What are YOU here for?

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

What are you here for?

I read a great comment over at Dave Blacks blog today, that got me thinking.

But no matter what happens, our calling is to live in the confidence that God is always in control. Life itself is a lethal disease. Paul called it “the law of sin at work in my members.” From the moment we are born we begin to die. Believing that God can turn anything into good is what makes life bearable.

For context – Dave’s wife has cancer, and is due for another checkup on the progress of the treatment. But despite this, their life and work goes on. Dave teaches New Testament Greek with a passion that is obvious (Sorry, I don’t know a word, but I am encouraged to try – maybe someday I will get the DVD set and give it a go!). On the side Dave and his wife Becky do a lot of work with missions to Ethiopia. Despite the obvious struggles in their life, they get on with what God has called them to do.

So, what has God called me to do? What has God called you to do?

You are still here on this planet reading this post. So, God still has a use for you. God still has a use for me.

Now, I’m sorry, I can’t tell you specifically what God wants for your life, but I did post some guidelines for What is God’s will recently. Maybe you need to quit your job and enter the ministry, or go to full time missions. Maybe you need to work hard to support your family and put your time and prayer to ministry and missions, sharing with those around you. Maybe God has blessed you with an abundance that you can be a generous supporter of those He has called to full time ministry.

Whatever it is, God has a purpose for you until the moment He takes you to be with Him.

So, Go find it!

Psalm 146 – The God of Compassion

Sometimes coincidences in life are funny. Funny in that they seem so appropriate at the right times. We have been having a bit of a time of testing of late in our house, with things breaking, sickness, more things breaking, etc. Some more things ‘went wrong’ today, just to add to our list.

Anyway, I opened a Bible study site I use often, and it opened to this Psalm. I don’t know why it opened there, I can’t remember reading here recently, but I know it spoke to me straight away.

Do not trust in man, in nobles, and by extension in governments, leaders, rulers, or even yourself. But put your trust in God, as He will provide.

Maybe it will speak to you as well.

Psalm 146 (HCSB)
Hallelujah!
My soul, praise the Lord.

I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing to my God as long as I live.

Do not trust in nobles,
in man, who cannot save.

When his breath leaves him,
he returns to the ground;
on that day his plans die.

Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in them.
He remains faithful forever,
executing justice for the exploited
and giving food to the hungry.
The Lord frees prisoners.
The Lord opens [the eyes of] the blind.
The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.
The Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord protects foreigners
and helps the fatherless and the widow,
but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever;
Zion, your God [reigns] for all generations.
Hallelujah!

I think God is also the God of coincidences, guiding us in ways we do not know or see, to bring us to the place He wants us, for His glory, and so that all things will work out for Good – because He loves us.

Capable and Strong? John 10:11-15

John 10:11-15 (ESV)
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Here are a couple of interesting facts about sheep. They prefer to be in flocks and they will generally follow a leader. That leader doesn’t need to be a sheep, sheep will ‘learn’ the face of their shepherd and follow them as well. Also, sheep do not like to be separated from their flock – in fact forced separation will often cause stress, which can lead to illness and death.

On a totally different topic, how do you think these words relate to you? Intelligent, smart, capable, strong, self reliant, accomplished, adept, skilful and talented. Now maybe you would take them all for yourself, but I am sure most of us would pick at least one or two of those to apply to areas of our life.

Quite simply, we are none of these things.

We may seem competent, knowledgeable, adept and skilful in many things. But in reality, we are powerless, able to only subsist, to get through this life with the bare minimum. Yes, we can have ‘good’ lives, because we have defined ourselves what is ‘good’. Yes, we can have lots of stuff, and we think that is great, because we have decided that having stuff is good.

But really, we are just like sheep. We were or are completely dead in our sins – with nothing we can do about it. This speck of a life we live, that is here one day and gone the next,  is but a blink of an eye in comparison to all of eternity. And eternity is what is at stake, because God can’t stand sin. Therefore, He will punish all sinners with eternal punishment. And there is nothing we can do about it.

Or at least, there was nothing. Because Jesus came to this world, lived a perfect life and then died a substitutionary death, that our sins would be covered by His blood for all eternity. And since that has happened there is one thing we can do – accept Jesus to cover our sins. We can recognize we are not competent, not capable, not able to do anything – and come to the good shepherd to be saved.

