2002-09-24
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Before we can witness to our faith, we must prepare ourselves for this holy task to which God has called us. It goes without saying that we must repent from our sins and have faith in Christ, our Savior and Messiah. To know without a doubt that Christ has delivered us from the consequences of slavery to sin is a great blessing, one we are called to share with others. I now repeat citing EPH 4: 25-32, which deals with three crucial issues: anger, bitterness, and forgiveness. We look at this in the context of preparing ourselves to witness to our faith to others. "No more lying, then! Everyone must tell the truth to his fellow believer, because we are all member together in the Body of Christ. If you become angry, do not let you anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. Do not give the devil a chance. The man who used to rob must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for himself and to be able to help the poor. Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ."
Obviously, there is a lot contained in this passage to which we must pay careful attention. I've often written my belief that to do God's work effectively, we must make His agenda our first priority. If my experience is worth anything in this area, one finds that all his other real concerns, like the welfare of his family and friends, seem to get met when he does this. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there is a great need for the Gospel message of salvation and peace to be passed on accurately. God makes that huge point in such citations as 2 TIM 3: 16-17 and REV 22: 18-19. The bottom line is that the exact words of the Scriptures have a commissioning power, the power to bring people to the spiritual place where the Holy Spirit can bring them to faith. When changed or taken out of context by mankind, that commissioning power is broken. To make God's agenda as one's first priority, he must be willing to tell the truth in love, have the self-control not to allow anger to lead to sin, not be lazy, take responsibility for his own thoughts and actions, be unwilling to steal something that belongs to another even when sorely tempted, not allow passion to take control of his life, to be forgiving, to refuse to insult another person, and to refuse to hold grudges or remain bitter when someone or some thing disappoints him.
Just the other day, Peter and I were attending the St. Croix Valley Kennel Club dog show at the Washington County fairgrounds. I mention this event, because we look forward to being there every year. This year, we particularly wanted to see the two Cardigan Welsh Corgies that were participating. We positioned ourselves to do this when we found they would be at a difference place than we expected. Thus, we took our folding chairs and looked for a different place closer to them to sit. All of a sudden a lady spoke very rudely to me from behind as if she owned the place and could direct where we were to sit. My natural self wanted to punch her in the chops! My spiritual self kicked in, leading me to say, "Calm down. No one has any intention of bothering you." Then, we walked away, finding another place to watch the dogs we wanted to see. I've thought about this incident ever since, and realized that any arguing with this rude woman would have been disruptive to the others who were there to enjoy the dog show and would have been lost on her. If we want to be obedient to God, He will help us in situations like this. Instead, I will pray for her that some day she will realize that she is not the center of all that exists, but is really God's unruly child who is desperately in need of His love and guidance. There is so much more to discuss in this passage, that I am led to continue that discussion tomorrow. In the meanwhile, we all need to examine how we handle situations when we are angry and are tempted to sin.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come to You with a need to confess our sins, empty our spiritual vessels of human agendas, and ask the Holy Spirit to fill them. Repeatedly, You have proven that when we do this, You will help us in difficult situations where we are tempted to sin. We know that Satan has laid his land mines all around us, and that we must use the discernment we get from You to make our way around them. PS 31: 3-5, You are my Refuge and Defense; guide me and lead me as You have promised. Keep me safe from the snare that has been set for me; shelter me from danger. I place myself in Your care. You will save me, Lord; You are a faithful God." Dearest Abba, You are to be praised for the wisdom of Your guidance, the goodness of Your heart, and the loving God that You are. PS 36: 7-9, "How precious, O God, is Your constant love! We find protection under the shadow of Your wings. We feast on the abundant food You provide; You let us drink from the river of Your goodness. You are the Source of all life, and because of Your light we see the light." The food You provide is not just physical food; it is food for our spirits. Your goodness is never-ending. How blessed we are that we can count on You. Now, we acknowledge that You are also counting on us to be trusting and obedient. That way Your work can be accomplished and Your dream of having as many of us as possible with You in heaven for eternity can be realized. PS 46: 1, "You are our Refuge and our Defense, a clear and present Help in times of trouble." You have told us to, "Be still and know that I am God" [PS 46: 10]. That was not to brag or bring us to destructive submission. Instead, that was to tell us we should trust You and know Who You are. We should acknowledge Your superior power and believe that You have equipped us to be victorious over Satan in Christ's name. You have no evil in You, and therefore, we are mightily blessed by having You in our lives and faith in Your Son. PS 66: 1-4 expresses the contents of our hearts. "Praise God with shouts of joy, all people! Sing to the glory of His name; offer Him glorious praise! Say to God, 'How wonderful are the things You do! Your power is so great that Your enemies bow down in fear before You. Everyone on earth worships You; they sing praises to You, they sing praise to Your name.'" We listen intently for Your commands, O Lord, and ready ourselves to serve You as witnesses, according to Your will. Our goal to use Your guidance to prepare ourselves for this service. In Christ's name, amen.
Our prayer today is longer than usual for an important reason. We need to spend the time with God, listening to His direction, so we can effectively prepare ourselves for what He is asking us to do. What we learn in EPH 4: 25-32 will be the topic of tomorrow's message. We must understand that we don't have to be teachers, pastors, or leaders to witness effectively about our faith. We can witness within the circumstances of our lives. Even the quiet ones, the mentally impaired ones, and the ones who have convinced themselves that witnessing is not their calling are loved equally with other believers. The example that one sets before God in his life can be a huge witness to his faith. God loves each of us unconditionally and profoundly. We are truly a blessed people. Our responsibility is to listen for God's commands and carry them out in His time and way, even if it is challenging for us. God knows best why He asks us to do things we didn't think we could do at times that seem inconvenient to us. He doesn't want us to be complacent; instead, He loves us enough to want us to grow in our faithfulness and obedient trust in Him. It's what is best for us and best for Him. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn