Showing posts with label
demonstrating faithfulness to others.
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Showing posts with label
demonstrating faithfulness to others.
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Luke 1:21-25
Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn’t speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.
When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn’t long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. “So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!” she said.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Imagine it…this elderly priest and his equally aged wife who never gave birth discover that she is pregnant. When an angel appears to Zachariah and tells him that Elizabeth is going to have a baby, he basically says, “You’ve got to be kidding! At OUR ages?” And for his lack of faith, the angel “strikes him dumb” until the baby is born. The priest goes into the temple to pray …and comes out unable to speak!
Elizabeth apparently took the news a little better. In fact, she was beyond thrilled with the news that she would finally have a baby. Two people exhibited two different reactions – both of them understandable. In the end, God entrusted this couple with a son named John, who would set the stage for the ministries of Jesus. Zachariah and Elizabeth could not possibly have known what a huge responsibility – and honor – had been given them. But I like to think that they embraced it to the best of their understanding.
The question for us is this…if God sent an angel and gave us news that was far-fetched, hard to swallow, frightening, or just plain crazy, how would we react? Would we shake our heads, laugh, and say, “God surely showed me!”? Or would we respond like Zachariah and ask, “How can this possibly be?” Do you see the difference? One response demonstrates tremendous faith…the other, quite frankly, insults God. And God let Zachariah know this by removing his ability to speak for the duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
If you go back and study the Gospels and the history of the time when Jesus was born, you will see that the faith and trust of Elizabeth, Zachariah and others was sorely tested – in ways that could potentially cause questions from family and friends – if not downright ridicule or banishment from the community at large. Yet they stood firm in their confidence that God knew what He was doing…and they went along for the ride.
I can’t say what I would have done in their shoes. I would like to think that I would graciously accept God’s plan and embrace it fully. But I also know how strong the pressure can be from others to conform and behave in a certain manner. My prayer is that we would study these amazing role models and learn from them…that we would become more faith-filled and obedient in our own daily walk with God…and that when He “sends an angel” to give us a message, we would listen and act in a way that pleases Him. God got Zachariah’s attention in a profound way. What will He have to do to get yours?
©2014 Debbie Robus
1 Peter 5:5
In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The movie 42, written and directed by Brian Helgeland, tells the story of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the National Baseball League. Robinson was mistreated at every turn by fellow players, hotel managers, bus drivers, restaurant staff, and other teams…because of his race. His owner, Branch Richey, insisted that Robinson not react to the taunts and abuse from others. He believed that this just encouraged those who were mistreating Robinson… that they wanted him to react to their hatefulness… to give them a reason to say, “See… he doesn’t belong in baseball!”
The movie does a good job of depicting how difficult things were for Jackie Robinson and his family… how he struggled with the abuse and mistreatment. But I also read a recent interview with Jackie Robinson’s wife, Rachel, in AARP Magazine, where she divulged that Jackie frequently left the baseball field and went to a driving range after games and practices. There, he would hit golf balls… sometimes for hours… until his anger and hurt subsided. Only then would he come home.
Jackie Robinson found a way to accept the authority of his owner…to humble himself to the influence of his leaders. He didn’t necessarily accept the abuse and racism of others; but he chose to react in a way that was unexpected and contrary to the effect his enemies desired. By doing so, he honored God, his family, and himself. He maintained his dignity and made God proud.
There are many times when we have to choose whether to do what people expect and react in a certain manner… or to humble ourselves and respond differently. A good example of this is when fellow “Christians” are being critical of those who think otherwise… participating in name calling or derogatory remarks toward certain persons or groups of people…or even speaking out on certain social issues and creating a “buzz” that often is more harmful than if they had remained silent. If we “chime in” and add our support, we may feel better (at least temporarily), but we are not acting as God’s humble servants… and His work is not furthered by these actions and behaviors.
In essence, there are times when we all need to “go to the driving range and hit a few buckets of balls” (at least figuratively). We need to choose to hold our tongues, keep our opinions to ourselves, and refrain from jumping on the latest bandwagon. Our Ultimate Leader is God Almighty… and we must accept His authority and operate in a way that serves His will and makes Him proud. We would all do well to check ourselves often to see if we are operating in humility… to ask if what we are saying and doing pleases God and furthers His Kingdom. If we find that we are doing anything less, we probably should choose to go in a different direction.
