“Scaredy Cat”, by Carolyn Warvel, is a child’s story of a lion cub who meets Daniel in the lion’s den. God shut the mouths of the hungry lions when Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den in Daniel 6, the story says the lions ran away in terror, and all that was left was Daniel and the little cub. As Daniel befriended the fearful little lion, he asked why it was nicknamed Scaredy Cat? The little lion replied, “Because I’m scared of everything. I’m afraid of the dark, being alone, people, other lions, mice, spiders, dirt, the clouds falling on me, getting hurt, monsters, getting lost, snakes, and…” After a pause, the little lion, Scaredy Cat, asked Daniel why he wasn’t afraid of the big lions, wherewith Daniel said, “Because I know God is with me. He has helped me before and I knew He would help me now. You see, God is my special friend.” “Whenever I’m scared or confused, I just stop and pray and He comforts me. I have learned to trust Him over the years.”

Considering fear is so prevalent and paralyzing for us, it would seem to be a good thing to find out more about it. Most fears, it seems to me, are about not living in life, but more living in our minds, it’s always about “what’s going to happen next”. And seeing as how “what might happen next” is not here yet, “next” does not actually exist, and if the fear is about what does not exist, the fear is 100% imaginary.  AND….if we fear what does not exist, our psychological medical community calls that insanity.

Let’s talk about our Being In The Grip of Fear and why are we such Scaredy Cats when God is such a sure foundation to us and all our tomorrows. i’ll be right back.

Fear! Dread! Terror! The things that go “bump” in the night in our dreams; dark hallways, floating specters of faceless, nameless, unsubstantiated evil hovering around us in our minds and imagination in seemingly looming unconquerable fear. In the back of people’s minds there seems to hover, what i call, the “dread of tomorrow”. All good counseling has a standard reply to people who are “afraid”: give your fear a handle and don’t just let it loom, unknown, nameless, faceless and without substance…give it a handle, and i don’t mean the name of a spirit, but what is it we are afraid of. Be honest, and name your fear.

The less important trusting God becomes, the more fear and suspicion (suspicion being the Ishmael of discernment) begin to take over, and we know fear and suspicion are ALWAYS close allies! Fearful people are far more rooted in their mind than in reality, in fact, suspicion is largely responsible for prejudice. Prejudice is when we make judgments or decisions on someone else’s behalf without having all the facts or truth. We make value judgments based on personal prejudices all the time, and it’s all rooted in fear and not having all the facts or truth.

How often do we not have enough information, and as a result we tend to “fill in the blank” with “negative assumptions”? Rather than tell ourselves we don’t have enough information, in our impatience, we “fill in the blank” with what we “think” MIGHT be in our future. If we do that often enough, we’ll begin finding our footing rooted in fear and not faith. What “MIGHT” be is imaginary, it does not exist yet. In our dreams when there comes things which go “bump in the night”, we “fill in the blank” about what it “could be”, and we project our fears of monsters, spiders, or something terrible into that blank place of identity. Sometimes i wonder if “fear” is one facet of what is alluded to in Psalm 91:6 in mentioning “…the pestilence that walks in darkness…”

Fear is an intolerant, demanding, iron fisted task master, driving us to behaviors and actions we would never choose if we were free from its relentless call lulling us into it’s grasp, woefully declaring “not enough”….not enough love, not enough money, not enough power, not enough faith…just not enough of anything for anyone or any situation. Without trust in God we easily become subject to believing we are unloved, unwanted, and unneeded…hard driven by a life thrust upon us, like slaves on a slave ship, starved, abused, and trapped in the dark.

Do you spend your time being “Led By God” –OR- “Driven By Fear”?

Mark4:37-41, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much so, it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they woke Him up and said, “Teacher, do You not care we are perishing?” We are going to die here, don’t you even care!!?? Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it you have no faith?” And verse 41, “And they feared exceedingly, saying to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

The fear Jesus rebuked was one projected by the disciples who had visions of sinking into the deep and drowning. It had not happened therefore it was a fear of something imaginary. True, it was a potential, still though, it was a fear of what “MIGHT” happen. The other “fear” as spoken of in vs. 41, was different yet was translated as “feared”. It is the Greek word we got our English “phobia” from, and a “phobia” is an “irrational fear, horror, aversion, as in panic-type fear, or terror. It became the common word for “fear” through the notion of “panic coupled with fright”.

We as a society in America today are largely, hugely driven by fear. The Lord doesn’t suggest we not be afraid, He commands it, “Be Not Afraid! Fear Not”. 68 times, “fear not for I AM with you”, “fear not, peace unto you”, “fear not for I have heard your prayers”, “fear not for I AM in this place”, “fear not, nor be discouraged”, etc, etc. But yet we are so terribly driven by fear.

i have 21 pages, over 500 legitimate, documented… exaggerated, illogical, and inexplicable fears that Americans, today, right now, are riddled with … they are called phobias. Top ten, fear of  the dark, fear of heights, fear of open spaces, fear of closed spaces, fear of spiders, fear of pointed objects, fear of germs, fear of disease, fear of snakes, and here is the most incredible …

Fear of the number 13. Triskaidekaphobia … this phobia is so pervasive in Western practice it has actually influenced an entire modern culture. Typically no 13th floor on high rises, no 13th row on many airplanes, many times people won’t buy a house which has the number 13 in the address, we don’t often see 13th avenue or 13th street, and rarely is there “Road” or Hwy 13.

Not in the top ten, but certainly in the top 20 are 4 in particular, Atychiphobia, fear of failure or of being wrong … absolutely pervasive in our society. Socialphobia, fear of being evaluated negatively in social situations. Sedatephobia, fear of silence. And Ymophobia, fear of being contrary or being in opposition, just going along to get along, fearful others won’t like or accept us.

If we will trust God and cast our cares upon Him, hope will spring fresh in our hearts, and in hope we will step into faith.  In the silence of the righteous, as we wait upon the Lord, there is hope! Hope & Faith!

Faith is the opposite of fear. Hope is the forerunner of faith.  When we find faith we can believe hope was there first. Our fears are largely about what might happen tomorrow, yet from somewhere way, way back in our mind, fear drives us to have this perpetual nagging that something is wrong. We can’t put our finger exactly on what it is, but we feel like, something, just something is wrong…. but we don’t know what it is.

Hope generates a vision of transformation, and we need more “trans” in our “formation”.  Hope, the expectation of becoming and overcoming, and every believer in Christ has an expectation, in one fashion or another, of being a “becomer” and an “overcomer”! Hope must have an object to act on, and the object of Hope is Expectation.  Hope is a character trait of the righteous, they have an attitude of anticipation with expectation that something will happen to further fulfill the vision of transformation.  Our hope is based on God’s faithfulness, and is a result of trusting God, remembering what He has done.  Hope lifts our face, and opposingly, despair causes the face to drop.

i’m addressing the fear of tomorrow, or next week, month, or year, and the trust we need to put in God today concerning tomorrow. Tomorrow looks like looming doom to many people, although tomorrow doesn’t exist and is imaginary. People seem to, so easily, forget about all the good things which might happen. The Lord says trust in Him, not in tomorrow.

Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”    2Timothy1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Genesis32:11-12, “Please deliver me from the hand of Esau, my brother, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me and the mother with the children. But You said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.”

Jacob feared what Esau “MIGHT” do to him, in saying “…just in case he comes and attacks me…”. He also recounts the promise of what God “WILL” do with him. Both the fear and the promise are about the future. Jacob was driven to run for a long time based on “MIGHT” instead of “WILL”. Fear driven vs. God driven. There’s another Good discussion.

The circumstances caused fear about what “MIGHT” happen, God spoke a promise about what “WILL” happen. Both are about future circumstances. !BUT!, God’s promise had already happened in His heart, and because God doesn’t lie, His promise was a reality, not a potential. God’s promise was more sure than tomorrow! In the place where things are truly non-existent, God’s promise still stands!

          When we doubt God, we are projecting the potential of our history on to His promises. Example: In the past people have let us down and all the viscous circumstances which followed are in our mental data base of possibilities for the future. People break their promises, God does not. When God promises us things of our future, our fear influences us to project our experience with men onto God, and unsurprisingly, we find our fear very believable. We are unsure of tomorrow, because tomorrow isn’t here, so tomorrow is a giant “fill in the blank”. There is nothing wrong with carefully and wisely “filling in the blank” unless we… “fill in the blank” about God according to our history with men. As a result, fear and anxiety often drive us to silence.

What drives our silence, even to the point of consciously, but passively participating in things we know are wrong? Silence may be golden, but it isn’t always the right choice.

We are silent when the enemy threatens to expose our past.  We are silent for fear of rejection, persecution, being marginalized or minimized. We are silent many times to justify our own behavior while citing someone else’s. We are silent when words are about to be spoken and shouldn’t.

There are times when “filling in the blank” is a good idea, and i believe it’s a process the Lord gave us as part of our decision-making mechanism. We test out “what if” scenario’s to decide the best path to follow, and we decide the future of how we do business based on history… it is wise.

!BUT!, and there is a giant “But God…” in the middle… when God steps into the middle of our circumstance and makes a statement and a promise, His Word trumps all our experience and circumstance……and that just blows my mind because my decision-making machine is so used to doing business as it has been trained, according to the world. We can be trained by the world, or trained by grace….so i have to ask, who’s your trainer?

        i’ve never met anyone who fears the past, except those who fear the deeds of their past will catch them and determine their future, so it’s STILL all about the future which has not happened yet…. Here are three facts about tomorrow: 1) it does not exist yet, 2) tomorrow will come, 3) God’s promise today is tomorrow’s truth, even though tomorrow doesn’t exist yet.   Nothing about tomorrow exists except God’s promise which is more sure than tomorrow. Even if you don’t know where you’re going, the Lord is already up ahead waiting for you.

