As
I read down through the upcoming text, my heart was filled with joy! Thinking
on the beautiful salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ and what that means to me
personally.
That’s
how we must look at it in order to understand what it was that God did for us.
For me. For you. For the one and the many that you love. Oh, glory to God does that
not make you ever so grateful today?
We
look back in frustration at Adam and Eve’s very simple sin; the sin of
disobedience; and we try in our best pious way to imagine we would not, in
truth knowing we would. We’re all that weak. That’s why scripture says “for all
have sinned,” in Romans 3:23. That’s every “one” of us. We are all disobedient
to death.
But
read about the beautiful “One….”
Romans 5: 17-21
17 For
if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore
as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
life.
19 For
as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover
the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound:
21 That
as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus
Christ our Lord, that beautiful One. As I’m continuing my study in Romans, slowly
making my way through these pages, trying to get a closer, deeper relationship
with the Lord, and wishing I didn’t fail so miserably at it, verses like this that
stop me in my track and cause me to say, “Thank You. I wish I was better at life-ing.”
The
Lord deserves better. His time on the cross not only took the sin of this one
Shari, it took the sin of a world of people, generation after generation, and
it’s that thought that causes me to hear His cry, “My God, My God, why hast
thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46b)
And
I hear within my own heart, why have you forsaken Him? Why do you fail? But
then I recall His word that says I’ll reign in this life because of the Lord
Jesus Christ. I’ll have victory in this life. Satan may think he has won the
battle with this girl, but he has not won the war. The word reign is to have
supremacy, power, control over! That’s what we have in Jesus Christ. It’s not
that we won’t mess up, but it’s those messes that are covered by the blood. He
did that so we wouldn’t continually live in defeat. He didn’t die for the
righteous (Romans 5:6-8), He died for sinners. Every “one” of them.”
I’m
the one. You’re the one. But Hallelujah! He’s the ONE.
Grace
is hard to understand. We want it, we attempt to give it, sometimes tongue and
cheek (meaning we forgive but never forget). We, I speak collectively, though I
really mean me, when I say I often think I’ve messed up past the point of being
offered grace, because life sometimes just flat out stinks.
True
story.
When
life gets hard, this Jesus Chick is not so spiritual as to immediately ask the
question, “What is God teaching me in this moment?” That would sound really
good and churchy wouldn’t it? No, I’m
more apt to ask the question, “How long will I be here, Lord?”
Romans
5:1-2
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we
have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of
the glory of God.
So much is missed in the midst of a struggle. And life is full of
struggles. But the Apostle Paul reminds us that as people of faith (those who
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ) we have access to some things the world is
not afforded.
We have
Access to Peace
There’s a difference between access and acceptance. It’s the same
as salvation, we’re all offered it; but if we don’t accept it, we’ll never experience
it. There is a difference in the end result. Those with salvation will go
Heaven whether they experience the benefits of salvation here on earth or not.
The journey is just a lot more difficult. But those who never accept salvation
are headed to Hell.
I’m not surprised when children of God don’t have peace in the
middle of a storm. Because I’ve been there too. It’s usually a matter of feeling
worthy or letting myself get too far down before looking up. If there’s sin or other
failures in our lives, we don’t feel worthy. Even though neither will keep you
from peace if you talk to God about it. As children of God, it’s ours for the
asking!
That’s just the kind of Lord He is.
We have
Access to Grace
I love the acronym for G.r.a.c.e. = God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.
Isn’t that amazing? There’s nothing we can do to earn it. It is however what
makes me be the person I am. I was born with a servants attitude and when God
saved me from the Devil’s Hell, my gratitude went toward servitude.
Grace will do that if you strive to understand it. Many Christians
miss the mark because they’re not in God’s word, they’re not in church and so they
cannot fully comprehend what the Lord did for them. I sometimes avoid the truth
of it myself, because I can’t imagine the degree of pain and humiliation my
Lord took upon Himself for someone like me who adds more too it when I fail Him.
The shame wasn’t only on the day of the crucifixion. It’s on us
when we blatantly fail God, knowing what He did for us. But the grace is still
there. That’s why it’s amazing.
We have
Access to Joy
It’s what we can experience even in times of sorrow. The loss of a
loved one is gut wrenching, but the knowledge that they were saved and now in
the presence of Jesus brings great joy!
