Exercise Your Faith!
Her husband had died, leaving her mourning, raising two sons, and deeply in debt. In that day her sons could be taken away as salves to pay back the debt of their father. She had come to the end of both her resources and her hope.
A prophet named Elisha gave her what seemed to be strange instructions, but a closer look reveals why it was such good advice. He said:
“Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few.” 2 Kings 4:3 ESV
In essence, the prophet was saying:
- Have faith in God. Nothing is hopeless with God.
- Take action. Physical actions of obedience often lead to spiritual breakthrough.
- Start with what you have. The widow had a little oil. God often requires us to invest what we do have before providing us with what we don’t yet have.
- Believe for that which is abundant, not just for that which is adequate. She was instructed to borrow many vessels, not a few.
In obedience to the prophet, the widow gathered vessels, brought them home, shut the door and began to pour her small amount of oil into a large container. To her surprise the container was filled. She took another vessel and another, filling all of them up with oil.
When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest. 2 Kings 4:6-7 ESV
In a matter of hours the widow went from “not enough” to “more than enough.”
That’s how our God is. He is more than enough, and desires to bless you abundantly. However, he also desires you to trust Him and walk in faith.
Many believers don’t exercise their faith and therefore don’t see God’s miraculous provision. Today, if you are at “the end,” look for God to initiate a new beginning!
Be ready to take a step of faith in obedience to and trust in God. Joshua had to March around Jericho’s walls. Moses had to hold out his staff over the Jordan River. Joshua had to step into the Jordan River. Naaman had to dip seven times in the water. This widow had to gather vessels.
God will ask you to do what you can do. Then He will do what only He can do.
Your Past is Robbing You of Your Future
Focusing on your past robs you of the joy of today and the hope of tomorrow.
Many people never let go of the past. For some, the shame and regret of former sins keeps them chained to condemnation. For others, the good ole days (or their own glory days) keeps them looking back. Either way, many people can’t enjoy their lives because they are not fully “present.”
There is a reason that your vehicle’s windshield is so much larger than its rear view mirror. Seeing where you are and where you are going is more important than seeing where you’ve been.
The Apostle Paul had a past. Out of religious zeal (a sincere but incorrect belief about God), Paul had persecuted and killed those who followed Jesus Christ and His teachings. After Paul encountered Jesus for himself, he realized the truth and humbled himself before Jesus. His life was miraculously changed. Still, he had regrets.
But then, from the point of his conversion, Paul began to change the world! He ministered in countless cities, planted churches, mentored leaders, and often suffered for the cause of Christ. In addition to being tempted to live in the regret of his sinful past, Paul could have been tempted to live in the “glory days” of his righteous past, having accomplished so much for the kingdom of God.
Instead, Paul said:
“…But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” Philippians 3:13 ESV
Sometimes it’s easier said than done. How does a person “forget what lies behind?”
- Repent of sin, specifically and thoroughly. An unredeemed past will follow you until it has been “washed in the blood” of Jesus. You cannot ignore or bury a sinful past. You must confront it, confess it, and turn away from it.
- Recognize today’s opportunities. The Holy Spirit has some divine assignments for you today! Watch, listen, be sensitive to what He is doing today. Not only that, but be aware that God’s mercies are new every morning. Today He wants to speak a fresh word, and pour out a fresh anointing in your life.
- Reach forward with vision and hope. God declared, through the prophet Joel: “In the last days I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…young people will see visions, and older people will dream dreams.” No matter where you are in life, God wants to give you vision and dreams for what is yet to come.
We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it. What we don’t want to do is live in it, or be chained to it.
Instead, let’s lift up our eyes! Let’s settle sin issues and then move forward with the joy of today and with hope for tomorrow!
“I Hated Life”
The story is told of two young boys. One was pessimistic and chronically negative. The other was optimistic and always positive.
A test was given to further assess the depths of the boys’ outlooks on life. The pessimistic boy was placed in a large room filled with hundreds of his favorite toys and games. Everything he had ever desired was there for him.
True to form, instead of enjoying what had been provided, the boy became frustrated and just stood in the middle of the room, folding his hands, not touching anything. When asked what was wrong, the boy complained, “I’ll never be able to play with all of these toys and I don’t even know where to start.”
Meanwhile, the optimistic boy was taken to a different room. He was told to open the door and walk in. He skipped over and opened the door only to be met with a pungent odor and a horrible view. The room was filled with manure. The boy paused for a moment to catch his breath, but then went ahead, wading in ankle-deep, closing the door behind him.
After a momentary pause, the boy suddenly reached down and started flinging manure all over the room. He was almost diving down into the stuff while laughing and having a great time. Finally, someone opened the door and got the boy’s attention, asking “What are you doing?! The boy replied, “With all this manure, there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”
Now that’s optimism!
Contrast that with Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes:
“So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.”. Ecclesiastes 2:17 ESV
Solomon had wealth, he had women, he had power and prestige. He was respected by other nations, but he had lost sight of the value of his relationship with God. As a result, King Solomon viewed life from an entirely “earthly” lens. He only saw what was done “under the sun” and therefore came to hate life, despite his riches, fame, power, and relationships.
There are many circumstances in life which you cannot control, but here are a few things you can change:
- Your Perspective. If you have an “under the sun” perspective, you will, like Solomon, eventually conclude that life is vanity and meaningless. What brings meaning to life is an eternal perspective. Here on earth, life’s tough questions can steal a person’s hopes and dreams, but when life’s questions are seen from the vantage point of eternity, hopes and dreams can live again.
- Your Attitude. No one else controls your attitude but you. If you keep your attitude up, you will never be kept down.
