I Will Follow Him

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

When he [Jesus] finished teaching, he said to Simon, “Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch.”

Simon said, “Master, we’ve been fishing hard all night and haven’t caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I’ll let out the nets.” Luke 5:4-5 (The Message)

I am reading through the gospel of Luke right now. Generally that means I read a chapter a day and spend time thinking about what I have read. This chapter is just full of “good stuff”. Many may find the inconsistencies in the gospels troubling. Details do not mesh; timelines are different. I have always been comfortable with the idea that if four people saw a wreck or public incident and were asked to write down what they saw and heard, the four stories would have differences. They might reflect the character of the storyteller, the way they look at life in general.

Jesus’ life must have been full and busy. He had only three years to do all that was recorded and then there were all the private teachings, sleeping, and His “solitary time.”

This particular chapter begins with Jesus teaching around the Sea of Galilee, which would have been a busy place on any given day as people came there to buy food and travel across the water to other towns. In what seems to be a physical move to get some space from the crowd in order to teach, Jesus also prepares to call the first of that inner circle of disciples. He makes that call through an act that will be in a familiar setting, doing familiar work, and then suddenly the identity of the One who is with them is revealed to be much more than just a learned teacher.

Yesterday I felt God telling me to speak to someone. Now those who know me, even if you know me only through these devotions, would think that using words would be a fairly comfortable act for me. I do it a lot! But often I find myself sharing with someone and I walk away second guessing myself and seeing no “good” has come from the conversation. And so yesterday I hesitated.

Peter, a long time fisherman, knew the best time to fish was early in the morning before the sun is up and so now he is done for the day and without any success. Then this teacher tells him to take his clean nets and throw them back into the sea again – there are fish to be caught! Yeah. Right.

How often do we hesitate or just simply ignore or refuse a request from our LORD? Jesus shows us by the example of His life and the mission He was called to do that it’s all about obedience and not about seeing the end result. Jesus taught these twelve people, poured Himself into them for three years, and then told them to go on and teach others. And their time wasn’t very long either as persecution came quickly and soon there was only John left. And yet, God’s plan has prevailed because His example and His Spirit give us the courage to continue even when we haven’t “caught a minnow” in our past but because He says “Go” or “Do”, we obey.

“Don’t be afraid…” Jesus said. So they pulled their boats on to shore and left everything to follow Jesus. Luke 5:10-11 (my paraphrase)

I need to hear Jesus tell me over and over, “Don’t be afraid, Jody.” It’s what will make me hesitate less, speak with courage, and leave the end results in His hands where they belong.

I Will Follow Him written by Franck Pourcel and Paul Mauriat (1961), sung by the cast of Sister Act (1992)

 

 

 

 

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Do Not Be Deceived – The War Has Been Won

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert where the devil tempted Jesus for forty days. Jesus ate nothing during that time, and when those days were ended, he was very hungry.

The devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell this rock to become bread.”

Jesus answered,”It is written in the Scriptures: ‘A person does not live on bread alone.’ “

Then the devil took Jesus and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. The devil said to Jesus, “I will give you all these kingdoms and all their power and glory. It has all been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. If you worship me, then it will all be yours.”

Jesus answered,”It is written in the Scriptures: ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ “

Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump down. It is written in the Scriptures:
‘He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you.’ — Psalm 91:11
It is also written:
‘They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’ ” — Psalm 91:12

Jesus answered,”But it also says in the Scriptures: ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ ”

After the devil had tempted Jesus in every way, he left him to wait until a better time.      Luke 4:1-13 (NCV, my emphasis)

This is a passage of Scripture that I need to read every time I feel my life has taken on a “Job life.” When I wonder why troubles come my way and the enemy seems to be circling my days, I need to remember that the accuser is no respecter of who he tempts. He went after God-in-the-flesh, Jesus Christ! And Jesus – shows me the truths about my enemy.

Don’t ever forget – he’s a liar. I believe satan’s #1 way to lie is to take Scripture and twist it just enough to make it a lie. It may sound almost like the Holy Spirit! Remember the serpent in the Garden? Satan asks Adam and Eve whether God really meant they couldn’t eat the fruit. Really?!! And here, satan taunts Jesus with Scripture that He really doesn’t have power and He really can’t win here on earth without his help. Liar! (Don’t forget that, Jody.)