The struggles we face are never pleasurable, but the victory is
always a joyous moment and made that much sweeter because of the struggle. We realize
the strength that we have from knowing Christ as Savior. The unsaved may
experience moments of victory, but not as the child of God. Knowing that there
was Someone standing beside us all the way and there was never a reason to feel
alone. That is joy! He has our back here and He’s waiting for us there!
We have
Access to Hope
Not just hope, but we need always reminded that the peace, grace,
joy and hope are always for the glory of God. It’s a privilege only afforded a
child of the King. I wrote on hope yesterday. It’s a subject I could write on
everyday and never grow weary because I need it. I need to know that my aches
and pains, those of the physical, mental and spiritual nature will someday be
lifted whether here or Heaven.
Maybe you needed to know that too. If I’ve encouraged you, let me
know! If I can pray for you, let me know that too. We’re here to be the hands,
feet and sometimes words of Jesus. Use us Lord!
I
totally get the anxiety and frustration that Abraham and Sarah may have been
feeling. They’d been promised a child, but then, as it does, age crept upon
them from no where and low and behold they found themselves past the fruit
bearing years.
Sarah
was 90 for cryin’ out loud and Abraham 100. It was a dark day in the land of
Canaan when Abraham continued to believe in the promise that God had given him.
With the point being, he never gave up hoping.
That’s
our problem. We lose hope.
Romans
4:18 says of Abraham:
Who against hope believed
in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that
which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Against Hope
There’s nothing like age to make you feel unfruitful.
With every passing year new aches and pains are introduced and your children
start “calling to check on you,” or asking you if you think you’ll “feel up to
it.” Good grief! It’s not that I’m not very grateful that I raised such
concerned children, it’s just that I didn’t think I was that old. And then I
look in the mirror and the age lines that I used to consider laugh lines aren’t
so funny anymore.
Welcome to the silver years Shari. I’m not yet to
the golden years, although they’re drawing nigh.
If I trusted what the mirror says or what my
lying bones say, I’d take off my Jesus Chick hat and consider sitting back and
waiting for Jesus to come and fetch me. Those are physical things against the spiritual
realm of hope. And they are not the only things “against hope.”
Logic is often the enemy of hope. If Abraham had
looked at it logically, he wouldn’t have even put out the candles and turned the
radio onto soft music at 100. What chance did he have at conception with 90 year
old Sarah.
This story gives me hope! See, I’m still waiting
for some fruit… not of the Isaac persuasion, but of the spiritual kind. I’m
waiting for God to do a great work in my ministry that will bear fruit for the Kingdom.
I’ve waited a while! But I’m not 100 yet.
In Hope
Just as Abraham I’m believing in hope. Wouldn’t
it be a sad world with out it. Truth be told, it is a sad world. I’ve listened
to many speak without hope. It is generally the unsaved, but not always. None
of us are immune to losing hope. This world is filled with adversarial demons
to strip even the strongest of a good attitude.
Today I have hope, because today I’ve been in the
word and I’ve read myself happy. But a few days ago, as I traveled down the
highway, I looked in my rear view mirror and all I saw was lost opportunities,
failed attempts and I was in the previous state.
And Jesus said unto him,
No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit
for the kingdom of God.
If a ploughman doesn’t look forward, he won’t
make the proper furrows, nor do his work well. The same is true of the child of
God. If we are continually looking back to see where we’ve been, we might
assuredly miss where we’re going. We need to be forward thinking Christians. Always
looking for opportunity, not resting in the laurels of previous ones, or
sulking in the disaster of errors.
I can find myself sulking if I’m not careful.
Hope Delivered
Sarah delivered that bundle of hope and named him
Isaac, meaning laughter. There is great joy when hope is delivered.
What does that look like to you?
I know what it looks like to me. It’s a strange
delivery I’m waiting on…
That souls are saved and lives are changed.
That my ministry be viewed as a ministry, not a hobby
by those who should know better.
That it is financially sustaining for my family.
That may or may not sound like much to you. But
there are days when I look back at the furrows I’ve made, and my fruit is
sparse. I lose sight of where I know I’m supposed to go.
Just like the farmer who’s responsibility it is
the take care of the land, it’s ours to take responsibility for this land.
Starting at home and working our way out.
