No guarantee of success
Isaiah 6: …they won’t have a clue about what is going on…so they won’t turn around and be made whole….
Isaiah’s commission is powerful and associated with a vision of God’s holiness. The prophet is personally transformed by the grace of God and heās ready to “go” for the Lord. However, the next thing the Lord tells Isaiah must be very difficult to swallow. In spite of his being a man with “lips touched with a coal from off the altar” his ministry wonāt bear fruit. I know it takes commitment to step forward and say “send me” but how much more to go on this mission with the promise of failure. The Lord says that the people Isaiah goes to minister to will not respond. Why the Lord tells Isaiah this is a mystery to me. Why not just send him on without telling him of the failure to come? I have no answer. However, I do see one important thing here: I belong to the Lord and I have to leave the results of my ministry in his hands. For Isaiah the important thing is “going” — being faithful. Thatās how it is for all of us who serve him.
Take Away: Weāre called to obedient faithfulness. The results we leave in the hands of the Lord.
Tag: ministry
Devotional on Proverbs
Giving my best, depending on a dependable God
Proverbs 21: Do your best, prepare for the worst — then trust God to bring victory.
At one time Jesus is ministering to thousands of people in a remote place. As the day turns to evening some of the disciples think Jesus ought to dismiss the people so they can go home and get something to eat. Jesus replies, “You give them something to eat.” How often do I see a need and then go to the Lord with instructions I think he ought to follow to meet that need? How often does God respond with, “You do it”? My first instinct is to reply, “Well, Lord, you know this is more than I can do, so itās up to you. I’ll just go find a comfortable spot and watch you in action.” Thatās never what the Lord wants me to do. When I see a need, this proverb instructs me to think and plan and make the effort to deal with it. However, at the same time, Iām to keep my eyes on him. In the incident from our Lord’s ministry, itās actually Jesus who provides the food while the disciples are simply given the responsibility of distributing it. In light of this proverb, Iām reminded that the Lord expects me to get involved and give my best to the situation. At the same time though, Iām to remember that if Iām going to make a real difference I need to depend on a dependable God.
Take Away: The Lord expects us to get involved in meeting the needs I see.
Devotional on Joel
Preaching on current events
Joel 1: Have you ever heard of anything like this?
There have been a few times when my Sunday sermon was 100% driven by current events. Some were huge, world shaking events like 9/11, hurricane Katrina, and Desert Storm. Others were powerful events on the more local level: the church gym being destroyed by fire or the death of a beloved member of the church. There are times when the preacher has to lay aside the sermon schedule and deal with what’s already on the minds of everyone. The prophet Joel ministers in such a time. A horrible plague of locusts has swept through the country devouring everything in its path. This is a disaster. Their crops are gone and there’s nothing to eat or with which to feed their livestock. Hunger and even starvation is a real danger. Realizing God has the attention of everyone Joel takes the situation at hand as his text and begins preaching his sermon. That sermon is the three chapter book of Joel.
Take Away: A sermon schedule canāt be driven by current happenings, but sometimes thatās exactly as it should be.
Devotional on Amos
Godās call
Amos 7: I never set up to be a preacher, never had plans to be a preacher.
Amos starts out as an unknown, coming out of the fields near a small town to proclaim Godās message. His sermons are rough and tumble, filled with condemnation. They’re also specific: Amos names names. Now, heās gotten the attention of some people who they donāt like what theyāre hearing. In fact, they see his warning that a pagan army will āmake hash of youā to be a threat to national security. One of the important priests, Amaziah, sends word to king Jeroboam that thereās a traitor in their midst who’s sowing seeds of fear. Amaziah then confronts Amos. He wants this farmer to go back to where he came from and do his preaching in that backwater place. The context of this confrontation is that Amaziah thinks Amos is just in it for the money and notoriety heās getting and that heās come to Bethel with his preaching show for more of the same. Amos stands up to the powerful priest and declares that he had no desire to preach in the first place. Unlike Amaziah, Amos has no family tree of ancestors who are clergy. Heās a mere farmer who’s heard from God and has been told to proclaim Godās message. To this day the Lord is still sending people into the ministry. Some of us heard that call while we were still young children. Others battled with it as teens, and still others, like Amos, were established in their lives and, in response to the call embarked on a whole new career. Amos is a poster child for all who are called by God, but heās especially an example of how God sometimes calls adults who must walk away from one life and obey God in another.
