Page 27 of 31

Posted on

Obeying God into the Unknown

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.

Abram (Abraham as we would later know him) is told by The Lord to take his family from the place they were living and begin on a journey with no idea of their destination. In other words God was calling him to obey into the unknown. God wanted Abram to go; and despite not knowing where he was going, Abram picked up and left as God had told him.

There are two things are going on here:

  • Abram went. Although he didn’t know the outcome, he obeyed The Lord without knowing why he was asked to go. He trusted in God’s sovereignty and God’s call. He simply did as the Lord said.
  • Abram didn’t make any excuses. He didn’t let his old age or the unknown hinder his obedience to God. Abram made no excuses for following The Lord.

Discussion: What are some reasons Abram would risk his family & well-being by going into the unknown?

Talking points: Abram saw obedience to God as more necessary than his comfort. Abram trusted that God knew best for his life. Abram knew that since God was calling him to go, God would also be with Him through his journey. Abram trusted in God sovereign plan.

Discussion: What excuses often get in the way of your obedience to Jesus?

Abram was only beginning on a phenomenal journey that God had for his life. His journey would impact literally millions of people (Jews, Christians, & Muslims all trace their lineage back to him). Although Abram didn’t know the impact of his obedience , he simply trusted God’s promise.

Application: Will you begin praying that God would use your life for His glory? Begin praying that He will give you faith to trust in His plan for your life.

Parents: Help your kids begin to see that God has a plan for their life. We rarely know every step, or even the next step of His divine plan; but helping them see that trusting God through every step of their journey is what He’s calling them to do.

Verses for your day. Proverbs 16:3 – Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Proverbs 16:9 – The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Posted on

Babel

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:1-9 ESV)

The people building the tower of Babel wanted to make a name for themselves. They see themselves as self-sufficient with no need for God. They’re essentially “dethroning” God & declaring themselves to be rulers of their own life. Humanity often has the ambition to dethrone God from His rightful place as ruler.

Discussion: What’s the cause of humanity’s desire to “dethrone” God & be self-reliant?

Talking points: pride, greed, entitlement, ungodly desire, rebellion toward God & His commands, and confidence in our own ability rather than God’s.

Discussion: In our culture where do we see the idea of dethroning God & self-reliance taking place the most? Where do you find this most in your own life?

Discussion: What was God’s purpose in causing them to disperse over all the earth?

Talking points: His original command was to be fruitful & multiply (Gen. 9:1 & 9:7) & they were rebelling against it. He was showing humanity His rightful place as sovereign ruler of the world.

The people of Babel literally placed blocks in their way when it came to obeying God. Often we have things in our life that hinders our obedience to God.

Application question: what stumbling block(s) in your life could you remove that would allow you to better obey the God of the universe?

Posted on

God takes a break and displays His finest work

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:1-3 ESV)

Discussion: God blessed the Sabbath as a day set apart for rest and dedication to him. Why would God create a day dedicated for His worship? In a world of busyness, what steps can you & your family take each week to assure rest & time dedicated to The Lord?

…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. (Genesis 2:7-8)

Discussion: God created our bodies from dust… Take a moment and discuss the intricacies of the body & how it points to an all-powerful, intelligent, and creative God. God created humanity in His image & breathed His life into us. What does this say about the value God places on humanity? How can your family reflect that same value to each other, and others outside your family? 

The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:20-22)

Discussion: God gave Adam & Eve responsibility, they had tasks to accomplish… Each & every task had the same goal, honoring God. Discuss how your everyday activities could honor God.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:24-25)

Discussion: God places high value on the marriage of man & woman, stating that the two shall become one flesh. This is the highest of all human unions. What are some basic aspects of marriage? Discuss the significance of each of the following as it pertains to marriage.

Talking points: 1) The man & woman promise themselves only to each other. 2) The man takes responsibility for his wife & the wife for the husband b/c they are one flesh. 3) Sexual intimacy is meant for the union of marriage only.