          Friends, fear does not need to control our lives. It has many faces, but with the Lord’s help, we can learn to trust Him and break the grip. i’d bet most of us haven’t begun to fathom how many of our thoughts, opinions, and choices are controlled by anxious feelings or imagined scenarios that keep us from trusting God. Suspicion, dread, and doubt can plague our lives to the point that we feel continually anxious over our well-being, our career and finances, or even the remaining years of our lives. By continuously living in fear and anxiety, we eventually become resigned to life under a long, dismal, stream of lukewarm gray water with high percentages of over concern, and trepidacious worry. Think! Are the fears which knock you off your feet, are they real? We don’t have to be afraid, as in paralyzing dismay. How about we practice being brave in small steps creating a pattern of success, stretching the envelope to expand our territory of courage, driving our binding fears and distrust of God backwards.

Many times our fears are born of carrying burdens which are not ours to carry, living under a yoke that is not ours to own. Jesus said His burden was light and His yoke was easy, and i believe the inverse of that is also true in that ALL other yokes are hard, and all other burdens are too heavy. Actually, fearfully responding to circumstances can be a habit, and only when we reach the panic stage do we realize we have succumbed, again, to our foreboding uneasiness.

Deuteronomy 3:22, “You must not fear them, for the LORD your God Himself fights for you.'” God makes them a promise about their future, and His promise is as good as accomplished in the things which are not yet.     Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Did you know that in Hebrew, “nor be dismayed” means “don’t fall to pieces in the face of your circumstances, and throw yourself on the ground screaming and crying.”   God’s promise of “WILL BE” trumps the fear of “MIGHT BE”… The Lord promises He will be with us in all our tomorrow’s. Think about it.

        In the middle of fear, the Lord gives us a “But God…” which trumps all possibilities of the terror of tomorrow. i love it when the Bible says, “But God”.

“But”, meaning on the contrary, or “except for the fact”. The world tells us one thing, then there is “But God” that is to the contrary. The devil persuades us one way, then there is “But God”, which tells us the truth which is on the other hand from the world or the devil.

Let us not fear imagined pursuers who might do us harm, nor contrived creeping things which hunt us in the night. Matthew28:18-20, “Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. I am commissioning you to go out, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: live by example in word and deed, instructing them to do, with all their breathing, thinking, and feeling, everything whatsoever I have commanded you: and, take this to heart, hear this, I am with you always, all the way to the end of the world. Amen.”

There is nothing to fear but fear itself, and if God is for us, who can be against us. i’m no scaredy cat, How about you?

i’m Social Porter and thank you for joining us here at Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the late evening banks of the Ockluhwahhah River. This production was brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Sisters Coffee in Sisters, Oregon, Lee Arwood of the Druid Hills Grocery on Asheville Hwy, Mr. Fine, you know who you are, the Mebane Freedom League, and Dot Cleveland at Nettie’s Beauty Shop. When you’re down town, stop in and see Jeff and Karen, the makers of fine confectionaries, at Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven, and it’s oh so good!

Fear not friends! If you know Jesus, you have a “But God” in your midst and God’s promise is more sure than tomorrow!

Eph2:3-4 says we were once children of wrath, “but God” made us alive in Christ.  In Psalms 73:26 “My flesh and my heart fail; “But God” is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  Many wander in despair, “But God has called us to peace”.

Remember the words of Jesus in Luke12:32 as you go your way this week, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Until next time, be strong and courageous!

An astounding thing God gave me this morning during prayer was the glimpse into hearing as He hears. It took me a moment to get my bearings, i’m sure grace braced me, but how do i describe this? It was beyond me, more than me, which may not seem like much to you, but to say i perceive something as more than myself is a confession that i am insufficient and the Lord is more than sufficient. You can say you don’t believe it. That’s ok. Remember though, just because you don’t believe it, doesn’t make it not so, it only means you don’t believe it.

i first thought it was madness, but then, i was aware of God’s grip on me so i decided it wasn’t madness. In the time of praise and worship, my ears became super-ears. i could hear everything around me. i heard the spider across the room at the base of the wall crawling, and i thought to myself, oh Mr. Spider, and you thought you were being quiet…mind you though, the sound of the spider wasn’t loud and intrusive, but just a gentle stepping. Outside my window there was a sparrow on a branch, waiting in the morning sun….to my amazement, i could hear it breathing. The clarity of everything was overwhelming, i marveled that i could hear something as soft as birds breath. Don’t get me wrong, i don’t mean overwhelming as if i was being driven to hallucinations and insanity, but overwhelming in the sense of being aware, aware of the sound of living things like maybe God hears it all. Everything i heard was distinct and clear, separate and of it’s own. It wasn’t a jumble of chaotic noise. It was like orderly music.

i’m Social Porter and i’ll be your host with cool jazz and contemplative conversation. We’re talking about hearing and listening for a short while…they’re both a gift and a talent. Being able to hear is a gift of God, and listening is a talent, a learned thing which is also something brought to us by the goodness of God.

We hear the world around us, even people who are hearing impaired have a sense of hearing in a way, they may interpret it differently than those of us who hear, but it is a perception of sound in some capacity or another. How many of us stop to hear? Do we sit in silence and listen to what is in our spirit, in our heart? Maybe some of us practice so much of such introverted listening, we are the only voice we hear….think about that, tap your toe and dream a little, i’ll be right back.

Hearing is first mentioned in Genesis 3:8, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” i have wondered, what does God sound like when He’s walking in the cool of the day, at the time when the thermal currents of air begin to transition from their place in the heat of the day to a cooling off period at night? Either way, Adam and Eve knew very well who they were hearing. The footsteps of the Lord are so unique even the sound of His steps declare His person. Not only did they hear, but they listened and accurately identified who they were hearing. He was coming to talk to them! They heard Him before they saw Him, oh and don’t you know, i’ll say it again, they knew well the sound of His footsteps! They had experience with the sound of the Lord moving around, even the sound of His coming which was common only to Him.

To “hear” is a verb meaning to give an ear or to lend an ear, discern, to perceive. The value of hearing God above all things seems to have become devalued in the world today, it seems unimportant to most people. Even to people who want to hear God, many may have become convinced they can’t hear Him so “hearing God” has become a low priority seeing as how, in most people’s mind, the probability of hearing God seems minimal. As a result the idea and hope of hearing Divinity is at the bottom of their list of important things.

On the contrary, of all the voices in the universe, hearing God is a necessity above all necessities in life. His voice IS life, as His presence is life, as His dreams are life, there is life infused in all which comprises the person of Christ. John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

i hold that everything the Lord says and does is more important to understand and own over anything else in the universe. He has something to say and i’d really like to hear it. Therefore, every word from the mouth of God, teaches us the fundamentals and deep things of God and faith. “He that has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Many people lend their ears to “commerce and media” and fill their heads with unfounded doubt, leaving no room to hear that “small, still voice’.  …and if they’re not pouring the foolishness of the main stream media into their heads, they’re filling their ears with political talk, words of their work-a-day world, pornography, or just the common misleading information that comes in from the cable network.  It’s no great wonder people are so frightened when we tell them we “hear God”. Metaphorically speaking, many live in that “septic tank” that I compare “commerce and media” to.  Think about it… IF we’re inside that tank, we can’t hear anything outside.  We have no contrast.  We only know when somebody “flushes” and when you hear the plumbing “rumble”, you anticipate the discharge of waste from elsewhere.  But when the inside of that septic tank comprises your entire world, you don’t know there is an entirely different world just a few feet over your head … just a few feet of dirt and a concrete slab dividing you from brightness of day, stars at night, fresh air, and the presence and voice of God.  But many people have chosen to live in a “tomb” and they’ve been there so long that things which should be common between them and God are now unthinkable to them.

What will it take for us, as humans, to be interested in hearing God’s voice again? For me, even if God comes to chastise me, i would rather hear the voice of the Lord who loves me and died for my sins, than to not hear Him at all. Jesus said in John 5:24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Where it says “word” is the word “logos”, meaning “the sayings of God” as in what is “uttered by the living voice”. Personally, i really need to hear Jesus. Not just want, but need.

His voice, the sound of His moving and doing, His very name has slowly become so intrinsic and systemic in me and the life I lead, He is like the pith of a plant, water in a tree, the strength in roots, and the green in leaves in my life. This morning as I was praying I was thinking about that and I could not imagine life without His voice and name being alive in me. God wants to speak to us, and yes, you can ‘know’ that you hear His voice.

The desire of God’s heart is to fellowship and communicate with us, it’s a two way street. Why? Because no one can really have a relationship unless there is true dialogue. And how do we get to know someone? Of course by communicating, talking, and listening. You may not understand it or be interested, but the truth is we need His words. No one is smart enough to run their own lives, and no self-help guru, or political party will ever, in the history of forever, be able to give you that.

It makes sense that the Living One speaks Living Words, that are Life Giving for those who are without life that they might have Life if they would hear and listen to the Living One who speaks Living Words. Some people avoid the sound of the Lord, they look to the stars for answers. Is it smarter to look to the stars for answers, or look to the maker of the stars? The stars don’t have any answers, in fact, the stars all point to the glory of God. If we ask the stars, “Where should i go to school?”, they will reply, pointing to God, “Ask Him. He knows.” If we tell the universe, “I need wisdom, please help me.” They will say, pointing to God alone, “Ask Him. He knows.”

