Turn It Over To God

Do you know someone who needs to hear about Jesus? Is there someone you know who you wish would become a follower of His? Have they heard the message about Him? Have you asked God to open their heart to the message of Jesus?

I’m guessing every one of us knows someone, or multiple someone’s, we would like to see become a committed follower of Jesus. We point to the bad decisions they are making. We care for them and want to see them for eternity. But we can’t seem to reach them.

Something we have all likely experienced is this, our kids listen better to someone else than they do us. At least, during their teenage and sometimes early twenties years. I’m not sure if it’s the familiarity with us or them feeling their way through early adulthood, but they are more apt to listen to someone else in church, a teacher at school, friends, or perhaps a co-worker. Isn’t it funny they will listen to a college professor, who is as old or older than us, yet think we are old fashioned?

So, how do we reach those we care about? We might need to think about arranging for them to speak with someone else who will give them the message of Christ. We should pray that God open their hearts and minds to hear His message. Ask God to work in their lives in such a way to make it very clear He wants them to be part of His family. In other words, turn them over to God and simply love them. Not really an easy thing to do.

Here is the amazing thing, God works when we can’t. God knows when we will not be effective messengers. He works in other ways. He knows when we feel helpless. He knows our desires for the other person. He knows they won’t really listen to us. And He also knows who they will listen to and when they will be open to listen. Sometimes, we (they) need to go through some type of difficulty before we are open to hear God’s message.

I pray we all show Jesus to others, more so through our love than our words. I pray we ask God to open hearts and minds. I pray each one of us lay our concerns for loved ones at the feet of God and allow Him to work. Turn to God when you feel helpless. Turn your loved ones over to Him. Ask God to open hearts and minds. Leave room for God to work.

Acts 16:13-15a On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home.

Miraculous Release

Have you ever felt doomed? Have you felt as though you were about to be sentenced to a punishment you didn’t deserve? Are you in a situation like that now? Are you asking God to step in and pull you through it?

There are times when we may be persecuted for our faith. That may come in the form of punishment for failing to conform to this world. When we are standing up for God, we can be sure He will provide for our needs, regardless of the situation.

We see in today’s passage that Peter is wrongfully imprisoned. King Herod intended to punish him for both preaching about Jesus and healing a lame man. The king saw that it pleased the Jewish leadership. Peter is being persecuted solely due to his faith in Jesus. However, an angel is sent to set him free from the jail in which he is being held.

I know, we are largely skeptical that angels are active in today’s world. We no longer believe in the supernatural. We have stopped relying on God to step in on our behalf. Our belief, faith, and trust in God has waned. This despite hearing stories of people who have experienced a supernatural event, whether a vision or miraculous healing the doctors cannot explain.

Others will argue that Peter was specifically chosen by Jesus. He was an apostle. He was one of Jesus’ close compadres. We are not in Peter’s shoes. We are not chosen as he was chosen. Not so fast my friend. Each one of us is chosen. God’s mighty works are not limited today any more than they were limited when Peter needed God’s help.

The most significant difference between Peter and us is our faith. Peter believed wholeheartedly in Jesus. He was willing to give his life, and later did, to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us are not committed to Jesus in the same way. We are unwilling to buck the tide of today’s world. We won’t publicly proclaim Jesus’ name or praise God. Oh, we think we are when we tell people we go to church. But going to church is not out in the public. It occurs behind four walls and is relatively isolated.

Folks, if we want to see God do mighty things, we must be fully committed and willing to talk about Him wherever we are. We are not to be rude about it, but we need to show people we belong to Jesus. There should be no question by anyone we meet about our faith. Peter was like this, and he experienced God’s miracles.

I pray we all commit wholeheartedly to Jesus. I pray we are willing to show our faith publicly. I pray each one of us build our faith to be like Peter’s, after all he was human. Commit to Jesus. Be willing to tell others about Him. Build your faith. Trust God at all times. Trust God in all situations.

Acts 12:6-7 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

Speak Out

Are you intimidated by public speaking? Does speaking to well educated people make you nervous? Are you more comfortable being part of the crowd rather than standing out? Do you think that’s what God wants from you?

If you have never had to speak publicly, it can be intimidating the first few times. If you must present to a group of people, all with doctorates, you may feel as though you are unqualified. Standing out in the crowd, being the only one speaking out against wrong, can be challenging.

I remember in my younger days having to present to a large group of Marines. Though I was a senior enlisted Marine and had been a Drill Instructor, I was still nervous when having to speak to a hundred or more of them. I found two things to be true. First, knowing my material very well gave me some level of confidence. Second, the more I did it, the easier it got. This coming from someone who is an introvert by nature.

