Sitting at His Feet (part two)

The demon-possessed man begs Jesus to be able to travel with Him, and Jesus says, “No.” How difficult it would have been to hear this! I offer to leave everything I’ve ever known to be with Jesus, and He tells me no?! But listen to what Jesus said: “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you” (Luke 8:39).

In essence, Jesus tells him to go back to the city where people had known him at his worst, seen his shame, seen him completely crazed and exposed, and tell them about Jesus. Because this was the place he would have the greatest impact for Christ. These people had already seen the change in him, and they were afraid. Jesus wanted him to stay and proclaim the Truth.

It’s not so important, whether we go or stay. What is important is that we’re listening for God’s direction and following Him – willingly and completely. Is there any area in your life where you are heading away from Him? Are there any commands of His that you aren’t obeying? Be intentional about the time you spend in His presence. Like the demon-possessed man who was healed, sit at His feet and listen to what He has to say. 

• Take a few minutes simply to sit in His presence.
• How do you usually respond when you hear “no” to something you want a “yes” to?
• Read John 4:1-26. How does Jesus interact with this woman? What does that tell us about the way He interacts with us?
• Read John 4:28-30, 39-42. How did the woman testify about Jesus?
• Ask God to share His heart with you.

Sitting at His Feet (part one)

*To help put this into context, the message this weekend (for which these devotions were written) includes an interview with a man in our congregation who is answering the call to become a missionary to the people of Papua New Guinea.

We hear a message like this and feel “something” calling us to leave everything we have to go and serve Christ. It can be a good thing, a biblical response to what God is doing in our hearts. That willingness to go on His behalf is an act of surrender and worship. And yet… what happens when He says, “No”? What do we do then?

In the book of Luke, we read about someone who is simply known as “the demon-possessed man.” He didn’t wear any clothes and he lived in a cemetery. For awhile, he was even bound with chains and kept under guard. Not exactly someone that people in the city wanted to get close to. But then, he meets Jesus. And the next thing the townspeople know is that he is “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind” (Luke 8:35). Here’s the deal: when Jesus turned to leave the city, this man begged Jesus to go along with Him. He was ready to follow Jesus. And Jesus said, “No.”

Let’s just sit in this for a while. This man offers to leave everything he has ever known so he can follow Jesus. Are you ready to go anywhere for Him? To do anything for Him? If so, take time to offer yourself to Him. If not, spend some time in silence and prayer, asking God to reveal to you what is keeping you from doing so.

• Ask God to strengthen your faith and empower you to remain obedient to His calling in your life.
• What is one of the hardest things you’ve ever had to give up?
• Read Luke 5:1-11. How did these first disciples meet Jesus? What does verse 11 tell us?
• Read Matthew 19:16-22. What did Jesus ask this man to do? How did the man respond?
• Which one are you like: the first disciples or the rich man? What might Jesus be calling you to give up (or leave) for Him? Are you ready to offer that to Him?

All it takes

All it takes is a look… and I know I’m not alone.

A quick glance from across the room. A short email sent in a timely moment. Maybe it’s a pat on the shoulder as they walk past me, or a head popping in the office door to say “hey.”

This past week, there are several people I know who are hurting. A lot. I’ve been scratching my mind trying to find ways to let them know I’m here. A note, an email, a phone call. In some ways, I feel like I’m smothering them… overwhelming them. I want to give them space, I want to leave room for God to work and minister to their souls… but I also want to let Him minister through me. And so I’m trying to discern that balance.

You know what I’m realizing? I don’t think any of us realize how much those “little things” mean, unless we’re the ones receiving them.

How often do we think to send a text message or e-card to someone “just because”? How often do we let our fear of interrupting someone get in the way of letting them know we care? How often do we let those silent moments of simply “being” together slip through our fingers, only because we think we have to talk?

My friends, are we willing to do the little things to let others know we’re there? Yes, let’s do this when they’re having a tough day, but let’s also do it when they’re having a good day. Let’s celebrate with them when they’re happy, and come alongside of them when they are upset or frustrated.

Is there someone who needs to know that you’re there?

Well… what are you waiting for?

Keep Following Jesus

One day, Jesus will return. He will come to give a final judgment, give believers a glorified body, and welcome us to the new heavens and earth. In the meantime, what are we supposed to do? Keep following Jesus.

Throughout the New Testament, believers are encouraged to keep spreading the gospel, to stand firm in the truth, to pray at all times, to help the weak, and to serve one another. They are told to be generous, loving, patient, and faithful. In essence, we are supposed to imitate Christ.

So, my friends, let’s imitate Him. Let’s take the time to get to know – really know – Him, learning not just facts about who He is or what He loves, but actually experiencing Him. Let’s allow God to work in our hearts, transforming our desires and purifying us from the things that are keeping us from Him. Let’s follow those divine promptings to reach out to other people, even if it is an “inconvenience” on our part. Let’s show others the hope that we have in Him. For we are “children of God… in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15).

• Settle in to a quiet area where you can focus on God.
• Think back to our Light in the Darkness series. Have you been “shining brightly for Him”, or are you “growing dim”?
• Read Ephesians 5:1-2. What are we told to do? Why is this so important during the times and culture that we live in?
• Read John 15:1-8. What is the result of our “abiding in Christ”? What does it mean to “abide” in Him? How does this relate to imitating Him?
• I encourage you to read the Gospels over the next few weeks, focusing on Jesus’ words and behaviors. Seek to know Him more deeply so that you can imitate Him more fully.