His power is only what is given. Contrary to what satan tries to tell Jesus about power, satan only gets whatever power is given to him. He even admits it! He says the earth was given to him. So that means that the Giver has more power. I need to remember Who I belong to. I am the child of the King. And the King stands with me.

He won’t give up until he is in the lake of fire. Luke makes a statement that I don’t find in Matthew or Mark’s gospels: satan will be back. And I need to remember that also. Satan will not give up until Jesus puts his sorry carcass into that lake of fire. And I look so forward to that time! In the meanwhile, any opportunity that the LORD gives me to participate in giving satan a blackeye, I am more than happy to serve!

Satan hates it when he sends a trial my way and I react by turning and coming closer to God. Bam! Blackeye!

Satan hates it when I hear the Holy Spirit tell me to do something to encourage someone and I obey with a card or phone call or email. The person is drawn closer to God because he/she is touched by God’s extraordinary love. Crack! Right on the nose!

Satan hates it when he tries to deceive me with his lies and I come back at him like Jesus did with God’s promises, standing firm on the Rock and telling him to “Get lost!”. One-Two punch! Bloody lip and a blackeye! Yup, you just limp on off down the road while I dance with my Beloved.

The Happy Dance written and sung by Delirious?

 

 

 

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A Squabbling Family?

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

John spoke up, “Teacher, we saw a man using your name to expel demons and we stopped him because he wasn’t in our group.”

Jesus wasn’t pleased. “Don’t stop him. No one can use my name to do something good and powerful, and in the next breath cut me down. If he’s not an enemy, he’s an ally. Why, anyone by just giving you a cup of water in my name is on our side. Count on it that God will notice.”     John 9:38-41 (The Message)

Have you ever visited a church besides your own? Another denomination? Or a non-denominational church? A synagogue? And when you were there, were you blessed by something the preacher or teacher said? Maybe you liked the music or the way they did their worship order? Or maybe you didn’t.

The disciples are talking to Jesus about this very subject. They are not happy that someone is carry the Gospel of Jesus and they don’t personally know this person.

I have been so abundantly blessed to have traveled and been in many churches. So many, I’ve lost count. That was a surprise to me because I grew up and went to the same church for almost 20 years before I ever went to another church. But I’ve been in many different kinds of churches. I couldn’t begin to explain their different doctrines. Henry would tell you that when the discussion gets deep into those differences, my eyes just glaze over!

There have been a few churches, very few, that have made me “uncomfortable”. My discomfort has usually been because there was a big difference in how something was done or said. I remember one church that had a wonderful group of 20-somethings who led worship. And they rocked God’s house! The music was loud and joyous and there were so many young military that came to that church and they loved the music! It hooked them into coming back again and again and they heard such great sermons. If the music was too loud for me, there was another more traditional service I could go to. And if I needed quieter music, I had plenty of CDs at home that I could play over and over to my heart’s content. And yes, there have 1-2 visits to a church that left me sad and uncertain as to whether God was a part of what I had seen and experienced.

But the other 99% of the time, I have been surprised and blessed to have met God in some unusual looking places. I know it was God because it was His Word and He was getting all the credit for what was happening. The people of the church were imperfect servants who were trying to do what God had called them to do. All kinds of music, all kinds of different priorities, and prayers said formally and just said from the heart. After all, God’s children are each unique, aren’t they?

And so do we follow Jesus and encourage each other and work together for His Kingdom? Too often we are worried about our “territories” and making sure we convince everyone else that our way of thinking and believing is the most correct. I believe that when Jesus sits us all down at His feast that we will learn how none of us had it completely right. And that won’t matter. The minor things we thought were so important will pale compared to the major thing – our belief in God.

But for right now, friends, I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You’re acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I’ll nurse you since you don’t seem capable of anything more. As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything’s going your way? When one of you says, “I’m on Paul’s side,” and another says, “I’m for Apollos,” aren’t you being totally infantile?