When I think of standing out, I think of those commercials where everything is gray and there is one person dressed in bright red. What they don’t show is everyone looking at the one person. Based on my experience, everyone dressed in gray would be ogling the person in red.

Standing out is what God has called us to. We are to be different from the rest of the world. We are called to stand up against injustice, the marginalized, the weak, those in need, and most all for Jesus. It isn’t always easy. We may face ridicule and persecution. We may even face death.

Paul was preaching and teaching about Jesus in Athens. Likely he was with a small group of people who were curious about his message. Suddenly he was carted off to the Areopagus to speak to the well-known philosophers of Athens. This was a place where well-known philosophers from all over the Greco-Roman world would come to debate. Paul was thrust into the limelight.

I’m sure Paul was a bit apprehensive about speaking to them.  Yet, he relied on God to provide the message He wanted spoken. As you can see in today’s passage, Paul spoke boldly about God and perhaps offended some of the men in the arena. But he proclaimed God to them anyway. We can take comfort, much as Paul did, that God is with us at all times.

I pray we all speak boldly about God. I pray we rely on God to give us the words He desires us to speak. I pray each one of us follow the example of Paul. Be willing to stand out. Speak out to others about God. Proclaim the good news of Jesus. Know that God is always with you.

Acts 17:22-23 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

Betrayal

Have you been betrayed? Was the betrayal by a family member? Was the betrayer a close friend of yours? Were you sold down the river by someone you trusted? Are you willing to trust God to use it for good?

There are times in our lives when we are betrayed. It may be as simple as a sibling telling Mom we ate a cookie before supper. It may be much more egregious. Perhaps someone relayed a secret you told them to the very person you told them not to.

Of course, there are many ways we may be betrayed. Betrayal seems to be a game played by those who live on the wrong side of the law. Yet those of us who are generally law-abiding citizens sometimes play this awful game as well. It is particularly played at betraying secrets, as mentioned above.

Being betrayed comes with many emotions. These may include anger, hate, disgust, shame, guilt, despair, and a desire for retribution. We want to repay evil for evil. Yet, that is not what we are taught to be good Christian principles, is it? In fact, we are specifically told not to do so, rather we are to repay evil with blessing (1 Peter 3:8). That is not easy to do.

However, if we do as we are instructed, and we trust that God works all things to the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), we will see God’s blessing on us. In fact, we may even see God’s blessing to be as impactful as it was with Joseph.

You see, Joseph was betrayed by his brothers. They sold him into slavery. He was carted off to Egypt. While there, we see him betrayed again by the wife of his master. He is betrayed, yet again, by two men he is imprisoned with. But Joseph continues to hold onto his faith in God. Ultimately, Joseph becomes the second most powerful man in all of Egypt—second only to Pharoah.

We also see that God uses the betrayal of his brothers to position Joseph to save his family. Since Joseph interpreted Pharoah’s dreams, he was put in charge of preparing for the seven years of famine. When his brothers come to buy grain, Joseph is the one who sells it to them. Later, he has his entire family move to Egypt, where the grain is, and they are settled in the most fertile area of the country.

There is no guarantee God will bless any of us in the same way He blessed Joseph. Yet, I doubt any of us would like to go through the multiple betrayals Joseph went through either. However, we can rely on God to work for our good as long as we love Him.

I pray we all love God with all our heart. I pray we trust God to work for our good. I pray each of us repay evil with a blessing, as hard as that may be. Love God. Know He is working on your behalf. Trust God to bless you. Trust God to be just. Repay evil with blessing.

Genesis 37:28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

Catastrophe Strikes

Have you suffered defeat? Has a group of people ganged up on you and overwhelmed you? Have you lost a job because of unsubstantiated rumors? Have you lost a loved one to a disease? Do you wonder how you can continue to move forward?

We face catastrophic events in our lives. Some are more severe than others. We may face friends and family turning on us. We may experience the sudden death of a spouse, sibling, parent, or child. We may face suddenly being fired from our job.

When we face catastrophic events, it seems our entire world is crumbling around us. Our minds race to find answers. We long to hear good advice. We long for silence to grieve. We aren’t sure what we want, other than the situation to be reversed or resolved.

We may hear things will be okay. We may hear things will turn around. We may hear a loved one would want us to carry on. We may have a close friend come sit beside us without giving any advice. We inherently know the advice is good but have no desire to take the next step.

Sometimes the best thing to do is wait on God. No, we don’t like waiting. We want immediate resolution. But God has a reason for waiting and He moves at the right time in the right way. This is when our trust in God is tested. It is in times like this that we see God move in mighty and unexpected ways.

We see in today’s passage the apostle Paul being stoned and left for dead. We see other disciples gather around him and him get up. Though not stated in the passage, we can reasonably assume God protected Paul from death. God had a purpose for Paul to fulfill. He continued on the mission God laid out for him the next day. I’m sure it was not easy for Paul. He may have struggled walking and experienced bruised muscles that ached the entire time he walked to the next city. Yet, Paul maintained his trust in God.

