Don’t Underestimate God’s Power at Work in You

Did you hear about the strange contraption that washed up on a Florida beach recently? It was this big plastic bubble with flotation devices attached to it. It belongs to a man who gets inside of it and propels it along by what some refer to as walking or running on water. This marathon runner apparently raises money for charity through his endeavors and has dreams of trying to travel from Florida to New York, or even to Bermuda, in his unusual vessel, although I understand he hasn’t been very successful at it yet. He claims to want to inspire people to chase their dreams and to believe that they can accomplish whatever they want to do.

I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll draw my inspiration from the One who really walked on water, and He didn’t need any plastic bubble in order to do it. One of the amazing aspects of that incident recorded for us in the Gospels is the fact that not only did Jesus perform this miracle as the unique Son of God, but He also imparted the same miraculous power to one of His disciples, a regular, faulty human being like you and me. Peter also was able to tread on the surface of the water for a short time until he let fear and doubt enter his mind.

  It’s wonderful that we serve a Savior for whom nothing is impossible. He can do miracles. He can walk on water. However, let’s not overlook the rest of the truth expressed in that account. He can also give us the power to do great things. The same supernatural ability that allowed Him to take a stroll on surface of the sea is at work in our lives. I’m not advocating for anyone to go out and attempt to literally walk on water. Nevertheless, I do believe we are often guilty of underestimating what the Lord can do in our lives if we would simply rely on Him and yield to His working in us.

Ephesians 3:20 refers to “Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”. The Lord is able to do far more than we could imagine – greater things than walking on water. And if we know Him as our Savior, that divine power works in us, too. However, it’s not just about us going out and performing miracles like Jesus did, although we shouldn’t count out that possibility. It’s also about His giving us the power we need to overcome sin in our lives, to be His witnesses, to live holy lives, to love people who are hard to love, to courageously stand up for what’s right, to be bright lights in a dark world, and to become more like Him in our character and conduct.

 Too many professed followers of Christ act like they’re powerless to do what Jesus says to do or to live the kind of life He calls us to live. They don’t put up much of a struggle against temptation and fail to strive toward the Lord’s standard of holiness and purity. They depend much more on God’s forgiveness for their constant failings than on the power of God to give them victory.

We need to trust that the One who enabled Peter to walk on water can empower us to do whatever He calls us to do and whatever His Word says we should do. The Lord can do more in you than you might think. Trust Him, yield to Him, and just let Him work.  

 

Let’s Fulfill Our Mission before Time Expires    

Recently we took one of our grandsons with us to a church conference in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. During some free time for enjoying the local attractions, we, along with the teenage kids of another pastor, tackled one of those escape room adventures. The six of us had one hour to solve puzzles, follow clues, and accomplish our appointed mission in order to get out of our locked chamber. It took us all working together, sometimes rather feverishly, to try to reach the goal. I’m glad to report that with only eighteen seconds left on the clock we finished the task and made our escape.

Sometimes it feels like we’re facing a similar countdown in today’s world.  God’s clock seems to be speedily ticking toward some kind of climatic event or conclusion. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that the world is going to end at any moment or declaring with certainty that Jesus will be returning tomorrow. However, when you look at what the Bible says about the last days and the signs of Christ’s return drawing near, it does seem like everything is rapidly falling into place in preparation for God’s judgment and Christ coming to take His people home.

As I was watching the morning news one day last week, it struck me how the headlines seemed like they were being taken from some movie depicting divine judgment and the condition of the world in the last days. The main stories involved a severe drought, terrible wildfires, devastating floods, the continuing pandemic, and even a plague of grasshoppers. It sounded like the fulfillment of some Old Testament prophecies about the coming Day of the Lord. Yet those are the times in which we’re living today. And unfortunately, very few people seem to interpret any of these events as reasons for us to repent and submit to God.

  Some of us recognize the signs, but simply acknowledge the fact that Jesus is coming soon and focus on waiting expectantly for Him to rapture us out of this world before final judgment falls. However, I don’t believe that’s the attitude the Lord wants us to have in these times. It’s like our experience in the escape room. We didn’t just sit there waiting for the time to run out and someone to open the door. We had work to do. We had a mission to accomplish before it was too late. There was a sense of urgency as we labored to finish the task before us.

Do we have that sense of urgency as followers of Christ today? This isn’t the time to isolate ourselves, hide in the corners of our churches, and wait for Jesus to provide our way of escape. It’s not the time to throw up our hands in despair and give up or quit trying. Neither is it the time to just angrily condemn the evil around us and leave the ungodly to face the consequences of their poor choices. We’ve got work to do! We have a wonderful message about God’s love, Christ’s sacrifice, the provision for forgiveness of sins, and divine enablement to be a holy people to share with a lost world. We have lives to touch for Christ as He empowers us to be lights in the darkness and Christlike examples in an ungodly society. We are called to uphold truth and God’s Word in the midst of a culture that is rejecting it. We need to be praying, witnessing, and serving with a sense that time is quickly running out.

