Experience God

Have you ever seen something you just couldn’t believe? I don’t mean an amazing sports play–I mean have you seen something that caused you to rub your eyes and wonder if you really saw what you thought you saw?

I venture to guess that most of us have not seen anything quite like that. We see amazing feats of athleticism. We see amazing sunrises or sunsets. We see awesome beauty in nature. We see awe inspiring views of mountains and oceans. But most of us never see something we believe to be impossible happen.

We see in today’s passage Elijah being taken to heaven on a chariot of fire by horses of fire. Can you imagine Elisha as he saw this happen? Elijah was Elisha’s mentor, teacher, and even like a father to him. Elisha was doing all he could to follow in Elijah’s footsteps. Elijah had told Elisha to stay behind, but Elisha refused to leave his side. Elijah knew what was going to happen. Even fifty prophets knew Elijah was going to be taken from Elisha that day. However, I don’t think any of them knew just exactly how that was going to happen.

Of course, the prophets, Elijah, and Elisha all knew God was able to take Elijah in any manner He wanted. They had a deep faith in God and believed there was nothing out of His control. I long for that kind of faith myself. How about you?

As we step out in faith and experience God working in our lives, our faith grows. I know from personal experience. I have taken the tentative step into the unknown. I’ve hesitantly moved in a direction I believed God wanted me to go. I’ve experienced the stomach wrenching feeling of wondering if it was the right decision. And I’ve seen God working in my life through those decisions.

I cannot say that I’ve seen chariots and horses of fire. I cannot even say I’ve seen anything I would consider miraculous. I can say I have seen God work in my life and in the lives of others. He has done so one step at a time and in small ways that add up to big changes.

Most of us won’t see a miraculous event. We can and will see God working in our lives as we trust Him with our decisions. God wants us to trust Him, take the next step, then take the next step. He often only lights the path one step at a time. Trust Him, see Him work, and increase your faith.

I pray we all step out in faith through prayerful consideration. I pray we trust God to lead us. I pray each one of us see God working and experience our faith growing. Trust God. See Him working in your life. Step out in faith. Consider decisions prayerfully. Increase your faith through experience with God.

2 Kings 2:11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

Jesus Appeared

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see Jesus? Would you like to have a conversation with Him? Would you like to see the wounds on His wrists, feet, and side? Do you know He appeared to hundreds of people after He rose from the grave?

The story of someone rising from the dead, then ascending into heaven is hard for many to believe. They think it is like a science fiction movie. Yet, Jesus did just that. Not only did He do that, but He appeared to hundreds of people over the course of forty days after His resurrection (Acts 1:3b).

If you are a student of the Bible, if you read it and know the stories told within it, you will recognize many similarities to science fiction novels. That leads me to think the science fiction authors have read the Bible and are smart enough to see the miraculous events in the Bible as great inspiration to write their novels. As the old saying goes, life is stranger than fiction.

In today’s passage, we see that Jesus appeared to more than five hundred people between the time He rose for the grave and His ascension into heaven. Can you imagine the amazement of these people? Many of them had seen Him crucified. Some of them were His closest compadres and even His family. To see someone raised from the dead would amaze any of us, especially if we had been there when the person died or had seen the person lying in the casket.

Notice that Jesus died for each of us to fulfill the Scriptures, to fulfill prophecy, to fulfill God’s plan to rescue us. He was raised on the third day to give us the hope we all need—the hope that there is something better, perfect waiting for us. Jesus completed the mission He came to earth to complete.

Paul states that Jesus even appeared to Him. This occurred while He was traveling to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). What an amazing encounter that was?! Can you imagine Jesus appearing out of the blue and suddenly you are struck blind? Paul needed this jolt to snap him out of the persecution he was committing and turn him into the loving apostle he became. Sometimes, we are like that aren’t we? We are hardheaded, stubborn, and simply want to do our own thing. Jesus can and will break us away from our errant ways when needed.

I pray we all acknowledge that Jesus rose and appeared to many. I pray we realize He can snap us out of our errant ways. I pray each one of us will turn to Him of our choosing. Know that Jesus rose from the dead. Know that He ascended to heaven. Know that He appeared to many. Know that He can break your old attitude and habits. Trust Him.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

Sacrificing for God

Do you sacrifice yourself for others? Are you willing to give up your preferences in order to serve someone else? Have you given a pat on a back to someone who needed it? Do you understand what it means to sacrifice for God?

Most of us are willing to occasionally give up a preference we may have for someone we love. It often happens in good relationships by both people. We call it compromise, but it is really a sacrifice. Without sacrifice, relationships falter and even disintegrate.

We are also to sacrifice for God—not in the way the Jews sacrificed animals two thousand years ago, yet not completely dissimilar. You see, they were to sacrifice their choice animals, those without blemish. The animal was to be considered perfect. It could not be crippled. Even the hide of the animal could not be scared.