If we can’t hear God, just what do we hear? If we aren’t listening to God, who are we listening to?

David prayed in Psalm 51:8 that the Lord would ‘make him hear joy and gladness’. We should pray the same thing. Oh, and let us all be assured with all confidence that God hears us. Oh yes He does! Psalm 65:2 states that He is the one “who hears prayer”. Not only is Jesus a speaking King, He is also a listening King…. Not only does God hear us, but we hear Him. Some say God doesn’t speak to men anymore, and that’s just foolishness. i say if that is so then there was no point in the words of Jesus in John 10:3-5, and this is important, so please listen, “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

He has a mouth and speaks, i have ears and can hear, i say, “Why shouldn’t He speak to us?” Where the word “voice” is used it means, “uttered words, speech”. Voice means exactly what it says and not some alternate means of perception. Isaiah28:8    says to lean in towards God, listen with discernment, focus on the words of the Lord to drown out the chaotic noise around you, and comprehend with your head and heart. He meant exactly what He said. i hear God, i have friends who hear God, so i’m compelled to ask you, Do you hear God? If not, would you like to? Can you overcome your own unbelief to hear Him when He speaks? He’s saying a lot these days, can you hear Him? The question to investigate isn’t, “Why won’t God speak to me?”, but more “God is speaking, why can’t i hear Him.”

Isaiah 32:3 “The eyes of those who see will not be dim, And the ears of those who hear will listen.” There is another place in the Bible where hearing and listening are used in the same sentence, and i’m mentioning this for the sake of those who might believe “hearing” and “listening” are the same. Isaiah 42:23, like Isaiah 32:3 use both words, and there is a difference. If we give attention to God and incline our ears to Him, which is to hear, (according to Isaiah 32:3 and 42:23) we can will also perceive His words and grasp His intent, which is listening. Hearing is to give attention to and incline your ears towards. Listening is to become aware of and grasp the intent.

Jeremiah29:12-13, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Believe me, if God wants you to hear and understand, He is entirely capable of making Himself known and getting His point across. And it’s not like He “tries” to speak to us, as if He would fail. The point is not whether God is speaking, but are we hearing and positioning ourselves to understand?

Like in 2 Chronicles 20:17 “…Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you…. Do not fear or be dismayed …for the LORD is with you.”

Put yourself in the position to hear and listen to God. He will gladly give to us the riches of His hands, but we’ve got to make an effort. We can’t just sit back in our lawn chairs in casual repose, drink our mint juleps, and expect Him to make all the effort. What a lazy, passive, indifferent posture to assume. The heart of the Lord is that we would participate with Him in our own salvation. i fully believe the Lord wants a running dialogue with His people. These are the days that if we are brave enough to ask the Lord, He will answer … the catch is it helps immensely if we are actually interested in hearing Him. Position yourselves, stand still, turn down the volume of the world in your head and the world around you. Ask the Lord, He will answer, i assure you. And when He does, listen! The word “consider” in the Bible means to “incline you’re heart and focus until you have understanding”. i’ll say that again because it’s really, really important: The word “consider” in the Bible means to “incline you’re heart and focus until you have understanding” The question posed earlier is also worth repeating: If you’re not hearing the Lord, who ARE you hearing? And if your not listening for the Lord, who or what are you listening for?

God does speak, and we can hear. The date is today, the time is now, and forward is the way we’re going. Can you hear the Lord? Now is the time, position yourselves and incline your ears to Him! He will answer. Put on your thinking cap, and think about it.

A fellow told me years ago, “Son, there are only three voices in the earth: God’s voice, my voice, and the voice of the devil. You can know the difference so don’t let anyone tell you different.” He was right and i have seen it in my own life. Paul wrote that we can train our ear to recognize the voice of God above all the noise and chaos around us. Hebrews5:14, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” It is by practicing, by reason of use, that we are able to discern whether what we hear is of God, our flesh, or the Devil. We can hear, and we can grasp the Lord’s intent.

Thank you for listening this evening! i pray our ears will be opened and we will hear the life giving words of the Living God.

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the late night cascading banks of the Ockluwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.

This production was brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, and Area 22 Guitars where everyone can find a chord of divine reality, Anna LaMonica at Kalmia Dairy, Alex Rubenstein who resides in the thriving metropolis of Grimesdale, and all the wonderful folks at the Fireproof Coffee Shop in the middle of the Skyland Hotel. Let’s not forget Trinity Bakers, the makers of fine confectionaires where there’s always something good in the oven.

Open your ears, position yourself to hear God. As the days get darker, i believe the voice of the Lord will become more prevalent. Can you hear Him, He’s there and He is very interested in speaking to you. Be careful as you go your way, read your Bible, practice discernment. Thanks again for joining us, Amen.

Life is often very inconvenient, sometimes for the reason that more than a few things really do take a long time, and others feel inconvenient because, well, we just have a heart full of “don’t want to wait” unless circumstances benefit us exclusively. This evenings topic is about what is suited to our personal comfort and easy to accomplish with as little effort as possible. Convenience seems to always be about saving someone time, effort, resources, or frustration. But here’s the rub: for the worldly at heart, Godliness is inconvenient, holiness is inconvenient, honesty and transparency can result in some very inconvenient circumstances…. and justice, oh don’t we know, real justice is VERY inconvenient. Real justice takes persistence, patience, carefully stepping between the cracks in the path, and constantly, incessantly being present and in the room for conflict resolution. Ohhh, it can be so tedious. Many people live their life as though justice is just too much trouble. They’d rather pay a fine for something they didn’t do as opposed to go to court and protest the matter. It’s just too much trouble. How much of your life is driven by convenience? Let yourself breath, sit back and let it play. i’ll be right back.

John 2:13-16 (NKJV) ^“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen, sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Yes sir, the Pharisee’s had a real profitable little business going on there, selling sacrifices and making money on the currency exchange rate. That’s right, making money on the currency exchange rate. They wouldn’t receive Roman currency, they insisted the people pay in Jewish currency, so everyone who only had Roman currency had to change their money at the current temple exchange rates. They literally, were selling people spiritual well being, with people having no choice but to buy into it, considering that the temple leaders were the only game in town. Not only that, but God said they SHALL NOT do business in the temple like that, nor allow livestock in the inner courts.

In scripture, the last time we saw Jesus at the temple was approximately 18 years earlier as seen in Luke 2:42-49. Now i’m going to “fill in the blank” and suggest he and his folks went to passover in Jerusalem every year, and as a result i think it’s safe to assume Jesus had been looking at the stockyard going on IN the temple and the money changers for 18+ years. Every year He witnessed the defiling of His Father’s house by business people and the temple leaders who allowed all the buying and selling. i’m going to “fill in the blank” here again and suggest that more than likely, the temple was getting a cut of all the business done IN the temple. And !right there! is the problem, it was “in the temple”, not business or a stockyard in the parking lot, but IN the temple. It was a convenient service, and a pretty good idea, but it was IN the temple. Think about it, there were a lot of people coming from many miles away for passover and they couldn’t necessarily bring animals 100 miles or so and the sacrifice still remain prime, so a “convenience” was set up….to sell to those who lived in town or came from a distance the necessary sacrifice. Not a bad idea. A VERY convenient and money making idea. BUT, they moved it into the temple area so the stock yard and the sacrificial alter were very conveniently located….that way, no one had to go to much effort, it saved time, and handling of the livestock. It seemed to make life easier for sure….but there was a huge problem: the livestock and money changers (who conveniently were there to convert Roman currency to Hebrew coinage) were IN the temple and it was expressly forbidden by God Himself to either do business or bring livestock IN the temple. But….well, the need for convenience seemed to supersede the word of God…. i’ll just say, the day Jesus went to scattering money and throwing over tables and chairs, it wasn’t a good day for business.

It was inconvenient or too much trouble to do what God asked, it didn’t suit the lazy, indifferent heart of the people! It was all for the people, sacrificers, sanctifiers, and money changers who didn’t want to be inconvenienced with the effort and time to be obedient.

Our lives are largely made up of conveniences. i went to a church meeting once where the pastor opened with a prayer over the congregation rebuking the spirit of poverty and indebtedness, but 30 mins later, while taking up the tithe and offering, the same church leader announced that the church was now able to take people’s tithe and offerings on their credit card, for the sake of convenience. In one breath he rebuked the spirit of poverty and indebtedness which was driving his congregation backwards … and in the next breath he was inviting them into poverty and indebtedness for the sake of convenience. i almost ran out the door… completely shocked. All to make it so giving money was not inconvenient, even if people had to borrow money to give. “Don’t drop your tithe and offering in the box at the back. Keep your seat and we’ll come to you. That way you don’t have to do anything but sit back, be comfortable, make out a check, or dig in your wallet.”

For most, it’s too much trouble to actually BE concerned and take action on behalf of down and out people because it’s messy and inconvenient. Amazingly, people seem to be OK with feeling concerned without actually being concerned – it’s inconvenient. People seem to be OK with feeling honest without actually being honest – it’s inconvenient. The  ramifications of truly being concerned, or being honest, and taking action seem to be far too inviting of inconvenient circumstances, in other words, it doesn’t suit our personal comfort….and yes, it’s true, actually being concerned, taking action and being honest isn’t easy to perform. As i’ve said before, we need to become disillusioned with the devil’s illusion, and don’t you know, you can’t become DIS-illusioned unless you first have an illusion. And that is the honest truth, and yes, it does go against the grain of what is convenient.

Our daily lives are so very built around conveniences. As was previously mentioned, justice is a huge inconvenience….our court systems have made it so easy, so convenient for people to falsely admit guilt and pay the fine rather than do what law makers would call, dragging the courts system down by insisting on the inconvenience of justice.

