The Waiting Game

“…Jesus instructed them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait here until you receive the gift I told you about, the gift the Father has promised. For John baptized you in water, but in a few days from now you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit!” – Acts 1:4-5.

Most of us do not enjoy sitting in a waiting room. doctor office, hospital waiting room, or heaven forbid outside an IRS office. But waiting rooms are a way of life.  In fact, we are all in a waiting room of sorts with this pandemic – waiting to see when life will return to normal, or at least free us up to do many of the things we took for granted but now can’t do.  

Sometimes God puts us in a waiting room as a part of our experience in the Christian life. And waiting on the Lord may be one of the more difficult aspects of the Christian life.  When Jesus left earth to go back to heaven, He told His followers that He would return, and that they needed to wait. And that’s what we are doing right now, too – waiting on His return.

Most of us have heard the old adage, “Don’t just stand there – do something.” Oftentimes, God says to us, “Don’t just do something – stand there.” We feel better, more valuable, have more meaning if we are doing something – If we’re busy. But waiting means that we are going to trust that God knows what He is doing. Waiting is not easy, but it is often exactly what God wants us to do so He can take us to a new, deeper place in our walk with Him.

The apostles were also waiting because Jesus was going to send the Holy Spirit to them after He left. They were to wait until the Spirit came to them, which He did on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. And when the Holy Spirit came to them, He transformed them into the vessels that God would use to take the Gospel to the world.

Most people define the word “wait” as being patient and still. But it can be more than that. It could well be that the Lord wants us to be patient and still during the pandemic, but it also could mean that He is asking us to be expectantly watchful. In other words to wait on the Lord like a waiter watches his or her customers.  The pandemic will either frustrate us or the opportunities will intrigue and motivate us. Waiting can also be productive. 

While we are waiting we can spend more time on relationships rather than interacting with groups. We can discover unique qualities and characteristics in people that we would never have known if part of a group. We can connect with people who moved away.  We can spend more time in prayer. We can reconnect with old friends. And we can be available as needs arise while we are waiting. 

And while we are waiting we can ask the Holy Spirit to show us how we can serve in this season of limitations. We may need to wait and be patient, but it doesn’t hurt to be productive even when we are waiting.  

Discussion Questions:

  1. What’s something you’re currently waiting for God to do for you? What might He be doing in you?
  2. Why do you think God’s timing is different from ours? What could be so different about our perspective?  What do you typically do while you are waiting? 

The Majesty of God

“Lord, your name is so great and powerful! People everywhere see your splendor. Your glorious majesty streams from the heavens, filling the earth with the fame of your name!” – Psalm 8:1 (TPT)

Have you ever stopped what you were doing and wondered about the bigness or the majesty of God? Have you ever found yourself absolutely intrigued by the wonder of God’s creation?  Did you ever look up at the stars and were mesmerized by the vastness of space? When we take ourselves out of our normal everyday existence and see the world from a different point of view it is hard to not stand in awe of the majesty of Who God is to each one of us.

Majesty is a word which the Bible uses to express the thought of the greatness of God, our Maker, and our Lord. “The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty. Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength…Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial. You yourself are from the everlasting past.” (Psalm 93:1-2). “I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles.” (Psalm 145:5). And Peter said in 2 Peter 1:16, “For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes.” 

When the prophet Isaiah had a vision of God seated on His throne, he was undone by God’s majesty and His holiness: “It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-3) In verse 6 Isaiah says, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Isaiah recognized that he could not stand before the God of all Ages, before His majesty and holiness, and not have his sins exposed. As you read through this passage in Isaiah, you imagine the Lord, high and lifted up, you have the same reaction. “I, too am doomed.” 

Then you remember Immanuel, God with us, the One whom God sent to restore us and to enable each of us to be in His presence. When we catch but a glimpse of God’s glory, His holiness, and His majesty, we are forever changed. God’s majesty is something we will never understand. But what we can understand is the majesty of a relationship with the One who clothes Himself with majesty.  

Discussion Questions:

  1. When you hear the word “glory” what do you think of?  Why?
  2. What is one practical thing you can do this week to better appreciate the majesty of God? 

You Have A Reserved Parking Spot

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9.

