A Surrendering Spirit

Acts 5:3-5—“Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!” Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died.

Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, wanted it all—a secure place in the kingdom of God all the while coveting a stockpile of earthly treasures.  Not only did they desire wealth, but they went as far as to lie about it and pretend they had altruistic and pure motivations.  This kind of deceit and hypocrisy is dangerous to the life of a Church.  God, of course, saw right through it, and they were both punished harshly.  The thing about entering into a relationship with God is that it requires a complete surrender.  We can’t build a relationship with Him when we have one foot in the secular world and the other in His kingdom.  We might look like the best Christian, the most active church-member, the most capable disciple of God, but if we are holding something back God will know it, even if other Christians have no clue.  The call of Christianity requires us to daily renew our faith in the Lord by surrendering each day to Him.

Today, as you meditate and pray on His Word, ask God to reveal to you those areas in your life that you have yet to surrender entirely to Him. Pray that your Spirit would be open to His healing, and thank God for instilling in you a desire to surrender your life to Him. 

Here am I; Send Me!

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

There’s a song by Downhere called “Here I am” that captures the swell of emotion, elation, and doubt that swirls within and around us at the sound of God’s call.  In one part, the groups sings, “Overwhelmed by the thought of my weakness/And the fear that I'll fail You, in the end/Oh, in this mess, I'm just one of the pieces/I can't put this together, but You can/Here I am, Lord send me/I wanna live my life as an offering/Here I am, Lord send me/Somehow my story, is part of Your plan/So here I am.”  When I hear these words, I am reminded that I am not the only person to ever worry that I will fail or fall short of God’s intentions for me.  The truth is, my humanity does fail each and every day—it is God who empowers me, and He is in ultimate control of everything.  I might not ever see the full picture of how He uses me, but I trust that He has placed me exactly where He wants me to be and He is using me to accomplish great things for His kingdom.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, open your heart to unfettered trust that God is using you even when you are afraid of failing.  Tell Him that you are His willing servant and thank Him for the opportunity to be one piece of something so much greater than we could ever imagine. Praise His name.

He Calls the Ordinary

Acts 4:13-15—Now when [the rulers and elders] saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.  When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. 

God calls ordinary men to do extraordinary things.  When others see God working through us, though, it doesn’t always lead to acceptance and belief in Jesus Christ.  Early in their ministry, Peter and John healed a crippled man as they were entering the temple.  The Bible reports that about 5,000 people came to believe in Jesus Christ as a result of witnessing the miracle that descended on this middle-aged man who, for the first time in his life, began to walk.  At the same time, the Sadducees, elders, and scribes became frightened about the power they were witnessing in these ordinary men.  Even with all their training and education, the rulers and elders could not oppose the truth of what Peter and John were professing.  Yet, they refused to believe.  Instead, they looked for ways to undermine their ministry and stop the spread of the Gospel.  In our lives, we, too, might experience rejection for boldly following Christ.  During those times, it’s essential for us to refocus on God’s call—daily prayer and Bible study are great ways to stay tethered to God.  We should also surround and fortify ourselves by building relationships with Christian friends and our church family.

Today as you pray and meditate on this passage, thank God for choosing you and empowering you to do extraordinary things through Him.  Praise His name and repeat your “yes” to His call.  Pray for strength and comfort during times of adversity and for wisdom when you are challenged by the world around you. 

