Spiritual Warfare

Sometimes as I slog through my daily tasks and challenges, I don’t always notice my emotional state until I am on the verge of an explosion or meltdown.

And then I wonder. How did I get to this point? And why am I getting so worked up?

There’s no easy answer to these questions. But as I wrestle with resentment, frustration and anger with my current situation caring for a handicapped niece, I realize that sometimes my feelings are intensified by spiritual attack. Trying to do everything in my own strength, I open myself up to the snares of the devil.

This thought isn’t something that fits with our materialistic culture with its pride in scientific knowledge and achievements. But that doesn’t make it any less true.

The Bible tells us plainly to be on guard, alert for the attacks of Satan. To put on all of God’s armor. And to pray continually.
Much easier said than done.

When I get drawn into a battle of wills with my niece, I am not keeping an eye out for the approach of the enemy. When I am planning my day, I don’t think about putting on God’s armor. And when I am exhausted emotionally and physically, prayer is not the first thing I want to do.

So keeping my own limitations in mind, I need to be smarter about waging the spiritual war.

Before I get caught up in the cares of the day, I need to spend time in prayer and in His Work, so that I put on my armor. As I go through the day, I need to practice the habit of praying continuously.

I also need to follow the example of Daniel. He didn’t spend his time in prayer talking about the devil. He spent his time praying for God to be at work in His people.

That is the key to successful spiritual warfare: God fights the battle. We just need to walk closely with Him, whether times are good or bad, smooth or rocky, near to Him to let Him protect us and defend us.

And no matter what, to keep standing. For we know that in the end, we have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Spiritual Growth Plan

Sometimes I think I drive my husband crazy. That’s because I’m always thinking down the road, making plans for the next meal, the next weekend, the next vacation. He thinks I worry too much about the future.

Maybe he’s right. But there is a need for planning in our lives, including our spiritual lives. After all, as the famous quotation goes, those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

For many, the idea of a spiritual growth plan might seem a bit over the top, too fanatical. Is it?

If we are called into relationship with Christ, to grow closer to God in ever-deepening fellowship with Him, then if follows that we need to be making serious, disciplined, and regular efforts to do so.

We know that any close relationship takes time and work, so why would our relationship with God be any different?

I’ve heard many people say they just don’t want to get that involved with their faith, that they are satisfied with the faith they have. But that is kind of like going over to someone’s house and staying in the foyer. Or worse, refusing to go farther than the front porch. What would your neighbors think if they invited you to dinner and you did that? What does God think of us when we don’t bother to seek to know Him more?

God didn’t intend for us to remain spiritual babies; it’s clear we need to keep growing and maturing. The spiritual growth plan outlined in this week’s reading is a good place to start.

The problem with kind of exercise is that it’s easy to get excited and all motivated and come up with a long list of goals. Then a few weeks, days or hours later reality sets in. I’ve written many a plan only to realize while it would be great to achieve all those goals, it’s not going to happen.

The first time I did the Spiritual Growth Plan in DbD, I was overwhelmed by it. So what I do now is to write my plans is list all my goals. Then I pick 3 to start with. Then I try to consider the rest “nice to do” and focus on the others. If I have success with those I started with, then I can add another.

The plan is just a plan, to keep me moving forward, not a taskmaster to rule my life. God may have other plans for me, and I need to leave some room for those.

Finding Your Place in Ministry

Ever since my life changed so dramatically in July, I’ve thought many times about what God’s plan in all this is. I certainly didn’t plan on taking in my handicapped niece and spending my days caring for her.

Suddenly my husband and I, who were reveling in being empty nesters and discussing other ministry opportunities, had a ministry of another kind dropped on our laps.

Over and over the last few weeks, the Scriptures in the DbD material drive home the point that God created us for service, that His plan is for us to be doing good works, that we are to bear fruit for His kingdom.

But how do we find our place in ministry? While sometimes we are given a ministry, at other times we need to seek on out.

A good place to start is by thinking about our natural abilities and our spiritual gifts. “What am I good at?” is a natural first question. “What do I like to do?” is another good question.

Then we can think about our own unique experiences and education that will have prepared us for a particular ministry.

I think back in my own life. In college, I was a Child Development/Child Care major. I never worked in that field, since I went on and got a master’s degree in hospital administration. But I am using everything I remember from that child development degree in dealing with my niece. That training gave me many of the tools I need to manage her behavior, and also gave me enough knowledge of how the mental health system works to know what questions to ask. God knew 30 years ago that this degree would come in handy.