©2013 Debbie Robus
1 John 1:6-7
If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Imagine never using your electricity. Every night, as darkness falls, you stumbled around and fumble to find your way from room to room. You have a television or two, but you never turn them on. You have a refrigerator, but it’s empty, because you won’t plug it in and use the needed power to cool your food. You don’t use your phone, because you won’t charge it, and the battery ran down a long time ago. You take cold baths and showers, get dressed in relative darkness or only by daylight, and you wash and rinse your clothes in a sink or bathtub. You can’t cook most of your food, because pretty much every appliance you own runs on electricity, and you’re not “plugged in”. Your electric bill is paid… you have electrical power available...… but you refuse to use it!
Sounds pretty nutty, doesn’t it? Yet this is exactly what countless people do every single day with their Christian faith. They have the power of God available… Jesus Christ bought and paid for their sins on Calvary… and they will tell you in a heartbeat that they have a relationship with God. Still, they refuse to turn on the power and fumble around in the darkness. We are all guilty of this at one time or another. There are times when each of us fails to fully avail ourselves of the power of God in our lives… to call on Him to help us with a particular situation or challenge. There are times when we claim we live for God, but our actions and behaviors indicate otherwise. But for some, this is a way of life that is akin to living in a home with electricity… and never using it.
I am always amazed when I encounter someone who is negative, critical, pessimistic, always angry at someone or about something – in a nutshell, a total grump… yet they never miss a church service or a Bible study. They are the first to claim the name of Jesus and declare that they love the LORD. They will say, “Oh, I can’t do such-and-such, because we have Wednesday night prayer meeting,” or “Our church is sponsoring a mission trip, and I have to help with the fundraiser.” Their entire life appears to a paradox… if not an outright lie. They stumble around in the darkness and don’t turn on the light! The “electricity” is there… they just aren’t utilizing it! You may know people like this… and maybe you are one of them - at least part of the time. I have to tell you, outside observers are not buying it when you claim to have an intimate relationship with God. In essence, it appears that those who behave this way are lying through their teeth, as the scripture says.
It is time to “turn on the light!” If you don’t have God’s power in your life… if you have not accepted Jesus Christ and received forgiveness for your sins, I urge you to do so. Tap into the power and light of God Almighty, and operate in His strength, love, grace and mercy. If you are a born-again Christian, yet you continue to stumble around and operate in untruth by not living what you claim, it is time to humble yourself before God and ask Him to help you make the necessary changes. We cannot be effective in our Christian discipleship if we stumble around in the darkness. We cannot demonstrate the power and love of God if we are operating in negativity, gossip, criticism, unkindness, defeatism, and downright evil. We cannot “talk the talk” and fail to “walk the walk". We don’t fool anyone. We’re lying through our teeth, and everyone knows it.
We have a choice to make. If we are going to accept God’s “electricity”, we have to use it. We have to turn on His light in our heart and let it shine for all to see. Will you choose to fumble in the dark… or have you plugged in to God’s power and turned on the light? Isn’t it time you did just that?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Romans 5:3-5
There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
This morning, I attended the funeral of a man I have known since we were children, growing up a couple of blocks apart. I hugged his mom and dad, his sister and brother, cousins and in-laws…all of whom are grieving their loss. I understand the sadness of losing a brother. I cannot imagine the heartache of losing a son… watching him die by inches from an insidious brain cancer, as these parents did. There were dozens of people who came to offer their condolences and remember this man… to offer support to this family. It’s one of the neat things about living in a small town like ours… we come together to uplift one another at times like these.
But as I looked around the chapel, I saw countless people who are “hemmed in with troubles.” Parents who are concerned about children…families plagued by drug addiction, divorce, and dissention…others who are grieving their own losses… those who are caring for the aged, infirm, and some with dementia. And yet, I looked at the smiles on their faces… the hugs, handshakes and pats on the back we all shared… and I realized that virtually every person there is living with alert expectancy. In the midst of their grief and challenges, most of these people are trusting God to pour into their lives more blessings than they could possibly amass containers to hold!
To realize even this was a blessing to me! To see so many people who are anticipating what God will do next in their lives gave me inspiration! To live among so many people who have continued to shout praises to God even while facing such trials and adversities motivates me to be more patient… to focus on what God will do with the tests that come my way rather than concentrating on present difficulties. I am reminded of the common catch-phrase my friend’s pastor shared today… one he said my friend ended almost every conversation with – “How can I help you today?”
