True Encouragement

1 Thessalonians 5  (NLT) ¹¹ So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

The essence of missional mentoring is to encourage and build up. As Rick Lewis in his excellent book on mentoring says we need to identify what the Holy Spirit is doing in someone’s life and work with Him. To truly encourage is not an exercise in simply saying some positive words, even well chosen ones, but identifying what God is doing in a believer’s life and bringing this to the person’s attention -both clarifying and spurring on. We all appreciate encouragement and some are natural encouragers like Barnabas in Acts who seemingly encouraged as much by what he did as by what he said.

If you are like me giving encouragement doesn’t come naturally and I constantly have to be intentional about making sure both in words and actions that I choose to encourage and build up. It’s often easier at times to be critical, stay silent or say some honeyed words whereas in reality we need to be discerning and sincere in order to be effective in building others up.

Father, may your Spirit inspire me as I seek to identify and work with your Spirit to build up and encourage.

True Satisfaction

John 4: 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”... “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.  Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.  Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.

When I look in the mirror can I say that I am truly satisfied? If I am honest it is rare for me to be able to say that I feel truly satisfied even as a believer who tries to live wholeheartedly for God 

Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well promising an end to thirst. He clearly wasn’t talking about her physical needs but rather her spiritual and perhaps to some extent emotional needs. Her search for love had seemingly resulted in a number of broken relationships. Jesus here seems to be promising a satisfaction that will last for eternity. Later when Jesus talks to his disciples he speaks of the satisfaction (food) of doing God’s will and specifically of harvesting. In the context Jesus is clearly referring to Samaritans coming into God’s kingdom. Jesus not only found satisfaction in accomplishing God’s purposes but promises us that satisfaction as we seek to work with Him in doing His mission.

 ^{Father help us to find our satifation in you and your purposes.}

SACRIFICIAL GIVING

In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
(Luke 14:33)

Johnny Li, a former colleague and current missionary trainer in China, shares about his meeting with two young pastors there.
As I entered the house, I was surprised to observe the humble existence of these two mighty men of God. They were the leaders of house churches in their provinces, which had grown over the past nine years to more than 200,000 Christians. They were both in their late twenties and, even though they have been in the ministry since they were nineteen, their enthusiasm reflected beautifully.
Everybody knew about the work of the Lord through these faithful servants. I also knew that they both spent several years in prison in extremely harsh conditions, but nothing prepared me for this humble home and modest lifestyle.
There were no furniture items, no ornaments, and no beds in the small house. Their clothes were hanging on the wall due to a lack of cupboards. The only furniture was a table and a chair to sit on. There was a blanket on the ground that was obviously used as the bed. Together we sat down and I started questioning them about their activities and work that was bearing much fruit.
“How often do you travel to neighboring villages?” I asked.
“As often as possible,” they replied.
“Where do you obtain your finances to do so?”
“We sell what we have,” they replied and supplied me with an explanation to the question about the empty house which I dared not ask.
“We sold the chairs and we sold the cupboard,” they continued. “And that supplied much-needed funds for our outreach.”
“What happens when you have nothing more to sell?”
One pastor looked sadly down to the ground and answered softly, “We find something else to sell.”
“But what?” I kept on pressuring them. “You have already sold everything and have nothing left to sell. How will you raise money now?”
Then came the startling answer. “We sell our blood on the black market. We get about five dollars but the need is so great that we have to do something to tell the people around us about Jesus.”
“How can you do this” I asked. “How can you justify selling your blood to send out missionaries?”
Without hesitation they answered, “We have no choice! The need is so great!”

RESPONSE   Today I will not complain about what I lack,
but think of what I can sacrifice for Jesus.

PRAYER   Lord, I reaffirm today my decision to follow You.
I give You everything I am and have.

This is taken from a regular Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS) A daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks

Rescue the perishing!

Proverbs 24:11-12 Rescue the perishing; don’t hesitate to step in and help. If you say, “Hey, that’s none of my business,” will that get you off the hook? Someone is watching you closely, you know— someone not impressed with weak excuses. (Message).

If we see a child falling through the ice of a frozen lake we don’t walk back home to organise a committee meeting to discuss what we might do. Even phoning the emergency services may not save the life of the child because of the delay before help comes. Action needs to be taken very quickly; a rescue attempt may have to be made immediately if there is any hope of a successful rescue. God says in his word that we are in the rescue business, it is our responsibility. We need to do all we can to reach those who face death that we might save some. Sadly they may not want help, they may refuse help and show hostility towards us but we must at least try. Of course we can and should at times plan and strategise how best we can rescue as many as possible. But we must not lose sight of the urgency of the task.

Father forgive me for failing to make the most of the opportunities you give me and understand how urgent the task is.    

Has Billy Graham lost his Integrity?

In Matthew 10:16 Jesus says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” NIV
 

Billy Graham has been a great servant of Jesus Christ around the world. But the decision to take an article off the Billy Graham foundation website saying that Mormonism is a cult shortly after Mitt Romney visited Billy Graham seems unfortunate. Clearly Billy Graham and others associated with him believe that Mitt Romney is the preferred candidate from a Biblical point of view. Many Christians would disagree with this assessment based on Romney’s declared policy to increase the already huge US defence budget amongst a number of questionable policies. But whatever decision you come to concerning who will be the best next US president we need to be clear about Mormonism.

Billy Graham’s son says he has no problem with the fact that Mitt Romney is a Mormon. That seems to be a shame as endorsing Romney and voting for him would seem to risk legitimising the beliefs of Mormonism which from a biblical point of view are blasphemous (denying the deity of Jesus) and leading people away from the truth. Would it not have been better to stick with the truth that Mormonism is a cult even if you decide that Romney would make a better candidate than Obama?

It is certainly right for Christians to be involved in politics, that is part of our God given mission but we need to be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves because politics can be a very dirty business.

Lord give us great wisdom as we consider political issues.   

Facing a Testing Challenge

James 1:12 (Msg) Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life.

We all face testing challenges from time to time but how do we respond to them? It is difficult to consider them pure joy. It is hard to face them head on, to acknowledge God in the midst of them. We normally pray for God to take away pain, suffering and difficulty. We want him to sort out the problems not develop our perseverance. We may want comfort and freedom from pain but what we actually get is plenty of opportunities to exercise faith. But our faith is not in a God who doesn’t care but one who disciplines us because he loves us and wants us to grow.

Thank you Lord for my present difficulties, I know that you are using them to make me the way you want me to be.