"Know Your Calling" (Part #1)

20, June 2017

"Know Your Calling" (Part #1)

‘What is that in your hand?’ Exodus 4:2 NIV

When God called Moses, one of the first questions He asked him was: ‘What is that in your hand’?  Moses was holding his shepherd’s staff—the one he used each day to lead and protect his sheep.  But God had a different plan for it—a greater one!  He used it to part the Red Sea and lead Israel into the Promised Land. When God asks you, ‘What is that in your hand’?  He wants you to think about your talents, experiences, relationships, education, resources, your mind and your temperament.

‘Signature strengths’ fall into six categories:

(1) Wisdom and knowledge. These include things like curiosity, love of learning, sound judgment and social intelligence.

(2) Courage. This includes perseverance and integrity.

(3) Humanity. The capacity for kindness, and the ability to express mercy.

(4) Justice. The ability to bring about fairness and leadership.

(5) Temperance. Qualities like self-control, prudence and humility.

(6) Transcendence. An appreciation for beauty, the expression of gratitude, the ability to hope and the capacity for joy. We all have the capacity for each of these strengths, but the ones that resonate most deeply within you are your ‘signature strengths’.

Once you identify these you begin to understand your calling. But be careful; the enemy wants to convince you that God can’t use you because of your weaknesses, when in fact the opposite is true. Who can speak to those who are grieving better than those who’ve suffered loss?  Chuck Colson was the chief White House lawyer until Watergate.  But only when he became a convict was he equipped to begin his ministry, Prison Fellowship.  So, know your calling.

"Hold On—Help Is On The Way"

18, June 2017

"Hold On—Help Is On The Way"

‘The hair of his head began to grow again.’ Judges 16:22 NKJV

When we think of Samson we usually think about his failures—the steamy story of him and Delilah. It’s true that Samson lost everything: his hair, his strength, his sight, his position, his family, and his reputation. The mightiest man Israel had ever seen was now in a Philistine dungeon: blinded, humiliated, grinding corn like an ox—a laughing stock.  But it’s not over until God says it’s over!  At his lowest point Samson cried out to God for mercy, and got it.  ‘The hair of his head began to grow again'.  His hair, which was the secret of his strength, was restored.  And as a result his greatest moments in ministry were his last ones!

Today he is mentioned with honor in Hebrews chapter eleven, alongside the other heroes of faith (see Hebrews 11:32). God’s promise is:  ‘Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength' (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).  You may be hurting right now, but be patient, help is on the way.  You prayed, ‘Lord, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up'. Hold on, God is coming to your aid.  He’s coming to deliver you and set you free.  He’s going to bring you out, set you free from captivity, and restore you.

In the Old Testament when Job the patriarch was battling boils, bankruptcy and bereavement, he said, ‘All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes' (Job 14:14 NKJV).  God restored Job and gave him back twice as much as he lost.  And He wants to do the same for you.  So hold on—help is on the way!

"What’s Slowing You Down"?

17, June 2017

"What’s Slowing You Down"?

‘Let us strip off every weight that slows us down.’ Hebrews 12:1 NLT

The Bible says, ‘Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us’. What’s slowing you down, or tripping you up?  In life you only get to run once, so run to win. To avoid stumbling and losing your place in the race, don’t look back. You can’t change the past but you can learn from it.

Don’t be anxious about the next lap, just focus on the next step.  If you miss that, you may fall and not get up again.  Keep going, and before you know it you’ll have more laps behind you than ahead of you. Make every one count.

Many of us carry the weight and are worry of burdens. But older and wiser people have come to understand their burdens are of no real importance. We waste our strength extinguishing fires that, if left alone, would burn out on their own. Time is your most valuable resource.  Save it, and you’ve increased your assets and decreased your liabilities. Travel light. Ditch the baggage of self-sabotaging habits and pointless fears.

There are enough painful trials in life; why endure the ones you can ‘strip off’?  When blind Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was within reach, he threw off his coat so it wouldn’t trip him up, and ran towards Him. And his faith paid off:  ‘Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus’ (Mark 10:52 NKJV). You’ll never know how successful you can be until you get rid of the things that slow you down and trip you up.

"Trust In God’s Goodness"

15, June 2017

"Trust In God’s Goodness"

‘The Lord is good.’  (Nahum 1:7 NIV)

The Bible says, ‘When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come … down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us … gods who can lead us”’ (Exodus 32:1 NLT).  Why did Israel make a golden calf?  Because they wanted a god you can see.  It’s harder to relate to an invisible God, and Moses, His representative, stayed on Mount Sinai so long they felt helpless and abandoned.  So they did what we do when we’re scared—resort to the comfort of the familiar.

Mark D. Roberts writes:  ‘How often do we find ourselves in a situation like the Israelites?  We hear God’s call to something new, and boldly step out in faith.  But when we don’t sense His presence and our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling, we feel abandoned, scared, and helpless.  We grasp for the familiar’.  The Bible says, ‘The Lord is good … He cares for those who trust in Him’.

Nancy Ortberg says:  ‘The difficult parts of change are most often where God lives … All the things I glibly say, in change I have to live out … Most of us go kicking and screaming instead of moving into it with an assuredness that not only is God on the other side, but new facets of Him that we haven’t before understood are also there. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, a job loss, broken promises by others, a wayward child, a broken marriage, a move across the country, becoming an empty nester — if we allow ourselves to push through the difficult parts, we’ll discover God is there … and He’s entirely, wonderfully, amazingly, good.’

When God closes one door, He opens another — but you must be willing to walk through it.