Our society is all about convenience. We buy what is called “convenience products”, which is a product bought by consumers without much thought to price or comparison. Part of the list of “convenience products” are milk, house thermostat w/heating and air, vegetables and meat at the grocery store, already started flowers & vegetables, automatic dishwashers, clothes dryers, highways, pre-prepared food, teflon cookware, public restrooms, computers, cell phones, and the list goes on and on. Many years ago, people didn’t have these conveniences. Back then if you wanted to be warm in the winter there was wood to chop and split. Not many had indoor toilets, indoor running cold and hot water, or electric lights. Much of gift giving at Christmas is providing people a product in the local mid level income bracket right up front as you walk in the doors. It’s not a poorly or well made item. It’s not priced too high or too low. There’s a lot of trinkets and do-dads, clever items for men, and pretty, baubles, beads, and ornamental knicknacks for women.

Here’s another one…. because voter turn out has declined in recent years, either from depression or lack of interest, now we can do “mail-in” voting, all done in hopes more people will vote because it is more convenient. Granted, it makes voter fraud so much easier, but it’s ok, just sit back, relax in the comfort of your own home, and we’ll come to you. That way no one need be disturbed anymore than necessary. Hey, you don’t even have to spend any money on stamps because the voting ballot comes with a postage paid envelope.

Convenience also changes with time. For example, at one time a car was considered a wonderful convenience, but over time the automobile has come to be regarded as part of everyday life. Having a car, even a bad car, is better than walking to work or school….all that walking, ughhh, what an inconvenience!      It’s all about saving time, saving money, saving effort as reasons to create added convenience; making life easier. But what if God didn’t do all the things He has done for us because it was inconvenient? Where would we be?

Do you realize that nowadays, we can purchase food, household items, and even furniture from virtually any room in our house with just the press of a button, and even have it delivered to the door within the hour many times. We can pay for stuff with just a tap on our watch or phone. At what expense have we pursued convenience? Proverbs12:24, “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the lazy will be put to forced labor.” The more we are unwilling to be inconvenienced, the lazier we get. i knew a man who, after many years of being dedicated to laziness, and had such an aversion to being inconvenienced, if he had a job tasting pies at a pie factory, he wouldn’t show up because it was too much trouble. That’s right out of Prov19:24.

We want rain without clouds, bountiful gardens without plowing, a house without the work of building, riches without risk and investment; we want love without commitment, forgiveness without repentance, receiving without giving, wisdom without suffering, joy without sorrow, offspring without pain, and Heaven without hell. We seem to want miracles from God without actually being in a relationship with God. The relationship takes effort and time and, although seemingly inconvenient, our relationship with God is far more important than the miracles from God. Many want to give testimony but being the testimony is inconvenient. Jesus did not consider man an inconvenience, but often man considers Jesus an inconvenience. It was not convenient for God to give His only Son, but if He had not, we would still be under the bondage of law, sin, and death, and THAT would be a colossal inconvenience.

For those who are inconvenienced by yielding to God, Jude1:12-13 reads,  “These people are spots in your love feasts as you worship and eat together, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.”

Love is not convenient, but though sin appears easy in the moment, convenient. But in the long run it is an inconvenience of incredible proportions that need not be endured. Ephesians5:4, “Don’t give place to filthiness, foolish talking, nor crude joking, which are not convenient and are improper, not reflecting the nature of Christ within us. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect.” Friends, you can be sure that using people, religion or things just for what you can get out of them because it is convenient will get you nowhere, and certainly nowhere near the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of God. Think about it.

        Our love of conveniences, or our open disdain for being inconvenienced, really does drive much of what we do. When encountering problems arising out of our addiction to convenience, we seem to think the solution must also be just as convenient as the problem. Convenience stores are not called convenience stores for nothing, and it’s not that things are convenient that’s the difficulty, but us who no longer do the diligence of participating with the Lord in our own well being because dealing with conflict is inconvenient. When we let real life slide because we don’t want to be inconvenienced, it’s expensive. I think we’re going to need to rethink our love of conveniences. Heavily processed and artificially flavored food takes so little work that we do it in huge amounts. And again, the solution, for many, must also be convenient — they don’t want to cook their own meals or put in hours of exercise. They want fast but healthy meals which are ready, instantly, made in a few minutes. It’s easier to take pills to solve our problems than it is to see a counselor and really get to the root of the conflict, or get surgery that solves our fat problems. It is inconvenient to get too involved with the Lord and other believers, but you know, convenience always comes with hidden costs. The cost is a doctor endorsed societal drug problem, homelessness, lack of a prayer life, all things which affect us all, but hey, that’s Somebody Else’s Problem.

This has been Outposts, a late night semi-live broadcast, from the deck of a rural cafe, overlooking the broad and beautiful Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.

i’m Social Porter, and this production was brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Mountain Guitars where reality strikes a chord with everyone. Every Tuesday is a special Tuesday at Mountain Guitars, this week is no different, so stop by and see Billy, tell him the rural cafe at the end of Oldfield Road sent you. Additionally let’s give notice to the girls at the Jump Off Rock gift shop, Walt of the only two coin operated launderettes in town, Betty and Elisa at the Opportunity house, and of course, Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

Let your life not be made up of convenience. Let us extend ourselves, let yourself reach past inconvenience and make a difference in the world around you. Time is short, the days are filled with God-opportunities, every day determine in yourself to do something nice for someone.

Hey. Come stand outside with me for a minute. Imagine yourself standing on the deck of a rural diner, overlooking a river. It’s seriously overcast and evening seems to have come early. Oh…it’s beginning to rain. First a few drops here and there, then more often. Singles then triplets. Can you see it? Can you see the circular patterns of the rain striking the surface of the river? It’s hitting the roof, dripping into the gutters, splashing across the windows, and starting to drip off the hand rail, leaving a subtle jasmine-and-gingerbread sort of fragrance, warm and fresh, giving the land a certain sweetness like no other. If we were sitting inside the car, we could see the drops formed on the windshield. We would watch one drop, starting at the top, and running down, like it’s on an exploratory adventure. It runs down, gives a little, gets a little, disappears for a moment, then reappears, gathering and giving, until it nears the end of its journey where it finally blends into all the rest of the water at the bottom of the glass. i figure we’re like that. We give a little, get a little and run our course until the end when we join the eternity of our Father’s house.

This is Outposts, an evening of cool jazz and contemplative conversation. It is my pleasure to join you in the vision of rain, the coming of refreshment and revitalization here at the edge of the Ockluhwahhah River. i am honored to stand with you, barefaced, looking up to Heaven waiting for refreshing from the Hand of our God, who will come to us like the rain, watering the earth. In our lives there is the “slip” and “grip” of life. We grip and gather to ourselves light and hope, God’s love and peace…. we also let slip from our grasp the seeds of faith and wisdom, kindness and blessing to be planted in righteousness. It is like the rain on the windshield of your car, we start at the top, run down, get a little, give a little, planting, sharing, receiving, doing our part in weeping joy and singing obedience.

Sometimes i feel like this dance we do with God is like a giant waltz, three feet off the ground and it’s a clear, starry sky’d night….stepping and  spinning with the Lord, His eyes looking courage into us to follow more closely. Our feet step high over the top of fields of wild flowers, we dance over tree tops, spin under clouds, then dip and gradually drop to the rivers edge. There is a warm rain on our faces, the eyes of my Jesus smiling in the ecstasy of dancing with His most beloved, over the hills and far away.

Our lives in Christ are like a painting being put together by a master painter. Sometimes He paints with two hands, other times He’s got the tiniest brush imaginable, painting with colors we’ve never seen, accenting in sounds and smells we have yet to imagine, far beyond our dreams, far beyond the sun of this world. Many feel dry, parched, and i’d like to give you the vision of rain.    Have you ever smelled rain? It’s like the Father’s cologne. i’m reminded of the wife who gave birth to a very premature child. The doctors all said the child wouldn’t live but the parents refused to give up, and they pounded on Heaven’s doors with weeping and tears for the life of their child. To all the doctors amazement, the child lived. Years later, the child was sitting in her mother’s lap on the bleachers of a local ballpark where her brother’s baseball team was practicing. As always, the daughter was chattering non-stop with her mother and several other adults sitting nearby when she suddenly fell silent. Hugging her arms across her chest, she asked, “Do you smell that?” Smelling the air and detecting the approach of a thunderstorm, her mom replied, “Yes, it smells like rain.” She closed her eyes and again asked, “Do you smell that?” Once again, her mother replied, “Yes, I think we’re about to get wet, it smells like rain.” Still caught in the moment, the little girl shook her head, patted her thin shoulders with her small hands and loudly announced with her eyes shut, “No, it smells like Him. It smells like God when you lay your head on His chest.”

Can you smell God’s cologne?

It’s going to rain for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. There will come rain in our lives from Heaven’s open doors to inspire and grow the coming Kingdom of God. It’s going to rain. Psalm68:8, “…The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;”. The very word for rain in Ps68:9 is a shower as a mercy flashing wisdom on our minds. It causes us to pause and ponder the concealed truth of God that He is faithful even when we can’t see, understand, or hear. In prophecy rain is change, even in our mortal hearts, rain is hidden goodness, like a flame is bound to a coal, even though we can’t see the flame, it is there, which is why i say it is God’s faithfulness, even when we can’t see. You know what i mean? Can you see it?

When God shows up there will be refreshing for the parched hearts, restoration for the beaten down, redemption for those too tired to continue in the heat of battle. We will know the value of shading the eyes of warriors who have nearly fainted in the noon day sun, the Lord will send the rain to re-invigorate those who’s invigoration has ebbed away.