So it is with any experience we have had. It may seem completely random, but months or years later will be used by God in service somehow, somewhere.

Having said all that, I think the key is to not spend too much time trying to come up with the perfect ministry that will be fulfilling, enjoyable and bear much fruit. If you don’t start serving until you find that perfect opportunity, you probably never will.

The key is to find something that you can commit to for a few months, and give it a try. Just get out and start serving someplace. It may not seem like a glamorous ministry (like washing pots) or one that uses all your gifts. But try something, get started.

You may find that the ministry you tried is not for you. But that ministry could lead you to another that you never would have considered which turns out to be the one you were searching for.

Once you are in motion, God will lead you and use you. I know, because He’s done that for me.

Exploring Your Spiritual Gifts

Years ago a preacher started a church in a drive in movie theater. People literally drove in, watched the service from their cars, and drove off. One man spoke of how great it was for his wife, who was unable to walk. “This way she doesn’t have to get out of the car, she doesn’t have anyone looking at her. If she doesn’t feel like putting on makeup, it doesn’t matter, because no one sees us.”

I can’t help but feel that while I’m glad they feel attending church is important, they are missing something important.

They are missing the opportunity to allow another member of the body of Christ to serve them, by helping his wife to get from her car to a pew.

They are missing the chance to encourage someone else dealing with a disability, to teach that person that life can be full and rich.

And church isn’t just about showing up. It’s about the body of Christ coming together, to worship together, to be in fellowship, and where one is weak, another is strong.

Our scripture this week talks about the various parts of the body in service to each other. Not everyone is an eye. Not everyone is an ear, and for good reason. We need each other to accomplish all that God has for us to do.

And what is that?

God created us to do good works. To help us do them, He has given us different gifts.

These gifts are meant not to be hoarded, but used in service of others. The Bible gives many reasons: to build others up, to teach the truth, to bring other to maturity, to draw closer to God.

Somehow the idea of being in service makes people nervous. It sounds a bit like some horrible tedious work. Some people even have the idea the more suffering involved, the more God is pleased.

I don’t think so.

The apostle Paul was clearly using his gifts in his teaching, preaching, and evangelism. While he suffered greatly during the course of his ministry, he “counted it all joy.”

So why would it be different for us? If we are using the gifts God gives us, then we will be able to rejoice in our service.

One thing is clear: God expects us to be serving, faithfully using the gifts He gave us for the common good. The first step is just to get involved with some ministry that sounds interesting or you think you’d enjoy, and see where that goes.

When I went to Russia as a missionary, I thought I’d build relationships with doctors through the medical supplies and equipment I brought, or through the knowledge I was bringing.

I didn’t turn out that way.

God used a different gift to bridge the gap. My ability to make chocolate chip cookies (which became known as “Evelyn cookies” and to prepare Mexican food, including tortillas from scratch, provided a way to spend time with many doctors and to have many conversations of a spiritual nature.

I didn’t value my gifts in the area of hospitality, but that’s just what God used.

He values the gifts He has given us. It’s up to us to use them for His service.

Practical Faith Sharing

I shoved my bag into the overhead and collapsed into seat 9B. Having been travelling for much of the last 24 hours, I was exhausted and just wanted to be left alone. Hopefully the rest of the occupants of row 9 would feel the same way.

It wasn’t to be. One of them wanted to chat. I answered her questions politely but briefly and closed my eyes.

Not too long after I heard a sermon on being always ready to give an account of the hope we have in us, that we should never miss an opportunity, as who knows if that person will die the next day.

Racked with guilt, I tried to determine: what really is our call regarding evangelism? Am I really to take every chance encounter as an opportunity to share my testimony, explain the gospel, and win another soul?

Reading the scripture gives the clear direction to be a witness everywhere. But what is a witness?

A witness is simply someone who tells what they have seen, heard, or learned. Notice we are not called to be persuaders, confronters, or bull dozers. Just witnesses.

Think about how you talk about anything you find interesting: the success of the Cardinals, news of an asteroid passing by the earth, or a revolt in the Middle East. You share some information, maybe give your opinion, and if no one is interested, move on to another topic.

Or if you are joining a conversation, you make your contribution, listen respectfully to different opinions, and don’t push others to agree with you.

