Read posts that help us learn to live out our faith in real life

The Lesson Within the Lesson

For many years, I taught a group of kids on Wednesday evenings, and one evening, we had a lesson about how Isaac handled the situation when the Philistines plugged up his wells. In that day, that amounted to an act of war, a war Isaac could have won. The Philistine commander admitted as much. Isaac chose not to wage war. He chose not to react in the expected way, the socially acceptable way. Instead, he chose to respond in a way that reflected the God he served. He turned the other cheek and he dug new wells.

Several things happened as a result.

God reaffirmed his covenant with Isaac (Genesis 26:24)
The Philistines recognized God was with him (26:28)
The Philistines asked to make a covenant with Isaac (26:28)

Because Isaac chose not to react, but to respond in a way that demonstrated his faith in God’s sovereignty, the nonbelievers around him took note and wanted to align themselves with him.

The “other” lesson

That’s a good enough lesson in itself, but in the process of discussing with the kids how we can deal with our anger, the options of prayer and Bible reading came up. The kids rolled their eyes at the “church” answer.

The unspoken verdict – Sure, those things work for some old guy in the Bible, but not for me dealing with the jerks in school.

The unspoken admission – We only come to Bible study class for the snacks and games.

Let’s not be too hard on the kids. Do we go to small group or class or even worship out of obligation or responsibility or habit, or do we really come to hear from God about the situations in our lives? Do we want to see what His standards are, and what we need to change to become more Christ-like? Do we really believe His counterintuitive approaches like blessing those who curse us?

If that’s not the focus then we are all wasting our time, teachers and students alike. If I teach because I have to and not because I believe, rather I know, that God’s word is life-changing then I’d be better off at home watching television.

But if God’s word DOES contain life-changing truth (and I’m convinced it does) and

if we let that truth change us,

if we learn God’s ways,

if we consciously choose to reflect Him in our dealings with those around us,

several things will happen as a result.

God will reaffirm the promises He made to us.
The people around us will recognize that God is with us.
We will build relationships with those people which could ultimately lead to their own transforming encounter with God.

And that lesson is even better than snacks.

Fear Is

By Paula

Fear doesn’t limit itself to late October or long nights or lonely seasons. No, it slips in during happy times and waits until you notice it. Sometimes it dresses itself as worry or anxiety, but it’s still fear. Occasionally it disguises itself as anger or compulsion or something else, but that only makes the costume harder to see through. It doesn’t change the fact that fear is there.

Fear is a curse.

It grays our hair, etches lines in our faces, strains our hearts and steals our sleep. Fear is almost as old as sin itself. It drives us from the presence of God, like Adam and Eve in the Garden. It kills our joy, clouds our vision and snatches our dreams.

God knows this about us. He offers to make an exchange. Because He loves us with a perfect love, one that is complete, unconditional, and neverending, He will cast out our fear. Cast out. This is authoritative. This has the muscle to back it up. This is “get out and never come back.”

Then to fill the spaces where fear lived, He offers peace. His peace. The supernatural kind that’s beyond explanation. The peace is ours to keep. And He will make this exchange as many times as we need.

Even after we open the door and let fear in one more time.

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Psalm 56:3

Struggling to Believe

By Paula

Sometimes when we follow Jesus, He asks very difficult things of us. Take the apostle Paul for example. In our comfortable 21st century existence, the kind of hardships Paul endured are less than appealing. Even if we don’t face physical persecution, emotional upheavals can leave us in a place where we find ourselves struggling to believe God and His promises.

The fact is we are often unaware how much our life experience colors our understanding of God and His word. If we are carrying emotional scars from a difficult past, it may be next to impossible to believe that God is loving, that He welcomes us, that He delights in us, that He will never leave us or forsake us or any of the other amazing promises He makes. We may grudgingly concede that the promises are true for others, but we balk when it comes to believing they are for us.

We can’t undo the past, or erase those scars. So how do we embrace those truths?

Admit there is a struggle.

One of my favorite statements in Scripture addresses this. It’s in Mark 9:24. A desperate father came to Christ seeking healing for his son. You can almost hear the anguish in his voice when he says “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!” He doesn’t fake. He doesn’t give the Sunday school answer. He is very humble and very genuine.

Realize the struggle is not a deal-breaker.

In fact, it’s common. In Scripture, we read about people like John the Baptist, Job, Paul, Moses, Elijah, Sarah, and so many others who had trouble grasping God’s promises. After Jesus’s resurrection, Peter went back to fishing. Maybe he thought he’d blown his chance to do great things because he failed so miserably in his denials. Maybe he thought something like “Jesus, I believe you can save me. I’m just not sure you can use me.” One word, Peter. Pentecost.

Finally, understand it takes time.

For something this critical, God won’t stand for any easy fixes. He is willing to take the time to ensure we “get” it. We will be forever changed afterward. In Scripture, folks came away from their struggles with new names, new callings, and on one occasion even a new limp, but all of those signified a fresh intimacy with Yahweh.

What have you struggled to believe? How did you work (or how are you working) to grab hold of it?

What Are You Seeking?

By Paula

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” John 1:35-38

John the Baptist pointed out the Lamb of God to two of his disciples, and they immediately followed after Jesus. Literally. After several minutes, Jesus turned and asked them, “What are you seeking?”

What are you seeking? The dictionary says ‘seek’ means to go in search of, to try to discover, to ask for, to try to acquire.

What are you searching for? Peace … Redemption … Belonging …

What are you trying to discover? Your purpose … your path …

What are you asking for? Forgiveness … Answers …

What are you trying to acquire? Validation … Blessing …

What are you seeking? We could paraphrase that question any number of ways. What do you want? What are you looking for? Why are you following Me? It’s worth considering why Jesus asked the question in the first place. He had to know the answer already. And notice, He asks before they get very far. This is not an upper room, last supper kind of question. It calls for examining motives and expectations before they take another step.