In Leviticus26:4, the Lord says,  “…then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” In those days, the character of the righteous shall bloom and bear much fruit, fruit that shall not fade, fruit born of the goodness and good pleasure of God.  What do you think of when you think of rain? Imagine rain, close your eyes and see it. Can you see it yet? Do you think cold, grey, ugly, irritatingly wet? Inconvenient maybe. It might be a good time to remember that behind the clouds and past the rain there is blue sky and sun. When I think of rain, I think of dancing. Yea, odd, huh? Maybe. i think not really.

i can remember as a boy, we went camping in the deep woods at the edge of a lake. As i sat there looking out over the water with the trees as my backdrop, there began something like a whispering in the air. i didn’t really notice at first, but i remember sensing the air cooling off and it even smelled differently. Somewhere in me i knew things were changing. The day had been beautiful and the sky was like a dome of plasma-blue, and all day the clouds had looked like a platform for angels, drifting under the gleaming disc of sun. Somewhere far away, there came a pattering sound on the leaves of the trees and the lake looked like all it’s shimmering was being interrupted by something else. Then i saw it. Rain. While i wasn’t watching, the clouds had covered over the expanse of blue and were now spitting beads of water which sounded like a lovers whisper in your ears. i could see some geese across the way making happy noises, ducks wiggled and carried on like things couldn’t get any more wonderful. Little birds sat still in the trees all fluffed out. We all moved under the tarp at the folding table, listening to the putting sound as rain struck the canvas…i noticed we all found watching it rain hypnotic. To this day, i’m still hypnotized by rain. Here at the cafe, when it rains, i occasionally find myself hoping the windows will fog and we can write God-thoughts on the glass. John Ruskin wrote that “Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” Some folks argue and mumble to themselves when it rains, but i say… when it begins to rain, probably the best thing to do is let it rain. It’s not like we could complain enough to make the rain do anything other than what God has set it’s course to accomplish.

When God’s presence comes, the rain begins to fall, beginning like a whisper in our ears, getting louder the closer He gets. He has hidden music in the drops upon our hearts, making a sound we’ve never heard before, unless we have ears to hear. In the season of heavy rain, we are not able to stand outside. Friends, come in the house. Who wants to be like the elder son in Luke15, who, when his younger brother came home and the father threw a party, the elder brother resented the younger brothers favor with the father so much, he refused to join the party. He was “of the family” but was “not in the house” and wouldn’t come in the house either. The Lord wants us to come in and not stand outside. When the Lord sends the rain, it will surprise some, others will be pleased, yet there will also those who don’t see it as God’s blessing, but a mere inconvenience.

i read somewhere that if beauty is God’s signature, then rain is His final flourish. It’s time to come home, it’s going to rain and there will be singing and dancing. Come in the house.

Often in movies, when something terrible is about to happen, or there is some depressing or oppressive situation, it is raining. Just seeing wet streets and rain dripping from roof edges and gutters inspires us to bundle up. Just seeing it gray and drizzling outside motivates us to stay indoors, make soup, and watch old movies. But in God’s economy that picture isn’t so. Of course there are times when rain and storms are very destructive, but that isn’t what we’re talking about.

i believe there is a seeing which comes with God’s presence, in fact, the very Greek word for “presence” ties to several words used for seeing, the kind of seeing spoken of in a visionary experience. 1Samuel12:17 “…and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see …” Does that mean, in the presence of Almighty God, altogether like a symphony, there is thunder, perception, rain, and sight? Something deep, prophetic, and intimate happens in the heart of man when it rains.

God gives birth to our spiritual perception and sight, to those who have Him present in their thought, who set him before their mind’s eye. My soul longs for the soaking through of God’s promise of rain, rain …it is a good companion sometimes.

We, as humans, have a commonality with rain – It is often overcast and shadowy when it comes and we are regularly overcast and shadowy; it disturbs life just a little bit and puts things off centre as we are recurrently a little off centre. i remember hearing a fellow complain because it was going to rain, and i thought to myself how silly his complaint was. Without the clouds of moisture which fall to earth in the form of rain there would be no snow, there would be no drinking water. If the earth’s moisture didn’t make the circle from sky to earth, and then back again to the sky, round and round, if it only went to the sky, we would all be back in the days of Noah, when it didn’t rain for about 300 years. That was a very dry place!

When the rain from Heaven is at it’s height, i don’t want to be found sitting under an umbrella of my own making, i want to be thoroughly wet with refreshing from the heart of the Lord, Rain. If ever there was a time people needed refreshing, i believe it is now. It’s going to rain, can you hear it coming? Wow, i can smell it. Can you see it in your mind, those of us who have set Christ as the gate to our vision? i want to be found dancing the wild dance with our wild God, who will sing over us and dance in the rain with the audacity of holiness and redemption. i thought to myself if i could leave you with anything tonight, i would give you the gift of knowing it’s going to rain, and i would encourage you to see…. i’m saying, “See” in the Name of Jesus. With the “look ahead sight” God gives us, there comes provision, preparation, and celebration. See. Let the dancing in His presence begin and see into the distance of God’s purposes. See He is the master painter, painting you into His vision that plays in your life. Come dance with me and share in His vision. Write your words, draw your pictures, sing your songs, dance your dances! It’s time! Let it rain, it’s time! Hear the feet of dancing, hear the singing of rejoicing! Listen carefully, it’s there. C’mon, it’s time to set your feet in motion! C’mon! It’s time! Let’s go!

The drips and drops of Heaven’s rain have already begun, can you hear it, can you see it, can you feel it? Are you just in the family, or are you in the house? Come in the house where the Father is throwing a party for His Son….come in dancing and singing, come into the rain of God’s presence…C’mon, there is a party going on at God’s house….forever.

i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts, a late night broadcast, broadcast semi-live from the deck of a rural café, overlooking the broad and beautiful Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge, and every evening is pleasant.

Put on your dancing shoes, it’s going to rain. Can you smell the nearness of God’s presence? My Jesus is close and my feet are anxious for the dance. Take care this week, and enjoy the goodness of God in front of you, regardless of your circumstances. Be blessed, and amen.

There are things which are worthwhile. A man spends his life walking in faith towards God. He fears God, and walks after His commandments. He makes no notable success according to the world’s rating. He is even spoken of by others with a sort of pity, as a man who never has been successful. Yet all the while he has lived honestly and faithfully. The rest of the world fights for position, scrambling to gain honor in the eyes of their peers, thinking only of themselves. Whereas the man… has been giving out his life in love, serving others, doing good in the sight of the Lord. It doesn’t appear he’s gotten far in the world, and his hands are empty at the last of his life.

But, truly, i’m convinced that there is a success which is not measured by the standards of the business and corporate world. There is an invisible sphere in which values are not rated by dollars and cents or possessions, but by their moral character. And yes, i used “sphere” for lack of a more inclusive word, not because i was trying to sound spiritual. i believe a cup of cold water given in the name of Jesus will count for more than the piling high of a fortune for ourselves. In the eyes of God a man who has seemed unsuccessful, but nevertheless has actively held up the Lords preferences and standards, has really gained a success which lifts his name to high honor.

There are things which are worthwhile.

i was inspired to consider at length the idea of things worthwhile after reading R.L. Miller’s little book “Things To Live For”. i meet so many incarcerated people who just seem to believe there isn’t much left to live for. Some may say their kids or a spouse are someone worth living for, but few actually see themselves or life as something worthwhile.

On a parting shot, there is worthless effort in the long run concerning many things, but i’m saying all this because we really need to know, in this life there are also things worthwhile. In this day and age, it seems so much of our time feels as if it’s spent in wheel-spinning, activities which seem to make no impact in the long run. But hear me on this, chances are good we’re making a difference more than we think when we do the small things that are in front of us. Think on that and i’ll be right back.

Some people become discouraged because they don’t seem to get very far in life, at least according to their expectations as to what encompasses success and achievement. i can relate to that. i am totally not who i had imagined, nor have i accomplished what i dreamed 25 years ago. Many of us work hard, but consistently making ends meet just seems such a struggle. It feels like as fast as we earn, we’ve gotta turn right around and spend. A father works through the years, bringing up a family, and dies in the end seemingly no farther than when he started, often leaving no legacy for his children other than to say he worked hard. Upon his last moments on earth, many men take account of their lives and only see the toil and struggle. Other men who began with him as boys succeeded and grew rich. Often in that fathers eyes though, he feels he has failed. But let’s think about what he has really achieved. i believe work itself is one of life’s best blessings. i love the work of my hands. A man’s years of daily work have built up in him many of the best qualities of true character – promptness, accuracy, faithfulness, patience, persistence, obedience. His work, has also given him health and has developed in him a body of strength; there has also been worked in him a spirit of self reliance and independence.

Through his work, that man has furnished education for his children. In his own life he has set them an example of honesty, truthfulness, unselfishness, diligence, and faith. In positioning himself near Jesus, he has taught them the word of God, and has given them books to read which, hopefully, have put into their minds and hearts pure, inspiring, and upright thoughts. One by one his children go out of the house to become influential in building up a home of their own, carrying with them and in them a heritage of character which makes them blessings in the world.

Though this man leaves no money and no monument of himself of material success, his life has been well worthwhile. He has given to the world something better than money. He has shown it an example of a true and faithful life, in conditions that were not always inspiring. It’s called his testimony. He has maintained in it a godly home, and given into the lives of his household the influences, and preferences of The Living God. He has trained his children, and sent them forth as people of good influence, each one as a new power for righteousness. His name may be forgotten among men, but the benediction of his life and work will stay in the world forever. There are things worthwhile.