Who do you think Paul is, anyway? Or Apollos, for that matter? Servants, both of us—servants who waited on you as you gradually learned to entrust your lives to our mutual Master. We each carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plants, but God made you grow. It’s not the one who plants or the one who waters who is at the center of this process but God, who makes things grow. Planting and watering are menial servant jobs at minimum wages. What makes them worth doing is the God we are serving. You happen to be God’s field in which we are working.

Or, to put it another way, you are God’s house. Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you’ll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won’t get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn’t, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won’t be torn out; you’ll survive—but just barely.         1 Corinthians 3:1-11 (The Message)

The Prayer

by David Foster and Carol Bayer Sager
Sung by Charlotte Church and Josh Groban

I pray You’ll be our eyes, and watch us where we go
And help us to be wise in times when we don’t know
Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way
Lead us to the place, guide us with Your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe

I pray we’ll find Your light, and hold it in our hearts
When stars go out each night,
remind us where You are
Let this be our prayer, when shadows fill our day
Help us find a place, guide us with Your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe

A world where pain and sorrow will be ended
And every heart that’s broken will be mended
And we’ll remember we are all God’s children
Reaching out to touch You
Reaching to the sky

We ask that life be kind, and watch us from above
We hope each soul will find
another soul to love
Let this be our prayer
just like every child
Needs to find a place, guide us with Your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe 

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My Help Comes from …

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

What if the Lord had not been on our side? 
(Let Israel repeat this.)
What if the Lord had not been on our side when we were attacked?
When they were angry with us, they would have swallowed us alive.
They would have been like a flood drowning us; they would have poured over us like a river.
They would have swept us away like a mighty stream.

Praise the Lord, who did not let them chew us up.
We escaped like a bird from the hunter’s trap.
The trap broke, and we escaped.
Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.                 Psalm 124 (NCV)

Have you ever had a moment when you thought, “Except for God’s grace, I would be in that situation”? I have many times. During my college years when my relationship with God came to my mind only on school holidays when I went home and “played church” in front of my parents, my mother and grandmother were praying for me. I know they were praying not just because I know these women but I can also look back on that time and see how I was walking along the edge of a cliff with my feet slipping. I was peering over that edge but feeling “something” pulling me by the shirt, trying to keep me from going head first into the darkness. What if the LORD had not been on my side?

I was thinking about some friends last night who are missionaries in a country that is – not friendly – to Christianity. They are there because God asked them to come. They are there building relationships with people in the same way that Jesus did. They live their lives out in such a way that the Holy Spirit is able to open doors for them to share about Jesus because people want to know what makes them different from what they perceive Americans to be and from the members of their own community and faith base. It would be quite possible for someone, in their blind hate, to cause them problems, attack them, even kill them. It has happened to others there. They live in the assurance that God is with them because there is no other way to live!

There is so much to learn and meditate on as I read and re-read this passage. So many more of God’s promises come to my mind:

If God is for me – who can possibly be against me??? – Romans 8:31

The weakness of God is stronger than any of my strengths. – 1 Corinthians 1:25

In my weakness, even with tears and despair, my Jesus is strong for me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

You will never perish; no one can snatch you out of my hand. The Father is greater than all and no one can snatch His child out of His hand. – John 10:28-29

God does work all – ALL – things out to the good, for those who love Him. – Romans 8:28

Before I even call out to God, He is answering. – Isaiah 65:24

Don’t worry about what you will eat or drink, whether you have the newest iPhone or Mac, how big your house or car, or whether you have all that you might want. By worrying can you add one hour to your life? God knows what you need. Look for His Kingdom, Jody, in all things and all that you need will be given to you. – Matthew 6:25-33

Not sure about how God is showing His strength and protection in your every day? Don’t just blindly say that God isn’t doing His job. Write down every question or request. Keep the list handy from now until the New Year and see how God speaks to you. Listen. Spend time with the One who is on your side.

