STRETCHED

Exodus 4:11 “Now go, and do as I have told you. I will help you speak well, and I will tell you what to say.”

Have you ever noticed that God often calls us to do things we're not comfortable doing? It is a simple principle–God often wants to stretch us. He will be sure to place us in situations that test our self-conceived limits. Why? God often calls us to do something to see if we trust Him enough to obey Him, even when it doesn't make sense to us.

Bottom line, God doesn't need our abilities, but He does demand our availability. In Exodus, God asked Moses a question. "What is that in your hand?" For Moses, it was his walking staff. God told him to throw it down and when Moses did, it turned into a snake. Showing good judgment, Moses turned and ran. I hate snakes, don't you? Then God told Moses to pick the snake up by the tail. Everybody knows you don't pick a snake up by the tail, instead, you grab them…..who am I kidding? You should never grab a snake. Nevertheless, Moses followed the command of the Lord. When he did, it turned back into a staff.

If you continue reading in Exodus chapter four, you will see that Moses spent a lot of time telling God why he was unable to follow God’s commands. What I find interesting, even a little comical in this story is that at no time did God say to Moses, “Do you think you can deliver my people from bondage?” God was completely secure though, in his ability to turn the heart of Pharaoh and to bring freedom to the captive Hebrews. Probably all the more reason that he chose someone who was insecure in his own abilities, was a terrible public speaker, and was a past failure (see Exodus chapter 2). There would be no question that God was solely responsible for these miracles. So, Moses was placed in a situation that would try his limits and he would do it in a place where he had personally fallen from grace. I’m sure that there were several times that Moses thought, “if I had just stayed in the wilderness…”

I can think of so many times that I have felt stretched by God. And, just like Moses, I have grumbled and whined. I have declared to God that the things he was asking were way beyond my abilities and even farther away from my comfort zone. But what I see now is that that was exactly the point. The situations that God puts us in are often as much about the work he is doing within us as they are the actual task at hand. The lessons that Moses learned at the burning bush and in Pharaoh’s palace would serve him well at the Red Sea, at Sinai, and especially in the moments that he faced an angry mob of Israelites.

God will accomplish his intended task, with or without us. But, because he loves you and me, he chooses to teach us valuable lessons and deeply enrich our lives along the way. It requires stretching. It requires discomfort. You may find yourself doing something you never thought you would. Remember, you are there for a purpose. God is stretching you. God is expanding you for even greater things. Now go and do as he tells you. He will help you. And you will accomplish great things.

AMAZING GRACE

Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.”

The story is told of a young girl who left work early so she could have some uninterrupted study time right before a final exam in religion class. She studied all night. When she arrived at class in the morning everybody was cramming as much last minute info as their minds could handle. The teacher walked in and said, "Let’s do a quick review before the test."

They followed him through the review that was laid out on the study guide. As he covered item by item he finally jumped to issues the young girl had never heard covered in class. Several hands went up, "We never had that information before." The teacher picked up the text book and held it in his left hand and said, "Everything is in the book and you are clearly responsible for everything in the book." Who could argue with that?

Finally it was time to take the test. --- The assistants passed out the test and the professor said, "Leave your test face down on the desk until everyone has one --- I’ll tell you when to turn your paper over and start." Two minutes later the class heard, "OK, you may start."

When the young girl turned her test over, every answer was filled in. A note at the bottom of the last page said: "Your Final Exam is now over. All your answers are correct. You are blessed with an ’A’ on the final exam."

Every student read the same thing and looked up at the professor in utter astonishment. When the professor was sure all eyes were on him he said, "You passed the test for one reason only --- because the creator of the test took the test for you. All your study time, class time and hard work in preparation for this exam did not help you get the "A". You have just experienced --- GRACE."

Grace is unmerited favor, getting something we don’t deserve. What we deserve is a punishment that is fit for the crime – that is a punishment that is equal with our sin. Our sin is rebellion against an all-wise, all-seeing, all-powerful God. His omnipresence places Him at the scene of our misbehaviors. His omniscience makes Him aware of our every thought, word and deed. His omnipotence can overwhelm all opposition. Instead of pouring out His wrath upon us however, God extends His grace towards us. He doesn’t turn a blind eye to our sin because that would violate His holiness; He offers complete justification – forgive and forget – clean sheet. He declares us to be righteous. The plan of salvation is one of substitution. God executed His divine judgment – not on us – but upon Himself. At Calvary, the Son of God died in our place – such is God’s grace.

