It is a good thing when a Christian wants to be a success for the Lord. Big crowds, large numbers of people saved, lots of lives changed for the better, etc., are good things to want. But many times, those same Christians don't want to pay the price for those things. They want to sit in leadership positions, ruling over the Christians whom God is using. Sometimes, they want to seize control of ministries that other Christians have built.
Crete was a rough place to serve God, but the apostle Paul left Titus there anyway. However, Paul explained to Titus why he needed to stay where he was:
Tit 1:5 ¶ For this reason I left you in Crete,
1) because Crete needs you
Titus 1:5 that you should set in order the things that are lacking,
2) because Cretans need you
Tit 1:12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons."13 This testimony is true
3) because someone has to teach them God's Word
Tit 2:1 ¶ But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound
doctrine:
4) because someone has to give them a good example
Tit 2:7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works
5) because God gave you enough grace to do the job
Tit 2:11-12 ¶ For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
6) because Jesus is working in you to get the job done
Tit 2:14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
If you're looking for an easy path to Christian leadership, you'll have to rely on backstabbing and politics. But if you want success, you'll have to pay a price.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Get Tough!
Judges 3:2 (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it)
God left some of His enemies in the land of Israel so that He could force His people to learn war. Why? Israel went through lengthy periods of peace, but only after they won a war. The United States has never had forty continuous years of peace in its entire history, but the book of Judges describes various times of forty and even eighty years of peace in Israel AFTER they had won a war.
If you start accomplishing something in your Christian life, you're likely to have war. Jealous individuals start demanding leadership positions over successful Christian works, and Christians who are doing little or nothing for the Lord start criticizing those who are. It is inevitable that if God starts using you, you are going to have problems.
Over the years, I have seen several occasions in which a Christian would be successful at some work for the Lord, someone would start criticizing, and the Christian would quit. No bad testimony for anybody; but the work stopped. If you want to sicceed in God's work, you need to get tough. Endure the hardship, and continue with the Lord's work.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
How to Kill a Giant
2Sa 21:18 Now it happened afterward that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the sons of the giant.
19 Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
20 Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant.
21 So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.
22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Davis was a giant-killer. The soldiers of King Saul, however, were not. But when David became the leader, other giant-killers emerged. Other mighty men also emerged. When soldiers associated with David, they learned how to be like him. Thus, they learned how to be valiant in battle and kill giants.
Don't waste your Christian life listening to critics and excuse-makers. Find someone who is being used by God and listen to him (or her).
19 Again there was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
20 Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant.
21 So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.
22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Davis was a giant-killer. The soldiers of King Saul, however, were not. But when David became the leader, other giant-killers emerged. Other mighty men also emerged. When soldiers associated with David, they learned how to be like him. Thus, they learned how to be valiant in battle and kill giants.
Don't waste your Christian life listening to critics and excuse-makers. Find someone who is being used by God and listen to him (or her).
Monday, October 13, 2008
One Path to Success
1Sa 14:7 So his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart."
Jonathan, son of King Saul, realized that Israel could not defeat the Philistines as they sent their armies through Israel. But if Jonathan could destroy the Philistine garrison at Michmash, the base of the invaders, he could win a great victory. The problem was, he couldn't defeat the garrison at Michmash.
Knowing that God can do a miracle with anyone, Jonathan challenged his armor-bearer to go up with him to attack the garrison. We don't know the armor-bearer's name, but everyone who has ever read the Old Testament knows what he did: he followed Jonathan, and that day they won a great victory.
We have seen that God blesses humility. We have also seen that one way to obtain humility is to submit to one another. By agreeing to obey Jonathan, the armor-bearer was used by God.
Do you want to be used by God? Find someone whom God is using and help him.
Jonathan, son of King Saul, realized that Israel could not defeat the Philistines as they sent their armies through Israel. But if Jonathan could destroy the Philistine garrison at Michmash, the base of the invaders, he could win a great victory. The problem was, he couldn't defeat the garrison at Michmash.
Knowing that God can do a miracle with anyone, Jonathan challenged his armor-bearer to go up with him to attack the garrison. We don't know the armor-bearer's name, but everyone who has ever read the Old Testament knows what he did: he followed Jonathan, and that day they won a great victory.
We have seen that God blesses humility. We have also seen that one way to obtain humility is to submit to one another. By agreeing to obey Jonathan, the armor-bearer was used by God.
Do you want to be used by God? Find someone whom God is using and help him.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Stock Market
Folks, I want to interrupt this series on Being Used by God to post a letter of comfort. I used to be one of the financial writers for AOL, and I used to write the investment advice column for the Fortune 500 Company that I used to work at.
