In a dead body, the blood separates into massive red clots and watery serum, just as John described it. (See John 19:34.) So that theory seems pretty unlikely.

There are other theories like “maybe the disciples moved Christ’s body,” or “maybe the soldiers stole the body.”  None of them make a whole lot of sense. Once we’ve looked at all the facts and carefully examined the arguments, we would need more faith to believe that Jesus did not rise from the grave than to believe that He did.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Imagine the women coming to your small group discussion and telling you the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. How would you respond? What questions would you ask? What action would it prompt you to take?   

It Is No Small Wonder

“When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!” – Matthew 28:17.“

“I believe,” said Stu looking up from his breakfast. “But there are some things I wonder about.” Stu is a member of the group that believes, but wonders. When asked about what he is wondering about Stu looks back down at his eggs that are growing cold. “What I wonder about is a big thing…maybe the biggest thing. I can’t help but wonder about the resurrection of Christ. It just doesn’t make sense to me that a dead person could come back to life. Everything I’ve ever seen supports the fact that dead people simply stay in the grave.”   

Stu was right. The resurrection of Jesus is a very big thing. And it is not easy to put our faith in a claim that contradicts everything we’ve ever seen or experienced? Unless we are 2,000 years old, we would not have been there in Biblical times to see or experience the resurrection, but there are plenty of people who were and did. In fact, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that supports the resurrection.

Like Stu, we have all wondered at one time in our lives or another. Many people think that wondering or having doubts is unhealthy, but it isn’t always. Actually wonder and doubts can produce some positive side effects if we take steps toward resolving them. God isn’t intimidated by our questions or lack of understanding. When Jesus encounters someone who knows who He is and what He can do, He doesn’t condemn them. He reaches out and asks, “Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14:31).

Even the disciples of Jesus had to find their way through this dark, discouraging human tendency. At the very moment when belief should have come easiest to them – when the risen Christ Himself stood in front of them on a mountaintop in Galilee – Matthew records that “some of them doubted” (Matthew 28:17). So Stu is not alone.  Nor are you if you have questions that need answered.

This is just another way God uses answers to tough questions to clear away obstacles and open up a person’s heart for the gospel. Through the years I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve seen the Holy Spirit clear away questions and doubts, employing logic and evidence to turn a wonder or doubt about Christianity into yet another reason to believe.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How would it change things if you saw things you wonder about, or doubts you have, as opportunities to grow deeper in your relationship with Christ and not a reason for alarm?
  2. Read John 11:16 and then John 20: 24-29: Do you think we are too hard on “doubting” Thomas? Does it bring you comfort that Jesus recognizes how challenging it can be to believe for those who haven’t seen (v. 29)?
  3. What can we do this week to get any unanswered questions or doubts answered?

Just The Facts Ma’am

“That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.”  – John 20:19.

Dragnet was a 1960’s television series, enacting the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partner. The main character, Sgt. Joe Friday, frequently implored people to provide “Just the facts, sir or ma’am.” It would probably surprise a lot of people, but we can take Sgt. Friday’s “just the facts” approach to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is possible to show people who believe but wonder, people who wonder how anyone can believe, and people who wonder if it is possible to believe again, plausible evidence that Jesus rose bodily from the dead.  It’s called the “Minimal Facts” approach, popularized by Dr. Gary Habermas. Gary Habermas, a professor at  Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, is a leading scholar on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has studied the resurrection for decades now and has written or co-written 21 books specifically on the topic. There was a time when he had real doubts, 10 years of doubts in fact. But the more he studied the historical resurrection of Jesus, the more convinced he became that Jesus indeed rose from the dead.

There are historical facts concerning the resurrection of Jesus that must be accounted for, no matter what one believes. They are: Jesus died by crucifixion. This is an event of history that is recorded outside the Bible. Many non-Christian historians wrote about it. Second, the tomb of Jesus was empty on Easter Sunday. Both Christians and people who have no affinity for Christianity, agree that Jesus’ tomb was found empty on Easter Sunday. Third, Jesus’ disciples were willing to suffer and die for their belief in the Resurrection.  While many people are willing to die for what they believe is true, no one willingly dies for what they know to be a lie. The Apostles had encountered the risen Jesus in the flesh. The skeptic James, a relative of Jesus, converted because the risen Jesus appeared to him. 

There are many more facts that we could mention, such as the evidence of the appearances of the risen Jesus in his physical body to various individuals and groups, including 500 people at one time.  The only explanation that accounts for all of these facts in such a manner is the conclusion that Jesus was resurrected. And that is just the facts. 

Discussion questions

  1. Do you have confidence that your faith is ground in verifiable facts? Why or Why not?
  2. What type of proof or evidence is offered for the resurrection of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8?

The Weekend That Saved The Whole World

“As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” – Matthew 20:17-19.

Easter is another season of the year that presents an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the life of Christ. Easter also represents an opportunity to remember the heavy price that Jesus paid in order for us to have a relationship with God.   

Jesus was betrayed by one of the disciples, publicly humiliated and mocked, beaten beyond recognition, and hung on a cross to die. He gave His body for us and poured out His blood as a sacrifice for us. As a result, we can experience, love, peace, hope, joy, forgiveness and eternal life. At least those are the words that come to mind first. 

But that is not the complete list. If I attempted to add all the words that come to mind when I think of the resurrection, there may not be enough room in this devotional server to contain them all. Because of Jesus, I know that Someone understands, that Someone always cares, and that I am never truly alone. But the reason I would attempt to compile a complete list of words and would never succeed is because on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead.  Because He is alive I have love, peace, hope, joy, forgiveness, and eternal life.   

Easter symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry. If He had not risen from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or Rabbi. However, His resurrection changed all that and gave final and irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all.

Easter also helps me appreciate how much Jesus loved people and got involved in their lives; He ate with them, laughed with them and cried with them. He was compassionate. He provided for, healed and encouraged. He literally touched a man with leprosy and allowed a woman of the night to anoint his feet in public. He wasn’t concerned with what the people thought about Him, His primary concern was doing the mission of His father in Heaven.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How does Easter change everything for you? How does Easter give meaning to all of our days?
  2. The proper response to Easter is not warm and fuzzies, but awe. Agree or disagree?
  3. Take a few moments and reflect on Easter and the impact of Jesus dying and rising again on your life.