Because He is the good shepherd, and we are the sheep. We can choose to run off and do our own thing – but that will just mean stress, pain and death in the end. Or, we can follow the good shepherd, who will look after us in this life, and the next.

Sometimes I like to think I am capable. I know sometimes I do a good job at work – but that is the best I can do. A good job in a short career. But I know that I am weak and powerless, and it is through the power of God that I can be truly saved and strengthened, and in the end, do all things in Christ who strengthens me.

The good shepherd is calling His sheep, “come home, be safe, be warm, be fed, because I have defeated the enemy.”

Will you respond?

My Precious…

We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us.

As some of you will no doubt know, my favorite series of fiction books is Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. With that in mind, I hope you will forgive the quote below straight from Fellowship of the Ring.

Bilbo flushed, and there was an angry light in his eyes. His kindly face grew hard. “Why not?” he cried. “And what business is it of yours, anyway, to know what I do with my own things? It is my own. I found it. It came to me.”

“Yes, yes,” said Gandalf. “But there is no need to get angry.”

“If I am it is your fault,” said Bilbo. “It is mine, I tell you. My own. My precious. Yes, my precious.”

The wizard’s face remained grave and attentive, and only a flicker in his deep eyes showed that he was startled and indeed alarmed. “It has been called that before,” he said, ‘but not by you.”

“But I say it now. And why not? Even if Gollum said the same once. It’s not his now, but mine. And I shall keep it, I say.”

My Precious! I wonder, in our lives, do we have things that are the same, our very own ‘precious’? I am sure that none of us have magic rings (though if you do, please let me know, I would love to find out I am actually living in Middle Earth), or that most of us don’t have things so dear to us that we would follow someone to the death to retrieve them, biting off someones finger just to get it…

But I know in all of our lives there are things that are close to us – important to us. Take a moment – what are the things in your life? (for the sake of not spending all day, let’s exclude family from this list – just ‘stuff’)

For me? I am a technology person. I’ve been surrounded by technology almost constantly since before I was a teen – back when computers were primitive, but there you have it. I could probably rid myself of most of the things in my house, but my computer and kindle would be the last to leave. Maybe a thing or two else, but not much.

So what is it in your life?

Now, what if God called you to give that thing up? Again, I know many of us would claim ‘no problem’. But look deeper – that is not true is it. I know I would go to many lengths to try and keep hold of at least my kindle, and hopefully my laptop. I am a ‘solutions man’ – my job in life is fixing things, surely I could ‘fix’ it so I didn’t have to give these things up?

I know in the end I could give it up, but it would be a battle.

And it is these things we need to keep an eye out for.

Luke 16:13-15 (ESV)
“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.“

If God called me to truly forgo these things for His purposes I would – because I know God’s purpose is better than anything I could conceive, and I hold Him above all of my things.

What things in your life risk becoming more important that God?

Life from the dead! Romans 11:13-15

Romans 11:13-15 (ESV)
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?

What is the power of the Gospel?

It is able to bring to life that which is dead.

What was Paul’s focus in his lifetime of ministry? His sole focus, his overriding goal, was to bring the good news of Jesus Christ, His life, death and resurrection from the dead, to as many people as possible. Even Paul knew that he was called primarily to work with the gentiles, despite his life and experience as a Jew. But despite his primary calling, he never failed to keep his ‘family’ close to his heart. Though he shared with the gentiles, he always wanted his message to also be clear to the Jews, and made it clear he prayed regularly that their eyes would also be opened to the truth of Jesus.

Even as Paul had a massive ministry, travelling around the Roman empire, speaking to churches, slaves, kings and governors alike, he still wanted to share more. He remained faithful to his ministry – he didn’t shirk the responsibility of what he was called to do to follow his ‘pet project’, but kept a heart also for his own people, that some of them might also be saved.

What an example! Paul didn’t see one person saved and thought ‘that is enough’. He didn’t see 100 people saved, and claim ‘I’ve reached the highest level’. He continually preached the good news of Jesus Christ to all people, in the hope that as many would be saved as possible. Why?

Jesus has the power to bring to life that which is dead – and through personal experience, that was the heart of Paul’s ministry.

Almighty God, thank you for your servant Paul, who can be an example to us in faith and life, living what You had called him to do, and always striving to bring Your message to as many people as possible. Help us to be like Paul, not in identical ministry, but zealous in the area you have called us, and always wanting for more people to hear your good news and be saved. In Jesus Name, Amen.