All Christians are in love with the idea of serving Jesus. He has done so much for us, how could we not want to do so much for him? The problem happens when he takes us at our word. It is like when someone tells me that they want to help but then they tell me what they are not willing to do. A real offer to help is to help with what I need to have done, not what they perceive I need done.
When we tell Jesus we want to serve him it is never to be according to what we are willing to do but what Jesus needs us to do. To serve is our choice but what gets assigned to us is the Lord's choice. This is what causes the conflict, when the Lord's needs do not match our expectations. That is when we begin to resist Jesus. We see an example of what we do almost daily in an incident with Peter.
Jesus was demonstrating a potent lesson in the type of leaders he had trained them to be, but Peter did not understand:
He came to Simon Peter, who asked Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” (John 13:6)
Peter's idea of leadership did not match up with what Jesus was demonstrating. He had a fixed idea of what power looked like and how a king should behave, yet here was their king washing their feet?
Jesus answered him, “What I’m doing you don’t understand now, but afterward you will know.” (v. 7)
I am sure this is how Jesus responds to us most of the time. Many lessons we face cannot be understood in the moment because we have not yet gained a mature perspective. This is why we trust Jesus. We may not understand today but a day will come when we will understand the purpose. It is enough to trust that he loves us and desires the best for us. Yet, we react like Peter:
“You will never wash my feet—ever!” Peter said. (v. 8)
There are so many things that we refuse to do, so many directions we refuse to take, so many words we refuse to speak because we do not understand. We want to do what we are comfortable with, what we are familiar with, what we understand. But our service to Jesus has many purposes. He uses our service to bring blessings to others. He takes great joy out of fellowship with us in our service. And, he grows us, maturing us in the process of our service. For this reason he calls us to serve where we can't rely on our own strength and have to draw closer to him to receive his strength.
If your desire is to grow into the full measure of Jesus, stop resisting him. Stop saying never. Stop the wrestling. Trust is the cornerstone of our relationship with Jesus and without it we cannot serve him. So let's put away the pretty sentiment and get down to work. He has called you to something beyond your ability. Trust him and step into it. Serve him well.
Showing posts with label willingness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label willingness. Show all posts
Monday, June 23, 2014
Friday, February 7, 2014
Have You Wandered What Training You Need To Serve Jesus?
It appears to me at times that we fail to rise up on the occasion of Jesus' calling because we believe we have to be equipped to respond. I admire anyone who wants to better themselves, who wish to gain greater knowledge, who explore beyond their tiny sphere but it is not a prerequisite for answering the call. We really need to somehow get it through our thick heads that our Lord needs nothing from us but our obedience.
Do we really believe that we have anything to offer our God, the Creator of all things, the governor of all things, the one who holds all of creation in the palm of his hand? Do we really believe he lacks something that we have? Have we read the Scriptures? Do we not know who he is? He does not need our riches, influence, talents, possessions or anything else, and if he doesn't need them then we don't need to have them to respond to his call. Consider Gideon again for just a moment. What were the words of the angel?
Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? (Judges 6:14)
He didn't send Gideon to military school. He did not have him go and train. In fact, the army that rallied around Gideon Yahweh reduced to a tiny fraction. He told him to go in the strength that he had. Do you not think he was making a point here? Not by sword or shield, not by intellect or muscle, but by the strength of the Lord. Now consider David as a youth.
We all know the story: the mighty warrior Goliath was taunting the army of the LORD and David responded. King Saul was not really sure what to think of the matter but the fact he was willing to allow an untrained youth to go against a seasoned warrior tells you of his desperation. Now give some credit to the king, he lent David his armour and weapons, probably the best in all of Israel. The thing is, even the best instrument in the hands of an untrained user is useless.
I am a musician and have trained for decades. If I handed you a trombone you could make some noise with it but no one would call it music. Maybe you are a trained dancer but if you gave me the floor and told me to dance I would not have the ability. I could move and keep the rhythm because I am a musician but most people would not consider it dancing. So consider David's response:
So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. (1 Samuel 17:38-39)
David was willing to do what he was prompted to do by the LORD but he was not going to pretend to be something he wasn't. He was a shepherd and he was going to use the tools that were familiar to him:
Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. (v. 40)
After the defeat of this seasoned warrior David gained skills but here he offered up the only thing the LORD was looking for, an obedient heart. Even after gaining skills to be a better warrior Yahweh still only required an obedient heart from him.