Take Away: To this day the Lord is still sending people into the ministry.
Devotional on Zechariah
The church calendar of events
Zechariah 7: You’re interested in religion, I’m interested in you.
For seventy years the people of Israel have observed an annual day of mourning in remembrance of the fall of Jerusalem. Now, God’s promise of restoration has been fulfilled and many have returned to their homeland. A delegation of Jews arrives to ask whether or not that day of mourning should be continued. A committee is formed to make a decision and Zechariah has a word from the Lord for them. The Almighty says that the annual observance wasn’t for his sake but for theirs. If they want to look to the past, they need to look to the unchanging message of God’s messengers through the years. When all’s said and done, the Lord tells them, its people and not God who get all worked up over religious traditions. His concern is for people and not about annual fasts and feasts. That, my friends, is a terrific reminder for church folks. Having annual events isnāt a bad thing but it’s not the main thing. God cares about people. The Lordās all for it if a yearly homecoming celebration helps us minister to people. If it’s an inward-focused, remembering-the-good-old-days event, well, the Lord sees it as a waste of time. How we go about doing church matters to God, but his concerns are often considerably different than are ours.
Take Away: The Lord cares about people a lot more than he cares about our church calendars.
Devotional on Mark
The best laid plans…
Mark 6: Letās take a break and get a little rest.
These are busy days for Jesus and his disciples. Theyāve just returned from preaching/healing expeditions. The possessed have been set free, the sick have been healed, and the Good News has been proclaimed. Upon their return, Jesus calls a time out for a retreat of sorts. They head for a wilderness spot where he can debrief them and they can be refreshed. In this case it doesnāt work out. People find out where theyāre going and thereās a big, needy, crowd waiting for them when they arrive. Jesusā heart is stirred by their need and he abandons the retreat idea in favor of ministering to these poor, lost sheep. I know, first hand, of the need to unplug and get away from the day to day responsibilities of life. In my case, as a pastor, I guess I get just a very small taste of what it is that has zapped the energy of the disciples in this incident. However, I think the concern is similar for just about everyone who goes out to face the world each day. Thereās a time for unplugging from the stuff of everyday and letting body, soul, and spirit be refreshed. Still, in light of the entirety of this passage, Iām also reminded that when I love people and have a chance to minister to their need Iām to respond as best Iām able. In this situation, the opportunity to minister to people trumps the desire of Jesus that the disciples get some rest. Life is a balancing act. Here we see Jesus changing his priorities because heās presented with a great need and opportunity.
Take Away: If weāre to properly represent Jesus in this world we have to remain flexible and responsive to opportunities that come our way.
Devotional on Acts
Giving credit where credit is due
Acts 3: Faith and nothing but faith put this man healed and whole right before your eyes.
Peter and John are on their way to a prayer meeting when they encounter a pitiful lame man at the Temple gate. Peter has no money but he does have faith in Jesusā power to heal. By that faith the man is wonderfully healed. This healing causes quite a commotion and a crowd gathers. Itās now that Peter brings a quick sermon giving Jesus all the glory for the healing and calling on his listeners to put their faith in this Jesus who makes a real difference in peopleās lives. As I watch all this unfold I canāt help but wonder how good a job I do of giving Jesus the credit. Hereās what I think: Christians do a wonderful job of giving the Lord credit for organized, intentional ministries. We make sure that people helped through official channels know that weāre ministering to them in Jesusā name. On the other hand, I donāt think we do a very good job when we minister in unofficial ways. I fear that often people just think weāre nice folks because we take it for granted that they know weāre acting as representatives of Jesus. We need to develop a better strategy along these lines. I need to come up with a line to say when, for instance, I stop to help my neighbor carry some bit of heavy trash to the curb for pickup. When he says āthanksā I need to be ready to say something about my being a follower of Jesus and I just try to do stuff I think heād do. It may not always be appropriate and itās probably not a time for me to preach a sermon like Peter does in this passage, but then again, helping carry a worn out clothes dryer to the curb isnāt as big a deal as healing someone like he did.
Take Away: Christians need a strategy for giving Jesus the credit for simple acts of kindness they do it his name.
Devotional on Acts
Pastors and their congregations
Acts 6: Choose seven men from among you whom everyone trusts.