Each day should begin with our deliberate remembrance of what God has done for you and me. His love and grace sets the pace for our entire life. He has established us in his perfect path. This knowledge ought to wipe out guilt and obliterate despair. He loves us. What more could we ask for?

AN ALTERNATIVE TO GIVING UP

Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be on the vines…I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

In today’s world, we see an overwhelming number of people who will move from one position to another at the drop of a hat. When the circumstances get a little tough everybody abandons ship. There are few who will stay the course to get through the bad times. Fear grips the heart of the faithless with the release of every bad news article. Things like, “Oh the stock market is crashing because of one bad day of business.”

The question is this; will we, as God’s people, stand for Christ when things around us fail? When jobs fail, when the economy goes south, when sickness strikes, when shortages occur or when storms threaten, will we stand up and be counted as faithful to Christ.

We can be sure that not everything in life is going to be perfect. Each of us is sure to suffer, to hurt, to lose, and to be wronged. This only means that we are no different than anyone else on the planet. We are taught in scripture that it rains on both the just and unjust. It is, however, how we respond to these adversities that differentiates us from everyone else. When trouble comes, we have options. We can join the crowd by complaining, murmuring, abandoning hope, running away, or quitting altogether. Or, we can take that moment to grasp onto our faith even stronger than ever. We can take a step back, take a deep breath, and remind ourselves that we serve a God that is in complete control.

You see, by quitting and running away from our problems we miss an opportunity to see God at work. In addition, it should be said that it is likely that problems will find you in your new “place” as well. Sometimes trouble follows us. On September 14, 1992 Paul Harvey told this story: “After Hurricane Andrew, Patricia Christy, waiting in line for food in south Florida, vowed that she was going to get out that state. She was going to leave on the first plane out. She was determined to get as far away from the horror of hurricane damage as she possibly could and have a restful vacation. I have just heard from Patricia Christy. She was standing in line for fresh water on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, having just gone through Hurricane Iniki.”

Running, complaining, and quitting are not the answers for our victory. The prophet Habakkuk gives us a sure fire way to overcome difficulty. “I will joy in the God of my salvation”, he said. We ought to acknowledge that no matter what is happening around us, no matter how bleak the situation may seem, God is still the God of our salvation.

He will bring meaning to our suffering if our hearts remain fixed upon him. He only has the ability to turns your tests and trials into greater victories. The next time you feel twisted and torn by the difficulties that you face or the next time you feel that these problems have left you void of purpose and worth, think upon this: A $5 bar of steel that is cut into ordinary horseshoes is worth $10. A $5 bar of steel that is cut into needles in worth $350. That same bar of steel cut into delicate springs for watches becomes worth $250,000.

You may feel twisted, torn, and broken into pieces. But for those who joy in the God of their salvation, hope is near and their life is of greater value than ever before.

MAKING IT PERSONAL

Matthew 10:31 “So don’t be afraid, you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.”

One of the more troubling aspects of the modern age is the creeping de-personalization of our lives. More and more, as we go through the day, whenever we’re dealing with a branch of government, or a corporation, or an educational institution, or some part of the medical establishment, we feel like a number instead of a person. A statistic instead of a human being. Let me give you some examples:

When you fill your tank up with gas, you no longer have to walk into the gas station and pay an attendant. Instead, you just swipe your credit card and pay at the pump. Convenient, yes. But also impersonal. In fact, these days you can buy virtually anything by mail or over the internet, so you don’t have to interact with people at all. Now, you do still have to go to the grocery store to buy food. But even there, you no longer have to interact with a clerk when you check out. Instead, there are lanes where you can check yourself out; scan the bar codes yourself and bag the groceries yourself.

How about movies? In the old days, you had to go to a theater to watch a movie, and you experienced it with a room full of other people. Then, the VCR came along, so you could watch at home; but you still had to go to the video store. But now, you can order movies on demand through satellite, digital cable, or the internet. You can also rent DVD’s through the mail. No human contact is required. Automation and technology have given us the kind of affluence that previous generations could only imagine. But it comes at the cost of personal interaction.