Know His Hope

The smell was unforgettable. As they walked along the road, many saw their friends and family members hanging on crosses. Some served as human torches, lighting the path for others to see. Others had to fight vicious animals in the coliseum as people sat by, entertained by their struggle to survive. In the early days of Christianity, believers endured some of the most heinous acts that could be committed against a human being. But nothing – NOTHING – could take away their hope. As the writer of Hebrews describes, “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated…” (11:37).

How could they hope in the midst of all this? They were looking forward to something better. What is difficult for so many of us to imagine was an everyday reality for them: one day, Christ would return and take them Home. They didn’t just think about it every now and then; they lived it. They knew their God was faithful and would keep His promise to them. Just like our forefathers who “died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).

As we think about the things involved in the End Times – the antichrist, the tribulation, the rapture – let us remember that we have a reason to hope: God wins. He wins! Do you truly believe that?

• What are some of the things that believers “endure” today? How do those things affect our attitude and beliefs?
• Read 1 Corinthians 15:58. How is this verse an encouragement to believers?
• Read Jude 17-25. What does Jude say to believers? What is his prayer at the end?
• Spend some time in prayer, asking God what it would mean for you to live in light of His Truth. What would be different in your life? Are you willing to make those changes?

Something God planned

So it seems like no matter what way I turn, I am surrounded with references to the story of Jim, Nate, Pete, Roger, and Ed – the five missionaries whose story is shared in Through Gates of Splendor. A friend gave me a magazine today that included a couple of articles about Steve Saint (son of Nate) and his view on his father’s death.

To set the context, know that the families of these five guys stayed in the area and continued to minister to the Auca Indians (called ‘the Waodani’ below). Their wives, their children, their sisters… they STAYED. Can you even imagine what that must have been like?

This is what Steve said:

“I [am] forced to conclude that God didn’t just allow this to happen… I think this is something God planned, and used the Waodani to carry out. And I think it would be a real stretch, from anything I’ve seen over the last fifty years, to think He planned it primarily to reach the Waodani….

“[The deaths] had some impact on them… But [the Waodani] lived in a culture in which they killed all the time. They expected to die at any time. So one more killing of five foreigners wasn’t any big deal to them. What it was a big deal to was the outside world. The people here in the U.S. and Europe and Canada and much of South America were transfixed by the disappearance of these five missionaries, wondering, ‘Why would they risk their lives to do something like this?’”

Indeed. Why WOULD they risk their lives, except for the fact they had already surrendered their lives to Christ and were living for HIM and HIS glory…

What does God have planned for me?

Sold-Out Life

Though I’ve passed off the book Through Gates of Splendor to a friend of mine, I continue to make my way through the journals of Jim Elliot, one of the missionaries that the book is about. Imagine my surprise when I see the name of my hometown mentioned… good ol’ Huntington. Evidently Ed McCully (one of the other missionaries) and Jim spent some time in the very place I was born and raised. And somehow, seeing that town mentioned in his journal… reading his prayers for that city… brings an entirely different dimension of reality to what he is sharing.

Jim writes, “Bill and I were much exercised last night about Huntington… We had asked before that an assembly be started there, but now it seems there are several souls ripe for gathering.”

While living in the town, he prays, “I need wisdom here, Lord, and power. These people are weary of men. They have need of Thee. Let me see souls here brought to knowledge of Christ, as in Milwaukee. Give opportunity to preach. Build an assembly in Huntington.”

Jim didn’t stay long in Huntington. God placed a different burden on his heart – to take the Gospel into the jungles of Ecuador.

Where has God placed you? Do you have a passion to reach a particular people group? Do you connect really well with “outsiders”? Has God placed a country or city on your heart? Whatever His leading, follow it! And immerse your journey in prayer.

Jim writes, “Word came from Ed McCully today regarding his exercise before the Lord to quit school and begin looking for open doors for a sold-out life.” Let’s do more than simply look for that open door. Let’s walk right through it, living life completely sold out for Christ!

In the Midst of Battle (pt 2)

A massive army was coming. All of Judah assembled to seek the Lord, including “their little ones, their wives, and their children” (2 Chronicles 20:13). And after Jehoshaphat prays, they stand in silence, waiting for an answer. How does God respond? He said, “‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s…. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ The LORD will be with you” (vs. 15, 17).

How would you feel if God just said this to you? Relieved? Excited? Peaceful? Know that as we face situations of uncertainty, as we fight the spiritual battle against evil, Jesus has spoken very similar words to us. He tells us to stand firm in the truth, take up the shield of faith, and “extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:14-16). For Jesus “is with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Is there any news more comforting in the midst of danger and fear? Know, my friend, that Jesus is with you. As Christ-followers, He walks through trials with us, giving us the strength to stand strong and the grace to persevere. And He will be there as the final battle is taking place. We will get to see Satan defeated once and for all and spend the rest of eternity in the presence of the King – our good, powerful, and faithful King.

• Spend some time in reflective prayer. Is there any area in your life where you are not standing firm?
• Read 1 Peter 5:7-11. What are we told to do? List all four of the commands. What does this look like in your life?
• Read 2 Chronicles 20:13-30. How do the people of Judah respond after hearing God’s answer to their prayer?
• Psalm 18:39 says, “You equipped me with strength for the battle.” Ask God to equip you with whatever you need to fight the battles you are facing. Then be ready to respond in obedience to whatever “tactics” He commands.