There may be a time with a specific person we might need to confront them or push them to consider the claims of Christ, but in most cases, it seems to me, we are simply to be witnesses.

It takes great humility to discuss something very important to us, knowing we could be met with scorn and mockery, often with great wit. But we still need to bear witness.

When I was a missionary in Russia, I was soundly criticized by a fellow missionary for having struck up a friendship with a doctor who performed abortions. “She has blood on her hands,” I was told, “and you shouldn’t be spending time with her.”

I ignored that advice, and continued with my friendship. I wasn’t about to abandon this woman who was seeking God, just because she hadn’t accepted Christ by our third meeting. I didn’t think my call was to rack up big numbers of converts.

Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. Here was someone who was lost who wanted to be found, who had some big issues to deal with. In Russia, doctors do not have the right to refuse to do certain procedures for reasons of conscience. Her choice was quit her profession or do the work assigned to her to do.

For four years I prayed for that doctor, listened to her talk of her shame, and encouraged her as she did her best to talk women out of the abortion they came to her to receive. There are many alive today because of her. Best of all, she had the courage to change jobs several times until she found a place where she did not ever have to perform another abortion. “I feel like a great rock has rolled off of my soul,” she told me. By meeting her where she was, and talking about the needs she had, she was much more willing to listen to me talk of how God can meet those needs.

Many people see evangelism as simply giving their testimony and presenting the gospel. But I think it begins a little differently. When someone shares a need, I can at least offer to pray for them. Or share a time when God helped me through a similar situation. Just bearing witness of what God has done for me and what He can do for them.

One of my favorite quotes is “preach the gospel always, and if necessary, use words.” Our culture is so jaded on the topic of Christianity that our words or appeals to the authority of scripture fall on deaf ears. Our actions and willingness to listen get us a hearing for the gospel that meets the needs many don’t even know that they have.

Interacting with our Culture

How are we as Christians to deal with the differences between God’s Word and the wisdom of our culture?

Good question.

Especially because the “wisdom” of the world is so often contrary to what the Bible teaches. It also comes backed up with “scientific” studies and an onslaught of public opinion.

And since we live in culture, it’s hard to know which influence is shaping our thinking more: the word of God or the words of our culture. This is one more reason to study the Bible and know well what it says.

I saw this worked out many times while I was a missionary in Russia. Many of the practices of worship or church organization that were being taught by missionaries were American in nature; many of the values promoted were more American than Christian. We were dealing with three cultures: Russian, American, and Christian. The challenge was to avoid teaching American culture as if it were Christian, to not favor one particular way of doing things because of our own cultural biases.

One bias in our culture is that of prosperity or materialism. We value hard work and success and the things that money can buy. Many of the cultural “hot potatoes” that our reading for the week covers have roots in materialism or the love of money, or as Paul wrote to the Philippians, “their god is their stomach.” We need to watch for how the influence of our culture that drives us to seek comfort and convenience affects our judgment.

Engaging with our own culture can be tricky and a bit scary at times. Standing up for values promoted in Scripture can result in family quarrels or scorn of coworkers. This should be no surprise, as Jesus told us that if the world hates us, it’s because it hated Him first.

Our reading tells us to interact with our culture but not accommodate it. Sounds good, but how does this play out in practice?

I have a friend who recently visited a church in which a lesbian couple sang during the service. This church takes the position that all are welcome, so that the church can extend the love of Christ to all. Eventually they will deal with the sin in people’s lives.

This raises an interesting and challenging question. How much do we tolerate in order to avoid pushing people away, to not offend them, so that they will stick around long enough to hear the Gospel of grace? But where is the line between tolerating a certain behavior and accepting it?

As we engage with our culture, we need to be ready to be more than critics. We need to be ready to offer some positive solutions. God is looking for us to be concerned with more than our own personal salvation. What He wants us to be is living sacrifices, not adapted to this world, living models of Christ on earth, putting their hope in Him.

Leadership and Followership

“Leadership is like the Abominable Snowman, whose footprints are everywhere but [he is] nowhere to be found.” (1)

I hear a lot about a lack of leadership, or poor leadership, or dysfunctional leadership. And these complaints are not just about politicians or bosses, but often about leaders in the church.

Unfortunately, often the complaints are justified.