This obedient heart is all you need to serve the LORD. When he has called you he will equip you. All he asks you to do right now is to go in the strength that you have. When he prompts you to action don't make the excuses of Moses but instead say, "Here I am Lord, send me". An obedient willingness is all he requires.
Remember this, that as the Spirit provokes you to action, bend your heart to his will, be strong and courageous, vanquish fear and discouragement, and know that the LORD is with you. He is your sword and shield. He is the words that you find in your mouth. He is the healing that flows from your hands. He is the courage and boldness that fills your heart. He is the wisdom that guides your feet. He is the compassion and mercy that is shown in your actions. He is all, everything that we need. And he has told us to go in the strength that we have, in the Spirit; so let's go.
Do we really believe that we have anything to offer our God, the Creator of all things, the governor of all things, the one who holds all of creation in the palm of his hand? Do we really believe he lacks something that we have? Have we read the Scriptures? Do we not know who he is? He does not need our riches, influence, talents, possessions or anything else, and if he doesn't need them then we don't need to have them to respond to his call. Consider Gideon again for just a moment. What were the words of the angel?
Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? (Judges 6:14)
He didn't send Gideon to military school. He did not have him go and train. In fact, the army that rallied around Gideon Yahweh reduced to a tiny fraction. He told him to go in the strength that he had. Do you not think he was making a point here? Not by sword or shield, not by intellect or muscle, but by the strength of the Lord. Now consider David as a youth.
We all know the story: the mighty warrior Goliath was taunting the army of the LORD and David responded. King Saul was not really sure what to think of the matter but the fact he was willing to allow an untrained youth to go against a seasoned warrior tells you of his desperation. Now give some credit to the king, he lent David his armour and weapons, probably the best in all of Israel. The thing is, even the best instrument in the hands of an untrained user is useless.
I am a musician and have trained for decades. If I handed you a trombone you could make some noise with it but no one would call it music. Maybe you are a trained dancer but if you gave me the floor and told me to dance I would not have the ability. I could move and keep the rhythm because I am a musician but most people would not consider it dancing. So consider David's response:
So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. (1 Samuel 17:38-39)
David was willing to do what he was prompted to do by the LORD but he was not going to pretend to be something he wasn't. He was a shepherd and he was going to use the tools that were familiar to him:
Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. (v. 40)
After the defeat of this seasoned warrior David gained skills but here he offered up the only thing the LORD was looking for, an obedient heart. Even after gaining skills to be a better warrior Yahweh still only required an obedient heart from him.
This obedient heart is all you need to serve the LORD. When he has called you he will equip you. All he asks you to do right now is to go in the strength that you have. When he prompts you to action don't make the excuses of Moses but instead say, "Here I am Lord, send me". An obedient willingness is all he requires.
Remember this, that as the Spirit provokes you to action, bend your heart to his will, be strong and courageous, vanquish fear and discouragement, and know that the LORD is with you. He is your sword and shield. He is the words that you find in your mouth. He is the healing that flows from your hands. He is the courage and boldness that fills your heart. He is the wisdom that guides your feet. He is the compassion and mercy that is shown in your actions. He is all, everything that we need. And he has told us to go in the strength that we have, in the Spirit; so let's go.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Why Doesn't God Heal Everyone?
I get a lot of people asking me why God doesn't heal everyone and my answer is not always accepted. It is not a matter of God not wanting to heal everyone, because he does, the problem is we don't think he wants to heal everyone. As crazy as it sounds there is a great lack of faith and understanding in this area. But I do want to clarify my point concerning this matter because such a stand can alienate a number of people who have a great deal of faith in other matters of living.
First of all, our physical condition is not God's primary concern. Ouch. Our Father's first priority is to prepare us for eternity because, face it, eternity is much longer than the few short years we have here. He is more concerned about our heart condition, the shape of our soul, the relationship we have with Jesus. When Jesus stepped into the public light and became anointed with the Spirit, his priority was not healing but the casting out of demons and the preaching of the Good News. When his twelve disciples came back from an outing he sent them on, and they were all excited because they had healed people and cast out demons, Jesus told them to be more excited about their names being written in the Lamb's Book Of Life. When the paralyzed man was lowered down through the roof to get to Jesus, Jesus' first reaction was not to heal him but to forgive his sins. Healing came after.
Yet, Jesus could not walk through the cesspool of humanity without being moved by man's condition, both spiritually and physically. He taught to open our eyes, but he healed out of simple compassion. God loves us. He cares deeply about us. His priority for us is eternity but he is stilled moved by the condition we live in, the diseases that attack us. So Jesus equipped his people to continue to act in compassion, to do what he did, to reach out in love, to bring relief to a suffering humanity. Look at his compassion. It is everywhere you read in the gospels, it became a big part of what Jesus did.