I can’t help but think about J. Vernon McGee:
Following cancer surgery in 1965 at the age of 61,
the doctors gave Dr. McGee six months to live. The Lord gave him 23 more years.
In 1967 he launched the radio program “Thru the Bible” which took 5 years. At its completion the program tapes continued to run, and Dr. McGee and his board determined that the program would run until the money ran out. Through generous contributors it’s still running today.
Dr. McGee died in 1988, falling asleep in his chair
and waking in the presence of Jesus. At the time of his death the bible program
aired in 34 languages, but has since been translated into over 100 and is broadcast
on Trans World
Radio throughout
the world every weekday.
At the age of 63 Dr.
McGee continued ploughing and didn’t look back. He was a successful man of God,
but I love that what he deemed as his greatest compliment came at the beginning
his ministry.
His greatest compliment
As a student pastor, Dr. McGee’s first church sat on a red clay hill in Midway, Georgia. It was there he said he received his greatest compliment: “It was from a country boy wearing high buttoned, yellow shoes. After a morning service he came to speak to me. He groped for words, then blurted out, ‘I never knew Jesus was so wonderful!’ He started to say more but choked up and hurried out of the church. As I watched him stride across the field, I prayed, ‘Oh, God, help me to always preach so that it can be said, I never knew Jesus was so wonderful.’“
I
feel like it could be the title of a new Dr. Suess book.
From
Genesis to Revelation it is the same faith. But it certainly varies in the way
it’s displayed.
Old
Testament saints had faith the Messiah would come, and they were charged with
setting forth the principles of New Testament Christianity. Speaking went from
a direct line of communication, when Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden…
can you imagine what that must have been like! And then following the fall and
rebellion of men, a priest would have the responsibility and accountability for
God’s children. Not a role to be taken lightly. Handled inappropriately would
mean certain death!
God’s
Spirit would come upon men like Moses, Jacob and others and it was no doubt an awe-inspiring
time. Most likely a little frightening too! It’s from their testimonies that we
can experience Old Testament faith.
What characters of the Old Testament
would you like to question? And what questions would you ask?
What
would have been your reaction if God had showed up in the burning bush to you? Or
wrestled with you as He did Jacob? Have you ever felt like you did wrestle with
God?
Scroll
forward to the New Testament and a whole new line of communication came when
Jesus, the Son of God walked the earth once again. But only for a short time.
Following His crucifixion and resurrection, that act of unconditional love would
humbly allow us, the nobody’s and the somebody’s to speak to God through the
Holy Spirit.
As
I thought on this today, the images of the two different phones came into play.
The old faith and the new faith are still one faith. It’s still the same God on
the line. It’s just the way of communication differs.
Old Faith
Romans
4:1-8
What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to
the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath
whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now
to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But
to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness. Even
as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they
whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Old
Testament faith was still faith even though they were keepers of the law. Or
attempted keepers of the law. 613 of
them. I can’t keep ten! Nor could they, so a sacrifice was put into place that
would be used year after year. Lamb after lamb. Slain as a picture of the Lord
Jesus Christ on the cross. Did they know that’s what it was? I don’t guess. But
they knew it was God’s design and their only hope at the time; and that it all
pointed, somehow, some way to the coming Messiah that they hoped for.
Every
generation from the days of Adam hoped for.
I
think of that old phone as the Old Testament way of communication with God. There
was a line you had to go through. The Priest would go into the Holy of Holies
and God and he would converse about what the people needed to know. Then he
would deliver the message. We too experience that some through the preaching of
the Word of God. But the difference is we too can receive a word. That should
make you shout! That’s a privilege Old Testament, average Joe’s or Jolene’s
didn’t experience.
When
God showed up on the mountain, the children of Israel told Moses to go and talk
to Him on the mountain. They feared God way too much to want to hear from Him
direct.
Exodus
20:18-19
And
all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the
trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed,
and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses,
Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we
die.
Have
you ever felt that fearful of God? Why or why not?
I
must wonder if some Christians still fear God’s voice. Many don’t even make the
attempt at communication, or at least not very often.
New Faith
The
words of David used in Romans 4 are from the book of Psalms 32:2
Blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy
upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I
acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will
confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time
when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not
come nigh unto him. Thou art
my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me
about with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt
go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the
mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and
bridle, lest they come near unto thee.Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are
upright in heart.
David experienced God in a way few
people did then, or do now.