We are told to consider our leaders, to consider the fruit of their lives and imitate their faith. While we all sin and fall short of God’s glory, if a leader’s life is bearing good fruit, then that’s a leader worth following. If not, maybe it’s time to look for another leader.

But instead of looking at those around me and pointing out others’ deficiencies , I realize that I need to spend some time following Jesus’ advice to take the log out of my own eye before worrying about the speck in someone else’s.

Whatever role I am in, whether leader or follower, the question remains: Am I doing this God’s way?

The reading this week was terribly convicting.

Do I really believe that my power as a leader comes from prayer? Or how much do I rely on my own talent?

Do I let my vision for what I am trying to achieve be cramped by my own fears and doubts, or I concentrate on the vastness and glory and might of the God I serve?

If my personal devotions are not what they should be, I won’t be praying or seeing the vision. And going through the motions isn’t good enough.

Am I letting the Holy Spirit guide me?

Do I have the faith to go against the majority opinion when God calls me to do so?

And do I recognize that I am expendable, and should be developing others to become greater leaders than I?

And what about when I am not in a leadership role? What am I doing to support those who are leading, to be a good follower? What I am doing to encourage, to support, to co-operate?

If I don’t think those I am following are leading well, maybe it’s because I am judging them by some other standard than God’s. Or maybe I am not being a good follower. Or maybe I need to do what I can to help the situation, starting by spending a lot of time in prayer.

Then maybe this elusive thing called leadership will be more easily found.

(1) Warren Bennis, quoted by R. Kent Hughes, in Disciplines of a Godly Life, Crossway Books, 1991.

A Christian in the Workplace

More and more our culture seems to value leisure time. The hours spent working are only put in so we can earn a paycheck so we can relax and enjoy the real part of our lives. But is this attitude one God would endorse?

We can take a cue from the example of our Creator. He worked to create all that is seen and unseen. He continues to do good works, and we can see the evidence of His works in creation and in the new creations that are those who put their trust in Him.

The first people He created were given work while they were still in paradise. So work isn’t something that is evil, but rather something God has created us to do.

Why? Scripture tells us we are Christ’s ambassadors. Most people, when they go to their workplace, aren’t going to a place dominated by Christians. Rather, they are more likely going to something more like a foreign country, and the believer is the ambassador who brings the message of the love of Christ to that environment.

What makes an ambassador effective? The way he relates to the people he meets with and works with, the way he communicates whatever message he has been sent to deliver. So the way we do our work will send a powerful message about the One Who sent us.

I think back many years and remember a Jewish man I worked for. Long before it became a management fad, he practiced servant leadership. Walking through the halls of the hospital we worked in, he would stop to pick up litter from the floor. If a poster was crooked, he’d straighten it. He regularly went in on the night shift to talk with the nurses and other workers, just to make sure their voices were heard by someone in management.

This man would have laughed and made a cynical comment if anyone had told him he was a servant leader. In his mind, he was just doing his job well. He didn’t need some management guru to tell him how to care for the people who worked for him. How much more we as Christians should aspire to that level of going the extra mile, to do the right thing, to be concerned about others, and to do little extras things that aren’t “our jobs” but contribute to the whole.

We are also told to work as if we are laboring for the Lord, and not merely for men. When I have a job to do, I am not just accountable to my boss, but also to God, Who sent me to that workplace to bear testimony about Him.

My integrity, honesty and kindness to others will bear living witness to the message of the gospel. Dishonesty, rudeness or gossip will undermine whatever message I try to communicate with words.

God desires to reconcile many to Him, that they may have peace with Him. We, as His ambassadors, are instruments in that process.

That is all very fine, you may think. But what if I hate my job? What if my boss is an ogre? I’ve been there. My feelings about the boss and the job didn’t give me an excuse for sloppy or halfhearted work. Even in the most difficult surroundings, I am still Christ’s ambassador. I am still called to bring glory to God in how I do my work by doing my assigned tasks for God, and not just the ogre over me.

Of course, this doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with looking for another job. The challenge still remains, that whatever we are doing, we do for the Lord.

The Fellowship of Believers

In the years I’ve been a Christian, I’ve met many people who say they are believers, but they have no need for the church. “I can pray and worship God by myself,” they say. “Why do I need to go to church?’

I can’t answer that question for anyone else. I can only answer it for myself.

And the best place to find an answer is in Scripture.

Over and over we read how we are one body, all members of the same whole with different functions and different gifts. My gift for organization does not always translate into the warm hospitality that others more gifted in that area can offer. I can learn much from their example.