What does that mean for us today? It means we are to sacrifice of ourselves perfectly. Our sacrifice is to praise God, professing Him to others. We are to give Him the thanks He deserves. We are to glorify Him. Our praise must be genuine.

We are also to do good and share with others. This includes both giving material things to others and serving others. We may need to allow someone to use our vehicle, computer, or wear our favorite shirt. It may include stopping to help someone, even if we are in a hurry. It also means sharing the good news about Jesus with them. We are to look for opportunities to tell others that Jesus came to save the world, including them. Our goal with our sacrifice is to bring others into the kingdom of God, to convince them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

God is please when we make these sacrifices. He loves seeing us give up our preferences to share Him with others. He wants to see us serve others as Jesus did. He wants us to tell others about Jesus. God wants to save every person and He wants us to be part of it.

I pray we all sacrifice ourselves for God. I pray we do good and share with others. I pray each one of us praise God, giving Him the thanks He deserves. Praise God. Give thanks to God. Do good for others. Share with others. Sacrifice yourself for God.

Hebrews 13:15-16 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Spiritual Gifts

What are your gifts? Have you spent time to evaluate them? Do you know how to use your gifts? If not, are you willing to learn? Are you using them to further the kingdom of God?

We are all given gifts by God. More specifically, Jesus gives each of us one or more gifts. Some are easily identified, while others may require us to dig a little further to identify them. No one is completely gift-less. We are given these gifts to be used in our service to God.

If you are unsure what your gift or gifts are, there are spiritual gift surveys you can take that will identify them for you. I know, many of us are hesitant to take these surveys and don’t put much confidence in them. However, they do work. There is one thing we must remember about them—they may identify different gifts at different times throughout our lives. Why? We, as people, change over time. Our situation changes. Our experiences change. And God gifts us for these changing situations.

Our gifts are given to us to be used to further God’s kingdom. They are given to us to serve others. They are given to create unity within the body of Christ—the Church. They are given to help all of us reach maturity in our faith. We need each one of us to share our gifts to reach the fullness of Christ. It requires us to share our gifts and work together. No one person can do it all on their own.

As we look at today’s passage, we don’t see a complete list of spiritual gifts, we see a list of those given to equip the body for service. Notice that each gift listed is one that provides someone the ability and discernment to teach others or bring others into the body of Christ. They are not gifts to perform the service. Now, that doesn’t mean the person who is given the gift of teaching cannot serve others. In fact, many teachers do serve. The service gifts simply are not listed.

I pray we all identify our gifts. I pray we take time to evaluate our gifts. I pray each one of us commits to using our gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. Identify your gifts. Use your gifts to further the kingdom of God. Serve others. Teach others. Draw others into the body. Help all of us attain the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Disciple

Who do you say Jesus is? Do you consider yourself a follower of His? Do you realize Jesus is the Son of God? Have you recognized Him as God? Is your confession mere lip service, or do you truly put forth the effort to follow His lead?

As much as we might like to think we are our own person, we all follow someone. True, we have our own personality. To some degree it is based on our genetics. However, in large part it is developed by observing others. For most of us, our family has the biggest impact.

However, our culture, social media, and mainstream media has a significant impact as well. Depending on the choices we make, what we watch can have a positive or negative effect. What we read also plays a significant role in our mental development.

In today’s passage, Jesus asks His disciples who people believe He is. There were a variety of answers. None of them included being the Son of God. I wonder what answers we would get if we were to conduct a survey of people today—both professing Christians and people who are not. Would those answers vary drastically, or would they be very similar?

If we are to be disciples, we must know who Jesus is. It cannot be a mere statement that He is the Son of God. We must know it deep inside ourselves—like we know the alphabet. We should be in awe of all He has done and all He can do. We must look up to Him like a 5-year-old looks up to a big brother or sister.

Not only should we be in awe of Him, but we must also follow His teachings. A disciple, in general terms, is a follower. More specifically, the Jewish term was used to describe a young boy who followed a Rabbi. As an indication of how closely the boy would follow the Rabbi’s teaching, he would literally walk in the footprints of the Rabbi so that the dust off the Rabbi’s sandals would settle on the boy’s clothes. The closer the boy followed in the Rabbi’s footsteps, the more dust he had on him, and the more it indicated how closely he followed the Rabbi’s teaching.

If we were to be asked who Jesus is today, how would we answer? Would He consider us a disciple of His? It is our choice to follow Him or not. Since He is not physically with us today, we must study His Word, follow His teachings, and spend time with other followers. We need the encouragement from them.

I pray we all realize who Jesus is. I pray we understand it deep in our hearts. I pray each one of us make the commitment to follow Him closely. Know who Jesus is. Be in awe of Him. Look up to Him. Follow Him closely. Trust Him.