Why do you think that was so?
It certainly wasn’t because he was
perfect. He acknowledges that he’s a sinner.
Romans 3:23 says
For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
David wasn’t
sin free, he was bold in his confession because he wanted a right relationship
with the Lord. He knew his relationship wasn’t right because he felt the heaviness
of God upon him.
Have you
felt that? What was going on at the time? Likely something that shouldn’t have
been going on at the time. It’s not a feeling we like but we should love it,
because it tells us that we’re saved.
Salvation
comes from repentance.
David received
his forgiveness and a renewed relationship with God when he repented,
acknowledged what he did and turned away from it.
We too
should be so bold!
Bold Faith
David’s
relationship with God caused him to take some actions. He trusted God’s
guidance for war, or not having war. He composed writings and songs, he played
music and was a mighty leader when his relationship was right with God. He was
bold!
Are you
bold in the faith? If not why?
Few in the Faith
As time goes on, our churches seem to be dwindling in size and number. I pass empty church houses with grown up lawns everywhere I go. It makes my heart heavy and very sad. Because I know at one point there may have been a thriving congregation in that place. But they lost their zeal and their desire to serve God. They also lost the best thing that ever happened to them.
I love missionaries and consider myself a missionary to the United States. When I see folks with burdens for other countries I wonder… when will some get a burden for our own.
I have
that.
In just
a little over a month I’m traveling to New Mexico to minister in two different
churches, if not more. I’m praying the Lord opens doors for me there to
encourage the believers to be bold in their faith!
For this
trip I ask that you’ll pray too. Pray that God will give me words and songs and
that a great Spirit of revival will come upon that place. Pray for our safe travels
and pray that our expenses are met.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be
an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Romans 1:1
And that’s all the further I made it before my mind started reeling. Thinking about Paul, who he was, who he became, and the fact I’ll meet him some day in glory! And the absolute fact that I am so not like Paul. He was so very committed to everything he did. It reminds me of the children’s rhyme:
There was a little girl who had a little curl Right in the middle of her forehead And when she was good, she was very very good. But when she was bad, she was dreadful!
Sorry! But that’s how my mind works. And that’s
kind of how Paul was. When he was a Jewish Pharisee, he was very good at being
very bad to the Christians, but when he became a Christian, oh my stars!!! that
same zeal that he used to persecute and kill saints of God, he used to spread
the gospel every where he went. He sowed seeds that would no doubt harvest a
mighty crop of kids for the Kingdom. Oh, that that would be said of me… or you!
We are people of purpose, but we tend to
forget it; or at least I do. Maybe you’re better.
As we continue reading Paul gives us more
insight on our purpose as he scribes his letter to the children of Rome.
The Gospel
Romans 1:2
(Which
he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Malachi 4:1-6
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;
and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that
fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;
and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.3 And
ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your
feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts. 4 Remember
ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all
Israel, with the statutes and judgments.5 Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord: 6 And
he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the
children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
That’s the
whole chapter, just 6 verses, but my what a kick in the pants and a reminder
that this story wasn’t new in Paul’s
day, and it isn’t new in ours, but what it is the prophecy fulfilled, for what
the old testament revealed. And Paul’s reminding the church of that very thing.
And there in those
6 verses we see the reminder of why we should be far more diligent at getting the
Gospel out. Just as Christ came the first time, He’s coming again; but this
time He will not be the gentle man that the world loves to view Him as. He’s
coming as King of all and Lord of all and He’ll judge the earth in righteousness.
And those who do not know Him as Savior, our chance to see them saved will be
gone. Who are we going to meet today that we’ll not see in Heaven? That’s a
sobering question.
The Good News
The good news is that though His
return is imminent, for the time being we still have time. So, what will you
and I do with it? I’m asking myself that question in all seriousness.
Romans 1:3-6
3 Concerning
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to
the flesh;4 And declared to be the Son of God with
power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and
apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
If you’re saved, you’ve been
called. And unlike the iPhone, you can’t pretend you didn’t see it. You can
reject the call, as many of His children do, but somebody is going to suffer
the consequences of our disobedience. That’s the bad news.
The Grace
Thank God for it, I’m going to
need an abundance.