Many times I’ve struggled with a problem, and just talking about it with someone else gives me the solution. Sometimes that person didn’t have to say anything. Just having someone listen to me put the issue into words helped me see the way out.

Many more times I’ve received valuable advice from others. Another person can bring a whole different perspective to a problem. What one person learned from going through a similar experience can keep me from repeating their mistakes.

Right now my mentally ill/mentally challenged niece is living with us, and I’ve needed the advice and counsel of many to cope with the daily challenges I am facing. I’ve needed every resource I can find.

One great blessing has been how easy it has been for me to find assistance. And why has it been so easy? Because of my long involvement with Central, I know or know of lots of people. I know at least vaguely some of the difficulties they have overcome personally or what they do professionally. And by tapping into their wisdom and experience, I find real help and encouragement.

The writer of the book of Hebrews is almost urgent in telling the believers to encourage each other “today.” Not tomorrow, or when it’s convenient, but today. We need to be ready and willing to encourage and stand with each other. Two are stronger than one, Ecclesiastes reminds us.

A great question this week’s topic raises is how are we stirring up others to love and good deeds. One way I see this worked out in my life is when I am working with my niece.

I’ve been trying to teach her to be more independent. So we’ve been working on her doing her own laundry. She got a bit anxious when it came to carrying the basket up the stairs. I coached her through it, showing her how to balance the basket on her hip so she could hold the railing with her other hand. With a little encouragement and praise, she stopped whining and got up the stairs.

I’ve sometimes felt like whining when faced with a task I’m not sure I can do. That’s when a little encouragement goes a long way. That’s when I need other believers to come alongside, to pray for me, advise me, or help me.

So while it’s true I can read the Bible and pray alone, if that’s my whole Christian life, I am missing out on the joys of living in relationship with the other members of the body of Christ.

Parenting

As Christians, we are called to be a different kind of people, people who live in imitation of Christ, people who try to manifest His love in all they do.

This holds true for Christians in parenting roles. We cannot fulfill this or any role the way our society tells us to. When I was growing up, Dr Spock and permissive parenting was the fashion. Too bad too many people bought into it. The wisdom of that age created a generation that believed the world revolved around them.

Making your children feel good is not the goal of Christian parenting. The goal is to raise the next generation of disciples, men and women who are committed to living as committed followers of Jesus Christ. How can we do this in the culture we live in?

Romans 12 gives us the overriding principle: Do not be conformed to the pattern of this present world, but let your minds be transformed by Christ.

Deuteronomy adds some practical advice. Impress the teachings of the Lord on your children. How? Talk to them about God’s word when you are hanging out at home. When you are driving somewhere. Work it into casual conversation during your daily life.

Twice in his letters, Paul cautions parents against exasperating or embittering children. How do we balance this idea against effective discipline?

Many people who go through DbD aren’t parents and never have been. How does this week’s topic apply to them?

I’ve never had the privilege of being a mother, but later in life found myself in the role of stepmother to two teenagers. I needed everything I had ever heard about being a Christian parent to help me through the years before the girls moved on. So some people who are not parents now may find this week’s discussion helpful in the future.

Others may think they have never been parents and never will be. But what about nieces and nephews? I have a cousin who never married. After his sister went through a messy divorce, he ended up taking on a fathering role to her children.

And we never know what life will bring. I am now caring for a handicapped niece. Even though she is 36, emotionally she is about 4. A parenting role I never expected has been given to me.

Many of my friends are caring for elderly parents, who because of diseases of aging have become childlike. My friends are becoming parents for their own parents. It’s not the same joyful task of raising a healthy child to adulthood, with the anticipation of what that child will become. But it’s a role of Christ-like service to protect and nurture and to help someone be as much as they can be.

To stretch the point even further, I think back to my days supervising 12 employees. At times I felt like I had 12 children. My role there was to make sure the job got done, but also to teach and to encourage them to develop their professional skills.

Just as the principles of Christian marriage can teach us much about other relationships, so the principles of Christian parenting can help us when we take on roles of authority.

Marriage

Before I got married, I sometimes wondered why so many women seemed to struggle with the concept of submission. How hard could it be? How often would I be called on to submit to my husband? And if he loved me, wouldn’t he always want to listen to my point of view and accept my advice? And as I got older, I began to think of submission as a small price to pay for being married, that the gift of marriage would far offset whatever a submissive heart would cost.