However, we can still attest to this fact: that no matter how severely technology may assault our humanity and our individuality, we still live in a universe which is governed by a loving, personal God; a God who knows and cares for each one of us by name. In fact, the more impersonal our world becomes, the more it needs to hear the message of the Christian faith; the message of a personal God who loves each one of us as individuals.

None of us is ever out of God’s sight. Nothing ever happens to us of which God is unaware. In fact, not only does he know what is happening to us, and what is going to happen to us, as well; but the truly amazing thing is that he cares what happens to us. The incredible, astounding fact is that we matter to God, more than we can possibly imagine. He is intensely interested in who we are and in what we’re going through, even down to the seemingly mundane details of our lives. And what should our response be to this fact? "Don’t be afraid," Jesus says. Don’t worry. Don’t be anxious. Because God is watching over you, at all times and in every situation. You can never do anything to remove yourself from God’s care; nor can anyone or anything else ever separate you from God’s care.

The fact that God knows and loves us by name, personally and intimately should motivate us to seek after Him, so that we might know and love Him in the same way. Just as we shouldn’t be satisfied with a superficial relationship to one another, we shouldn’t be satisfied to have a superficial relationship with our God. Christ, through his death, has removed every barrier, has removed every obstacle, and has made it possible for us to truly know God. Not only that, but he invites us to do so, and desires that we do so. So let’s make it personal.

LISTEN UP

I Samuel 3:10 “And Samuel replied, speak your servant is listening.”

Here’s a little brain teaser -- You are driving a bus. You go east 12 miles, and turn south and go 2 miles and take on 9 passengers, and then you turn west and go 3 miles and let off 4 passengers. How old is the bus driver?

The main problem that many people have when trying to answer this brain teaser is listening. A lot of the times, we latch onto certain information that we think is important in a question and then somehow, miss the most important part. When I first read this question, like many of you, I latched onto the directions (east, south, west), the distance and the number of passengers on the bus. Those are things that that are important right?

When I got to the end and it asked how old the bus driver is, I was dumb founded. “Wait a minute,” I thought, “how are we going to find the age of the bus driver from the information given?” I took a minute and looked at the numbers and wondered if there was some secret message in the numbers and maybe, if you added them together or something, it would work. It wasn’t for a few moments that I finally realized that the clue to this teaser was a simple, three letter word that starts the whole question off. “YOU are the bus driver.”

How often is it though that we have this same problem with listening in real life? Listening is so important in life and crucial to make relationships work. We all have built into us the need and want to be listened to. Being listened to communicates things like worth, value, love, and respect. How do you feel when you are pouring your heart to a friend and then find out that they weren’t listening to you? You feel hurt, upset, and like they don’t care about you. Listening is so important and yet we live in a day and age where there are so many distractions to listening that it makes it more and more difficult to do.

Again, listening is so important to any relationship, and that includes our relationship with Jesus. And in some ways, I would argue that it is even more important because I think the God of the Universe and the Creator of all things is someone to pay attention to when he speaks. So many people will say, “I just want to hear from God.” Well, are you listening? We are given a powerful example from young Samuel. Be prepared to hear and then respond.

God is speaking today whether you believe it or not. My challenge to all of us is to start listening. It is so important to make sure that we are taking time to “be still” and take the time to separate ourselves from the world and everything going on around us. This will help us to hear God’s still, small voice and refresh our souls with what and how God sounds like. On top of all that, we must respond as God calls our name. He will not force Himself on us but instead wait for us to be ready and purposefully listen to His leading. The question is, are you ready?

ENCOURAGEMENT

Hebrews 10:25 “…let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

On June 18, 1956, a freak accident happened on a lake in New York. A speeding motorboat bounced on a wave and shot into the water two of its passengers, a 50-year old man and a little girl. To keep her from drowning, the man held her head above water while the boat circled back. They rescued the girl. But the man sank and drowned. That’s how Dawson Trotman died, the founder of the Navigators, an international discipleship ministry. According to a quote in Time Magazine, “He lived to save others. His death was just the way he would have planned it.” I read somewhere that his obituary reads like this: “Dawson Trotman, always lifting someone up.”