Jesus calls us to the same examination.

Are we following Christ because we believe we can find something? No doubt. He has the answers that cannot be found anywhere else. Or are we following Christ because of what we hope to gain? Maybe not tangible, material things, but spiritual blessings? Are we seeking Christ Himself, or the fringe benefits He offers? Do we simply want to be part of something?

Part of the disillusionment some believers experience is that they enter a relationship with Christ carrying an armload of expectations driven by a consumer mindset. I mean, we want whiter teeth, so we change toothpaste. We want better gas mileage, so we try an additive or replace our tires or trade cars. We are constantly reaching for more features, better performance, and improved results. When we project mindset that onto our faith, we expect our interactions with others to be more fulfilling and our needs to be met. Our purpose in life should crystallize and we should feel the sunlight of His favor every single day.

We’ve misunderstood what following is all about.

G. K. Chesterton said, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” Following Jesus is hard because it goes against every single natural inclination we have. It’s about surrender and submission. As our faith strengthens, the challenges to it get more intense, the temptations to abandon it more enticing and the obstacles more formidable.

Jesus was very frank about what following Him would mean. He used words like “tribulation” and “trial” and “self-denial.” He said the world will hate us. He told a parable about counting the cost. He never shied away from telling us it would be hard.

How we react to adversity reveals what we’re really seeking.

In the book of Job, Satan approaches God postulating that Job only worships God because he benefits from it. Satan was sure if the blessings dried up, Job’s commitment would too. God’s confidence in Job was echoed by Job’s confidence in the God he trusted. “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10. In other words, Job said, “God knows my motives. He knows my heart. He knows my faith is not lip service.”

I’ll be honest. I don’t have a handle on this. My motives for following Jesus range from pure to murky, whiny selfishness. More often than not, I prefer my comfort above everything else. But when it comes right down to it, it’s like Peter said in John 6:68-69. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

So however imperfectly, I’m seeking Jesus, and I’m going to follow Him. What about you? What are you seeking?

3 Lessons in Jesus’s Response to Leprosy

By Paula

3 Lessons from Jesus's response to Leprosy title graphic

Last week we learned from the man who fell at Jesus’s feet, seeking healing from his leprosy. Believers are Christ’s representatives on earth, so we have a great responsibility for how we behave and act toward others. There are several important lessons we can learn from Jesus’s response to the man.

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1-3 (NKJV)

1. See the individual.
Society saw a label – leper – and it had become the man’s defining identity. Jesus looked beyond the label. The man wasn’t just “a leper”. He was a human being with a dreaded disease. Jesus recognized all the implications leprosy carried with it and He felt a deep compassion for the man’s suffering.

Even today, it is easy to see people as a “type.” This allows us to maintain a distance, physically, emotionally and spiritually. However, that goes against our call. We need to see others with the eyes of love just as Christ did.

2. Realize no one is untouchable.
One of the most shocking acts in this short account was the moment Jesus touched the man. It was scandalous. You can almost hear the crowd gasping. In doing so, He identified Himself with the man, still at the mercy of the disease ravaging him.

We must not be like the Pharisees, who saw themselves as gatekeepers, determining who was worthy of God’s mercy and who was not. No one is beyond the reach of the Gospel. We have to get involved with people, and be part of their lives.

3. Be willing.
Jesus didn’t turn away. He didn’t cite His schedule. He didn’t claim it was best to use His resources to minister to the crowd rather than to focus on one individual. He was willing to meet the man at the point of his need.

We, too, must be willing to minister to everyone God brings our way, recognizing divine appointments in each meeting.

What do you think prevents believers from responding like Jesus did?

3 Lessons from a Man with Leprosy

By Paula

When [Jesus] had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:1-3 (NKJV)

We don’t have much experience with the disease of leprosy these days. In fact, Biblical scholars and historians are not entirely sure that what we know as leprosy is the same disease mentioned in Scripture. However, we can certainly identify with being marginalized, with being an outcast, with desperately needing the touch of Jesus Christ.

In this brief encounter, covering only a few verses, this man gives us a pattern worth following when we seek wholeness.

1. He came and worshipped.
The crowds tagged along behind Jesus, but this man got close and he worshipped Christ. It was an act of faith, humbly approaching and acknowledging Jesus. That engagement was necessary for his restoration. In the same way, our restoration begins when we come near to Christ with a full recognition of who He is and a grasp of who we are before Him.

2. He understood sovereignty and power.
The man never questioned Jesus’s ability to heal him, but he recognized that everything, his suffering included, was governed by God’s will. Even as he asked for relief, he seemed to sense that there were greater purpose in it, even if he couldn’t see it.

3. He had no other recourse.
There were no modern hospitals. No hi-tech diagnostic tools. No gifted physicians available. There were patented medicines to prescribe. There were no self-help books, no seminars, no herbal treatments available to him. He couldn’t think positively enough to mitigate his circumstances. His healing and restoration would come only from the touch of God. It is when we stop trying to resolve our issues on our own, and lay them at the feet of Jesus in humility, that we find what we need.

There are even more lessons in these verses. Be sure to tune in next week.

The Lesson Within the Lesson

The “other” lesson

Fear Is

Fear is a curse.

Struggling to Believe

Admit there is a struggle.

Realize the struggle is not a deal-breaker.

Finally, understand it takes time.

What Are You Seeking?

Jesus calls us to the same examination.

We’ve misunderstood what following is all about.

How we react to adversity reveals what we’re really seeking.

3 Lessons in Jesus’s Response to Leprosy

3 Lessons from a Man with Leprosy

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series