We, too, must maintain our trust in God. We must build our trust in Him before a catastrophe occurs. Paul had built his trust long before he was stoned. He knew God had a mission for him to accomplish. God has a mission for each one of us, even if we don’t fully understand what it is. It is our faith in God and God acting on our behalf that will get us through the catastrophic circumstance.

I pray we all increase our trust in God. I pray we understand God has a mission for us. I pray each one of us prepares ourselves for the catastrophe by experiencing God. Build your trust in God. Know God has a mission for you. Rely on God in all situations. Experience God.

Acts 14:19-20 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.

Overwhelming Odds

Have you ever felt completely over matched? Have you been outnumbered? How did you feel? Were you afraid? Did you feel as though there was no way out? Were you thinking your time was up?

We have all faced big tasks in our lives. Some of us have faced overwhelming odds. We may have overcome those odds, or we may have succumbed to them. Being in a situation such as that is no fun at all.

When we find ourselves in an overwhelming situation, how do we respond? There are certainly times we may feel as though we just want to give up. We may want to pull the covers over our head and not get out of bed, hoping the situation will just go away. Unfortunately, as we all discover, they don’t simply go away. They must be dealt with.

We have the option to allow the situation to overwhelm us. We have another option to struggle in our own strength to overcome it. Or we can turn to God and ask Him to give us the strength we need. We can ask God to help us overcome the situation.

We see in today’s passage the prophet Elijah facing off against four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. He has seen the Israelites turn to Baal to be their savior. He has seen them leave God for a false god. Elijah realizes something must be done about it.

Elijah calls for two bulls to be brought and allows the prophets of Baal to choose the bull they want first. They build an altar, pile it with wood, cut the bull in pieces, and place it on the altar. Elijah instructs them not to light the wood but call out to Baal to have him light it. They call and call and call. What Elijah knew would happen, happened. Baal did not light the wood on fire.

Elijah, in turn, builds a stone altar, piles the wood on it, cuts the bull into pieces, has men dig a trench around it, then has others pour four large jars of water over the altar three times so that everything is soaked even to the water running off and into the trench. Elijah calls out to God. God doesn’t simply light a fire but consumes the bull, the wood, and all the water.

When we rely on God during our overwhelming situations, truly trust in Him, knowing we cannot do it on our own, He comes through. God will not leave us hanging. He may allow us to get to the point of no other choice, just so we turn to Him as the only option. We are to choose to trust God at all times.

I pray we all decide to trust God. I pray we choose not to wait until we have hit rock bottom to reach out to God. I pray each one of us will trust God in all situations at all times. Choose God in overwhelming situations. Trust God at all times. Reach out to God.

I Kings 18:22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.”

Awesome Grace

Yesterday, we discussed how the world condemns one another and how we fall prey to doing this ourselves. We also saw that God does not condemn those of us who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. Today, we are going to go a little further into the grace of God.

Today’s passage is the conclusion to an incident in which the Jewish leaders, both politically and religiously, were laying a trap for Jesus. We see this same type of behavior today, don’t we? We see people of faith being put into, what appears, no win situations. How do we get out of them?

Let’s take a look at how Jesus avoided the trap. The leaders brought a woman who was caught in adultery before Jesus. They partially quote the law, as given to Moses. You see, the law stated both the man and the woman were to be stoned (Leviticus 20:10). First note for us, know and understand God’s guidance and expectations.

It’s obvious Jesus knew the law. He ignored their pleas for a judgment to be made…until they continually hounded Him to do so. At that point, when Jesus had heard enough, He straightened up and uttered what has become a famous line, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7b) Second note, see the situation through God’s eyes rather than human.

Why would Jesus make this statement opposed to pronouncing judgment? He is teaching a lesson on grace. His point is that we all have sinned, and we all need forgiveness. We cannot earn forgiveness. It is only because of God’s unmerited grace that we are forgiven. Third note, be gracious to one another, just as God is gracious to you.

We see Jesus grant this woman forgiveness when He does not condemn her. He does, however, give her one bit of instruction—“Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11b) Fourth note, provide a word of encouragement toward doing better to one another, without condemning.

I pray we all learn what God expects of us. I pray we see our situations through the eyes of God. I pray each one of us gives up condemning others and offer encouragement instead. Seek to know God’s expectations. See through God’s eyes. Stop condemning one another. Offer a word of encouragement.

John 8: 10-11 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said. 

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Feeling Condemned

Are you feeling condemned? Are you looking to be free of condemnation? Are you longing to be saved from the condemnation of the world? Do you believe it is possible? Will you accept being saved?