 The clock is ticking. We don’t know how much time is left. Let’s be busy accomplishing our mission for Christ.

 

What’s Under the Surface of Our Profession of Faith?    

One day I opened a package of brand-name peanut butter sandwich crackers we had left over from a recent trip. As I lifted the first cracker from the pack, the two pieces separated to reveal that there was no peanut butter in the middle to hold it together. I’m not talking about just having a miniscule amount of the substance. The inside of those crackers was completely clean – not a drop of filling. The second cracker I tried was the same way. Two out of the six sandwich crackers in the pack contained nothing on the inside. I was rather disappointed that my snack didn’t live up to what its name promised.

   Do we live up to what our name promises as we profess to be believers, Christians, and followers of Jesus? It’s disappointing when we get to know someone, see what’s beneath the surface in a person’s character, and find that the substance doesn’t seem to be there. What’s on the inside doesn’t seem to match up with the outward image or packaging. Notwithstanding, we don’t know all that may be present in other people’s hearts and thankfully we aren’t the final judges. However, we should keep a close watch on what’s inside our own hearts. We may look like and act like those who know Christ, but is the substance there? Are we like empty religious shells, or is the filling there on the inside that connects our outward appearance to our true character?

What “substance” should we expect to find underneath the surface of a professing Christian? For one thing, there should be a real, up-to-date relationship with Jesus. We should be trusting Him as our Savior, fellowshipping with Him as our ever-present companion, and submitting to Him as our Lord. There should be a relationship, not just rituals. And that relationship shouldn’t just be based on some past experience, but it should be current and active. Secondly, there should be a love for the Lord and for other people. Jesus said that it all comes down to two commandments, loving God with all our heart and loving others as ourselves. If we’re not devoted to the Lord and letting Him fill our hearts with His love for those around us, we’re like crackers without the peanut butter. A third part of that substance that should be found within us is holiness or Christlikeness. A real relationship with Jesus will change us on the inside and cause us to take on more of His qualities, such as the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). If we’re not growing and being transformed more into the image of Christ, we’re not delivering what the package promises when we say we’re Christians.

 My wife had purchased some Oreo cookies for that same trip, too. Those treats are also known for their filling – that sweet, white creamy filling which some people like to lick off first after pulling apart the two outer ends of the cookie. However, these weren’t the regular Oreos. These weren’t even the “double-stuffed” version with extra filling. These were billed as “mega-stuffed”. These had an abundant supply of the tasty filling stuffed within them.

 Let’s not settle for just having a little of the substance of what it means to be a Christian present within us. Let’s seek to be “mega-stuffed” believers. Let’s pursue knowing Jesus better and drawing as close to Him as we possibly can. Let’s pray that we will abound in our love for God and others. And let’s seek to be entirely sanctified or made holy as the Lord continues to work in our hearts to make us more like Him. Make sure the substance is there, and let’s get as much of it as we can.  

 

Let’s Finish Our Race with a Joyful Spirit   

As I tuned in to the morning news on the Fourth of July, the elite runners in the annual Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta had just crossed the finish line. Something unusual stood out to me as they interviewed the second-place finisher among the women. Unlike what I had witnessed in previous years, this 22-year-old runner wasn’t having to try to catch her breath to talk to the reporter. She didn’t even look like she was perspiring. She was bubbly, energetic, and appeared as if she could turn right around and run the race again. Maybe it was the uncommonly cooler temperatures and lower humidity that morning making such a difference. Whatever it was, it was a far cry from the exhausted, sweaty participants I was accustomed to seeing laboring to finish the race.

 The Apostle Paul talked about the fact that he wanted to finish his race with joy (Acts 20:24), referring to his walk with God through life and the ministry he had received from the Lord. At the time he was facing the likelihood of tribulations, persecution, and imprisonment. His future looked uncertain and rather bleak. Yet he was determined to keep going and to continue to run in such a way that he could cross the finish line victoriously and joyfully.

Is that how we’re running today? It’s easy to get weary with what we’re facing in today’s world. Our society seems determined to go its own way rather than humbly turning toward God and submitting to Him. Faithful followers of Jesus may find themselves being the objects of ridicule, discrimination, and hatred. The temptation sometimes rises to get discouraged, to choose an easier course, or to give up. The pressure and heat from the world can wear us down. If we’re not careful, we can find ourselves becoming negative, complaining, unloving runners who are just trying to sputter along to the end of the line.