Significant events tend to be hard-wired into our consciousness. We remember details about where we were, what we were doing, and who we were with at the moment it happened. Older people can tell you what they were doing when President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 while younger people can tell you where they were when they first heard about the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. But it is not related to negative events only. Time momentarily freezes, and we remember what was going on when we asked or were asked to marry or when we heard about the arrival of our first child or grandchild. Those tend to be indelible moments. 

Such an event or moment is when we first came to Christ. Many Christians can tell you all about their conversion. That day is unshakable from our minds. It could be at church, or at camp, or at home, but wherever it happened, we all encounter the reality of all Christ had done hitting us with unmistakable force. You don’t understand why but for the first time in your life you felt that you were here for a purpose and for some strange reason you felt a love that you had never experienced before flood your heart. You wanted to be in church every time it opened not just on Sunday. If the doors opened you were there, if they needed volunteers you were there, if there was a need that needed to be filled you were there. You just couldn’t get enough. But things have changed. Over the years that zeal for anything Jesus has not waned but moved down the priority list due to all the unforeseen events of 2020. The scars of Hurricane Michael are still seen all over the Emerald Coast. The Coronavirus has a cause and effect on every aspect of our life including our spiritual life. 

While the day we are saved was memorable it is not an end-all. Rather than thinking of salvation as an event in time, imagine it more like a parking space. When you first got saved, confessing Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you “parked ” in that space. Later on, when things when south when circumstances test your faith, you don’t need to recall the memory of parking in that spot. You need to just look down and see that you are currently still parked. And the proof that God has reserved that spot for you is better proof than a past memory.

The question is where are you resting the “weight” of your life? Faith is resting your weight on Christ’s finished work, and that is something you never stop doing. The way you know you are doing it now is not by remembering when you first started doing it, but by reflecting on the present posture of your heart. So the question is not, “can I remember the exact circumstances of my conversion” or “was my conversion experience really epic?” The important question is, “are you focused on developing the skill you already have and learning new ones, to increase in the knowledge of the things of God, and to grow spiritually?”

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you remember the date and circumstances of when you were saved?  
  2. We know from 1 Corinthians 3:7 that “only God makes things grow.” What effect does that statement have on you on a weekly basis? 

The Use Or Misuse Of Money

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” – 1 Timothy 6.6-10.

Most people refrain from talking about money. Most people don’t want to think about how they spend their money. We just acquire it and it seems to spend itself. We don’t tend to think much about money itself but rather what money can get for us. Or where money can take us. Money is not bad, it is a tool; a tool that can be used or misused. The Bible says more about the impact of money, greed, and our resources on people than He did about heaven and hell. 

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13.5) Matthew 6:19-20 adds, “ Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”

There is a pretty well known story in Luke 12 about a rich fool. The rich fool had it made. His life was one great success story. The things he had dreamed about for a lifetime were about to happen. After working hard all his life, he had reached the point where he could take life easy. One more bumper crop, one more expansion of his business, and he was ready to retire and enjoy the rewards of a lifelong effort to make the grade.

And who could blame him? When you’ve worked hard all your life and you have managed to build up your investment portfolio, when you have faithfully added to your 401K and have done well in your career or business, you feel you have earned the right to say, “It is time to take it easy.” You feel you have laid up plenty of good things for many years. What could be wrong with that? In the parable of the rich fool, the Lord answers that question. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some of the fruits of our labors. But the rich fool had missed the point of his life: he had not been rich toward God.

As we near the end of another year, we need to ask not only whether our investments did well in 2020. The critical question to ask is “Have we been rich toward God?” Have we have been generous toward those who need to see God’s love through our support and care.

We want our money to reveal our love for God, His kingdom, His priorities and His people. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. How are your actions backing up your talking when it comes to practicing good stewardship of the money entrusted to us?
  2. What changes do you need to make to be better stewards of your money? 

Faithful In Small Things. Faithful In Big Things.

 “One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. 18 And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.”-  I Samuel 17:17-18.

Most people know the story of David and Goliath. But the back story is not near as exciting. Family patriarch Jesse was interested in how the war was going with the Philistines, so he asked David to go and see how his brothers were doing. Remember this happens right after David was told he would be king in 1 Samuel 16. And now the future king was asked to take grain and cheese to his brothers. The one who was going to be king was turned into a glorified messenger boy.  