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

Knowing Jesus

Do you know who Jesus is? Have you heard about Him but not quite fully understand? Have you seen pictures painted by artists? How likely do you think they capture His likeness? Does His likeness really matter? What do you think is most important to know about Jesus?

We have heard of God and Jesus. We hear the names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We may have even heard of the Trinity or three in one. Sometimes, we hear these names interchangeably, which can be confusing. So, who are they?

We may think of the Father as the one who created all things. We may think of Him as the master orchestrator or conductor. We might think of Him as the one who planned everything, putting all things into motion. That may not be as true as we think.

We don’t often hear much about the Holy Spirit, other than He lives inside us, if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior. Yet the Holy Spirit has been the one working throughout human history, interacting with people to prophesy and proclaim God’s Word.

Jesus is referred to as the Son. This is largely due to Him being born of a virgin, even though she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). He lived as a human for roughly thirty-three years, growing as a young lad into a man, spending His last three years teaching, preaching, healing, and raising the dead. He was crucified, buried, and raised on the third day (Romans 8:34).

Did you know that all things were created through Jesus (John 1:1-3, 14)? He existed before time as God’s Word. He put on flesh, becoming human to carry out God’s Will. He came to rescue us from our sinful ways and eternal punishment. He came to be our Savior.

We see in today’s passage that Jesus is the exact representation of God’s being. He is the radiance of God’s glory. He is all-powerful. He is all-knowing. He is everywhere at once. He is always with us. He knows what we need. He is our provider.

Because He was human, He understands. He was tempted. He experienced hunger and thirst. He knows what it is to be angry. He knows what it is like to work. He knows the feeling of something coming that we don’t want to face. We can go to Him with all our troubles.

I pray we all come to know who Jesus is. I pray we know He is always with us. I pray each one of us grows in our understanding of Him. Know that Jesus is your Savior. Know that He understands your troubles. Know He will provide. Trust Him in all things.

Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Belong

How do you view other people? Do you view them with jealousy? Do you have a low self-esteem? Do you see others as different from you? Do you view yourself as unique? Are you looking to belong to a group?

As we look at others, we only see the superficial outside or projected person. We also see what we want to see. Our prejudices often blind us. We may be fearful of someone who is different. We can become paranoid, thinking everyone is against us, especially those who appear to have their lives in order.

Our minds can play tricks on us. If we allow those tricks to take hold, they can compound on themselves and cause us to spiral downward. We become more fearful, prejudiced, and paranoid. We may further isolate ourselves, withdrawing inward, listening to the voice in our head. Far too often, that voice is Satan telling us lies.

How do we combat such disillusionment? Our culture and modern medicine will tell us to seek psychiatric counseling. It is true that some need such help. On the other hand, many do not. Many need to hear the truth of Jesus, become part of His Body, and accept the counsel of the Holy Spirit. They need to know that God is all-powerful and will change their way of thinking.

We all are children of God, but not all of us belong to Him. That may sound confusing. We all have a choice to make. We are God’s children in that He has created each one of us. Yet we have the choice of belonging to Him or disassociating ourselves from Him. It is easy to walk away from God. We do that easily as we follow the world’s culture. We are lead astray one small step at a time. It happens without us even realizing it.

How do we keep from walking away from God? We must take an honest look at ourselves periodically. We must ask ourselves hard questions and be completely honest with ourselves. Then we must make the appropriate changes to return to God. This exercise includes relying on the Holy Spirit and His promptings. It takes making a conscious effort to make the change. We must spend quality time in prayer—both asking and listening. Our desire to belong to God and be part of the body of Christ must drive us. Once we have committed to that, we will realize we belong to a larger body (or group) and we have a responsibility to the entire body.

I pray we all take time to reflect on our lives. I pray we realize we are children of God. I pray each one of us will commit to being a productive part of the body of Christ. Give up your old ways. Reflect on your life. Choose to be a follower of Christ. Commit to Jesus. See the wonderful change He will make in your life.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Finding Balance

What are you working for? No, that is not a rhetorical question. Are you working to exist, to live from one day to the next? Are you working to save money and acquire more possessions? Are you working out of passion or necessity?

We all must work to provide for our families. The cost of housing, food, and clothing—the bare necessities—costs continue to increase. If we want to provide anything beyond those, we must be better qualified and work more to provide a higher quality of life.

Back to the original question, what are you working for? Despite what we may think, most of us are working to acquire more. That is not bad, in and of itself, but it can be detrimental to our health and well-being. When it becomes an addiction to gain more, causing us to work more, wearing ourselves down, our health suffers. Balance is needed in our lives.