Imagine if we lived with such confidence that God was going to “trouble our troubles” and use them for good that we developed a passionate patience. What if we were able to face any circumstance in our lives with the attitude and this question for others - “How can I help you today?” My guess is that we would never have enough buckets to contain all of the blessings God would pour out on us! It’s a chance I am willing to take… a “leap of faith and patience” I am eager to make. I know that troubles will come… there will be days when I question it all and get discouraged. But I have seen too many examples of passionate patience not to believe in its power… and God’s power to produce blessings out of trials and turmoil. I’m ready to shout praises and operate with “alert expectancy.” And I’m getting my containers ready… are you?
©2013 Debbie Robus
April 4 ~ 1 Samuel 13:6-14
When the Israelites saw that they were way outnumbered and in deep trouble, they ran for cover, hiding in caves and pits, ravines and brambles and cisterns—wherever. They retreated across the Jordan River, refugees fleeing to the country of Gad and Gilead. But Saul held his ground in Gilgal, his soldiers still with him but scared to death.
He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel. Samuel failed to show up at Gilgal, and the soldiers were slipping away, right and left.
So Saul took charge: “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” He went ahead and sacrificed the burnt offering. No sooner had he done it than Samuel showed up! Saul greeted him. Samuel said, “What on earth are you doing?”
Saul answered, “When I saw I was losing my army from under me, and that you hadn’t come when you said you would, and that the Philistines were poised at Micmash, I said, ‘The Philistines are about to come down on me in Gilgal, and I haven’t yet come before God asking for his help.’ So I took things into my own hands, and sacrificed the burnt offering.”
“That was a fool thing to do,” Samuel said to Saul. “If you had kept the appointment that your God commanded, by now God would have set a firm and lasting foundation under your kingly rule over Israel. As it is, your kingly rule is already falling to pieces. God is out looking for your replacement right now. This time he’ll do the choosing. When he finds him, he’ll appoint him leader of his people. And all because you didn’t keep your appointment with God!”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
My Mam-ma Polly had many virtues… patience was not one of them! When I was growing up, she would call my parents and say, “The peas need to be picked,” or “We’ve got beans to snap,” or “The corn is ready to shuck.” My parents would gather all of us together after work and head for my grandparents’ farm… and the peas would be picked, shelled and bagged for the freezer… the beans would be snapped and ready to can, and the corn would all be laid out nicely… ready to be frozen on the cob or scraped off for soups, stews and eating “cream-style.” And a nice hot supper with some of these delectable fresh veggies would be simmering on the stove!
In later life, it was things like light bulbs that needed changing or a gutter that needed cleaning. My grandmother would call and ask for my husband or me, and before we could get to her house, she would have had the chore completed by her deacon or another church member, a neighbor, or even a friend who stopped by for a visit! Her “excuse” was always, “Well, I decided you weren’t coming!” Not only did her impatience keep us from truly helping her… it often made for unnecessary hard feelings on both sides – and blocked the blessing!
We try to hurry up all sorts of things, and like Saul, we often do a “fool thing” and block a blessing. Does this mean that God will punish us for our impatience and/or excuses? Maybe not in the way you think. See, when we get in God’s way and try to handle things on our own, we often throw a kink in His plans and force Him to move in another direction. So the person that God was grooming to witness to someone for whom you were praying may never get this opportunity, because you stepped in and tried to orchestrate things yourself. God might give the joy that you would derive from seeing His perfect timing in action to someone else. Your reputation for faithfulness and “waiting faithfully on the LORD” might change to that of a person who “jumps the gun” and is impulsive – and your true faithfulness might be questionable.
We all have our own excuses… we were trying to help… we didn’t think anyone was coming…we thought this was what God wanted us to do. But the truth is that we often fail to keep our appointments with God. We ask for His help and guidance… and then we go right ahead and do as we please. Not all of God’s answers and instructions are instantaneous. Some take days/weeks/years. And in that waiting period, we often become impatient and try to take control. This is never a good idea!
Spend some time today with God and talk to Him about the situations and circumstances in your life… and in the lives of those for whom you pray. Ask Him where – and how – you should be proceeding. Call on Him to clearly reveal to you where you should be waiting on Him. Don’t block a blessing… or miss an assignment! Don’t try to hurry God… or to take matters into your own hands. There really is no good excuse for either.
©2013 Debbie Robus
