June 18, 2011 … Integrity Triumphs Under Fire

Passage of the Day: Daniel 3: 21 – 23 … 21 So these men [Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego], wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

My Journal for Today: It is important for us to remember, while reading of this remarkable account of faith by these three Hebrew boys, God did not choose to deliver them from the actual fire of their trial. God allowed King Nebuchadnezzar, who is a picture or our world today, to have the boys thrown into the flames, which were so hot that several of the King’s attendants, throwing the three into the fire, were killed [an interesting tidbit of information which, I believe, adds a lot of credibility to this biblical account]. The, once the boys were thrown into the fire, the witness of the deliverance from the fiery trial of these three lads, as well as the presence of a fourth man (which we’ll explore tomorrow – see Dan. 3: 24 – 25) caused Nebuchadnezzar to declare openly the greatness of the Hebrew God (see Daniel 3: 28). But then, again, how could anyone witnessing that scene not be impressed by the God about Whom these boys gave witness?

All of this wonderful story corresponds with the message from the Apostle Peter in the New Testament in 1st Peter 1: 6 – 7 …

SCRIPTURE: 1st Peter 1: 6 - 7 ... 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

We Christians must be willing to stand in the fires of life and be refined into finer gold so that our God will be glorified when the world sees us walking with Christ in those fires which God uses to remold us into His image.

Men like Martin Luther even died in the fire, giving their lives as torched martyrs for their faith and for the glory of their God. However, their witness and posthumous testimonies live on with power, shining as light into a dark world even today. The fires may consume us (or not); but as with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, our faith and testimony must live on for the glory of God ALWAYS. Our integrity must not waver when we face the fire.

My Prayer Today: It is a privilege, Lord, to be in the fire with You. Amen

May 3, 2011 … Loving Truth Brings Hatred

Passage of the Day: John 15: 20 – 21 … 20 Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' [repeated from John 13: 16] If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed My teaching, they will obey yours also. … 21 They will treat you this way because of My name, for they do not know the One who sent Me.

My Journal for Today: Jesus, in today’s passage, pretty well lays out for His disciples what can be expected when they (we) follow Him, which, of course is mandated of His followers (see Luke 9: 23). Follow Jesus and you can expect apathy and/or superstition (see Paul's witness in Acts 17: 22 - 23), moral deviation (see Romans 1: 18 – 22), or out-right persecution (as from today’s verse in John 15: 20). I’ve heard it said before … that if, as a Christian, you are not experiencing one or more of these issues in the world, you are like a fish, floating or swimming down stream with the cultural waters of the times, rather than one who is fighting upstream to get to the headwaters (which, of course, in this context is Christlikeness).

John MacArthur, in his devotional for today from Strength for Today, reminds his readers of what Paul taught in Phil. 3: 10 … that we, as Christ’s disciples, are living in the “… fellowship of His suffering.” So, if we are experiencing some, or all, of what Jesus was warning His disciples about in today’s passage, we can be assured, using my word picture above, that we have jumped into the raging stream and are swimming upstream as hard as we can.

And that, of course, means living for Christ and/or witnessing our faith in a hostile world; and repeating for emphasis, this could mean apathy at best and painful persecution at worst. But just think about the promises and power from God as you are Christ’s disciple and a witness, in faith, to His truth …

SCRIPTURE: Acts 1: 8 … [Jesus] “… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

SCRIPTURE: Rom. 8: 31 … If God is for us, who can be against us.

SCRIPTURE: Rom. 1: 16 … I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes …

So, we have a decision to make … are we going to be dying or dead fish, floating downstream; or will be alive in Christ, battling upstream against the worldly currents and doing all we can, with God’s promised power, to swim to the headwaters of transformation in Christ, honoring and glorifying our Lord in the process?

Our choice, isn’t it?

My Prayer Today: I stand for you, Lord! Help me to swim upstream. Amen

2010 – December 12 – Sharing Our "God Story"

Study from God’s Word… Acts, Chapters 24 - 26 … Passage for Reflection: Acts 26: 28 … NIV Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

My Journal for Today: The scenario I studied from Acts 24-26 today, has Paul imprisoned in Caesarea by the Sea for more than two years; and he’s given the opportunity to witness his testimony and the Gospel message to several of his captors of Roman authority. Today’s verse is documented by Dr. Luke from Paul’s witness to the Roman appointed King, Herod Agrippa II, who had come down to Caesarea from Jerusalem for Paul’s hearing.

And the lesson here is how much of our attention, time, and testimony should be taken by evangelistic witness to non-believers (i.e., the lost) in our sphere of opportunity or influence. And Dr. Smith, from today’s devotional entry, remembers the exhortation of Jesus, Himself, to His disciples, whom He was sending out to share the Gospel in the countryside surrounding Capernaum, where Jesus was residing and teaching at the time. In Matthew 10: 14 we read Jesus’ words, ”If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.”