To acquire balance, we must set priorities. One priority that will help ground us is walking and working with Jesus. Learning who He is and what He desires for us is the first step. As we start our learning, we can begin working for Him. We can set priorities based on what we learn from Jesus. We learn to live with what God has blessed us with. Not that we should want any less for our families, but we work for something beyond this life—eternity.

The truth of the matter is all the possessions we work for in this world will disappear. They will erode, rot, be tossed in the trash heap, and be of no further use. Our eternal home will last forever. Working for something that will never be destroyed should be our goal.

The balance we really want, even if we won’t consciously admit it, is working toward our eternal home with Jesus while we pass through this world. It is what will satisfy us forever. It will bring about the balance we seek and need. Our souls will find peace beyond understanding. Oh, we still need food, water, clothing, and shelter, but God will provide those (Matthew 6:28-34).

I pray we all seek balance. I pray we work for Jesus. I pray each one of us will seek to learn more about Jesus to find the balance we need. Work for what cannot be destroyed. Seek to know more about Jesus. Find balance for your life. Find the peace you desire.

John 6:26-27 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Be In Awe

Have you ever spent time pondering the sheer majesty of God? Have you looked at the stars at night and thought about how they were created? Have you tried to count the number of species and various breeds of animals? What about thinking about the make-up of your DNA?

Sometimes, our breath is taken away when we see nature in action. Perhaps we take a trip to the coast and stand on the cliffs overlooking the ocean. We might drive into the mountains, go to the top, and take in the view for miles and miles. We may travel through a desert and marvel at the endless sand and the sparsity of plant and animal life.

Have you followed the recent Mars mission NASA is conducting? Do you know they sent a small helicopter attached to the rover and it took its first flight recently? We, humans, are beginning to reach out to the planet nearest ours to look for evidence of life forms past or present. It has taken us years and years to design and develop this capability.

God created all that we see and feel. He created each one of us. The ecological system is extremely complex with millions of plants, animals, humans, and microorganisms all relying on one another to maintain a balance. Our very own human bodies are extremely complex, a compilation of millions of cells that coalesce into muscle, organs, and fluids. When we spend a little time thinking about the complexity of it all, we can quickly become overwhelmed—or, more accurately, we are in awe.

Once you have thought about it and been overwhelmed, think about the God who created it all and His love for you. Yes, the all-powerful God who created it all knows each one of us, loves each one of us, and provides for each one of us. He knows us even more intimately than we know ourselves and cares for us more than anyone we have ever had a relationship with.

If thinking about these things doesn’t put us in awe of God, we haven’t really spent time to contemplate them. If we are not overwhelmed with wondering how a God who created all this can care for us, we have no appreciation for how special we are to Him. He knows each name, habit, desire, trait, and the number of breaths we take. How can we not be in awe of God?

I pray we all are in awe of God. I pray we take time to observe the vastness of His creation. I pray each one of us realizes God cares for us. Be overwhelmed. Be in awe of God. Know that He knows you. Know that He cares for you. Know you are special to Him.

Psalm 144:3-4

Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,

mere mortals that you think of them?

They are like a breath;

their days are like a fleeting shadow.

Futile Wisdom

How smart do you think you are? Do you consider yourself to be knowledgeable in many subjects? Are you considered an expert in one or two subjects? Do you look up to those who are considered to be very smart?

Sometimes we become rather proud of what we know. We start thinking highly of ourselves and flaunt our knowledge. It may become a competition among our peers. And far too often, we look down our noses at those who don’t know what we know.

It is a sad state of our human nature that we elevate ourselves above others. When it comes to knowledge, we all are mere infants. Unfortunately, we show just how little we know when we open our mouths. As the book of Proverbs records many times, the wise person listens far more than they speak.

As today’s passage indicates, being wise in the world is foolishness before God. Why? Far too often the wise of the world begin thinking they can live without God. They believe they have it all figured out. They forget to rely on God, which ultimately ends in their downfall.

You see, when we attempt to live without God, our destruction is eminent. Oh, we might make good wages. We might acquire many possessions. We might be able to travel. We might appear to have a good life from the outside. Yet, without God, we live without peace, contentment, joy, and real love.

We must remember God knows everything at all times. His wisdom includes altering situations in order to accomplish His plan. God is continually teaching us, if we will simply stop long enough to listen and learn. This is what it means to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). If we truly want to become wise, we must stop talking, stop thinking about worldly topics, and focus on God. No, we don’t need to do this all day long, but we do need to spend time in this type of meditation on a regular basis.

I pray we all decide to pursue God’s wisdom. I pray we stop to spend time with God. I pray each one of us realizes the foolishness of the world’s wisdom and focus on God’s wisdom. Spend time with God. Spend time meditating on Him. Gain true wisdom. Leave foolishness behind.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20 Do not deceive yourselves. If any of you think you are wise by the standards of this age, you should become “fools” so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”