My Redeemer Lives written and sung by Nicole C Mullen

 

 

 

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Celebrate the Days

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Mordecai wrote down everything that had happened. Then he sent letters to all the Jewish people in all the empire of King Xerxes, far and near. He told them to celebrate every year on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, because that was when the Jewish people got rid of their enemies. They were also to celebrate it as the month their sadness was turned to joy and their crying for the dead was turned into celebration. He told them to celebrate those days as days of joyful feasting and as a time for giving food to each other and presents to the poor.          Esther 9:20-22 (NCV)

Lectionary texts: Esther 7:1-10, 9:20-22, Psalm 124, James 5:13-20, Mark 9:38-50

The holidays are coming. I saw on Facebook the other day that someone was going to put up their Christmas tree. In September! And I was thinking about holidays that celebrate as I was reading this week’s passage from Esther.

Esther was a Jewish girl who was taken from her home and brought to the court of King Xerxes. The former queen, Vashti, had been deposed and now the king would choose a new queen from all the virgins in his kingdom. Esther is made queen and is used by God to stop a conspiracy by one of the king’s nobles, Haman, to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom because Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, insulted him. Despite the very real threat of death, Esther reveals the conspiracy and that her own nationality. The king orders Haman’s death. I hope you will take time to read this short book in its entirety or, if reading isn’t your best mode of understanding, go to your local Red Box and get the movie, One Night With the King. It takes some “artistic license” with the story but the main points are there and it is a beautiful movie.

In the next three months, I have three “holidays” to celebrate: my birthday, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Will I look at these occasions and celebrate as Mordecai said?

Purpose of the celebration. I only had one birthday party with my friends and the cake and games. I was six-years-old. For many years, I have said that I would like a party with a crowd of friends. It has never happened. I wonder if that is because it has taken God this long to get through to me what the celebration on the day of my birth is really all about. It is a celebration of my life, the life He gave me. I am looking forward to my birthday this year. There are so many blessings for me to spend the day thanking my LORD for! And so as any holiday comes, it is a time to give thanks and worship my LORD who is very present, through celebrations and through trials.

Opportunities in the celebrate. Mordecai told the people to celebrate by – filling their faces and buying presents for each other? No. He said to feast together and to give to the poor. Most of us know people who do not have family to celebrate holidays. Maybe they live in a facility or they do not have any family that live locally, including our service personnel. Maybe they are part of that group of thousands we call “homeless” and, if they are lucky, they will have a warm meal provided by a kind group. There are so many opportunities for each of us to give just a bit of our time or lay an extra place at our table or wrap a few extra presents for those who need, not want. Start today and ask God, “LORD, how can I be Your hands and feet through this holiday season so that someone may learn how much You love them and who You really are?” He will answer.

Mordecai told Esther to consider that she just may have been put in the position of queen “for a time such as this.” God’s plan will happen. If He puts an opportunity in my path to be a part of His plan and I decide it’s too much trouble or “I just don’t want to!” – God will give the opportunity to someone else. And I will miss the blessing. I want to celebrate opportunities answered!

Because of Who You Are written by Martha & Dan Munizzi, sung by Vicki Yohe

 

 

 

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Loving Me

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said,“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.    John 17:1-5 (NLT)

As I was praying last night, it occurred to me that I do not pray enough for myself. Oh I ask for things but I don’t talk to God about myself. And I surely do not listen enough!

John 17 may be the chapter in the Bible, that if I was allowed to have only one chapter on my deserted island, I would choose this one. Jesus is about to begin the final “lap” of His mission here on earth and He shows me the importance of prayer and how to pray.

Focus. I don’t have young children at home and I am blessed that my work now is done out of my home. There are still cell phones, Internet, household chores, television, etc etc etc. Oh, my friends, Jesus showed me throughout His life the importance of going away to a quiet place, a solitary place to talk to God. Jesus tells me to give God 100% of my attention during “our time.” Such a sweet and precious time that strengthens our relationship, my faith, and creates memories that are there in those times of trials and doubts.