One of the growth pains of the infant church has to do with the distribution of resources among the churchās own needy. Some women, apparently due to a language barrier, arenāt getting a fair share of the food the church is providing. The disciples realize that this is an important concern and willingly share the leadership responsibilities with seven non-apostles. The result is that the disciples are able to focus on their role in the church while sharing some responsibilities with those who have gifts for that purpose. The needs of the people are met and the church continues to advance. As a pastor Iāve read this account again and again trying to understand it in light of the current pastor/congregation scheme thatās generally in place. Iāve tried to translate it into the 21st century average Protestant church with an average attendance of 70 to 100. On one hand, I realize that the church of Acts now numbers in the thousands. Even if the disciples try to handle it all it simply canāt be. The question that comes to mind is, is that the only reason for the addition of non-clergy leadership? I think that a lot of church people think so. In their smaller situations theyāre very pastor-centric. They want the pastor to be the one who visits them when theyāre sick and who makes regular nursing home visits. They expect the pastor to attend every committee meeting and to pray every public prayer. Then, if the church grows, theyāll take care of things by hiring an assistant pastor. I canāt help but think this is mistaken because I have the idea that the division of leadership in the Acts church isnāt all about size and work load. Rather, I believe the leadership and ministry opportunities need to be shared because itās healthier for the church. Had the disciples been perfectly capable of caring for the widows while handling the preaching and teaching responsibilities, I still think they would have done, under the Spiritās leadership, just what they did. Some church people need to find a place of ministry and plug in, not always looking to the pastor to do it all. Some pastors need to quit hogging all the ministry opportunities and give others a chance.
Take Away: The Lord didnāt come to be served, but to serve and we arenāt his followers unless we follow him into lives of service of others.
Devotional on Acts
Taking care of Godās people
Acts 20: Godās people they are…God himself thought they were worth dying for.
As did Jesus several years earlier, now Paul āsets his face toward Jerusalemā knowing that his arrival there will result in hardship. To speed his journey the Apostle doesnāt go back into Ephesus but, instead, sends word to the church leaders to meet him in Miletus, located about fifty miles south of Ephesus. Here he has an emotional meeting with his dear friends and co-workers. He charges them to guard and protect Godās people in Ephesus, reminding them that āGod himself thought they were worth dying for.ā Even as this great Apostle is going to go through trials so will this great church. As I study this passage I canāt help but think of the role of the ministry. Paul, I see, isnāt worried about the organization and program of the church. He doesnāt urge the leaders to focus on current worship trends or new technology. Rather, he reminds them that theyāre to guard and protect the āsheepā placed under their watch care. Theyāre to value Godās people as God, himself, values them. Happily, Paul has good news for these leaders of Ephesus and for church leaders across the ages. He tells them that God ācan make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.ā The work of the ministry includes guarding and protecting Godās people from false teaching. The power for accomplishing that task comes from a gracious God who works in our lives, giving us everything we need to successfully do the work to which weāre called.
Take Away: The Lord not only calls people to spiritual leadership, he also empowers them for that task.
Devotional on Romans
The Holy Spirit working through me
Romans 15: The wondrously powerful and transformingly present words and deeds of Christ in me.
Adventures, Paulās had some! Heās pioneered the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the region. Heās been at the forefront of a tidal wave of the work of the Holy Spirit and, because of that, heās not only taken plenty of hits, heās also seen first-hand just what God can do. Paul, though, is quite humble about all that. He doesnāt glorify himself. Rather, he gives glory to the Lord for it all. At times, even though heās in the middle of it all heās found himself more bystander than participant as something āwondrously powerfulā happens. Paul understands that it isnāt his cleverness or winning personality thatās ātriggered a believing response.ā The message about Christ is actually delivered by Christ, through Paul. I wish I had a better handle on this. So often I find myself behaving as though itās all about my performance. I let myself become so focused on how Iām doing that I forget that, actually, Iām not required to do much at all. The Lord wants me to place my full weight of trust on him and allow him to minister through me. My cooperation is required and the Lord will use my personality, education, etc. along the way, but itās all powered by his Holy Spirit and not by me. There are times when Paul is amazed at the response to his ministry. As I cooperate with the Lord, I, too, will be surprised as lives are touched as the Lord ministers to people through me. Letās not be guilty of underestimating the ability of the Lord to minister through us.
Take Away: As we cooperate with the Lord he does amazing things through us that surprise us as much as anyone else.
Devotional on 1 Corinthians
You get what you pay for
1Corinthians 9: We who are on missionary assignments for God have a right to decent accommodations.
