Thursday, September 20, 2007

Pondering 'Ordinary' Discipleship

I often ponder the nature and meaning of "discipleship." The cost of discipleship appeals to me, perhaps because I love a challenge. But that is based upon human zeal, and human zeal will not take a person very far.

Oswald Chambers reminds us that "discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on the water is easy to impulsive pluck, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is a different thing."

"We do not need the grace of God to stand crises -- human nature and pride are sufficient. We can face the strain magnificently; but it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours in every day as a saint, to go through drudgery as a disciple, to live an ordinary, unobserved, ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is inbred in us that we have to do exceptional things for God; but we have not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things, to be holy in [ordinary] paths, among [ordinary] people, and this is not learned in five minutes."

Monday, August 20, 2007

Holy Desperation

We are not likely to have a significant encounter with God until we become desperate. Desperation provides the impulse necessary for us to be willing to lose our lives; and in so doing, we discover life. God will use dissatisfaction, frustration, and consternation to lead us to the place of reckless abandonment. There we will get a such a wonderful revelation of God that we are willing to make known to the world the truth of His Kingdom regardless of the price.

Jesus said: I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me" ... John 12:24-26 (NLT)

Thursday, August 9, 2007

The Birth of A Vision

Do you have a vision for your life? God does.

"I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). When we surrender our plans, God gives us His plans. As we seek an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we begin to get a vision of how His plans will unfold. That becomes our vision.

Vision must be birthed in each of us by the Holy Spirit. God may use other people to plant the seeds of our vision, but until the vision becomes personal it will never be our passion.

Owning another person’s vision will not suffice, even if that person impacted a generation or a nation. The other person’s vision may be noble, pure, and scriptural, and God may give me the same vision, but if I only receive it from a man and not from God, the fruit of my labor will be limited by human strength. We need God's strength if we are to accomplish God's work.

Ponder and pray over your vision, and God will bring it into sharper focus through failures and successes.

"... for this I toil, striving with all the energy that God mightily inspires within me" (Col 1:29).

And that is a point to ponder.

David

Friday, March 30, 2007

The Beauty of Holiness

When the writer of Psalms 27:4 tells of his deep desire to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, what exactly is he talking about? Ponder this: God's beauty is related to his holiness. I must admit, when I think of beauty, the first thing that pops into my head is not 'holiness'. At least not until now. Perhaps that is about to change.

This world's way of thinking has distorted our concept of both beauty and holiness. The Bible exhorts us to "... praise God in the beauty of His holiness ..." (2 Chronicles 20:21, KJV). In another place (Exodus 15:11), the writer asks rhetorically "who is like the Lord -- majestic in holiness."

"Beautiful" and "majestic" -- both of these words imply their object is admired, appreciated, and appealing to the beholder.

God designed us to appreciate beauty. Interestingly, some religious groups associate holiness with drab, unattractive clothes. They think of beauty as worldly, and drabness as spiritual. The Bible does not support such thinking. "Consider the lilies of the field ... even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed with such splendor and beauty" (my paraphrase of Math 6:28-29).

God's holiness is manifested in His works (Psalm 145:17), in His law (Psalm 19:8-9, Romans 7:12) and at the cross.

And that is a point to ponder.

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