It is worthwhile to make sacrifices of love in order to do good. i read a story somewhere that went like this: There was a rich man who sent his servant with chests of money to a remote place to build a glorious palace in the rich man’s name. When the servant got there all he saw was desperation, starvation, and dying, so he spent all the money on helping the people. Many days later the rich man came to see the servants work only to find no palace built but only a community living well. He raged at the servant, threw him in chains, and told him “Tomorrow you will die, for you have robbed me!” But that night the rich man had an amazing dream. In the dream There came a man in shining clothing, who said, “ Follow me.” Up they flew from earth till they came to heaven’s gate. They entered, and there stood a palace of pure gold, more brilliant than the sun! “ What palace is this?” asked the rich man. His guide answered, “This is the palace of Merciful Deeds, built for you by your wise servant. Its glory shall endure when all earth’s things have passed away.” Then the rich man understood that his servant had done wisely with his money.

If we are doing true and righteous work, we really don’t need to measure ourselves with visible results, but i think it’s almost more than most of us can stand to not have a need to see how we’re doing. i know it’s is easy to say “we don’t need to measure ourselves with visible results”, but it is the truth that everyone, somewhere in themselves wonders if they’re measuring up. i’ve had trouble with not having visible results. i mean, it can be difficult to continue doing what the Lord asked of you when people simply don’t respond, and reality is, generally, people don’t respond. Often not even to say “thank you”, or “that was right on the money”. You know, sometimes even a negative response lets you know someone is listening. Regardless, the ultimate position is to live without concerning ourselves with visible or audible results. In living a self denying life we should build no palaces on earth, we are building far more beautiful things beyond the skies. The money we give in service and sacrifice may add nothing to our bank account, but Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21,  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Whatever adds in even the smallest way to the brightness, comfort, or encouragement in the world around us is worthwhile. If we plant a flower in a bare place where it was only barren before, it is value added in the long run. Anyone who says an encouraging word to a discouraged neighbor, gives a look of kindness to a lonely person, or speaks a sentence which may become strength, guidance, or comfort, does something worthwhile. We never know how a small thing may become a beautiful thing to another person. i found an interesting little poem by James Allen:

“Only a thought, but the work it wrought
Could never by pen or tongue be taught;
For it ran through a life like a thread of gold,
And the life bore fruit a hundred fold.”

It was worthwhile for David to write the 23^rd Psalm, and then the words went on to be spoken and sung everywhere to the end of time. We wouldn’t have the benefit of the words God gave him if he hadn’t allowed the Holy Spirit to inspire him to write it down. Where would we be today if he’d attached a monetary value to his writing, and upon seeing that he’d probably not make any money on it, he tossed it aside, and opted for something more sensational to the world of men.

It was worthwhile for Mary to break the alabaster box, pouring the nard, the thick paste of anointing on the head and feet of Jesus; don’t you know all the world is sweeter since the perfume of her ointment. If she had handed it over to Judas, as he probably secretly wished, he would have pocketed most of the money and we wouldn’t have the benefit of the event or metaphor.

Every singer who has sung a pure, righteous song has given something to the world around them to make it better. Every artist who has painted a worthy and Godly picture, or sculpted the smallest thing of beauty which will stay in the world, has added something to the enriching of our human life. Life is a summation, not just this event and that action, each independent of the other. No, it’s all important, and it all counts.

Every believer who has ever lived a true, courageous life in the thick of temptations and trials has, potentially, made it a little easier for others to live right. Every one who has prayed and spoken God’s heart into the stream of this world’s life, right words, good words, divine lessons, has put into the current of humanity a handful of spices to sweeten a little the bitter water for those troubled souls around them. It is always worthwhile to live with high character, it’s always worthwhile to struggle to do right, and in doing so we are showing the world even the smallest fragments of divine beauty. And oh how desperately we all are, ravenously hungry to see divine beauty, whether we believe it or not.

It is worthwhile to be a friend. We all may not take it too seriously considering the world has watered down the concept by social media calling people we don’t know and will never meet, friends. Nevertheless, extending ourselves to someone to be a friend is worthwhile. i’ve had a recent hard won realization that we can be a friend to someone even if there is no relationship. Jesus is a friend to us when we are no friend at all, although we’ve not entered into a relationship with Him. We think being a friend implies some sort of two-way street relationship, and that’s not necessarily true.

On being a friend: No other privilege is more a dedicated and sanctified purpose, no other responsibility is greater. John5:13-15 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”

It is indeed worthwhile to be a friend. Being a friend comes into people’s lives with holiness and all the influences of holiness, and that influence never leaves them. When we are a friend to someone, something of the Lord Himself is imparted to them whether they know it or not. They are imprinted with something which will never depart from them. If you think you don’t make an impact anywhere, you are wrong.

Being a friend is to stand by others when things are beautiful and also in their hour of tears and need; to guide them when the way is so elusive and the footing is treacherous; to comfort them in their time of sorrow; to share our hearts when life is perplexing; to bring inspiration to them of righteous thinking and upward influences; and then to sit beside them when they are entering the valley of shadows, – no ministry on earth is holier and more devine than being a friend. It is a worthwhile thing.

i read something once by a poet who said that our life is a sheet of white paper on which each of us may write his words – and then comes night. What are we writing on the pages in front of us? i think it should be something that will bless those who read it. It should be something fit to carry into eternity. Think before you, metaphorically write on that page. Is it beautiful, is it peaceful, is it admirable, is it upright? It should be something which we would not be ashamed to hear again. Haven’t we all cringed when someone started their sentence with, “One time you said…”, and you think to yourself, “uh-oh, what did i say this time?” Whatever we write on that sheet of paper will appear in judgment, bearing our words, good or bad. It is well that we consider carefully what we say and do, trying with all our breathing, thinking, and feeling to only write things that are worthwhile, things that are right and true and pure and lovely, things that will last forever.

Is your life a life of things which are worthwhile? Think about it.

Thanks for joining us here at Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the late evening banks of the Ockluhwahhah River. i’m Social Porter and this production was brought to you by Living In His Name Ministries, Sisters Coffee in Sisters, Oregon, Eunice Camp at Camps Flower Shop, Ed Sherman at C&S Super Market, the Mebane Freedom League, and Walt Whitaker, owner of the only two coin operated Launderama’s in town. Let’s not forget the makers of fine confectionaries,  Trinity Bakers, where there’s always something good in the oven.

i hope you enjoyed the discussion of Things Which Are Worth While. Let me leave you with a thought from Philippians 4:8, ”Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—think on these things.”

Be strong and of good courage this week. Pray for your family and friends, and let God prosper you with all power. i’ll talk to you next time.

          1Cor12:7, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

Rom12:6-8, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if ministry, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Service and serving are the words used representing ministry, and we often think of it as a deacon and priestly gift. And, like apostle, prophet, pastor, healing, miracles and teaching are Holy Spirit gifts meant to be employed for the common good of all, so those who have the gift of ministry are not less than any other gifts, but are vibrant and necessary for the well being of the house of the Lord.

Ministry…what a broad word we toss around these days. Basically the word means service, to serve, to work, and is also used in reference to serving God. In Rom15:16, Paul refers to himself as a minister of Christ Jesus but the word for “minister” in that verse has a slightly different connotation other than simply service. What Paul meant was that he was literally, in a liturgical sense or what was called wearing a “reversed collar”, he was “doing priest’s work” “that the offering-up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.”

The word “minister” in Rom15:16, carries with it the idea of the “sacrificing priest”. i can’t say i’ve ever been that person that i would claim such a thing… i’m just as guilty as anyone else of misusing the word ministry, largely out of ignorance, but also, in my being as honest as possible, i’ve done it with a faint hope of also gaining some respect for myself, and that’s a poor motivation.

Surprisingly, the same word used in a priestly fashion that we translate as “minister” also means “one who discharges a public office at his own expense, generally, a public servant, a minister “. That’s challenging…. “a servant of the state, assuming public office to be administered at his own expense”. Hmmm….i’d guess that the, “at your own expense” part wouldn’t go over too well with many who are in ministry. The, “at your own expense” part is really a challenge when you know you’re doing a viable service, endorsed by God, but you’ve got $10 in your pocket and the rent is due. It’s easy to say, “just trust God”, but when the rent is due, now we’re down to where the rubber meets the road

When we tell people we are “in ministry”, just what are we looking to convey to the other person or people? Many seem so very focused on making sure others know they are “in ministry”, but making sure others know that about you has a subtle way of spoiling the simplicity of our walk with God…bear in mind that even “ministry” can be an idol, birthed by the spirit of religion.

Bob Deffinbaugh of Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas said, “While watching the television coverage of the visit of Pope John Paul II, I was reminded of the Roman Catholic concept of ministry. If I were to try to distinguish the Catholic view of ministry from that of our local church, I would say that Catholicism still practices an Old Testament ministry. Catholicism continues to perpetuate a clerical priesthood that is almost entirely responsible for what is called “the ministry.”

Mr. Diffinbaugh went on to say, “Probably few Catholics or Protestants would disagree with this analysis. But what most Protestant evangelicals fail to realize is that much of the Roman Catholic conception of ministry is perpetuated in Protestantism with only the labels having changed.”

It would not be difficult to surmise that so much of church leadership truly operates that same way. It is possible that if we aren’t under the thumb of leadership, even the most effective may not be allowed to serve, unless they come to the table with degrees, titles, and seminary experience accompanied by strict obedience to the rules of those recognized as leadership.

i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, cool jazz and contemplative conversation, broadcast semi-live from the deck of a rural café which overlooks the broad and beautiful Ockluhwahhah River, where the trees gently lean over the rivers edge and every evening is pleasant.