It’s been interesting putting this into practice. Most of the time we can come to some kind of agreement. But sometimes we can’t. And I learned pretty quickly when my husband was not going to yield; it was obvious to me when it was pointless to continue the discussion. So we did things his way. My call was to support the decision that I didn’t agree with.

And it was a good thing we did. Most of those times, he was right. We were much better off with his plan than mine. Submitting my will to his in those times I didn’t agree usually meant we made a better decision than I would have made on my own.

I Peter 3:1 tells us that a wife submitting to her unbelieving husband can win him to Christ. I think that verse also applies to a wife submitting to her believing husband. By doing so, by not trying to get my way or impose my will, (no matter how much I think I am right), I am getting out of God’s way for whatever work He happens to be doing in my husband.

In verse 8 Peter tells us not to give way to fear. Why would he say this? Fear can make submission harder. Fear of not getting my way. Fear of something going wrong. Fear of losing control. When I think about those fears specifically, I can see that they are not going to provide any good guidance.

Along with submission, wives are called to respect their husbands. In my long years of singleness, I was constantly amazed at the way women talked to their husbands or mocked them in social settings. The women may have thought their jokes were all in good fun, but it was clear to me their husbands were not equally entertained.

We are also called to love. I find myself squirming as I read I Corinthians 13. Am I patient and kind? Am I not rude? Not easily angered? Keeping no record of wrongs? It’s a high standard to live up to, only attainable through Christ who strengthens me.

What does this mean for the single person? Learning to practice submission, respect and love can help in any relationship. Having a submissive attitude to your boss, rather than one of combativeness can be a good skill to learn. Treating others with respect and kindness, even when they act like they don’t want or deserve this treatment can teach us all much in walk with Christ.

Integrity

Hypocrite. That’s an accusation no one wants to hear. But what does being a hypocrite really mean?

According to dictionary.com, the work hypocrite means “a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.”

It is pretty easy to open myself up to being called a hypocrite. Any time I sin I fail to make my actions match up to my beliefs. What makes the difference between a sinner and a hypocrite is that the sinner repents and admits the sin, where a hypocrite may express remorse but has no intention of changing.

The challenge is to be conscious of living in a way that is consistent with what we say we believe. Simple demonstrations of honesty, like avoiding what we call white lies and not stealing our employer’s time by taking long lunches or conducting personal business at work can be powerful tools for demonstrating the presence of Christ in our hearts.

One way I am especially tempted in this area is that in my desire to keep the peace, I have been known to tell others things that are not true. We’ve seen this worked out several times around my home recently. With two sisters-in-law, a niece, and at times a brother-in-law living with us, I’ve often been less than frank with them. And I’m not the only one trying to play nice.

What happens is the inevitable conflict eventually boils over, and then we are all outraged that the others were not more honest and direct. Had we all been a bit more truthful, things would have worked out much easier.
But it’s easy to call these little cover ups “white lies,” considering them small sins. No one had any intentions of hurting someone, in fact the deception was meant to avoid hurting their feelings. But feelings were hurt when the deception was exposed.

Psalm 15 tells us that we should speak the truth from the heart. I find it interesting it doesn’t just say speak the truth with your lips, but from the heart. Is the writer saying the truth comes from deep within us; it’s not just a surface or causal thing? Or perhaps he is saying that when we speak the truth, it needs to come from the seat of our emotions. The truth spoken should not be uttered coldly, without concern, but truth spoken in love, desiring the best for each other.

In any case, others around us know one way or another whether our actions match what we say we believe. The good news is that when we admit our sin, we are acting in a way that is in accordance with our words.

And that’s one way we can show the power of Christ to those around us.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

We’ve heard it all so many times before: Jesus is our Good Shepherd and He cares for His sheep. But what does this really mean?

We’ve heard it so many times before: Jesus died for our sins that we might have eternal life. So if my sins are forgiven, then what else does Jesus want from me? Isn’t it enough that I believe in Him?

We’ve also heard that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and He cares for His sheep. But what does this really mean? If I believe in Him He will take care of me and solve my problems?

Not really. Since Jesus gave His life for us, that we might live eternally, He wants nothing less than that we surrender our lives to Him. Does that sound like too high a price to pay?

