Monthly Archives: August 2011

‘You must be born again.’

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He prayed long, hard and sincerely. He gave faithfully to the work of God. He fasted regularly and was at church every time the doors opened (probably even had a key to get in when it wasn’t open). He had a profound, unshakable belief in God that drove him onward and impacted his daily living. He studied and memorized Scripture and even believed Jesus was sent from God. Sounds like a guy you would want to welcome into your church.

But without pleasantries or pats on the back for all his religious zeal, the first thing Jesus told Nicodemus is that he couldn’t even see the kingdom of God if there was not a radical change in his life. He had to be “born again”.

All these activities are good disciplines to weave into the fabric of our daily lives but we must never let them be the basis for our relationship with God. Nor can we make mere outward change a primary goal in the lives of our children or those we minister to. We can abandon an immoral lifestyle, begin to live a “good life” and still be lost. We can begin to pray, read the Bible, give, even live at the church and still be lost.

Our relationship with God starts with an inward change that then manifests outward fruit. To change the outside without first changing the inside is like putting a beautiful coat of paint on a mausoleum.  It may look nicer but it is still full of death and decay.

Sample Prayer:  Father in all my efforts to live a godly life please remind me my relationship with You is not determined by my performance.  Let that fact keep me encouraged when I am performing poorly and humbled when I am doing well.
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Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

 

The first of his miraculous signs …

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The Almighty God who flung the stars and planets into their orbits, who scooped out the oceans with His hand and before whom all creation bows, manifests Himself in the flesh and for His first great act He turns water into wine. Sounds pretty trivial even if you are a wine lover.

In the home of an unnamed host, at the wedding of an anonymous couple, in an obscure village and though His hour had not yet come He turns water into wine? Even then, except for a few unspecified disciples and some common household servants, none of the VIPs at the party were even aware they were drinking wonder wine. What an inconspicuous way to launch a world changing ministry. Perhaps there is something I need to learn from this.

In all the talk we hear today of being a “world changer” and doing great things for God we see that the One who truly did change the world started with a trivial need at hand. With no fanfare, no cosmic applause or even a “thank you” from those served, He acted to alleviate a simple need. I find it easy to become so focused upon saving humanity that I forget about the individuals I encounter along the way. While dreaming of doing great things for God it’s easy to miss the tiny things I can do to represent Him right now. Give a cup of cool water, change diapers in the church nursery, hold a door open for a mom with three little ones in tow, let a car into my lane or let someone else go first – all trivial things but a place to start.

Sample Prayer: Lord, help me not be so in love with the masses that I overlook the one You put in my path today. Remind me that the tiniest act of kindness done in your holy name is not wasted nor will be forgotten.
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Matthew 10:42
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.

 

The Word became flesh …

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What an unfathomable concept! The One who filled infinity from all eternity, the One who was and is and is to come, the One whose glory and beauty knows no limits, this One constricts Himself to a body of flesh and shuffles among the dust and sweat of human existence voluntarily subjected to brutality and rejection from those He came to rescue.  He “became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” No angel could have done this.  Revealing Himself to mankind through a book, or other means would not suffice.  The Word had to be made flesh to accomplish God’s desire.

The message still must be proclaimed through megaphones of flesh.  While literature and media are wonderful tools, technology cannot substitute for life exchange relationships, one heart sharing with another.  That is why missionaries still go and we must still send them.  The word must become living, breathing and dwell among men.

But this isn’t just the privilege of missionaries.  Every believer, like John the Baptist, is “sent from God” to represent Him – to be His word, His ambassadors in the dirt and daily grind of the office and job site, in grocery stores and gas stations, cafes and classrooms.  You and I are sent, in the flesh, so through our witness those in our sphere of influence can experience “the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Sample Prayer: Thank you Jesus for making God known to me.  Help me to declare Him to others not only by my words but also by living a life “full of grace and truth” toward those around me.   Let your word become become flesh as I live it out today.
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Romans 10:14
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?