Service unto the Lord and those around you is a “get to” not a “have to”, and to have a heart and mind to serve is a Holy Spirit gift.

Come go with me as we explore “ministry”, what do we mean, how do we do it, and the benefits of a sold out heart to God. Sit back in your big arm chair, relax and breath….i’ll be right back.

Joyce Meyer once said she gets tons of mail from people asking her to pray for them that God would reveal what their ministry was. She said, straight out, to quit worrying about it because every morning, when you wake up and go out your door, you are IN your ministry.” If we truly believe God has called us to “go out” and serve others, then why are we waiting around to find out what we should do?

Years ago i read a story about Mother Teresa. She and another nun wanted to go to an unchurched town in India and start a mission with a small aid station. In order to accomplish that, they had to play by the rules of their denomination, so they put in a request with the local priest, who made all the decisions for everyone in the service of the church…. and there they waited. Yep, they waited 5 years for a reply, but for 5 years they prayed and asked the Lord to move the heart of the priest to grant their petition. Sure enough, by-and-by, they got their walking papers. They packed the one pair of extra clothes they had, picked up their walking sticks and left for the remote town. When they got there, they had no idea what the Lord wanted them to do, or what their ministry was. So while they waited to hear from God, they sat under the big tree at the center of town and sent word out to the street children that if anyone wanted to know how to read and write, meet at the big tree at about noon. A lot of kids showed up, all living on the streets, children of all types, all homeless, all hungry and unlearned. Every day the two nuns would pray to God and ask Him what their ministry was, but in the mean time they were teaching the kids to pray, read and write…..all while they were waiting to hear from God. Over the following many months, while they were waiting to find out what their ministry was, a church had sprung up, salvations occurred, and a small hospital of sorts was developed. i don’t reckon they ever did get a “word from God” exactly concerning what their ministry was, but in the mean time, they served the community with all their heart, and God was brilliant among them…..just brilliant.

So what do you mean when you tell people, “i’m in ministry”? What do you think the head guy who comes to your church all dressed in high dollar clothing and is always asking for money, what do you think his or her idea of “being in ministry” is? Does that person say things like, “If you want God to bless you, put some extra in the offering plate?” How do you think it would go if you asked a very dangerous question, which is “What does the ministry do with the money?” They may very well give you the left foot of fellowship real quick, so brace yourself.

We who are in ministry, as servants of the people, are not in that position to get wealthy. We are in the position of servants to comfort, encourage, teach and strengthen those around us, not to sheer the sheep so closely they bleed.

To be a servant we must think like a servant. i heard somewhere that servants make g-r-e-a-t leaders. Hmmm…. i wonder where i got that idea? In Numbers 14 the Lord pardoned Israel after Moses pled their case, but even though God pardoned their rebellion, He said none of the people who had seen His glory and signs in the desert would enter the promised land…..except…..Caleb. Num14:24, “But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.”

Wanna live under an open Heaven? You don’t have to give money to make that happen….that’s a lie. Besides, how can you buy an open window in Heaven anyway? i didn’t think God, His callings, or Holy Spirit gifts were for sale that He would open the windows of Heaven if you gave enough money. Now you may think that’s absurd, but there are people in ministry who will tell you that if you give more money you will get more of the Holy Spirit, and it’s simply not true. If you want to live under an open Heaven, be a servant, get low, like Jesus, and God will use you, just watch and see. People are looking for a knight, someone of honor and humility, not a street fighter.

If you’ll live as a servant to others, God will, i repeat, will use you. Philip2:4-5, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” or like the Msg Bible translates, “Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.” And how did Jesus see Himself? As the Son of God, yes, but also as a servant and He is the greatest leader in the history of everything. He humbled Himself all the way to the cross. He did the ultimate balancing act between maintaining His position with the Father as Lord, and also stooping to wash the feet of the disciples. He didn’t exalt Himself, He got low and waited on the Father to raise Him up.

How often do we want to get into ministry so, so bad, we run ahead of God, creating a platform of our own making? i can tell you from my own sad experience, it’s easy, real easy. We often think to ourselves we’ve got something to say, that it’s very important others hear it, but no one is letting us say it, so we finagle around to get ourselves in position to be on a platform we think we should have. The Greek word for “dignity” means, with in all honesty, being just as serious about our motivations as possible. The Hebrew word “dignity” reflects the idea of being elevated by respect and worthy of honor, an attribute worthy of those who minister, unless…. we elevate ourselves, then there’s a problem. Titus2:7, “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,” We will be far more effective in our servitude of the Lord if we will step off our self-made dignity, a platform of our own making, and get low. Real servants don’t try to use God for their purposes. They let God use them for His purposes.
Again, the word “ministry”, as used in Rom12 also means “let us wait on”. It always appears in the N.T. in connection with the service of the church and others. Being in “ministry” is a gift of God for us to serve others, with the goal of  lifting them up, leaving ourselves out of the credits at the end of the movie…and that’s not so easy in a world which constantly capitalizes on being seen and recognized, promoting the idea of lifting ourselves up. We are very vulnerable to advertising ourselves when we feel very unseen and unheard. i have a friend who had a word from the Lord while at church one time. He was slightly driven by the urgency to give it. When he asked if he could say it he was told no, not because he was wrong or ever had been wrong, it was just no. His feelings were hurt, of course, but then the Lord spoke to him saying, “Isn’t it enough that i have spoken to you?” So when i’ve felt the urgency to speak or act, i remind myself that God sees and hears me, isn’t it enough for me to know He has spoken to me?

Some limit the idea of “ministry” to that of being a deacon, but yet i wonder why Paul split ministry out as something separate from prophecy, exhortation, and teaching and the other gifts of the Spirit? i don’t know, but there it is in 1Cor12:5 where Paul says, “different kinds of services”, and again it is considered a gift in Rom12:7, saying, “if ministry, then in our serving.”

Frédéric Godet, a Swiss Protestant theologian who wrote some of the most noteworthy commentaries of the time calls ministry, “An activity of a practical nature exerted in action, not in word.”

i made note of a statement by a friend who said, “Ministry is about our focus on others, not ourselves. This is true humility: not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less. Paul said, Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. This is what it means to “lose your life”- forgetting yourself in service to others. When we stop focusing on our needs, we become aware of the needs around us. Jesus “emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant.”

Here’s a good question we should ask ourselves while we’re being venerable and as honest as we can possibly be about our motivations: When was the last time you emptied yourself for someone else’s benefit? It’s tough to be a servant if you’re full of yourself.

What is it which prevents us from getting low and serving others?

To say you have the gift of ministry is very broad, as was previously mentioned. There are many different services which require real Holy Spirit gifting to accomplish. Being of service to others one time may be easy, but to be consistent and repeatable about the calling is another story.

For example in 2Cor5:18 there is mentioned the “ministry of reconciliation”. There is the ministry by the prophets in Hosea12:10, where the Hebrew word there for “ministry” means service with an open hand, like a picture of being generous. Acts6:4 is about being devoted to prayer and ministry of the word.

That part about devoted to the ministry of the word speaks to those who are commissioned for the continual proclamation of the gospel, and tending to the care of the congregation. It’s basically the job description of what we call “a deacon”, which was originally taken from the Jewish concept of someone who continues in prayer, and works to feed, nourish, support and even govern, sort of like a deputized priest. In Rom15:8 Jesus was called the “deacon of the circumcision”. Being a deacon is about serving, not a position above the congregation and below the pastor. Apostles, and bishops qualify to be called deacons because they serve and are called to the ministry or reconciliation.

1Cor16:15 shows us another ministry, “ministry of the saints”,  they devoted themselves to the service of Christians…that is, by showing hospitality; by providing for their needs; by attending and aiding other believers in their journeys, etc. According to 2Cor3:7-9, even death and condemnation have ministries, in this case the reference is to the law which was carved in stone by the finger of God. In the next verse though, the ministry of the Spirit and of righteousness far exceeds the ministry of death and condemnation beyond all imagination, far beyond the vanishing point forever….and that’s a long way.

i love Paul’s visual in 2Cor9:10-13, “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the implementation of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their concrete trustworthiness of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others”.

Stephen and Phillip were appointed to wait tables in the church, they were leaders by being servants.

i believe that is a great picture of having the ministry of giving….some are gifted at making money, then let them give to those who are in need; some are gifted in administration and staff support, then let them do their calling without pointing themselves out; some are gifted in the ministry of teaching, which is a technical service, let them discover the sound doctrinal precepts with all honesty and openness; some have a ministry gifting of being a visionary, they’re very good at conceptualizing and imagining, let leadership allow those people to tell what they see and take it seriously.

Here’s a gift i think needs special notation: some have a deep caring for the sheep and are called to be pastors, although i must admit, calling someone a pastor nowadays is like a catch-all title. If you ask most pastors what they do, if they’re honest, they’ll say they don’t really know except that they counsel, clean toilets, speak the gospel, field complaints, help define sound doctrine, organize events when those talented with organizational skills don’t step up to the plate, and visit the ill and terminal. Even when they themselves are ill and possibly near the end of their vision, their passion to serve the body is extraordinary….which is an earmark of a Holy Spirit gift. And of course, let it be said, not everyone who calls themselves pastor actually has a gift for it. Ministry isn’t something we go get, it’s something God gives, and if He didn’t give it, we would simply be performing and that would be a counterfeit.