I want to send a message of comfort to my readers about the current economic crisis. I asked God why He didn't lead me to get out of the Stock Market last year, and I got an answer. I'm going to be all right, but how can I say that to someone whom God left behind when He told me to get out before the decline?
Most people in the world are too poor to own stocks, but most of my readers do. Stock market declines occur on a regular basis, and even the worst ones eventually end. Because bad news is more exciting, TV and radio like to broadcast bad news, even though there are many good things going on in the economy. The price of oil is dropping steadily, while the strength of the dollar is increasing steadily. Two months ago, $1,000 bought me 9,600 pesos. This morning it bought me 12,500 pesos.
Much of the decline was called for, but a lot of it is nothing but fear. Today (Friday, October 10) the Stock Market plunged 8% early in the day, then rallied 7% before the Market closed. Whatever else it means, it means this: much of the turmoil is due to panic and profit-taking, not to economics. Over the long term, the Market responds to economics more than to anything else.
I am re-assuring retired Christians here in Mexico that God has not abandoned them. We'll be okay, and so will you.
Adios, Vicente
I want to send a message of comfort to my readers about the current economic crisis. I asked God why He didn't lead me to get out of the Stock Market last year, and I got an answer. I'm going to be all right, but how can I say that to someone whom God left behind when He told me to get out before the decline?
Most people in the world are too poor to own stocks, but most of my readers do. Stock market declines occur on a regular basis, and even the worst ones eventually end. Because bad news is more exciting, TV and radio like to broadcast bad news, even though there are many good things going on in the economy. The price of oil is dropping steadily, while the strength of the dollar is increasing steadily. Two months ago, $1,000 bought me 9,600 pesos. This morning it bought me 12,500 pesos.
Much of the decline was called for, but a lot of it is nothing but fear. Today (Friday, October 10) the Stock Market plunged 8% early in the day, then rallied 7% before the Market closed. Whatever else it means, it means this: much of the turmoil is due to panic and profit-taking, not to economics. Over the long term, the Market responds to economics more than to anything else.
I am re-assuring retired Christians here in Mexico that God has not abandoned them. We'll be okay, and so will you.
Adios, Vicente
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Humility and Success
1 Peter 5:5 Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
Humility involves admitting that something is wrong. It also involves submitting to other Christians. Here in the Gringo Zone of Mexico, we have a few retired Christians who really do want to reach Mexicans for Christ. They are usually meeting with little or no success. Meanwhile, two churches are running a Saturday morning Sunday School that desperately needs more drivers and vehicles; but these other Christians won't help.
Helping would involve working under someone else's direction. It would mean doing work that someone else would get credit for, because the helpers aren't the leaders. It would mean that the people doing the driving wouldn't get to set the direction that the Sunday School is going.
But it would also mean getting more results than the majority of missionaries are getting. Do you want to be a success for Christ? Find someone being blessed by God, and see if you can help that person.
Humility involves admitting that something is wrong. It also involves submitting to other Christians. Here in the Gringo Zone of Mexico, we have a few retired Christians who really do want to reach Mexicans for Christ. They are usually meeting with little or no success. Meanwhile, two churches are running a Saturday morning Sunday School that desperately needs more drivers and vehicles; but these other Christians won't help.
Helping would involve working under someone else's direction. It would mean doing work that someone else would get credit for, because the helpers aren't the leaders. It would mean that the people doing the driving wouldn't get to set the direction that the Sunday School is going.
But it would also mean getting more results than the majority of missionaries are getting. Do you want to be a success for Christ? Find someone being blessed by God, and see if you can help that person.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Unsuccessful Leaders
Mt 4:19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
We have seen that a major first step in being used by God is to admit that something is wrong. Here we get more specific: if God isn't using you to bring people to Him, something is wrong.
When Christians successfully backstab their way into leadership positions, without being able to lead anyone to Christ, something is wrong. When churches have extensive committees to monitor and control everything, keeping their people busy without anyone being saved, something is wrong. When Christians proudly point out their loyalty to man-made rules and standards without anyone getting saved, something is wrong.
A major fist step in being used by God is to humble yourself by telling the truth: something is wrong.
We have seen that a major first step in being used by God is to admit that something is wrong. Here we get more specific: if God isn't using you to bring people to Him, something is wrong.
When Christians successfully backstab their way into leadership positions, without being able to lead anyone to Christ, something is wrong. When churches have extensive committees to monitor and control everything, keeping their people busy without anyone being saved, something is wrong. When Christians proudly point out their loyalty to man-made rules and standards without anyone getting saved, something is wrong.
A major fist step in being used by God is to humble yourself by telling the truth: something is wrong.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)