So why doesn't God heal everyone? people ask. In compassion I believe God is willing to heal everyone, but not everyone is willing to accept it. Believe it or not, it is possible to refuse things from God. It is possible to say no to God. We can do it without even realizing we are doing it. We do it with the simplest thought of doubt. If we can refuse the greater blessing of salvation then it is a simple matter of turning away the blessing of healing. Just as it requires faith to accept Jesus and receive salvation, it requires faith to be healed. The thing is, I don't think the probably is needing to be convinced God heals but instead that God loves us.
Most people miss out on the many blessings of God because they are not convinced that these blessings are meant for them. They feel, knowingly or unknowingly, that there is something about them that disqualifies them from God's love. They believe God loves everyone else but not them; that they are not deserving of that love. Ha! The cold hard fact is that none of us are deserving of his love, but that hasn't stopped him from loving every single person on the planet, regardless of their actions. He loves us and Jesus dying in our place is proof of that, but until we are absolutely convinced of this love, and understand the completeness of this love; I mean the absolute completeness of it; we will continue to refuse certain blessings God wants us to have.
His priority is eternity for us but if he has given us his very best, does it not make sense that he will not refuse us any good thing? God is not roaming around to see who he can heal because he is occupied with our eternity. Jesus did not walk around looking for people to heal, but when he was asked to heal he said he was willing and acted upon his compassion. If we ask, knowing that he is willing, then we will see him act in compassion. I am not saying people lack faith necessarily but it is more a lack of understanding of God's compassion and his willingness. He has even empowered us to be vessels of healing. We need to discover more about his heart by descending deeper into his love.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
First of all, our physical condition is not God's primary concern. Ouch. Our Father's first priority is to prepare us for eternity because, face it, eternity is much longer than the few short years we have here. He is more concerned about our heart condition, the shape of our soul, the relationship we have with Jesus. When Jesus stepped into the public light and became anointed with the Spirit, his priority was not healing but the casting out of demons and the preaching of the Good News. When his twelve disciples came back from an outing he sent them on, and they were all excited because they had healed people and cast out demons, Jesus told them to be more excited about their names being written in the Lamb's Book Of Life. When the paralyzed man was lowered down through the roof to get to Jesus, Jesus' first reaction was not to heal him but to forgive his sins. Healing came after.
Yet, Jesus could not walk through the cesspool of humanity without being moved by man's condition, both spiritually and physically. He taught to open our eyes, but he healed out of simple compassion. God loves us. He cares deeply about us. His priority for us is eternity but he is stilled moved by the condition we live in, the diseases that attack us. So Jesus equipped his people to continue to act in compassion, to do what he did, to reach out in love, to bring relief to a suffering humanity. Look at his compassion. It is everywhere you read in the gospels, it became a big part of what Jesus did.
So why doesn't God heal everyone? people ask. In compassion I believe God is willing to heal everyone, but not everyone is willing to accept it. Believe it or not, it is possible to refuse things from God. It is possible to say no to God. We can do it without even realizing we are doing it. We do it with the simplest thought of doubt. If we can refuse the greater blessing of salvation then it is a simple matter of turning away the blessing of healing. Just as it requires faith to accept Jesus and receive salvation, it requires faith to be healed. The thing is, I don't think the probably is needing to be convinced God heals but instead that God loves us.
Most people miss out on the many blessings of God because they are not convinced that these blessings are meant for them. They feel, knowingly or unknowingly, that there is something about them that disqualifies them from God's love. They believe God loves everyone else but not them; that they are not deserving of that love. Ha! The cold hard fact is that none of us are deserving of his love, but that hasn't stopped him from loving every single person on the planet, regardless of their actions. He loves us and Jesus dying in our place is proof of that, but until we are absolutely convinced of this love, and understand the completeness of this love; I mean the absolute completeness of it; we will continue to refuse certain blessings God wants us to have.
His priority is eternity for us but if he has given us his very best, does it not make sense that he will not refuse us any good thing? God is not roaming around to see who he can heal because he is occupied with our eternity. Jesus did not walk around looking for people to heal, but when he was asked to heal he said he was willing and acted upon his compassion. If we ask, knowing that he is willing, then we will see him act in compassion. I am not saying people lack faith necessarily but it is more a lack of understanding of God's compassion and his willingness. He has even empowered us to be vessels of healing. We need to discover more about his heart by descending deeper into his love.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:16-21)
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