However, it doesn’t have to be that way. We can finish the race strong and with a joyful spirit in spite of the hardships along the way. Even as some of us get older and draw nearer to the completion of our journey, the Bible says we can still be fresh, flourishing, and fruitful (Psalm 92:14). That doesn’t mean that we’ll necessarily have the physical strength we once enjoyed. It doesn’t mean we may not see a decline in some of our mental abilities or an increase in our tendency toward forgetfulness. Nevertheless, we can still thrive in our relationship with the Lord and in our daily journey with Him. Paul wrote, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (II Corinthians 4:16). We may not have the physical and mental energy we once had, but we can still experience a close walk with the Lord.

        Back in Acts 20:24, we see that one of Paul’s keys to finishing with joy is that he didn’t focus too much on his trials and he didn’t hold too tightly to his physical life – “none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself”. Instead he focused on the Lord and on being faithful to what He had given Paul to do. We need to be aware of what’s going on in our world today, but don’t make that your primary focus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Continue to do whatever the Lord has given you to do. Keep running your race regardless of what others do.

However long we may have left to run, let’s allow the Lord so to energize and renew our spirits that we finish our race with joy.

 

Let’s Serve God, Not Just Acknowledge Him   

As our attention is especially focused on our nation during this Fourth of July weekend, it’s a good time not only to celebrate the past but to evaluate our current condition. There’s a description given in the Bible of another nation which I believe is fitting for us today as well. Although the circumstances were very different, the moral and spiritual climates displayed some similarities. It was said of these people that “they feared the Lord, yet served their own gods” (II Kings 17:33). If you look at the context, it was a society in which the people acknowledged God and followed some of the rituals in connection with His worship, but they didn’t live in obedience to His word. Isn’t that what is happening in our country today? God is still acknowledged oftentimes, although even that practice is becoming less common. There are still people who observe some degree of religious rituals in relation to God. However, we are straying further and further away from living in accordance to the teachings of His word. We acknowledge God, but we aren’t obeying Him. We either ignore what He says, attempt to reinterpret it to our own liking, or just rebelliously refuse to adhere to it. This isn’t only a characteristic of our secular society today, but unfortunately it also describes a large portion of the church. Many pay lip-service to God, but they aren’t obeying His teachings.

The people referred to in II Kings showed where their love and loyalty lay. Yes, they gave some recognition to the one true God, but they served their own gods. Their own deities had their hearts and in turn their obedience and service. We may acknowledge God, use the phrase “In God We Trust” as our motto, claim that we are “one nation under God”, proclaim “God bless America”, say our prayers, and attend our worship services. But who or what are we serving? Who really has our heart? Is it the one true God who has revealed Himself through the Bible and His Son Jesus Christ, or is it the gods of our own making?

I would suggest that we, including many who profess to be Christians, are guilty of serving our own gods today. The things of this world actually have our hearts more than God does. We love them more than we love Him. It may be the god of self – wanting what we want and dismissing what anyone, including God, says to the contrary. Or it may be one or more of the many other gods in our world – popularity, power, sex, money, pleasure, and the list goes on. We aren’t willing to give up those other gods even when following them runs contrary to the way God says we should live. Therefore we still acknowledge God and try to do enough to appease any displeasure He might have toward us, but meanwhile we’re serving our own gods.

Do we fear God enough to obey Him? However, serving Him shouldn’t just be based on being afraid of what He might do to us if we disobey Him. It really comes down to love. We should serve Him out of love for Him. We should want to obey Him based on how much He loves us and how He gave His Son to die on the cross for our sins. We should love Him more than we love the gods of this world, including the god of self.

We, individually and as a nation, need to quit serving our other gods. We need to give our hearts back to God and commit ourselves to obeying His word.    

 

Outbursts of Rage Point to a Spiritual Problem 

Every time we turn around it seems like we’re hearing about another incident of road rage, air rage, or a person reacting with an outburst of anger in some other setting. Our society is searching for an explanation for the increasing number of these disturbing and often violent occurrences. Some point to guns as being the problem. Others suggest that it’s the result of all the stress people are feeling in relation to the pandemic. May I offer another possibility? Could it be that this is part of what a world looks like when we remove God from our lives? This is how fallen human beings tend to react when they’re not under the restraints of the Holy Spirit. When people aren’t yielding to the Lord and cultivating His holy characteristics in their lives, they will fall more and more under the sway of Satan and their ungodly, baser instincts. Maybe the guns are the chosen instruments some people use. Maybe the pressures and fears from the pandemic intensify people’s poor reactions. However, the root of the problem is our turning away from the loving and holy God who can purify our hearts and help us to treat others in the right way.