Paul said there were many variations of gifts, like the service of discernment, the ministry of clerical needs, the service of prayer. Ahh, now there’s a good one, the service of prayer …it is a powerful yet subtle ministry we are all invited to participate in, but there are some who have an unquenchable fire in them to pray, like the extraordinary life of Rees Howells, a powerful, gifted intercessor. God has distributed to some the ministry to the infirmed, it’s a mercy gift, like some nurses i’ve met….they aren’t just doing medicine, they bring with them the power of the Holy Spirit that makes a difference in everyone’s life who they touch. Or like some doctors, they have a gift for healing and medicine and the power of the gospel just comes in the room with them and they are extraordinary in their practice. The list goes on and on and i wonder if we’ve limited ourselves to seeing the gifts of the Holy Spirit to just the “big 5” in Eph4?

To continue the list a little of different ministry-type giftings a little further, how about missions as a ministry? Having a gift and passion for outreach is huge and takes a real team effort to accomplish, not to mention very specialized leadership with an anointing to accomplish it. Even flying out of the country with 15 or more people to a 3^rd world nation for 2 weeks involves an amazing amount of planning, which often requires a multi-faceted team of people with very diverse gifts. How about the ministry of counseling? i’ve met some very gifted counselors, some of which actually had little education, but with them was the presence of God who gave them insight and wisdom and a real knack of speaking right to the heart of the problem. Here’s a vital ministry….How about the gift of consistently showing at the right time with the right supplies in order that certain needs would be met? That’s a real ministry friends.

i believe the Lord’s concept of ministry is pretty different than much of modern Christianity. The Gr. word for ministry most often used in the N.T. is diakoneo, meaning …service while having an eye on the health of God’s house through the door of grace, which speaks highly of… being a steward not an owner. In Mark10:45, Jesus said, “For _even the Son of Man did not come to be served (diakoneo) but to serve (diakoneo), and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He also taught that being a servant was an integral part of following Him. John12:26, “If anyone wants to serve (diakoneo) me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant (diakonos) will be too. If anyone serves (diakoneo) me, the Father will honor him.” Wanna really live under an open Heaven? Do you really want God to bless and honor you? Then forget giving some big shot your money and be a servant. i believe one way Jesus measured greatness was in terms of service.

From what i understand, and i could be wrong, the Greeks had a disdain for service to others, being a servant was to be insignificant, but the Jews believed it had great dignity. Sadly, and not much different than today, the religious leaders of Israel began to think of ministry in terms of status rather than service, and then came Jesus who absolutely refused to accept such thinking and put all service, or ministry on the same level of importance, when He said in Matt23:8, “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one teacher and you are all brothers”. i’d guess that just added fuel to the fire God had lit under the hyper-religiousness Pharisee’s who stood to lose titles, authority, money, respect, and then to be lowered, how dreadful, lowered to be called merely a brother among other brothers. Yet, that’s exactly where Jesus said we have to go if we’re going to be in viable, powerful, authoritative ministry, which is a humble calling …. To be a servant we’ve gotta think like a servant, they make g-r-e-a-t leaders, and it’s really difficult to be a servant when you’re full of yourself. Again…from God’s perspective, ministry is being a steward, not an owner.

i believe most people in ministry fall into 1 of 2 categories, they’re either empire builders or kingdom builders. Both are gifted, but the empire builders build for themselves, and the kingdom builders are servants of the Lord who work to prosper the gospel. Kingdom builders don’t see others who have the same gifting as competition but as allies and partners….there’s just no place in God’s plan for being envious of other fellowships or servants. Kingdom builders classify themselves as being servants after God’s heart and see ministry, as a “get to” not a “have to”.

i used to play on the worship team a long time ago before it was called “the worship team”, and after several years it became common place to me. It wasn’t long before i groaned inwardly that i had to play again. i ceased seeing it as an honor, a get to, i saw it as an obligation, a “have to”, and it wasn’t long before my passion and zeal was just gone for playing music at church. Another of my shortcomings in the past has been i tended to judge a book by it’s cover, but the truth is you can’t judge the “spirituality” of a ministry by the form it takes as much as by the results it produces.

1Peter4:10-11, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Think about it.

John12:26, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

Ministry is service, and if we’re going to be servants then it needs saying: real servants think like stewards, not owners. Pause if you need to in order to let that one sink in. If you’re the senior pastor or in leadership of a church that has church running on a nearly unalterable time schedule, got it down to the minute for worship, prayer, and preaching….are you being an owner, or a steward, and if you’re a steward, just what are you stewarding, what are the sheep being served?

We who are in ministry, our first purpose is to bring glory to God by way of our obedience, our confession of Jesus, and our generosity toward others. Our ministries should be an expression of our love of the Lord and thanksgiving.

2 Cor4:15, “For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”

Christian ministry is both at the same time, practical and spiritual. Christians should never be accused of being “so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.” Ministry builds up the church, the body of Christ. In the words of Paul, it supplies “the needs of the saints”, and gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Each of us has a unique role to play for which no one else can serve as a substitute. You and your ministry gifting are necessary. Do you hear that?

There is a call on your life, what will the Lord lead you to put your hand to? Keep in mind while you’re waiting to find out what your ministry is, if you’ll live as a servant to others, God will use you.

Drive carefully, pray for your neighbors. The Lord hears your prayers, it’s a fact, so you are never alone. i’ll talk to you next time. Amen.

Bigger

Many years ago, down beyond my house near an old tobacco barn was a large spreading Mulberry tree. i never cared much for Mulberry’s but the birds were absolutely crazy over them in the season of the tree bearing it’s fruit. The truth is, that old tree, which had likely been there for 100 years was just an irritation to me. Like i said, i didn’t care for the fruit enough to make jelly, and when you picked the berries, the mulberry juice stained your fingers a deep purple which wouldn’t come off even with the best soap. But i had an incredible realization of the magnitude of creation one day there at the Mulberry tree.

It was hot, oh so hot and the birds were in all their glory as they gorged themselves on the fruit. i muttered out loud to no one in particular, “Stupid tree”, and suddenly, woosh, God was amongst us, catching me by surprise. He called me to come closer to the tree and just look, more than just notice, but really take in all that it was. You know, when the Lord is upon you, there is a brilliant clarity that happens, as in that moment i saw the massive creation of just the intricacy of leaves, the strength of bark and roots, and got an idea of how the tree served as shade and shelter for some, and food for others, including bugs and gnawing things, and how the Lord had sustained that tree for a really long time.

From that day till now, i’ve slowly begun to realize i have such a small view of the vastness of God. His idea of things like prosperity is so, so much larger and far reaching than what i think. i think of it like a rich guy driving a Cadillac with steer horns on the front, but God sees it as a knight in armor who is buffed to a high shine with sword and shield and the full endorsement of the king.

i see faith as something i wish i had more of like a glass with only a little bit of water in it, He sees faith as a place i stand on the foundation of the work of Christ with a constant upward pointing to the sovereignty of God as a second nature. God’s idea of faith is so, so much larger than we think.

My idea of healing most of the time is i just want the pain to stop and not be sick anymore. God’s idea of healing is that we are brought into unity and made whole, functioning as one person, in our right mind, flesh and soul in complete subjection and obedience, under the governance of the Holy Spirit, to function in season and out how so ever He asks us. God’s idea of healing is far beyond the light of this world. Bigger.

My idea of mercy is merely that i, yes I want God to be nice to me even when i’m a horrible person. God’s idea of mercy is bigger, so, SO much larger it is beyond my imagination. If everyone got what they “deserved” and what was “fair”, there would be no one left alive. The mercy of the Lord spans our lives from the beginning to the end. Every mountain and valley, every river and sea, every man, woman and child breath and live within the amazing mercy of God. His mercy is over the horizon and beyond the vanishing point. That is huge. i am the one who makes His ideas small.

We make grace to be nice, necessary, and we say knowingly, “Oh, it means unmerited favor”. How narrow because God’s idea of grace is as amazing and vast as His mercy. Grace is sister to mercy, and where mercy is, grace is close by. Within the Hebrew word for mercy is the word grace and Grace under the umbrella of mercy is “Compassion and kindness beyond the vanishing point, which crowns us with the Sword of the Spirit for life and new beginnings.” God’s idea of grace so totally eclipses anything i had in mind. Bigger.

We all need hope, and if we have faith, we can rest assured hope was there first. Once again though, many seem to have turned the vastness of the hope in Christ into a narrow one way street, and His idea is so much larger. And no, i’m not going to tell you. It would be best if you pondered God’s idea of hope to a conclusion, you look it up, you read and find out how He sees it. You’ll be amazed at how much larger it is than would have ever entered your mind. Bigger. Way bigger.

Too often, we accept Christ to our own salvation, but many just stop there. When i first got saved and went to a little rural church, after a while i noticed we never got beyond “Jesus saves” to really knowing God’s preferences and standards. Sure, the important 3 initial survival tools of any believer are, pray, read your Bible, and tell others about Jesus, but for me, i wanted to know who was behind my faith, my peace, my courage and hope. i thought then, and still believe now that there is so much more of God to know. He is much, much bigger than we have imagined. i barely have grace for people who say they’re believers and don’t act like it, but Jesus, oh my gosh, Jesus died for a world of people who don’t do what they say, and i think i was at the top of the list of sinners, yet He died for me and did not flinch at my wrongness.

God’s idea of goodness is vastly larger than ours. Read your Bible, and don’t take the word of a friend because it’s too much trouble to find out what the Lord says for yourself.. On almost all counts, i find the Lord is so much larger and better than i’ve thought. We’ve gotta know it for ourselves. Friends, you can do this!!

What do you think?