Romans 1:7
To all that be in Rome,
…or Mt. Zion, West Virginia
Grantsville,
WV
Windom,
MN
Albuquerke,
NM
Manilla,
Philippines
Marietta,
Ohio
Well, you get the picture.
beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace
to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Even in our failures, we are still His beloved.
He didn’t die for perfect people, else there would have been no reason. He died
for folks like us who failed before we were saved, and we’ve failed afterwards.
But the difference is, we now know the whole story. It’s been revealed to us
through His word that there is a purpose for us on this big ball of dirt! It’s
to tell the world about the wonderful news of Jesus. And that the evilness of
this world will be overcome. We will win the victory. But only those who know
Jesus.
There is nothing routine about God! We like things neat,
tidy and wrapped with a bow… but God’s not on a schedule, and there’s no such
thing as time in Heaven.
Text: Ephesians 3:16-19
16 That he would
grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might
by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may
dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what
is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the
love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fulness of God.
Four verses, one sentence and a lot of goodness that we need
to understand. And by the way, nothing common, ordinary or routine. Because
just when we think we have God figured out, He goes and does beyond anything we
could ever imagine.
When we think we can’t take anymore, He allows more. Just to
prove to us that we’re stronger than we think, and that we need Him more than
ever.
Exercise routines are good… I’m lousy at them, but they’re very
good. They strengthen the body the same way trials strengthen our spirit when
our faith is exercised. It builds faith muscles when we’re pushed outside our
comfort zone. Praise God it’s not routine. They don’t happen every day, if they
did, we’d likely give up. God never puts things on us to cause us to quit, He
wants us to understand how far His love extends and how far He’ll go down this road
with us. All the way to the end of this road, when eternity begins.
Paul said that the love of Christ “passeth” our knowledge. We
can’t imagine the depth of it. It’s like the bible school song many of us sang,
“Deep and wide, deep and wide, there’s a fountain flowing deep and wide.” And remember
the second verse, when we’d add the Mmmm… in place of the words. I thought a
lot about that today, and how the writer of that song may have been inspired by
the fact that the depth and width of God’s fountain of overflowing love is indescribable.
After this weekend, where 30 people were killed by the wicked
devices of this world, we need to remember that love. Those people were just
living life, not waging war, and yet they were killed. That is a level of evil
most of us, praise God, cannot understand either. We can’t imagine the frame of
mind of those murderous individuals. But it’s not hard to understand the
feeling of hopelessness that many people in this world face because they’ve
never experienced the “fullness of God.”
Our church just came out of revival. Our annual tent
meeting. A yearly scheduled event we call revival. But that’s not the revival
God wants. Paul lived in a state of revival, not because life was roses, but
because he was constantly under persecution and threat of death. That will
cause you to get your priorities in check, quickly! A look around us should remind
us of our need for bold exercised faith.
I kind of figure there was a time the very disciplined Paul
lived a routine. But when Jesus blinded him along the road, Paul’s routine life
went right out the window. And he became a man who lived in the moment.
In the last two verses of Chapter 3 of Ephesus Paul writes
this:
20 Now unto
him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout
all ages, world without end. Amen.
He reminds us all
that God can and will do far more than we ask or think, but He just won’t do it
and hand it too us on a silver platter; He does it through us and through our
church body. And He does it for His glory!
What are you
going to do this week for the cause? Are you in revival, or are you a walking corpse
waiting for the upper taker. Be alive in Christ Jesus and working for His
cause. He is worthy!!
For the greater portion of my ministry, which I feel
officially began in 2010 when I really felt the Lord’s calling on me to be full
time ministry, I really didn’t know what that ministry looked like. Couple that
with my Pastor’s (at the time) response, who said to me when I announced that
thought, “You can’t preach, Shari,” I was perplexed. I had truly never given
preaching a thought. I hadn’t given anything a thought; I just knew that’s what
God said. But I was ever so
directionally challenged.
Bible
College had trained me to outline, write and speak. Wonderful mentors had
taught me how to share the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit
revealed to me my calling and I was set to go forward, but unfortunately in an
utter state of confusion.
Throughout
these years God has sent opportunities in abundance to serve. One such
opportunity is the FGGAM.org ministry. A news, views and avenues of faith and
life topics to keep your mind focused on God. It’s Co-founder, Dewey Moede, has
become one of my greatest friends and ministry partner’s over the past seven of
my nine years. He has been a large portion of the cup which the Lord has given
me to drink from. Dewey and I share 3 ministry drives that I want to share with
you today in hopes of encouraging you to find your place in the ministry.