Sometimes I don’t think we realize what a positive influence the church and followers of Jesus have had on our society. When they are functioning properly, they are truly a light in the darkness and the salt of the earth that purifies and preserves its surroundings. So as less people fit that description and as those who do are marginalized by our culture, is it any wonder that we are reaping the results of their waning influence?

 The Bible lists some of the Christlike qualities that spring forth from our lives as a result of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power at work (see Galatians 5:22-23). I believe we’re witnessing a rise in the opposite of those characteristics referred to as the fruit of the Spirit. Instead of love, there is more selfishness and hatred. Rather than joy, we’re seeing more anger and fear. Rather than peace, there is conflict and chaos. Instead of people being longsuffering, we’re finding more individuals having short fuses and lacking patience with the shortcomings of those around them. Kindness is growing more rare, while a lack of courtesy and respect becomes more common. Goodness is disappearing from our society, being replaced by various shades of evil, crudeness, and selfish motivations. Faithfulness is waning, while instability and unpredictability in people abound. Gentleness has given way to a spirit of harshness. And self-control seems to be exhibited less and less, not only in a society that indulges in all its pleasures, but one in which people fail to restrain themselves from lashing out at others. Many of the incidents we noted earlier are the result of people failing to exercise proper self-control when facing some irritation, conflict, or challenge. 

   In a contrasting list of attitudes and actions mentioned just prior to the fruit of the Spirit is what the Bible refers to as “the works of the flesh” (see Galatians 5:19-21). Included under that heading are such things as hatred, outbursts of wrath, and murders, the very qualities and behaviors we’re seeing on the rise today.

Our choices have consequences. If we continue down the road of rebellion against God and His Word, we will keep seeing godliness decrease and the unrestrained passions of sinful humanity manifest themselves more and more. Laws and vaccines won’t resolve the issue. People need a change of heart and our society needs the influence of those who follow Christ. We need to turn back to God and submit to Him. 

 

God Intends for Us to Be Fruitful  

Recently my son became a father for the first time. It’s wonderful to get to see him experience the joys of fatherhood now. This newest grandchild actually made his arrival in the world on my and my wife’s fortieth wedding anniversary. He was the best present we could have received for the occasion. As we celebrated with the rest of our children, grandkids, and family, it was a reminder of how the Lord has blessed us and how our union as husband and wife those many years ago has born much fruit.

Hopefully we can all say the same thing about our relationship with Christ. Jesus made it clear that fruitfulness is one of His purposes for our lives as His followers. “You did not choose Me, but I choose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16). He also declared that through bearing fruit, we bring glory and honor to our Heavenly Father. “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples” (John 15:8).  It sounds as if the more fruit we bear, the better.

 One way such fruitfulness should manifest itself is through Christlike characteristics becoming more evident in our lives. We should experience spiritual growth and transformation in our hearts, minds, and conduct. The Bible even refers to those desirable qualities as “the fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:23). Are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control increasingly springing up in our lives?

Bearing fruit can also refer to the spiritual sons and daughters in whose lives we’ve played a role in their coming to know the Lord and in their continuing walk with Him. Maybe we’ve had a direct impact on some, even praying with them as they received God’s gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. There may be others on whom we have had more of an indirect influence as we’ve prayed for them, encouraged them in their walk with God, shared truth, or simply lived before them as a Christlike example. Some of those people we may be able to point to and call by name. However, there may be others we’ve influenced of whom we’re not even aware. Just as my wife and I can look at our family and give thanks for God’s blessings, let’s all look with grateful hearts at how God has allowed us to bear fruit spiritually.

But let’s also endeavor to continue to bear fruit for the Lord. No matter our age or circumstances, the Lord can still work in us and through us to bear more fruit. The Bible even refers to those who will “still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing” (Psalm 92:14). It may be difficult to change as we get older and set in our ways, but the Lord can keep forming us more into the image of Jesus if we’ll cooperate with Him. Because of age or changing circumstances, we may not have as much interaction with others as we once did, but we can still pray, be an example, and find other ways to have a positive impact on others for the Lord.

If we’re staying close to Jesus and faithfully following Him, we will bear fruit. We don’t have to work to produce fruitfulness - it will naturally tend to happen if we’re spiritually healthy and staying connected to our source of spiritual life. We just have to keep the weeds and other obstacles out of the way that would hinder us from being fruitful.  

So let’s thank God for past fruitfulness while seeking to bear even more fruit for Him in the days ahead.