2009 – Day 306.Nov 03 – Gentle Nudging

Passage for Study: Acts 12: 25 – 13: 3 … 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.
Acts 13 1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

My Journal for Today: This is an interesting, and, as Swindoll points out, telling scenario in today’s passage, which, I believe, has some difficulty translating into our modern day church life. Remember, the church at Antioch was firing on all cylinders, growing rapidly. But in the midst of this time of Spirit-led success, The Holy Spirit intervenes with a message of radical change, somehow getting the message to the leaders of the Antioch Church that Saul/Paul and his buddy, Barnabas, were to move out on a mission trip, a long-term mission trip. And so, here’s God, unexpectedly calling out 40% of the leadership of that church; and what was there reaction? Well, it was immediate and joyful. They surrendered to God’s Spirit and sent these two out for God’s glory.

Now I think about this. I just came from an Elder meeting at our church last night. I wonder what would happen if five of our Board of Elders [that’s 40%], including our Senior Pastor, came into the meeting and announced they had gotten God’s call to leave our midst and go to Africa together; AND what if they also said that didn’t know when, or if, they would be returning. Well, I think it would throw our church leadership into panic mode rather than the surrender mode seen by the Antioch church leaders in today’s passage.

What I’m trying to say here is that we Christians, even more mature Christians, have a tendency to get into a comfort zone and we do not react well to change, even if it comes from the gentle, or not-so-gentle, nudging of God, the Holy Spirit. What happened for the Antioch five was a radical change; but the way they responded was to do exactly what Jesus would one day instruct His disciples (in Luke 9: 23) to “… deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.”

I just wonder if I could, as a leader in my church, be surrendered to God’s Spirit enough, and be mature enough in my faith, to do what the Antioch church leaders did or what Christ Himself commands of me as His disciple. I hope I could; but I also know that I like my comfort zone; and in my life, I’m not one who digs change all that well. How about you? Are you seeking and responding to the world, to your self, or to God, the Holy Spirit, as things change in your life?

I hope we all can learn from and apply the message of today’s passage and devotional application to our lives, genuinely seeking God’s leading; and when we get it, following it obediently.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I know that Your calling is Your enablement; but I pray that I will be obedient to Your lead and follow when You call. Amen

2009 – Day 285.Oct 13 – Surprising Elements

Passage of the Day: Acts 9: 10 - 21 … Acts 9 linked for study …

My Journal for Today: Chuck Swindoll, a Pastor with over 50 years of experience as a Minister, Pastor, and Bible teacher, posits the following at the end of his devotional entry for today. He writes, “Be careful (in life) about feeling too settled where you are – physically, emotionally, spiritually, or geographically.”

And why is this? Simple answer: God is full of surprises. God certainly surprised Saul of Tarsus and even Ananias in our historical story today. And Swindoll posits that this is an M.O. for God’s way of doing business in our relationship with our Lord. His will is often to shake us from our comfort zones in life and to move us to confront circumstances which shake and transform us into an image which glorifies God, the Father. With our human nature being what it is, this process of metamorphosis, which is called sanctification, often – if not always – requires surprising changes in our attitudes, positions in life, and even occasionally in where we live, move, and have our being. We can certainly see this in the life of Paul in the NT, but also Moses, Joseph, Gideon, Nehemiah, Habakkuk, and others in the OT.

God shakes us up so that the scales can fall from our eyes. He shakes us up so that we can move to serve Him. And he shakes us up so that we can become more like Him.

My friend, … do you want to become more like Jesus? Well, if your answer to this is an unqualified “Yes!,” you better be ready for some surprises in life; and you better be a firm believer in a verse the Apostle Paul wrote later in his life, … that sometimes aggravating truth from Romans 8: 28; and I won’t quote it because you probably know that one by now.

Let me pray for us, my friend; and I pray that we’ll be like the Apostle Paul when he was shaken to the core of his being by Jesus. I pray that we shake the scales out of our eyes, … that we get up, check out where God wants us to go, … and that we simply do what God calls us to do.

My friends, let’s not resist God’s will. Let’s just respond in the words of that old Nike commercial. When God requires surprising change, let us …“just do it!”

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I so desperately want to serve you as YOU desire to be served, … in the way YOU call me, … and in the place YOU lead me. Amen