- Your Faith. Ask yourself, “Where am I placing my faith (trust, dependence)?” If your faith is in anything “under the sun” you need to look higher. Meaning in life is only found in the Person of Jesus Christ, whose name is not only above the sun, it is above every other name (Phil. 2:9). Put your faith in Him.
Despite being known for his wisdom, Solomon strayed from an eternal perspective and became trapped in the limitations and frustrations of life under the sun. Can you relate?
Lift up your eyes. There is meaning to be found.
The Day of the Lord
The biblical “Day of the Lord” refers both to judgment and salvation. Old Testament prophecies promised a day when Israel’s enemies would be conquered and God’s people would be liberated.
These prophecies apply to “spiritual Israel” (the church) as well as national Israel. The Day of the Lord will ultimately be fulfilled by Jesus Christ when He comes again to earth as the Righteous Judge, conquering all of hell’s forces, and establishing the fullness of His victorious Kingdom.
Every person will be held accountable for his or her acceptance of, or rejection of Jesus Christ. The question will not be, “Did you try to be a good person,” or “Were you mindful of spiritual things,” or “Were you committed to a religion or denomination?”
The question will be centered on the Person of Jesus Christ. Belief in Jesus includes that He is the Son of God, that He lived a sinless life, that He died for your sins, and that He was raised again, proving that He was who He claimed He was. It is not only a belief THAT He exists, but a belief IN Him as your Savior.
Many people today live in a false sense of security. They refuse to acknowledge their sin, and even if they do admit it, they often refuse to repent of it. They may see Jesus as a good person, but refuse to bow their lives to Him as Lord and King.
Paul’s words remind us of the reality of the Day of the Lord, and its accompanying judgment:
“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 ESV
Placing your faith in Jesus Christ requires a whole-hearted submission to His Lordship.
- It begins with acknowledging and confessing your own sinfulness, and then repenting (turning away) from that sin.
- It means that you cry out for the only Savior who can free you from sin’s curse.
- It requires submission to the voice of the Holy Spirit to daily fill, lead, and empower you.
- It requires gritty faith that is evidenced by life-change.
For those who reject Jesus, the Day of the Lord is a dreadful day. But for those who have cried out in humility and faith to Jesus, the Day of the Lord is a day of ultimate victory, freedom, and triumph.
My Slowest and Best 5k Ever
I did a 5k a few days ago. A local elementary school was doing the race as a fundraiser. Carrie and I have two God-children who were both running in the race and asked Uncle Dale and Aunt Carrie to do it with them.
Hundreds of people crowded together at the starting line, nearly all of them wearing the blue t-shirts given to each participant. Emma (7) and Aieden (6) were ready to run.
Carrie and Heather (the kids’ mom) planned to run/walk together. Heather then mentioned that, in last year’s race, Aieden had started strong, but then got tired and, by that time had distanced himself so much from his family that he got a bit scared. When I heard that, I told Heather I would offer to run with him.
Moments before the race began, I went up to Aieden and said, “Hey, bud- I’ll run with you, if you want, maybe you can help me, because I have never run at this school before.”
Aiden replied, “Nah, that’s ok.”
Just then, the lady behind the bullhorn said, “On your mark, get set, go!” Approximately 300 blue-shirted people all began running at the same time. That’s 600 arms swinging and 600 legs flailing.
Aieden obviously thought this thing was a 100 yard dash. He broke away from the crowd running full speed. Emma wasn’t far behind him. I began running at a more manageable pace.
Partway through the race I caught up to Emma. She was walking. I stopped running and walked beside her, making sure she was good. Then I said, “When we get to the sign, we’re gonna start running again, ok?” She agreed, and we did.
The race coordinators had drawn directional arrows and encouraging phrases on the pavement with chalk, so I said to Emma, “Ok, every time we see an arrow, we have to stomp on it and say, ‘Boom!’ ” And we did.
Several boooms later we saw Aieden. He was still running, but slowing down. Eventually we caught up to him. He was definitely getting tired. I told Emma, “Let’s slow down and walk with Aieden for a minute.”
I told Aieden how great he was doing. I could tell he didn’t have much gas left in his tank. So I told him about stomping on the arrows, so we started running again and boomed a few times.
Then he wanted to walk again. So we all walked for a minute. Then I said, “You see those cones? We’re gonna start running again when we get there, ok?” We got to the cones and we all started running.
We slowed down again right before we got to where the path went into the woods. When we got into the woods the kids started telling me about how they use this path to learn about nature in school. We turned beyond the art and music exhibit and I realized we were almost at the finish line!
I said, “Come on, we got this! We’re almost done!” With that, we all ran out of the woods and crossed the finish line together!
It was not my fastest 5k, but it was my best.
I could have gotten a better time if I had not slowed down for the kids, but I had a better time by racing with the kids.
Life is like a race. It’s not a sprint, but I sure act like it is, sometimes, by the pace I set. There are times when I get tired, thirsty, and achy. Sometimes I even get discouraged. But Jesus stays with me. He encourages me and tells me stuff to keep me going.
He slows down for me.
He slows down because He loves me. I’m like a kid, but it’s ok. He likes kids.
Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” And he laid his hands on them and went away.”
Matthew 19:13-15 ESV
Jesus loves kids. He always has. And you are one that He loves a lot.
Maybe you’re getting tired in your race. Maybe you set an impossible pace and it’s catching up to you. Maybe you want to quit.
Jesus is there. He is slowing down just to be with you. He will talk to you and encourage you, and maybe even give you some “signs” and “booms” to encourage you to keep going.
Don’t give up. Keep going. The finish line is closer than you think.
Pastor Dale Jenkins 