We see condemnation wherever we turn in this world. People condemn one another over the smallest of differences. We condemn for differences of opinion, tastes in clothing, choices of food, music, sports teams, television shows, and so much more.

It is no wonder we feel condemned in this world. And since we feel condemned, we condemn others in order to make ourselves feel better. It is a continual war of condemnation without the possibility of a good outcome.

The only way to change the outcome to one we seek is to take on the mind of Christ. He did not come into the world to condemn it, but to save it. As we change our minds to have the same attitude of saving the world as Christ, we stop condemning one another. It becomes positive momentum toward a better world.

How do we begin? We must first believe in Jesus and understand that we are no longer condemned. Once we believe we are not condemned, truly understand we belong to God, we no longer have the desire to condemn others. We allow God to handle it, rather than feeling as though we must.

As John states in today’s passage, Jesus came to relieve us of the false feeling of being condemned. He came to save us by forgiving us of our sin. He came to claim victory over Satan, who lies to us by continually whispering to us that we stand condemned. Stop listening to Satan, instead listen to Jesus.

I pray we all turn to Jesus to be saved from condemnation. I pray we truly believe He came to save us. I pray each one of us will decide to stop condemning one another. Believe in Jesus. Ignore Satan’s lies. Know that Jesus has saved you. Know you are not condemned.

John 3:17-18 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

Reconciliation In Christ

Do you feel alienated? Do you wonder if God has abandoned you? Do you feel guilty? Are you looking for reconciliation? Do you long for relief? Do you not understand God has already cleansed you?

We all go through times of feeling alienated. We feel as though our family and friends have abandoned us. We feel as though they don’t understand what we are going through. Our desire to receive forgiveness, to be reconciled is strong. If only….

The very first thing we need to remember is God has already redeemed us. He has reconciled us to Him through His Son. God continues to love us and cares deeply about our well-being. Our first step is to turn to Him asking for Him to remove our feelings of guilt. The next is to willingly give those feeling over to Jesus, laying them at His feet.

We also must remember it is Satan who is trying to keep us down. He is working to make us feel guilty, to cause us to forget Christ redeemed us on the cross. We are told that Satan is prowling like a lion looking to devour us (1 Peter 5:8). He knows he has lost the war, but he wants to take as many of us with him as he can. He wants us to be miserable.

Remember you are without blemish in God’s eyes. The blood of Christ has washed you clean and continues to cover you at all times. You can no longer be accused by Satan from God’s point of view. His accusations are meaningless. God ignores them because Christ has wiped them out.

Therefore, hold on to your faith in Jesus, tell Satan to leave you alone, and believe God loves you. Be convinced that God will lift you from the muck and mire of your feelings, emotions, and Satan’s lies. This is the hope we have in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I pray we all recognize Satan’s schemes to keep us down. I pray we trust that Jesus has redeemed us. I pray each one of us will hold on to our faith in Jesus. Do not believe Satan’s lies. Trust God loves you. Hold on to your faith. Know that you have been reconciled with God. Hold on to your hope.

Colossians 1:21-23a Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

Rebirth

Are you looking for renewal? Would you like a do-over? Do you wish for a new beginning? Have you made enough mistakes that you like to go back and start again? Would you like to have a rebirth?

All of us have made bad decisions in our lives. Some mistakes have been worse than others. We may have made decisions we wish we could reverse. Some of us may be living in bad situations due to a bad decision made previously.

Though we cannot go back in time to reverse a bad decision, we can go forward making better decisions. We can determine to think through the options prior to making a decision—even what appears on the surface a small or minor decision. It is sometimes the small decision that leads to a larger decision or a bigger mistake.

There is one decision we all need to make—rebirth in Christ. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are granted a new beginning. We become a new person in Christ. Though many will not believe this is true, and it may take time for changes to appear outwardly in our lives, we become a new person, nonetheless.

Jesus can and will lift us out of the ditch we’ve fallen into. He accepts us where we are, but He won’t leave us there. He heals our brokenness. Jesus renews our purpose for living. He leads us on the path to a life of love, peace, and joy. He washes us clean in the eyes of God, justifies us, and grants us eternal life with Him. We become heirs to heaven.

It doesn’t matter what we have done, Jesus will cleanse us. It doesn’t matter where we are, Jesus promises us eternal life with Him. It doesn’t matter how broken we are, Jesus heals us. It doesn’t matter how old we are, it is never too late.

I pray we all choose to be reborn in Jesus Christ. I pray we accept His offer to cleanse us of our past. I pray each one of us choose healing over brokenness. Be reborn. Be renewed. Be justified. Accept the grace of God. Find love, peace, and joy. Become an heir of eternal life.

Titus 3:5b-7 He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.