Remind myself who He is and who I am. The first word out of Jesus’ mouth in this prayer was “Father”, “Dad”, “Daddy”, “Pops”. If you think some of those names are a bit too familiar for God, let’s not forget that He is our parent. What do/did you call your male parent? And if you didn’t have a male parent or maybe your relationship wasn’t what you might have dreamed, what did you call that parent in your dreams? And then in the next sentence, Jesus talks about “glory” and that’s about God. In His familiarity, Jesus wasn’t forgetting to whom He was speaking. And then Jesus speaks about their relationship. Was He, in that difficult hour, reminding Himself about Who was with Him? Isn’t that a good thing to remind myself of every day, not just in the trials?

Hold nothing back. It’s laughable to think about not telling God something. Like He doesn’t already know it! So if God already knows, then who is the praying for? Yes, it’s just another wonderful gift from my Father. It’s not always easy to talk about my feelings and express my thoughts out loud. But God has proven Himself worthy of my trust. He has kept all my secrets. When I talk to God, He helps me sift through my emotions, which I know can be deceitful. As Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 2, God’s Spirit communicates with my spirit.

Remind myself who He is and who I am. No I haven’t forgotten that I already wrote this point. I think it’s worth remembering again. God has identified to me that I need to talk to Him more, balancing talking to Him about me and the needs of others. God can handle whatever I bring to Him. He will answer. Time with Him, being real with Him, will reveal God’s answers to me. His voice will become more and more familiar. His hands, gentle and strong, will mold me as a potter molds clay.

The Potter’s Hands written and sung by Darlene Zschech

 

 

 

 

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Such a Prayer

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.        James 5:13-16 (NLT)

I received a text from an acquaintance who has a relative who is very ill. She asked me about this passage, specifically if she should ask the leaders of her church to go with her to anoint her mother with oil and pray for her. I told her that the important question was whether that was what God was telling her to do. Did she feel the conviction of God’s Spirit in her spirit to do this? I could tell that she wasn’t sure how her mother would react to a group coming to pray for her and being anointed with oil was not a faith act that she and her mother were familiar with.

There is wisdom that I feel God has given me over the last ten years about prayer and healing.

Remember God answers our prayer better than we can pray it. The Gospels have many stories of healing and those who receive healing did not speak their request with a prescribe set of words. The requests came from the heart with great desperation. They believed they were helpless to help themselves. Some didn’t even recognize Jesus as anyone “special.” Some received their healing because a friend brought them near; they rode on another’s faith.

It is all about obedience and God’s Kingdom plan. There’s a scene in C.S. Lewis’ second story of Narnia when young Lucy asks Aslan why he didn’t save them like he had before. Aslan answered that he never worked in events the same way twice. I can see that in the many ways that Jesus healed. I so must be open to the path of healing that Jesus has for me. It could involve anointing with oil but it may be something as simple as faithfully going to my doctor appointments and taking prescribed medication. That would certainly be a lesson in obedience and discipline and, who knows, I may have a “divine appointment” in a waiting room or even with the physician! God could have a plan for a group to gather and faithfully pray for someone. He can see so much more than I can and so I must be open to all God’s ways.

It is an intimate, wonderfully blessing to be used by God in prayer. It is a precious, life-changing moment to be touched by God in prayer. Listen. Learn. Receive His wisdom and then follow His plan. Always leave the person who desires prayer more encouraged and more uplifted than when you arrived. Truly the prayers of those who seek our LORD and live in a right and ready relationship with Him will achieve much. May God be glorified!

I Give You My Heart written by Rueben Morgan and sung by Hillsong Worship Team

 

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Faithful Love – Again

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from November 29, 2010]

Gideon: an ‘ordinary’ kind of guy who gets a ‘call’ from God.

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. So the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years…So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the L for help.                   Judges 6:1, 6 (NLT)

In many translations, the word again is used in verse 6.  Again the Israelites cried out for help! In reading the Old Testament, it is easy for me to begin to roll my eyes and mutter, “Here we go again!”. The Israelites played out that two-verse scenario over and over and over and…over. But so do I! “You do evil, Jody?” you say? Sin is evil. When I make the choice to succumb to the temptation, I have chosen evil. I get myself in a fix and feel that distance from God and cry out for help. Here we go again!

Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”

“But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”

The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me.                      Judges 6:11-17 (NLT)

Yes, I have been in this scene and done that! First I wonder if God is with me, why did He allow this to happen? Then I wonder if it is really God at all! Especially if I ‘hear’ God asking me to do something that is unexpected or something I really do not want to do! “Is that reallyYou, Lord?!!”

God then proceeds to prove that He is the I AM by performing the ‘tests’ that Gideon asks of Him: turning a fleece from dry to wet one night and wet to dry the next, with the ground around it producing the opposite! If this was ‘reality TV’ there would be a disclaimer not to try this at home!

So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.                   Judges 7:1-2 (NLT)

And so God takes His hand-picked commander from leading 32,000 men to 10,000 to 300. And God’s reasoning on this is very clear that no one else is going to get the credit for what happens except Him! I have often wondered why things happen in my life that are so overwhelming! My son didn’t just get cancer. It was a cancer that had a 25% success rate the first time it occurs and decreased by 50% each time after that! God is the only One to get the credit for the success of the chemo or the surgery! Science says with those statistics any improvement is less than ‘poor’! God gets all the glory!

That is the story of how the people of Israel defeated Midian, which never recovered. Throughout the rest of Gideon’s lifetime—about forty years—there was peace in the land…

As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god.                           Judges 8:28, 33 (NLT)

Here we go again!

Lord, I Need You written & sung by Chris Tomlin

 

 

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Coach – Team – Win!

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

He said, “Listen to me, King Jehoshaphat and all you people living in Judah and Jerusalem. The Lord says this to you: ‘Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of this large army [that is coming against you]. The battle is not your battle, it is God’s.”      2 Chronicles 20:15 (NCV)

I played basketball in college. There was one team in the league that had these – Amazons! They weren’t just tall. They were BIG! Now I had never played organized basketball before. I was used to playing “street ball” so I wasn’t adverse to throwing an elbow and pushing my opponent around. But the power forward on this team was about 6 foot and weighed about 200lbs and I admit to having a bit of doubt as to how much I was going to be pushing her around. I was 5’8” and weighed about 125lbs with my high tops! I went to school about 300 miles away from home so my parents came to only one of my games. Yes, they came when we played this team. So this opponent and I spent the first quarter of the game pushing each other around under the goal and then came the moment – we both went up for a rebound – and she put her elbow to my nose and crushed me on the floor. They say my mother calmly stood up and checked that I was moving and sat back down. I have a slight bump on my nose still today – but my blood may have spurred my team on as we won the game!

Have you ever felt outnumbered and/or outgunned in life? Groceries, gas, taxes, and utilities keep increasing but the paycheck isn’t increasing at the same rate. Demands from your boss to do more in the same amount of time with your usual high standards. Oh, and wait, you go for your yearly mammogram or check-up and – you have cancer or some other life-threatening health problem. Will your insurance cover? Will you be able to continue to work so you can keep the insurance? Who will take care of the children and the house and the laundry and yard work? Yes, the enemy’s army is falling into their formation and are ready to march!

“The battle is not your battle, it is God’s.” This statement is absolutely, 100% true. We know it is but it is living it out in what we perceive to be the practical, real world.

It is a test. Those of us who actually liked school, the learning and opening of new horizons, know that with the “fun” learning came tests. In order to determine if I had really learned, my knowledge had to be tested. And so it is as I learn and grow in God’s Kingdom. And in addition to checking what I have learned and accepted to live out in my life, there is also the test-imony factor. Every test comes with some opportunity to give a witness or encourage another who is also trying to navigate through their life. I may not feel like I want or can give anything as I lay in a hospital bed, but since I have been on the receiving end of such testimonies, I can tell you that some of the most precious life lessons have come from people who thought they were in their weakest moments.

It is about pride. A battle is not fought by a bunch of individuals but by an army moving together, encouraging and helping each other achieve more than they could have alone. So if I am facing an overwhelming battle, turn first to the Commander-in-Chief of the Army. Dropping to my knees with my face in Jesus’ lap is where He will love and encourage me in those first moments when I find myself in a uniform when I had no idea I had been drafted! In my shock and weakness, I will find the strength of the One who knew about the upcoming battle and wasn’t surprised and has a plan. Then I need to lay down that independent pride that says, “I have to do this!” and mistakenly think that means alone. The Holy Spirit will open my eyes and show me those who have been chosen to help and support me. What blessings abound when I allow others to come close!