Frankly, the church at Corinth is every pastorās nightmare. Thereās sin in the church and the church has a bad reputation in the city. There are factions wrestling for control and leadership that isnāt leading, at least in any positive direction. Some, apparently, are questioning Paulās authority, pointing out that he was there as a volunteer and in no official capacity. The Apostle claims his authority over them as one who has a personal commission from Christ. He concedes that he never accepted salary from them, but contends that if he had done that, it would have been his right. He reminds them thatās itās a biblical principle that those who serve ought to be paid for their service. Now, in a strange twist, the fact that Paul served them without pay during his time with them is being used by some as reason to discount his ministry. Itās a no-win situation for Paul. If he had he accepted salary from them theyād have felt they owned him. Now since he didnāt accept salary they question his authority over them. The Apostle makes the best of it, reminding them that at least they canāt accuse him of just being in it for the money. Probably the best take-away here is that those who serve have every reason to expect financial support for doing so. At the same time though, thereās a time and place to just give away our service of the Lord. To some extent this sets us free from the domination and expectations of those we serve.
Take Away: A worker is worth his or her hire ā at the same time, sometimes itās best to just give our work away for the sake of Christ.
Devotional on Ephesians
In over my head
Ephesians 3: So here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head.
It was hidden in plain view. Throughout the ages the Lord God has intended to save all people. Some considered to be insiders are no more āinsideā than those assumed to be outside the saving work of God. It was always there, easy enough to see, but missed by most. Now, the secret is out and throughout the Gentile world people are responding to the way made clear by the work of Jesus, the Son of God. The Apostle Paul is amazed to find himself in the middle of things. He, more than most anyone, had been blind to Godās intention, at one point actively fighting against it. In fact, Paul has been twice surprised: first, by the fact that all along God intended to save all who will come and second, by the fact that he, Paul, has a role to play in the revelation of this plan. The Apostle considers himself to be, of all people, an especially unlikely candidate. Still he finds himself uniquely equipped for the work, with words and ministry flowing out of his life. He knows that the Source of all this isnāt in him at all, but, rather, is the result of Godās doing through him what he could never do otherwise. Paulās experience is, of course, extraordinary and a person who wants to lay claim on any similarities had better tread carefully. Still, itās important for preachers and teachers and professors to get their heads around this. On one hand, believing God has chosen us and uses us in surprising ways lends us a sense of spiritual authority and self-assurance in our service of the Lord. On the other hand, knowing that none of it actually comes from us grounds us in real humility. Otherwise, we end up thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, and the possibility of our ministry being used of God is greatly diluted.
Take Away: When God calls and uses a person that person must never lose sight of the fact that their usefulness is the Lordās doing and not theirs.
Devotional on 1 Timothy
The social ministry of the church
1Timothy 5: Take care of widows who are destitute.
Itās a different culture and time so I need to be careful to find principles rather than try to apply specifics to passages like this. Paul instructs Timothy, first of all, to differentiate between younger widows, widows with family, and, what he calls ālegitimate widows.ā He thinks itās best for younger widows to marry and get on with life. Families of widows are to take care of their own and not expect the church to do their job for them. However, the destitute widow, without means or family, is the responsibility of the church. Again, I need to look for principles here and not get mired down in specifics. For instance, family responsibility trumps church responsibility. Also, if my need can be handled through āmore conventionalā means, Iām to follow that route first. The church, I understand, has responsibilities to care for its people but itās not to be the first solution. Paul gives Timothy a written policy to be followed here. If itās followed, the energies and resources of the church wonāt be hijacked by concerns that are best addressed elsewhere. On one hand, then, I have a fairly straightforward principle here. On the other hand, I have to admit that the practical application is quite challenging.
Take Away: The church has a role to play in social issues, but it generally isnāt the primary support organization.
Devotional on 2 Timothy
Ultimately only one thing matters
2Timothy 4: But you ā keep your eye on what youāre doing.