Witnessing to Unbelievers

Romans 10:14—How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

As Christians we are called to be a witness for God and to spread the Gospel even to the ends of the earth.  This duty can often be difficult to fulfill, though, because for so many of us our Christian identity is not necessarily the first thing we let people see.  On the flipside, a lot of times non-believers are pushed away by overzealous Christians who try way too hard.  Just yesterday I noticed a post from a friend on Facebook that announced she was unfriending someone who had tried to proselytize her.  This friend is an atheist who told me a few weeks ago that she can accept that some people “need” God, but she is not one of those “needy” people.  (You have to imagine the snarl.)  I felt at a loss about what to say. So I shifted the focus by telling her that to me, the question is more about not denying the Spirit that I have so clearly seen and felt on countless occasions in my life.  Do I need God? Absolutely.  Is that shameful?  No way. But would it have been a good idea to engage her in the needfulness conversation? Probably not.  Being a good witness is about meeting people where they are and allowing them to feel the love of Jesus Christ through you.  So many non-believers are scared of being judged, of losing their identity, and of not fitting in.  When we witness to others, we should be mindful of showing compassion for them while remaining steadfast in our beliefs.  I hope I was an example to my friend of a person who loves both God and humanity.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, ask God to reveal His plan for how He wants you to be a witness for Him.  Confirm to God that you are a willing vessel and pray for wisdom and strength to pull people in and not push them away.  Tell God you hear His call and are saying “yes” to it.  Thank Him for choosing you to be an ambassador for Him.

Love One Another

John 13:34-35—“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The words seem simple, but this command can be so hard live out, especially when we interact with others who don’t even try to show love for others.  Let’s face it, it’s hard to be nice to someone who is being mean to us or who is acting against our own best interests.  We must remember, though, that God does not put us in charge of the outcome.  Our responsibility is not to change other people; rather, we are called to be changed ourselves.  When we show love for others, we allow God to use us to effect change in others.  The waiting process can be painful, though.  We might not see results quickly, we might be called to endure confusing circumstances, we might even suffer the loss of friendships.  The key is this—we can’t do any of it without God.  We need Him to fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we are strong enough to keep his commands. 

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, confess your need for Him and ask Him to fill you up today that you might be His light for someone else.  Pray that He would open your heart to loving those around you, even those who aren’t willing to receive it.  Pray that you would be steadfast and courageous in living His commandment.

Scripture's Protection from the Wicked

2 Timothy 3:12-17—Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.  But wicked people and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

 

The promise of God is not that we will have an easy life on earth, but rather that through our faith in Him we might be at peace no matter our circumstances.  When we take a moment to look around us, it doesn’t take long to see that we are living in difficult times.  When we read the Bible, though, we see that in a lot of ways the times haven’t changed at all.  In his letter to Timothy, Paul tells Timothy about the persecutions he has endured, about the friends who have turned their backs on him, and about the false teachings that are springing up all around distorting the Gospel message.  Paul is able to trust Timothy because Timothy grew up learning the Scriptures—Timothy cannot easily be led astray.  The same can be said for us—if we are educated in scripture, we, like Timothy, cannot be led astray.  I remember the first time I heard a “prosperity gospel” message and how it hit me like a car crashing into a brick wall.  Fortunately, my foundation in scripture was strong enough to send out an alert to be skeptical about this type of teaching.  God calls every Christian to know His Word personally in this way.  Teachers are important to our understanding of what scripture means, but as students we must also take responsibility for our own learning beyond what any teacher could possibly give us.  We should be reading the Bible for ourselves, questioning in a respectful way what our teachers tell us, and holding our teachers accountable to the scripture. 

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, give thanks to God for revealing His truth that He created each of us uniquely to be in relationship with Him—that He loves us, knows us, and wants us to know Him.  Thank Him for the gift of His Word.  Pray for discipline in your daily Bible study, prayer, and meditation.  Ask God to open your heart as you read His Word that He would reveal His will for your life.

Many Gifts, One Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:4-7—Now  there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

What peace it brings to know that God has specially blessed each of us with spiritual gifts.  His perfect plan joins together people with different gifts to work toward a common good.  As a church, we have a responsibility to know each other and guide one another in developing our own unique spiritual gifts.  And each person has a significant and critical role to play in the growth of the church.  Because of our baptism in Christ, we all stand on equal footing—no one is more or less essential to the Church.  By creating a close-knit community, we help each other find our place, know we belong, and realize our value in God’s kingdom. 

Today as you pray and meditate on this Scripture, thank God for leading our church to develop a connection group ministry.  Ask the Lord to bless this ministry and lead us according to His will.  Pray that He would guide you in developing your spiritual gifts in a way that brings Him glory and honor.  Give thanks for our church leaders and pray for them to be blanketed in wisdom and discernment.  Ask God to surround you and each of the connection group facilitators in His loving light as launch this ministry on Sunday.