Psalm 16:5
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou
maintainest my lot.
Everything for God’s Glory
That’s Dewey’s life goal and ministry mission. He and his
wife Sharon (co-founder number 2) named their ministry For God’s Glory
Alone, when Dewey walked away from the security of a very nice income,
to live on Sharon’s nursing salary and faith. Those life decisions and that
sold out faith is what brings glory to God’s name. It’s a given opportunity to
share with the world that our Lord provides. He maintains our lot.
It’s the same purpose and drive that causes me to continue
on the Jesus Chick Mission, believing that God’s provisions will take me through
till Jesus’ return, or He calls me home.
You can find more information on giving a worthy contribution to their 501c3 ministry on the www.FGGAM.org website. And by the way… any contribution to the Jesus Chick will be of the utmost appreciation. For information on what my expense are, and if you’d like to contribute for the direct expenses, click here.
Anything for God’s People
I’m a born encourager. So is brother Dewey. It’s why we work
so well together. If he has a down day, my words encourage him, if I have a
down day, the same holds true with his words. We speak most every day in one
form or another, via phone or text. His ministry has needs that I can provide
through the gifts of artistic expression and graphic work that God has enabled
me to do. It’s a privilege. He promotes and supports my ministry, and together
we’ve become quite the duo for Jesus. FGGAM provides me the opportunity to help
a brother out and in the process minister to the world through the banners and
graphics I provide.
In this “all about me world,” even Christians have lost
sight of the fact that we’re here to help each other out through this life. Anything
God has given us the ability to do, we need to share it with God’s people.
Philippians
2:4
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on
the things of others.
Nothing Without
Accountability
Another great ministry attribute of FGGAM.org and one I hold
to with TheJesusChick.com.
But I say unto you, That every idle word that
men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
That’s the Word of God, and it’s a very scary word (or it should be) for those who don’t take it seriously. What we understand as ministry partners is that our convictions are more than just “notions,” they’re founded on the word of God. When we speak it, we want those who read our material to know that we’ve backed it up by the Word of God, and the resources that we’ve used for information gathering are trustworthy and honest.
When I stand at the throne of Christ, I want to hear Him
say, “Well done thou good and faithful servant!” I don’t want to hear Him say, “Seriously
Shari, what were you thinking?”
I hope these three attributes are a part of your life, and I
pray that our ministries edify you as we’re instructed to do!
They
used to say “There are no atheists in fox holes.” I don’t think that’s true
anymore; the arrogance and pride of man is shockingly ignorant.
We’re
in the second night of tent meeting at Victory Baptist Church, in Grantsville,
WV and while the church in the holler is feeling the Spirit of God move in a
mighty way, the world around us goes on, oblivious to the truth of God, that He’s
coming back. And you’d better be ready!
Psalm 14
1The fool
hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done
abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon
the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek
God.
The context of this scripture
does not speak of men in general, but rather a specific group (Sennacherib’s
invasion of Judea) to which David is writing and directing this Psalm. Well, I
too could write and direct a Psalm toward specific groups of people that I feel
fall into the category of fools. But I won’t. They will not listen and my words
would offend and do little for the cause of Christ. So I’ll direct my thoughts
to those who perhaps will listen, the children of God.
While we would never say there is
no God, we will skirt on the issue of foolishness by pretending His return is
far, far in the future. So I pose these questions for you and I today.
If Jesus phoned you personally
and said, “I’ll be leaving Heaven in 15 minutes to call my children home,” who
would be your first call? I have to ask myself that question too. And why haven’t
I been more persistent about their salvation?
Would there be any materialistic
thing that you’d look at and say, “This is worth staying for?” Mmmm…. Not when
I got a mansion there waiting! However, you’d think that some of the things for
which I put great value on were worth staying for, because I sure waste enough
time on them.
My third and final question is
this… “How soon after reading this will we forget the questions?”
There hath no temptation taken you but such
as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
We all have them, yours are different than mine, but it’s still the same
emotion, days of victory and days of utter defeat.
There’s not any new temptations according to Apostle Paul. And even though
sometimes I think mine are so pathetic that everyone else has won their battle
with it, the scripture says I’ve gone through nothing that someone else hasn’t
already faced. You may be facing it today.