The Apostle has been around and he knows the score. Heās had people he counted on let him down. Some couldnāt help it. Sickness and other circumstances beyond their control have thrown a monkey wrench into their commitment to him. Others could help it but failed anyway, getting caught up in some religious fad or simply finding the going too hard. Timothy needs to be aware of all this. At times, people who should know better will want him to ease up on proclaiming the ātake up your cross dailyā aspect of the gospel message. Something else will catch their eye and theyāll want him to focus on that instead. Paul, who knows what heās talking about urges this young pastor to ākeep your eye on what youāre doing.ā More than being a pastor who wants to get along with people, heās āGodās servant.ā Ultimately, what the congregation thinks is secondary to what God thinks. Even as Paul looks forward to receiving the Lordās approval he wants Timothy, and all of us, to keep this ultimate truth in mind. From my point of view, I want to please those who call me āpastor.ā I donāt want to disappoint them or to bore them with sermons that are somewhat less than timely. However, in the end, thereās only one word of approval that matters. I know you know that this is true for pastors and for everyone else too.
Take Away: We have only one Master and pleasing him is, ultimately, the only thing that really matters.
Devotional on 1 Peter
Pulpit committee
1Peter 5: I have a special concern for you church leaders.
A church is without a pastor and the search is on to fill that vacancy. The pulpit committee has a list of pastoral qualifications and theyāre sifting through applicants. They want an experienced pastor who still has children at home. The new pastor needs to be a good preacher, but who’s also a people person who’ll get along well with the diverse congregation. Itās not a bad idea to have such a list but Peterās qualifications for church leaders ought to be prominently in the mix. He urges pastors to see themselves as shepherds who are dedicated to caring for Godās flock. He expects them to be servants who arenāt always trying to figure out ways to get more money or leverage over the congregation. He wants them to be tender in spirit and be good examples for Godās people. It would be nice to have a pastor with the right mix of youth and maturity, who is studious in sermon preparation but is also a people person. Still, I canāt help but think Peterās criteria trumps all the above. A church with such a pastor is blessed indeed.
Take Away: Ultimately the Lordās list of pastoral qualifications is the one that makes the most sense.
Devotional on Numbers
Talking to rocks
Numbers 20: Speak to the rockā¦do we have to bring water out of this rock for youā¦slammed his staff against the rock.
Weāre familiar with most of the big events in the life of Moses. We know about the bulrushes, the burning bush, the plagues, the Red Sea crossing, and Mount Sinai. Sadly, when the story of Moses is told his failure at Meribah has to be included. This is the blot on his life and, later on, this is what disqualifies him from entering the Promised Land. On the surface it seems like a minor infraction. God says to him, “Speak to the rock” and, instead, he “hits the rock.” As I read this and see the seriousness of God’s response I immediately think that there has to be more. I think the “more” is what Moses says before he strikes the rock. Moses’ leadership has been challenged before and each time heās responded by pointing the people to the Lord. Moses’ entire case for leadership, his credentials, is that heās God’s man. In this case as his leadership is being once again challenged, he takes matters into his own hands. He doesn’t say, “Listen, rebels! Watch what the Lord is going to do for you.” Instead, he says, “Listen, rebels! Do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?” The difference is profound. Instead of God getting the credit, Moses and Aaron are taking it. Remember, this is not the mistake of a young person in their first pastoral assignment. This is an intentional shifting of emphasis by a seasoned man of God whoās had many personal encounters with the Lord. God takes this intentional failure seriously. We see here that God expects gifted leaders to remember the source of their authority, to remember that they are stewards of his, and that theyāre expected to always serve with that in mind. To do otherwise mars an otherwise exemplary ministry.
Take Away: The longer we walk with the Lord the more he expects of us.
Devotional on Job
A longing look back
Job 30: How I long for the good old days.
Job’s longest speech comes after his three friends have had their say. His comments range from direct replies to their statements to his view of the world and the inequities he sees in it. A portion of these thoughts are focused on how things have changed for him. There was a time, he remembers, when he was wonderfully blessed by the Lord, and, he says, “Everything was going my way.” Job handled these blessings well. Instead of it all going to his head, he became a friend to those who were going through loss or who needed help along the way. Those were good days, but remembering them isnāt a source of comfort to Job. Instead, the memories add to his pain as he realizes heās lost more than wealth and health. As I read Job’s story I note that loss comes in a wide variety of forms. Job is unique because he lost it all at once, but itās painful to have even a small portion stripped away. That includes loss of influence, which often comes with the passing of years. Those who have given their lives in full time ministry arenāt exempt from this. The day comes when our ideas are no longer sought after and younger voices dominate the conversation about what God is doing “now.” Like Job, itās natural to “long for the good old days.”
Take Away: As time passes so does our influence. Itās possible to graciously accept that and to simply go on, trusting the Lord with that which is beyond our influence.