But here is Paul, in prison, and he has an audience with someone in civil authority, someone who is duty and time bound to listen to Paul’s witness; and Paul pulls out his best verbal guns to share Christ with the pagan king of Judea. And how he shares Christ with Agrippa is a great lesson for anyone who desires to share our faith with others. Paul simply gives the king his testimony, telling how Jesus entered and changed his life forever; and that is a lesson for any of us who desire to share Christ with others in our lives, especially those whom we love dearly and, in our perception, are lost.

We need to first have the opportunity and the invitation to share. As Jesus taught His missionary bent disciples, if someone is not willing – or able – listen to us share the Gospel, we need to move on, and use God’s providence of time, to develop or shape opportunities with others. But when the circumstances of life and our relationships with others give us the chance to share Christ with a lost one, as it was presented for Paul to share with Agrippa, we need to use our personal testimony of our Christ changed or transformed our life as the primary evangelistic approach. I have a story of how Christ changed my life when I was willing/able to receive Him into my life. You, as a Christian, have your story; and someone who’s lost needs to hear our story.

I used to think that I needed to trumpet a barrage of Scriptures at someone when I shared the Gospel with a lost person; but many people are “turned off” when they hear God’s word being spouted out at them, especially when they’ve given the listening license to someone to share their faith. But I’ve learned – by experience and example, like Paul’s story from today’s text – that it’s best to share my testimony in simple, brief, and clear word pictures, … my story of how Christ came into my life and changed me forever. Anyone with anti-Christian biases or negative stereotypes can argue with biblical references or pro-God arguments. However, NO ONE can argue with a testimony!

No one can argue the truth of me simply telling my story and my giving witness to the truth of how God changed me from an unbelieving agnostic to a believer in what Christ did for me on the cross. No one can argue with my story of how God broke my chains of sex addiction and gave me the power to resist those obsessive and destructive desires. And I also had to come to the realization that I’m not the one who will save the lost person with whom I’m sharing Christ. That’s God’s (i.e., the Holy Spirit’s) business. My charge is only to do all I can to have the opportunity to share my story with a lost soul; and then I simply leave it to God to take that person to the place where that dear lost soul can be humbled to receive the free gift of grace being offered by Christ.

So, we need to be convicted and directed by God’s Great Commission (which I hope you know from Matt. 28: 19-20) to devote our life opportunities to share the Gospel – from our own life experience – with those who will open the window of opportunity for Christ’s light to shine into their darkness by our testimony. And I hope and pray (below) that He will even give me such an opportunity today or into my future to do so. And here’s also me praying that God gives you that opportunity as well.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, as I do so often, I pray that You give me opportunities, maybe even today, for me, and anyone who reads here, to share our story of how You changed us forever. Amen

2010 – December 11 – Accommodation or Appeasement?

Study from God’s Word… Acts 21: 17 – 23: 35 … Passage for Reflection: Acts 21: 26 … NIV The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

My Journal for Today: Reading today’s highlighted text, it could seem that Paul is going against his stance that he needs to be “all things to all people” [see 1st Cor. 9: 21-23 - linked here] in order to win them to Christ.

In a sense, though, that’s exactly what Paul is doing in today’s verse, going through the Jewish purification ritual to show “his people,” the Jews, that he is like them when it comes to pursuing the Law. Yet, as we see in the chapters I was charged to read/study today (i.e., Chapters 21-23 of Acts), Paul stood his ground with regard to His Gospel ministry; and, in the face of being stoned to death by the Sanhedrin, he preached Christ crucified to these Jews.

So, what are we to learn from these passages as Christians charged by the Great Commission to share our faith with all people, no matter what their sinful lifestyles might be, no matter their religious persuasions, and their cultural taboos? Dr. Smith points to the truth that it doesn’t mean that Christians are to worship along side Muslims in their Mosques. It doesn’t mean that were to go into a bed with a prostitute to show her (or him) the way to Christ. BUT, … in Smith’s words, "… it does mean that we are to build whatever bridges we can so as not to offend religious sensitivities, in particular, in a bid to win hearts and souls for the Lord.”

And this is tough in today’s pluralistic and relativistic world, isn’t it? To some, especially staunch and mature Christians, we may appear being overly appeasing and accommodating as we do all we can to share our testimony or witness for Christ with those living in sin. And there will be times when we cannot accommodate truth in our attempt to exercise grace. I think of the schism in today’s world over how to witness and show God’s love for those who are practicing and living the homosexual lifestyle. How do we, as Christians who try our best to show God’s love for all people, show our love for homosexuals and still maintain the truth that practicing homosexuality behaviorally is an abomination in God’s eyes? How can we build bridges and share the love of God, with God’s grace, and still maintain God’s truth in these arenas of witnessing our faith?

I don’t know about you; but I’m convicted by Dr. Smith’s closing and challenging question, as he writes, ”What extraordinary steps have I taken lately to win some soul to Christ?” That one rumbles uncomfortably for me; and I let you deal with it on our own as well.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray that You set me up with divine appointments so that I can show Your love through my testimony to the lost. Amen