It is about faith. And faith is having that anchor of Hope in Jesus that allows me to believe in what I cannot see. It is having the Body of Believers around me like Aaron and Hur were with Moses and held his arms up during the battle when he was too tired to do so and the army was victorious (Exodus 17:8-13).

So if you are in a battle today and you are tired and wonder how you will hang on and “What’s next?” the best game plan in this life will begin on your knees.

Before I call my LORD, He’s already answering (Isaiah 65:24).

There is MORE with me than is against me (2 Kings 6:15-16).

And surely my Jesus is with me every minute of every day – even until the end of the world (Matthew 28:20).

Awesome God by Rich Mullins, sung by Hillsong Worship Team

 

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Harmony

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Do you know where your fights and arguments come from? They come from the selfish desires that war within you. You want things, but you do not have them. So you are ready to kill and are jealous of other people, but you still cannot get what you want. So you argue and fight. You do not get what you want, because you do not ask God. Or when you ask, you do not receive because the reason you ask is wrong. You want things so you can use them for your own pleasures.                       James 4:1-3 (NCV)

Lectionary texts: Proverbs 31:10-31, Psalm 1, James 3:13-4:8, Mark 9:30-37

This week’s lectionary texts can certainly answer the question in James “Do you know where all the fighting and bickering comes from?” Some people seem to like the drama of fighting and bickering. It seems to energize them. I don’t get that. I am energized when my life is characterized by peace and unity; there is a harmony that makes all aspects of my life flow together. So I am very interested in learning from my LORD about a life that “sings in perfect pitch” with Him.

Proverbs 31: wives and husbands. The relationship between a husband and wife seems to have a big target painted on it that just invites disharmony. Proverbs 31 passage may appear, at first, to be directed to the wife and what she must do and the husband just sits back and receives the blessings. But what if the writer is speaking to the husband and is saying, “Look what you have!” Instead of looking at the wife and listing how she has fallen short, a husband begins with the blessings he is already receiving. And then he asked himself the most important of questions: “How can I help you? How can I bless you?” The husband, following the example and teachings of Jesus, is a servant first.

Psalm 1: the measure of a man. This is one of those passages of Scripture that every wife should pray over her husband. It is a prayer of blessings. It is a prayer, that when answered by God (because He will answer it, after all it is His words!) returns a blessing back to the prayor – a thousandfold! What wife would not want a husband who does not walk with wicked people and loves the precepts of the LORD? What wife doesn’t want a husband who is fruitful (Galatians 5:22) and is watched over by the LORD because he is righteous, in right relationship with God?

James 3-4: flush out the impurities. My life cannot be harmonious if inside of me there are obstacles that divert the flow, causing discord and tainting the joy that God wants to flow from Him to me. Unforgiveness, envy, selfish ambitions and that most destructive acid called bitterness, can be tiny drops inside of me that poison and grow. They are not obstacles that I can clear in my own strength. They require the power of the Holy Spirit to come through and cleanse every drop from my mind, heart, and spirit. I must turn my back on the world’s evaluation of justice and grasp God’s justice with both hands and know that His is right and true. His justice comes in His way and His timing. Am I willing to submit to God, trust Him and receive His abundant blessings?

Mark 9: If-Then. This passages is about consequences in my life.

  • If Jesus dies, then He will rise again in complete victory. Death of self must come before Life.
  • If I want to be great in God’s Kingdom, then I must be a servant.
  • If I welcome “the least of these” in my life, then I am welcoming Jesus; I am welcoming God Himself.

Harmony in my life comes loving my LORD more than anything or anyone else. My own comfort and accomplishments do not provide me with insulation or protection from this life. It is how deeply I am planted inside my LORD. The legacy of greatness in my life will not be measured by how many homes I have or how many buildings have my name on them, but on how many feet I washed when no one was looking.

Make Me A Servant from Psalty’s Kid Praise 4, Maranatha Music

 

 

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