You and I are not that weird.
Satan does not have anything new to use against us that he didn’t have
in the day of Paul.
When I was a teen alcohol was an issue. Do you know that in Paul’s day,
the people of the church would come in and get drunk on the communion wine? If
you don’t believe me read 1 Corinthians 11. It’s in there.
It’s why the Baptist use grape juice. We can’t be trusted in the wine barrel.
How big of an issue is alcohol today? Not with teens only, but more so
with adults who should know better. It’s an issue that can so easily out of
control, and blind side the strongest of Christians even. Especially those
prone to addiction. For which I have that personality and it would take nothing
to get me over the edge of any addiction.
They didn’t have pornography as we do in Paul’s day, but they were so
brazen, they were having scandalous relationships to the point Paul had to
preach on it in 1 Corinthians 6 and it’s captured in the eternal word of God.
So Satan doesn’t have anything new there either, he just has a new outlet. The
internet. And while it’s done in secret with man, God still knows
Paul preached on corrupt conversations (Ephesians 4:29) How many things
could fall into that category? Gossip, anger, criticism?) Finance issues, 1
Timothy 6:10,
Tell me these aren’t the same issues that we’re facing today. There is
not new sin. Nothing’s changed since the garden. Man is still trying to make it
on his and her own, without getting busted by God.
I heard a really deep sermon on this topic this week. A lot of bible study had gone into it. I’m
not going to tell you that I’ve done a lot of studying. But I can tell you that
I’ve done a lot of thinking about how to speak on relevant topics of discussion
for today. And going into tent meeting I wanted something for my own life to
jerk a knot in me and say, “Shari, you can do better.â€
If you want to be successful, you cannot continue dragging your heels in
the dirt of this world, you’ve got to get up in the heavens where the air is
clean and the sky is clear.
We’re seated in heavenly places the bible says.
That may sound metaphoric, but it’s not.
This earth is disgusting. The preacher reminded us of a story of Billy
Sunday, who was asked by a woman why he found the need to hold revivals all the
time? And he asked her why she found the need to take a bath all the time? We
need a bath for the same reason we need a revival. Because we’re dirty.
So I wanted to speak on something that is relevant and something that we
can all agree is an issue. Dirt.
1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The
Lust of the Flesh
John Gill described it as “All unchaste
thoughts, desires, words, and actions.â€
Have you ever seen a time when there
was more exposure to corrupt immoral behaviors? You can’t watch a commercial, a
television show, movie, or even a child’s cartoon that it’s not there. It’s not
only there, we don’t think twice about it. That is the scariest part. It’s on
us and we don’t even try to wash it off.
I’m not sure how much it affects your
world, but it certainly has been affecting mine. I don’t watch a lot of television
during the day, but late at night, Netflix has been my go to source for
entertainment. There’s hardly anything fit to watch. I finally resorted to
watching kid shows because I needed to get a break from “too much adult content.â€
I’m not that grown up. My mind goes places it shouldn’t go. I’m just being real…
And it always pops up in the middle of a sermon, or when I’m trying to be
spiritual. It’s like someone is trying to sabotage my relationship with God. I
wonder who that could be?
It ends up being two sabotages’. Satan,
and me. I don’t want too, but I do.
The
Lust of the Eyes
Sinful pleasures most generally begin
with the eyes. Covetousness, vanity, idolatry… if we see it, we want it. We
want to look like them, be like them, live like them… who are they? Anyone with
something we don’t have. It takes over
our thoughts and desires and soon God is pushed to the side for stuff… It’s
what takes people into a world of debt and destruction.
One poll that I read said that financial
issues were 1/3 (it was the leading cause) of marriages ending. I don’t think
that’s a shock. And I would dare to say that most of those debts came from the
lust of the eyes. $50,000 dollar cars are standard issues for families. And the
houses are beautifully insane.
Have you ever watched the shows where
people are looking for a new home? I’ve pretty much stopped watching them because
I couldn’t stand the bratty attitudes of the people who were appalled that a
home only had 2,000 square feet. My home is less than ½ that. I lived in a tiny
house before it was cool. Raised two girls here. And always felt inadequate
because of people’s comments about other people’s houses and the fact that they
unknowingly were speaking of me.
I’m not throwing stones. I have my own
wants and desires that I could spill a list of. Some of which I need, and some
of which, I just want. The lust of the eyes will take our eyes off what’s
important.