David was probably not very pleased but he did what his father told him to do. He dutifully delivers the grain and cheese at the very place where he would face Goliath and where his actions would put him in the spotlight and make him a national hero. We remember the epic battle with Goliath, but we also need to remember that if David had refused to carry food to his brothers, had David felt this task to be beneath him, had David asserted some authority and refused to serve his father and brothers in this manner, he never would’ve had the opportunity to face Goliath. It was his faithfulness in the small things that led him to his moment of greatness.

David killed the giant. It was a big, miraculous, God-intervening-and-guiding-the-next-events moment. But we need to remember, David served as a shepherd, spending hours watching and tending to sheep. In those long, boring, mundane days, he practiced using a rod to defend those sheep against predators. He became deadly accurate with the slingshot. In essence, God prepared David in the mundane, seemingly small task of shepherding for this great moment in his life. David’s faithfulness in the little things, in doing what God called him to in his younger years is what gave David the necessary skills for this later task. 

When you have big dreams, small things can sometimes be frustrating. It is easy to get impatient and want to move onto bigger and better things. Zechariah 4:10 tells us, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…”  It’s progress that pleases Him. There are many important lessons to be learned before heading to bigger and better things. Faithfully adhering to those seemingly lesser duties and small things lay the groundwork for the later, bigger moments. Showing up, working hard, learning from mistakes, and a willingness to do whatever it takes provides the needed skills to later have the spotlight moments. This principle can be applied in many ways, for instance in marriage, or parents working with children or bosses with employees, or generally in relationships. Or starting small in tithing or being generous. To get to where we want to be, we need to be responsible for the small things and then move onto larger things once we prove ourselves trustworthy. 

Like David in the field or carrying bread and cheese to his brothers, faithfulness in the little tasks is what leads us to serve well on the larger stages of life.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Is there big power in doing small things well?
  2. Do you believe that doing the small things well will make a big difference? 
  3. In what area this week do we need to start small, but start?  

Managing Money Wisely

“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.” (Proverbs 27:23 NIV) 

In his day, John D. Rockefeller was one of the richest men in the world. His net worth was equivalent to $340 billion today. Basically, he had a limitless supply of money. Once, an interviewer asked him, “How much money is enough?” Rockefeller replied, “Just a little bit more!” As outrageous and greedy as that sounds, we have all probably voiced that same sentiment.  “If only I had just a little bit more….” But managing money has less to do with how much we have, and a lot more to do with how we manage what we have.  

Managing money is a spiritual issue. Jesus spoke more about money than He did about any other topic? Money mattered to Jesus, because it is a leading indicator of our relationship with Jesus. So how do we manage our money as God intended. It is simpler than most people think. As in all things Jesus serves as an example.  

Jesus lived a life of single kindness and simplicity because of a heart that was anchored completely in God the Father. He declared in John 4:34: “…My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.”  Psalm 27:4 says, “The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,  delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.” We  need the same singular focus on seeking God first in everything, including managing our money.  

In 2020, our lives have become more fractured and fragmented. Our decisions change constantly because the information we use to make those decisions change constantly. We need simplicity. We must realize that money cannot give us security, freedom, status and power. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have any. Managing your money spiritually is more about mastering your money rather than not having any. In other words, the answer is not to reject wealth but to control its use. If we can control our money, then it will not control us.  

A case in point is found in Exodus 12:35–36: When the Israelites left Egypt, they took with them gold and silver. At Mount Sinai, this was used to erect the golden calf that brought down the curse of God. However, later, the same gold and silver was used to build the Tabernacle that brought down the manifested presence of God. The problem was not the gold and silver, it was how they used it. 

Everything we have comes from God. He owns it, and He entrusts it to us to use for His purposes. True financial success comes not from accumulating a large surplus in our bank account, but from following God’s plan for our finances. As we do this, He will provide for all of our needs.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How well do you think you manage your money? 
  2. How well do you think God thinks you manage your money? 
  3. What do you need to do differently to have the same answer to both questions?

