Saturday, November 22, 2008

Vanishing Point

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
James 4:13-14

Good fishermen will leave out early in the morning, when it is dark, calm and quiet outside. Fishermen don't sleep in and they don't waste time hitting the snooze button. They make the most out of all the time that is available in their day. Their wake up call might come so early, in fact, that they could get a glimpse of a morning fog.

Just like that momentary fog on the water, our time here on earth is evaporating. Are you spending your life putting off the things God wants you to do, thinking that there's plenty of time? Or are you seizing every moment and making good use of every minute?

In the verses above, James is telling us that time has no guarantees. He's challenging us to focus on what we can do today.

What are some of the things you have been procrastinating? Who has God laid on your heart and asked you to reach out to? Don't delay. Life is too short and too uncertain. So take every opportunity you can to find and fulfill your God-given purpose here on earth.

Dear God, Please help me to not put off the things you ask me to do. Reveal your plans to me so that I may know your purpose and will for my life. And help me seize every moment so that I can make a difference on this earth for you. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Thanks to Who? - DevoMail with Skip Heitzig

Have you noticed how Hollywood pays lip service to faith? In show after show on TV around this time of year, we see people sitting down to a Thanksgiving dinner. The father will tell the guests, "Now we'll all tell what we're thankful for." And the guests are suitably impressed as everyone around the table recites their blessings to each other. They omit just one thing: Saying to whom they are thankful.

On "The Simpsons," son Bart is perhaps more honest than most. In one episode, Bart is "praying," and he says, "We paid for all this stuff ourselves. Thanks for nothing." We might laugh or shake our heads, but that's the attitude of a lot of people today, in popular entertainment and in real life. God is given credit for something only if it's seen as "miraculous." The more "ordinary" gifts are looked upon as being due to our own merit, talent, or hard work.

Yet, the Bible has a very different outlook on this: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17). Notice that he says every good gift. Not only the physical necessities, but your intellect, your strength, and the skills that enable you to obtain what you need.

Moses warned the Israelites against forgetting God. In Deuteronomy 8:11-18, he listed a few of the many things God did for them in releasing them from Egyptian bondage. And he said, "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God...then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth'" (v. 11, 17). On the contrary, he reminded them, "And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth" (v. 18).

The Apostle Paul echoes this truth in 1 Corinthians 4:7: "And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?"

So, the proper response is thanksgiving to God for all the blessings in your life. Not an empty announcement to nobody-in-particular saying, "I'm glad I have all this stuff." An open, joyous offering of thanks to the One who provides all your needs and "satisfies our mouth with good things" (Psalm 103:5). You may have "bought all this stuff yourself" but ultimately, every good gift comes from God.

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!" (Psalm 136:1).

Monday, November 3, 2008

Battling Discouragement - DevoMail with Skip Heitzig

There's an old story that the devil and his demons were having a meeting. The demons asked him what his most potent tool was to stop mankind from doing God's will. The devil told them it was discouragement. He said if he quit using everything else, he could still stop the work of the Lord if he were able to depress and discourage God's people.

The story is non-biblical and it's very simplistic, but it points up an important truth. Discouragement can sometimes be a tool of the enemy, and it can be a very effective one.

Take a look at Nehemiah, chapter 4. Nehemiah was trying to rebuild the wall around the city of Jerusalem. Their enemies had them surrounded. They ridiculed the work that had been done, saying that a fox could knock down the wall if it only leaned against it. Further, they were planning an attack. Between the toil and the danger, the people were bone tired. They saw the immensity of the task, and they were becoming discouraged.

Life is like that. It's not "a miracle a day" or "a song of celebration all the time," like you might hear on some Christian broadcasting. Discouragement arises, and Christians aren't immune to it. If you're prone to discouragement, try your best to avoid negative people, because they will bring you down to their level.

So, the people were thinking that the job was too big, and they were ready to quit. Fear is contagious--but so is faith. Look at Nehemiah's words in verse 14: "And I looked, and arose and said to the nobles, to the leaders, and to the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, great and awesome, and fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.'"

Nehemiah rallied them, and they returned to the work. One half of them would work while the other half stood guard in full armor. And the workers had their swords strapped to their sides (see v. 15-18). They were builders, but they were fighters also.

Like them, we are "separated on the wall." We need to rally together and get encouragement, and to get our "marching orders" from our Commander, the Lord. So here's my question for you today: Are you becoming tired and discouraged as you work for the Lord? Is some task weighing you down, making you feel that the world is crashing in around you?

Remember, it's the Lord's battle. Align yourself with God and His purposes. Get your eyes off the problems and onto the true and living God. In the words of Nehemiah, "Remember the Lord, great and awesome... Our God will fight for us" (v. 14, 20).

By Grace Alone - DevoMail with Skip Heitzig

Is salvation God's work, or is it man's work, or is it both God's work and man's work? Another way to put it: Is faith in Jesus Christ alone enough to save us? Is grace enough?

In Acts 15, a group came forward in Jerusalem and told the brethren that they needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. These legalists were known as the Judaizers, and they were influential because they were very schooled in the Law; they were Pharisees. The books of Romans, Galatians and Hebrews hadn't been written yet, so the question of law versus grace hadn't been hammered out yet. It was because of the council in this chapter that this was done.

These men said it was "necessary" to obey the Law of Moses. Not that it would be nice for fellowship, but that you couldn't be saved without it. Imagine if these men had prevailed. We might be singing, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the Law of Moses," or perhaps "A mighty fortress is the Law..."

But remember this: Whenever any leader stands up and says, "You can't be saved unless you believe in Christ AND keep our rules, or obey our ceremonies, or whatever," they are denying the gospel.

Adding anything to the Gospel--be it circumcision, baptism, confirmation, extreme unction, any additional work--is saying "Jesus Christ is not a complete savior. He didn't do a good enough job." It's telling Him, "It was a good start, Jesus; now we'll finish the work."

But salvation is, according to the scripture, totally by God's grace through faith. As it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Now, you might say, "That's a pretty dangerous doctrine. You have to keep young Christians tethered with some rules, or they'll run wild." That's where you're wrong. There is no stronger tether than relationship. Not rules, not rituals--relationship. Rules without relationship leads to rebellion. Love that leads to relationship that leads to obedience...there's no stronger tether than that.

We don't obey God in order to earn His favor. We obey Him because we love Him. And "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

Jesus Christ IS a complete savior. Jesus Christ DID do a complete work on the cross to secure our salvation. Faith in Jesus Christ IS enough.