Posted on

Taking a Break

For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15 ESV)

This past week I was reading these verses. God speaks these words through Isaiah the prophet to a people who need to come back to him with all their hearts. He speaks as a Father to his children, as a God to his worshipers, as the supreme ruler to his subjects. Israel needed to come home. Think about it. Home is where you rest the best. Home is where you find the quietness that calms your soul. Home is where you trust that when you go to bed, all is well.

One of the things that has occurred to me in my times with God this past week is my need for rest. I honestly do not rest enough. I know this may come as no surprise to you, but it has honestly been a badge of honor to work myself tirelessly.  So one of the places I am taking a break from is this blog. After evaluating my schedule and how often I write this blog at home when I could be spending that time with my family, I’m taking a break.

In the meantime, continue to dig into God’s Word. I’m trusting this was never a substitute for your own time in the word anyway. (Isaiah 30 is a great place to start!)

Posted on

Who Can Understand It? Killing in Charleston

When a 21-year-old white young man attends a Bible study at Emanuel AME Church for an hour and then takes out a gun and massacres nine people “because they are black” we question why. Why could someone harbor such hatred? How could he sit in a Bible study while plotting the deaths of the ones participating in the study?

The news media struggles to handle such a tragedy. They immediately cite external reasons, things one can see. Less guns. More psychological care. Lack of education. Pervasive prejudice on the internet. Political leaders do the same. They (and we) must be reminded that humankind cannot ultimately be trusted:

Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. (Jeremiah 17:5-6 ESV)

In a sentence: man cannot be trusted. Left to ourselves we self destruct–all of us. We are hopelessly lost unless God intervenes. But, if that same man trusts in the Lord, a complete turnaround takes place:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8 ESV)

So what makes the difference between a man who is a shrub in the desert or a tree by streams of water? The answer is what lies underneath:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10 ESV)

Jesus came to change us from the inside out. He came to do open heart surgery on desperately sick people. The front page of Emanuel’s website says it well: Jesus died a passionate death for us, so our love for Him should be as passionate. 

So how should we feel? What should we think? Do?

  • Pray for the families of the nine victims. They have moms, dads, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.
  • Pray for the 21 year-old shooter. Apart from Christ he will die and spend eternity in hell.
  • Trust the God who knows you (and everyone else) better than you (and they) do.
Posted on

Every Avery Needs an Eleck

In yesterday’s blog I shared about how to be sensitive toward new believers. One person who did that was Eleck Hensley. As we approach graduation our thoughts naturally go to him. Last October when Eleck went to be with the Lord, I wrote this blog. I thought it fitting to share it again:

In Matthew 25 Jesus gives a surprising view of the end of time.  He pictures himself seated on a throne judging people from all the nations.  The people are separated into two groups–just like a shepherd would separate sheep from goats.  Jesus, the King, looks at the ones on his right and says, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  Jesus continues, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”  The righteous people answer with surprise that they have ministered to the King like this.  “Lord, when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?”  The King answers, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

When I read this, I was not surprised at the outcome:  God has always rewarded faithfulness and obedience.  I was surprised at the surprise of the righteous people:  they had no idea they had ministered to the King Himself!  I think Eleck, when welcomed into the presence of Jesus the King, was just as surprised.

This weekend, I received an email from Avery Poteat’s father.  You may recall that Avery is the young man with autism whom Eleck nominated as homecoming king, campaigned for and celebrated when he won–just two days before he went to see King Jesus.  Alan, Avery’s dad, wanted us to know the rest of the story:

Dear Hensley Family,
I have heard many wonderful things about Eleck and I just wanted to add what he means to my family.
I asked my son to recount the first time he met Eleck. He said it was in Mr. Jones’ class in the tenth grade. He sat down and Eleck asked him his name. I remember when I asked him how his day had been he said he had met a guy in his class and his name is Eleck. My son sometimes struggles with names and so I challenged his pronunciation of Eleck’s name to which he insisted, “No! His name is Eleck!” Throughout that year when I would inquire how his day had been he would often say, “I had lunch with Eleck and some of his friends,” or sometimes he might tell me something Eleck had said or done. When the yearbooks were delivered that year, my son made sure to show me Eleck’s name. He then proudly said, “I told you daddy; I know my friend’s name.” The thing that I admire about their friendship is that Eleck chose my son, not because of what he could gain in the eyes of the world, but he shows the love and compassion of Jesus.
Moving forward to a couple of weeks ago, my son came in and announced that he had been nominated to the homecoming court. This past Thursday night we were completely surprised by the outcome. As we talked to one of Avery’s teachers it was stated that he had voted for Eleck. The teacher said that she was almost positive that Eleck had voted for Avery. It was then that I had an idea Eleck was the one that had thought so much of someone else that he deferred the possibility of homecoming king. I confirmed this when Brother Jerry was interviewed on WLOS. I would later find out that he had not only campaigned for him, but also stood up to those that would say negative things about my son.  Oh, that we all could have the kind of integrity that God gives and Eleck possesses.
I have used the present tense on some statements because I believe that there are some things left to this story. I cannot fully back this up with the Bible, so as Paul said I speak as a man. It is my deep desire, when I get to heaven and I have worshiped around the throne of God, if it be God’s will to allow me to remember this time, I am going to find Eleck and thank him so much for the love of God that he bestowed to my son.
The other thing that I believe will happen is when my son gets to heaven, if there is a welcoming party that Eleck will be there and say, “Hey pal, we’ve been waiting for you. Come on. Let me take you to see Jesus.”
I close with the words of a song from Andre Crouch.
It Won’t Be Long
It won’t be long… till we’ll be leaving
It won’t be long… till we’ll be going home.
Count the years as months,
Count the months as weeks,
Counts the weeks as days…
Any day now…We’ll be going home.
You all are in my family’s prayers.
W. Alan Poteat
Every Avery needs an Eleck.  Who’s your Avery?
Posted on

What a Day That Will Be!

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10 ESV)whataday

Sometimes knowing how familiar words are defined can be worshipful in the study of Scripture. Here’s how dictionary.com defines these four words:

Restore—to bring back to a former, original, or normal condition, as a building, statue, or painting; to bring back to a state of health, soundness, or vigor. And here’s the kicker: we don’t know what our former, original condition looked like. We have never experienced it! We have to go all the way back to the Garden of Eden, see Adam and Eve without the condition of sin to know that. What a Day That Will Be!

Confirm–to establish the truth, accuracy, validity, or genuineness of; corroborate; verify: to acknowledge with definite assurance. Peter wrote to scattered Christians who had lost their homeland and their identity as good Jews. Here he promises them a permanent place with a permanent status. What a Day that Will Be!

Strengthen—to make stronger; give strength. What encouragement! To those who are physically or emotionally weak right now–God will strengthen you! It may be today…it will definitely happen in eternity. What a Day that Will Be!

Peter saved the best for last:

Establish—to found, institute, build, or bring into being on a firm or stable basis; install or settle in a position, place; to show to be valid or true; prove; to establish the facts of the matter; to cause to be accepted or recognized; to bring about permanently. What a Day that Will Be!

John Newton, former slave trader and author of Amazing Grace, said it this way:

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am.”

If you have time, take about 2 minutes and listen to the words of this old song:

Posted on

And God is Able: A Rerun

god-is-ableAlmost a month ago this post was wildly popular. I thought you might need to be reminded again today.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (Romans 9:8, ESV)

And God is able. These four words must be imprinted on the hearts of every believer. These four words must be etched into the mind of every believer. And God is able.

When Abraham was told to leave the comforts of Mesopotamia and travel to the unknown land around the Dead Sea, his attitude was and God is able.

When Joseph was thrown into the pit, framed by Potiphar’s wife, and forgotten by Pharaoh’s butler his attitude was and God is able.

When Moses stood with more than a million of God’s people facing the Red Sea before him and Pharaoh’s army behind him, his response was and God is able. 

When Joshua saw the towering walls of Jericho and an untrained army he led called the people of Israel, his message to them was and God is able.

When David faced the taunts of the 9 foot giant Goliath, his words to him were and God is able.

When Daniel was dealt the unfair choice of praying to God or dying for his God, he chose to pray because he believed and God is able.

When young Mary was approached by the angel Gabriel announcing she would be the mother of the Son of God, her attitude was and God is able.

When Jesus was placed in the tomb, Satan danced, the disciples ran, the Pharisees celebrated and Rome gloated…but three days later the resounding message was and God is able.

Whatever you face today, whatever lies in front of you that you know about…and whatever you will face that you had no idea was coming…and God is able.

Posted on

To Serve or To Be Served

Yesterday Wendy and I took Hannah to Greenville Spartanburg Airport. We sent her off on a one-month trek to Ecuador where she will hang with missionaries, share the Gospel, canoe the Amazon and hike an icy mountain. You can imagine the mixed emotions we had as we left her in the hands of her Intercultural Studies professor and a dozen other students.

When we left we went to a nearby restaurant and sat down to eat. We were a bit tired and emotionally drained. When we walked into the restaurant it never occurred to us to serve. We went there to be served. J. B., our waiter, brought us a menu, asked us what we wanted to drink, brought our ice waters (with lemon of course!) and took our order. He brought our food to us, refilled our waters and graciously waited on us. It never occurred to us that we should serve–we walked in there to be served.

When J. B. walked into that restaurant yesterday, it never occurred to him that he would be served. He came to serve. His sole purpose for coming to work yesterday was to serve.

Jesus can identify with J. B.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45 ESV)

Jesus did not walk on planet earth to be served. It never occurred to him to sit down at the table and wait on someone to take his order. No! He entered planet earth to serve. He sat down at the well with the Samaritan woman. He fed thousands with a few loaves and fish. He cried over Lazarus’s death.  He donned a towel and washed the disciples’ feet. He hung humiliated on a wooden cross. He gave his life a ransom for many.

How will you walk into your day today? As a server or a customer?

Posted on

God Delights in Spendthrift Children

spend·thrift

[spend-thrift]   noun

a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully

Only two months after leaving Egypt, God’s children began to complain. They were hungry. Hungry children can be menacing.  They lose their sensibilities, become driven by the hunger pangs, and act irrationally.
“Would that we had died by the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full ; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”  Exodus 16:3
God responded to their irrational complaints with rations–a daily shower of bread from heaven, enough to sustain them until the quail flew in at night. God’s instructions to them: eat it all! Don’t save any for tomorrow. In other words, today be a spendthrift.
The disciples asked Jesus how to pray. He taught them to pray, “Give us today our daily bread.” Today. God, give us today what we need to eat today. Sounds a lot like manna in the wilderness.
In another place Jesus was teaching on worry when he made the statement,”Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)
Which brings us to Lamentations 3:

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”  (3:21-24)

Like the manna, like the daily bread, God promises new mercies for every day of our lives. This morning God deposited enough mercies into the account of your life to get you through the day. His intention is that your account be emptied by the end of the day–you should use every mercy, spend every compassion. You cannot save today’s mercies for tomorrow’s messes.  You cannot reserve today’s compassions for tomorrow’s crises.

Be a spendthrift. Don’t hesitate to dip into your personal mercy account and draw out whatever you need. Don’t leave anything in the account when you put your head on the pillow tonight.

Tomorrow morning when you wake up your account will be full–again.

How do you practically do this? Two ways–talk to God and talk to yourself.

Ask God for whatever you need.  Don’t be afraid to ask.

Say to yourself, “The Lord is my portion (my sole provider).” If you don’t repeatedly tell yourself God is committed to taking care of you, you’ll try to do in your own power what God alone can do. The right self talk is necessary. Being a spendthrift of the mercies of God doesn’t come naturally. Our pride inhibits us from making withdrawals. Our self sufficiency puts a hold on God’s mercy account. Our tendency to believe God needs us will keep us from asking for His help when we need Him.

Say to yourself, “The Lord is my portion.”

Be a spendthrift today.

And tomorrow…

And the next day…

You get the point.