The Wonder Of The Incarnation

“The Son of God became man to enable men to become the sons of God.” — C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity“

It is 56 days until Christmas. But regardless of what the calendar says, there is something about the beauty and mystery of Christmas that is inspiring. The word incarnation captures so much of what Christmas means to Christians around the world. It is easy sometimes to rush over the story of Christmas and move quickly on to Easter. Every believer can appreciate the importance of Easter to the gospel message, but we should never move too quickly past the incarnation. How can we not pause for a moment and try to grasp the concept of the Creator becoming part of His creation? God entering the world, not as a conquering hero, but as an infant child totally dependent on a young mother for everything.

The idea of the incarnation is both so amazingly unexpected and yet so beautifully loving. Here is God, willing to fully experience His own creation in the most intimate of ways. He had equality with God: He was infinitely superior to us, but He came down, walked among us, and treated us as more significant than Himself. Then He taught us to do the same with one another: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3) 

The baby born at Bethlehem was God made man. The Word had become flesh: a real human baby. He had not ceased to be God. He who made man was now learning what it felt like to be man.  The mystery of the Incarnation is unfathomable. We cannot explain it; we can only appreciate it. God coming to Earth to be with us. 

Charles Spurgeon put it this way: “Can you conceive the increasing wonder of the heavenly hosts when the great deed was actually done, when they saw His priceless tiara taken off, when they watched Him unbind His girdle of stars, and cast away His sandals of gold? Can you conceive what must have been the astonishment of the angels when He said to them, ‘I do not disdain the womb of the virgin; I am going down to earth to become a man’? Can you picture them as they declared that they would follow Him? They followed Him as near as He would permit them; and when they came to earth, they began to sing, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men… in the dilapidated stable where the oxen stood, and in the manger where they fed, there the Savior lies, swathed in the swaddling bands of the children of poverty. Nor doth He rest long there; on a sudden, His mother must carry Him to Egypt; He must go there, and become a stranger in a strange land. When He came back and grew up at Nazareth, the angels must have marveled to see Him that made the worlds handle the hammer and the nails, assisting His reputed father in the trade of a carpenter.” 

The incarnation tells so much about God’s desire to be close to us, and His sacrifice of love. But it still fills one with wonder.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What comes to mind when you think of the incarnation?  
  2. How should Christ’s coming in the flesh and dwelling among men change the way we live?    

Master And Commander

“When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army. At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?” The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.” – Joshua 5:13-15.

The Joshua 5 passage above describes one of many critical moments for the Israelites who had just entered into the promised land. It outlines a meeting just outside Jericho between their leader, Joshua, and a mysterious stranger. There is no doubt that Joshua was a natural and godly leader. After Moses’ death, he led the Israelites. He brought them to the edge of the rain-swollen Jordan River, and with a mixture of courage and trust ordered the people to move forward. God dried up that flooded river and they crossed over on the dry ground.  

Unquestionably Joshua was a leader. The people knew it. Joshua knew it. But Joshua was about to learn a powerful lesson about who the real commander of the army was. He’d gone out alone to scout out the challenge of conquering the great walled city of Jericho. I have to wonder if Joshua was thinking, at least to himself, “how can our army overcome these massive defenses?”  At that moment Joshua rounds a bend, and right in front of him is a fierce warrior with his sword already drawn. Joshua could instantly have drawn his own sword, but he asks the warrior “Are you friend or foe?” In other words, whose side is he on.

The answer was one Joshua could never have expected. “Neither one,” he replied, “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.” (v. 14).  Who was this? Was this God? Or Christ? Or an angel? Scholars have suggested all of these. Certainly, Joshua knew God was speaking to him. He was in God’s presence, and the commander of God’s army was before him. For Joshua, there was only one thing to do – he fell face down on the ground in reverence.

God stood right before Joshua. He was there – right there. This was not a voice from the clouds. He was standing with sword drawn. This was God the warrior, ready to fight. That encounter told Joshua the battle ahead was God’s, and would be won in God’s way and God’s strength.

Joshua could never have won against Jericho on his own – it would have been disaster if he’d tried – but he surrendered to the commander of the Lord’s army, and what followed was an amazing victory.