Now that’s a legacy. Would that be yours, too? That you live to save others? That you always lift someone up? In a word, encouragement. In the Greek, the word “encourage” means “to call to one’s side, to comfort, to console, to strengthen.” Basically, to put courage in. At the time of the writing of Hebrews, there was a great persecution. Our tendency during such trying times would be to save our skin or to each his own. But, the book of Hebrews encourages us to encourage one another. Someone wrote, “Encouragement is the kind of expression that helps someone want to be a better Christian, even when life is rough… To encourage is to inspire another with courage.”

It is interesting to note that the Greek word for “encourage” is the one used for the name “Comforter” of the Holy Spirit. People usually equate the works of the Spirit with signs and wonders. But, when we encourage one another, we show that the Spirit really dwells among us. Encouragement is a great indicator that the Spirit is working in our lives.

The word “encourage” is in the present tense. It means a habit or a way of life. In fact, Hebrews commands us to “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today”. It is also in the active voice. It means we don’t wait for others to encourage us. But we take the initiative. We must encourage even if others could not, even if others would not. Note that we are to “encourage one another”. That means that it is for every one of us.

As much as you and I could use an encouraging word from time to time, there are others who desperately need to be lifted up. Encouragement is a ministry and you and I have opportunity after opportunity to impact a life that is otherwise down trodden. And by offering yourself to help another, you will find yourself more upbeat, more positive, and more encouraged. Encouragement spreads just as quickly (if not more so) than discouragement. Be a catalyst of a positive trend. Be on the lookout for those who just need a smile and a kind word and when you find them, don’t hold back.

Charles Swindoll wrote, “I know of no one more needed, more valuable, more Christ-like than the individual who is committed to the ministry of encouragement.” Be encouraged to encourage others.

JUSTICE, LOVE, AND HUMILITY

Micah 6:8 “The Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what he requires; to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.”

It really sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? “Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.” Almost like the scouting oath. Be fair. Be nice. Be humble. But when you read Micah in the context of which he spoke these words, you will soon realize that it is more than a smooth motto. It is much deeper than a memorized verse of scripture.

God established a covenant with the Hebrew people: “I will be your God and you will be my people.” (Leviticus 26) God’s loving actions of freeing the Hebrew people from slavery and giving them the promised land were only the first ways God held up God’s end of the deal. God promised to continue to provide for them. But a covenant relationship is a two way street. Both parties to a covenant have responsibilities, required behaviors that sustain and maintain the relationship. It is just like a marriage covenant, where two people promise to love each other and to care for each other.

But during Micah’s time, things were going well for the nation of Israel. And they had forgotten their covenant with the one who delivered them from slavery. For Micah, it was not enough that they said “Hey, we are good people! We go to the temple everyday. We offer sacrifices and give generously.” The question was, “What does God require?”
“To do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.”

Justice means fairness, fair play and equity within the human family. In the thought of the Old Testament to do justice involved the basic needs, requirements, or even rights of people living together in community. Justice, then, is decidedly social in nature. God’s covenant requires the people whom God delivered from slavery never to treat others as they had been treated in Egypt. To do so would be to violate the very promise that God made to the Hebrew people. God requires a commitment to the poor, oppressed, and powerless in a society, people who have no voice of their own by which to redress the injustices that marginalize them as human beings.

The Hebrew word “hesed” is translated as “kindness” and “mercy”. It is a relationship term. It is not a warm-fuzzy-feeling kind of love, but the commitment and steadfast dependability that arises from mutual relationship. To love "hesed" was to be committed not only to God who had demonstrated "hesed" to the people. It was also to live in community in such a way that "hesed" marked life together as God’s people. To love "hesed" was to be committed to a quality of life that was governed by the principles of mutual respect, helpfulness, and loving concern.

Walking humbly with God is a call to do more than to come to God with offerings thinking to buy God’s favor. It is a call to live our lives with God in ways that would work out in every aspect of life. It implies sensitivity to the things of God. To allow our hearts to be broken by the things that break the heart of God. It is a deep desire to see the world through the eyes of God, to act in the world as God would act.

Much like the Hebrew people, we have been delivered from the bondage of sin and death. We, therefore, have an opportunity, if not a mandate to love others, to defend the helpless, and to walk in humility. By doing so, we live a life that makes a difference.