When I think about it, I realize it’s not. It’s kind of like the manufacturer of your car telling you that if you follow the instructions, the car will run better and last longer. The One who created us is merely telling us that He knows better than we do how to run our lives.

That’s where the Good Shepherd part comes in. Like someone caring for a flock of sheep, Jesus cares for us. He leads us, guides us, protects us. What He doesn’t want is for us to try to shepherd ourselves.

And how do I shepherd myself? Let me count the ways. I make plans without consulting Him in prayer. I do things I know are sinful. And I do them, I either rationalize with “it’s not that big a deal” or “just this once” or some other lame excuse. Or I go ahead and sin and enjoy it, flippantly presuming on God’s forgiveness, forgetting how costly that forgiveness was. I go my own way and ask Him for directions once I’ve gotten lost.
We’ve all been raised to be independent, self-sufficient adults. But if we take that into the spiritual realm, all that self-sufficiency serves to separate us from Christ.

We might think that we really don’t need a shepherd’s protection. After all, what are some of the dangers that I need a shepherd to protect me from? I can start my list with materialism and egocentrism, and add selfishness and laziness. This is another list I wouldn’t have too much trouble making very long.

So if I really do need a shepherd’s guidance and protection, how can I hear His voice better? There are a lot of other voices out there telling us what to do and to think.

There’s no magic to learning to know the voice of the Good Shepherd. Like anything else, it takes practice. Read His Word, pray for guidance about how to apply that Word to your life, and then go and obey what you’ve learned.

As we allow God’s word to transform us, the voice of our Good Shepherd will become easier to hear. We’ll know the Shepherd, the One who bought our salvation with His life, and we’ll know His voice.

What is Discipleship?

It’s an amazing thing, really, that Jesus’ small band of disciples could create a movement that started as small persecuted sect and ended up dominating the culture of the Roman Empire. It makes me wonder. With all the resources we have today, our Christian books and Bible studies, television and radio broadcasts, videos and conferences, why don’t we see that kind of impact on our own society?

The answer, I think, is found in our scripture verse this week, in Jesus’ final command to His disciples. Go and make disciples. Teach them to obey My teaching. He didn’t say converts—that’s only part of the job. He wasn’t looking for people who would claim to know Him. What He wanted was people who would put into practice what He taught. Doers of the word, not just hearers.

So I need to look at myself. Am I really a disciple, a disciplined follower of Jesus, a doer of the word? Or am I content with just knowing about Him?

Jesus’ real test of a disciple goes beyond simple obedience to love. They will know you are My followers by how you love one another.

How well do I love others? I’m not so sure how the customer service representatives of our health insurance company would answer that question—or some of the other drivers on Highway 40. And sometimes it’s tough to know the best way to show love, like when dealing with a demanding child.

But I don’t have to let my failure and struggles stop me. The important thing to remember is that discipleship is a process.

What does this process do? It

• Trains us to live in a way that pleases God
• Transforms us to be like Christ

So that

• Our lives become an expression of Christ’s love
• Others want to know the Source of that love

This is how we can find meaningful relationships and show unconditional love; this is how we can impact our own corner of the world and beyond.

I’m excited about the beginning of a new year of Discipleship by Design as we continue the process of learning to be disciples. What’s most exciting to me is that it’s not just learning facts, but learning how to use what we have learned. Sometimes we may fail, at others we will succeed, but in the end will be the rewards of knowing Christ and His love that never fails.

On Turning Belief into Life

My involvement with Discipleship by Design (DbD) started someone called me and invited me to join a group. I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into, but decided to give it a try. What got was a rich experience of studying the Bible and talking about how we could apply what we learned to our lives. Some of the situations women in the group brought up were difficult, others had no clear answer. We all gained greatly from sharing our lives and how our faith in Christ helps us in every situation.

So I’m excited to be beginning a new year of Discipleship by Design. This year we are adding a new feature: the Turning Faith into Life blog. Each week Ned Durham, the Men’s Leader and I will blog on what we learned from the topic of the week and how that knowledge will make a difference in our lives. Group facilitators and DbD participants are invited to add their comments.

Not a DbD participant? Feel free to follow the blog. You’ll get a taste of what we are doing. If you decide you want to join a group, registration is easy and we form groups in September and January.

Thank you for sharing this journey with us. What each of us will learn specifically is impossible to predict; what we do know is that we all will learn how very practical our faith is and how that faith can transform our lives, giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.