There are battles none of us can win, and our greatest need is to bow humbly before God, surrender our will to His, and accept Him as our Commander. To let go control and trust Him is never easy. But it’s also the most important thing we may ever do.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think it was like to be in God’s presence?   
  2. What can we do this week to make God the Commander of our lives? 

Doing What’s Right And Good

Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up” – Galatians 6:9 (TLB).

Are you a person who toes the line between right and wrong? Are you a person who doesn’t believe that the warm fuzzies we gain from doing what is right don’t compensate for what we’re sacrificing? Because sometimes doing what is right is putting up with other people’s angry outbursts. Or offering a gentle answer to a belligerent teenager. Or continuing to tithe at church when that money is needed in other places. Or listening to someone tell you about their troubles when you would rather indulge yourself with a Netflix marathon.

It is so easy to get tired of doing what is right. Doing right doesn’t seem to give you any perks when many people take the easy way out, cheat, lie, etc. and always get what they want. The biggest problem in society is not that some do wrong, but that those who know how to do good do not do it. There is a confrontation every day, between evil and good, a battle to be fought and the word says doing good is how we triumph over evil.

In times like these we need to remember who we are doing good for.  When we do the right thing, we please God. We may not reap immediate benefits from doing the right thing, but eventually we will get the absolute best reward of all, spending eternity with our Lord and Savior. The bottom line is you can’t go wrong doing the right thing.

The major theme of Galatians is that we are saved by faith, and not by works. Yet what I do as a believer is important. True salvation is not just accepting Jesus into my heart with an eye toward heaven in the future. It is an ongoing relationship with Jesus as my Lord. And that is what is reflected in this closing instruction in Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia. “Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up” (Galatians 6:9 (TLB)

So what does it mean to do good?  Doing good is not the same thing as doing no harm. Doing no harm is a passive activity. But doing good is active. It is something that takes effort on our part. Something that is directed toward other people. Doing good means that when I see an opportunity to help another person, I take it. It may be something simple and with little cost. Or it may be more costly and time-consuming. Doing good simply means that I do what I can to help others. That is especially true within the church body. We should actively look for ways to do good; to be helpful to our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Don’t think what you’re doing doesn’t matter. Don’t give up on doing the right thing.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Where does doing good fit in your life? Can you plan for it daily? 
  2. What do you do when you grow tired of doing what is right?  

Make Plans Without God

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass —Psalm 37:5

It is hard to imagine a company or church being successful without planning and goal setting. Conversely, it is easy to imagine a company or church succeeding if they just plan well enough or persist long enough. While planning helps and is necessary, it is not enough. 

Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.” Ultimately, we cannot do anything of lasting value unless God blesses our work. The Apostle Paul reminds the believers at Corinth: “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6)

This verses does not diminish the work of Paul or of Apollos. Both men possessed incredible faith and courage. They remained committed. They endured setbacks without losing heart. But, they knew it was fruitful because God “made it grow.

A farmer understands this metaphor all too well. A farmer can till and fertilize the soil, plant the seed, chase off  any animal which is trying to eat the seed, and irrigate or water the fields. But he can’t make it rain. Nor can he stop storms. The bottom line, the farmer, whether he acknowledges it or not, is dependent on God for a successful harvest.

Do you often wonder why your plans don’t work out? You’ve done your best, you thought of everything, you’ve laid it all out and somehow it didn’t work. Why didn’t it work? I’ll tell you one reason it doesn’t work in many cases. It doesn’t work because you leave God out. You plan according to your knowledge and your understanding, and your resources and what you want to accomplish in life, where you want to go but you leave God out of the planning. We need God to be a vital, living factor in our lives. The only thing that will secure an insecure future is to bring God into our plans. 

 It is crucial to develop the habit of inviting God into all of our plans from day one, whenever they may be. First of all, to allow Him to confirm if the plans are actually coming from Him, and second so that we can receive His wisdom, advice, and help. The Bible says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3, NIV)

We don’t know what tomorrow holds. To plan, is just to guess. To do as He says today takes away the guess work away. Whatever your plan or dream is, consult God first and foremost.  

Discussion Questions:

  1. Where does planning fit in your life? Do you plan daily for activities? 
  2. How does God fit into that decision making process?