The final of the three is
The
Pride of Life
What seems to be meant is, “ambition
and honor.†Titles.
Again have you seen it any worse than
now when people are far less concerned about the ethics of work as they are
about their position. Children are brought up in a world of entitlement and our
next generation of employees just think they deserve a pay check for the same
reason they deserved a trophy. Because they showed up. Not because they
excelled.
The same thing is happening in the
church. People feel like they’ve done enough because they showed up on Sunday morning
and participated. They sang a song, they put their dollar in the offering, they
shook the Pastor’s hand and told him he did a great job, now. Bring on the week
and don’t think about it until next Sunday! And if you have a revival, don
expect them to be their every night because that’s just too much.
I can guarantee some of our people feel
that way, and I’m not worried about saying it, because I can almost guarantee
they’re not watching me. Most of them don’t know I’m even on here, or what the
Jesus Chick ministry is about.
This is where I broke down this
morning.
I know this is what I’ve been called to
do. But … those first two issues. The flesh and the eyes, have put me in a
position that causes my family great issues financially. I want stuff. And
stuff costs money, and I’m not really upset that I don’t have what I want, I’m
more discouraged because sometimes I don’t have what I need to ministry work.
And that causes me to want to go back into the world to get it. But there’s
issues.
So this is where it got very relevant
with me this morning. Do I trust God, or do I turn to man? And I think it’s
where we all are in this world of dirt. This world gets on us and causes us to
be uncertain about Heavenly things, because we can’t see them. It’s like my
glasses most of the time. They have so much dirt and grime I can’t see clearly.
Well, God cleared it up for me. I have to make a living… but not in the world.
And that’s where I need to focus.
I like to think myself
as humble, and then I have to ask myself “Are you really? And if you were,
would you think you were?” I don’t know. Sometimes I don’t think I’m fully
understanding of God’s opinion of humility, so God’s word in Psalm 10, verse 17
was a good launching point to understanding my humility level.
Lord, thou hast heard
the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine
ear to hear:
Psalm 10:17
Humble People Have Desires
I often think to
myself and tear myself apart for wanting stuff. And I’ll confess, my desire for
stuff isn’t always for God’s glory. Sometimes it’s just because this girl wants
to have fun. Much like the gift I received from my overly generous husband
yesterday who has always wanted to give me the desires of my heart, and I him.
It’s how we’ve
come to celebrate 39 years in just a few weeks. Which is why he bought me the Apple
® watch. He knows it’s been a desire of my heart. But then I often cannot
reciprocate gifts of such value because I don’t have a “real job.” You know…
one that pays money. So the guilt sets in. And it’s much the same with my
relationship with God. I feel guilty that I’m not better at life.
Humble People Have Disappointments
Mostly in myself. I’m sure there are humble people
out there who have great confidence as well as humility. I’m just not one of
them. So when I read that God prepares the heart, it made me wonder what I’m
missing that causes me to lack confidence and be disappointed with my
accomplishments. Why am I not fully prepared? Obviously God isn’t the issue, He
has prepared me; so how do I tap into it? I found that answer in 2 Timothy
2:20-21
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a
man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified
and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.
And there it was in the honesty of God. I often
lump myself in with wood and earth, rather than gold and silver. I know that I
fail God again and again, and so does God. But rather than accepting His grace,
and purging myself, I stay in the condemnation of this world. Foregoing His
grace for misery. And how does that make sense? But it’s who I am, and I need
to do better.
Humble People Have
Discouragers
Some on earth, some in the spiritual realm, and
some in the mirror. But the latter of my verse says “God will cause
his ear to hear.” But for some goofy reason, I buy the lies of my
discouragers. Oh… I believe God hears. They can’t fool me on that, but my
problem is, I don’t feel worthy of an answer. And that would be true, if it were
my worthiness that matters. But it’s not. It’s the worthiness of the Savior Who
thought I was of enough value to die for. The discouragement comes when I allow
the sounds of the sirens of Hell to speak louder to my soul than the trumpets
of Heaven that proclaim God’s glory.
This act causes me to live far short of the glory
of God than I should, and doesn’t allow the world to see me living in the triumph
that a child of God should.
A lesson for me, and probably a lesson for you too.
Let’s practice it today!
