What Makes ‘Time With Jesus’ Worth It?

I have a challenging set of questions for you today. What makes ‘time with Jesus’ worth it for you?

• Is it the fact that you can sit down and get a breather from an over-crowded lifestyle?
• Is it so you can get a blog post out of it?
• Is it so you can impress someone with your knowledge?
• Is it so you can feel better about yourself?
• Is it so you can interact with all your Twitter friends?

I’m not saying any of these things are bad. But I find myself (all too often) spending time with Jesus with my blog open and Tweetdeck staring me down. It’s almost like if I don’t get some important piece of revelation than my ‘time with Jesus’ was a waste.

I want to return to the beauty of loving Jesus and spending time with Jesus for WHO He is. The revelation He gives me isn’t a means to impress others or advance my career, but to stay rooted in holiness and exclusive passion for Him.

Time with Jesus is worth it every time because I…am…with…Jesus.

When Was the Last Time I…

Do you struggle with pride? I already know the answer to that question. But your response to that question will determine how prideful you are.

As ministers, we are in the public eye. When you’re in the public eye, it’s easy to think highly of yourself, especially when compliments are flowing.

Consider this verse:

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10).

As God increases our public platforms, I believe we need to be continually humbling ourselves before Him. The greater the platform, the greater humility is needed to handle the praise of man.

How do you humble yourself? Ask (what I like the call) the WWLT questions (bracelet, anyone?):

• When was the last time I had a conversation about someone else, with no reference to my own accomplishments?
• When was the last time I spent an hour in private worship?
• When was the last time I thanked God for His indescribable grace and for saving ‘a wretch like me’?
• When was the last time I confessed my sins to a trusted friend?
• When was the last time I personally responded to an altar call?
• When was the last time I visited a sick person in the hospital just to be with them?
• When was the last time I blessed someone financially?
• When was the last time I prayed for someone else, instead of being consumed by my own needs?
• When was the last time I was moved to tears while reading Scripture?
• When was the last time I listened to my spouse with undivided attention?
• When was the last time I personally served someone else’s ministry?
• When was the last time I shared the Gospel with a non-Christian?
• When was the last time I talked about Jesus with my Christian friends?

O God, make me a humble servant of your glory, honor, and fame.

DS

Four Steps to Getting a Great Reward

We all love to get stuff. We love to be recognized. We love to be applauded for our performances and achievements. I mean, who wouldn’t? The Bible’s teaching on rewards is bit different than our culture portrays. Simply put, you won’t learn this anywhere but from God.

God says:

1. Be poor
2. Be hungry
3. Weep
4. Be hated

Before you stone me, let me explain what these four statements mean (taken from Luke 6:20-35). There is a ‘biblical’ way and a wrong way to interpret them. Underlying these statements (from Jesus Himself) is an underlying Biblical truth:

SEEK YOUR REWARDS IN HEAVEN

There is no innate virtue in poverty. There is, though, in humbly trusting Christ rather than your personal wealth. There is no innate virtue in starving yourself. There is, though, in seeking after righteousness and longing for the day when you will be truly satisfied in eternity. there is no innate virtue in weeping. There is, though, in recognizing the suffering you experience will not be forever and longing for the day when Christ will ‘wipe away every tear’. There is no innate virtue in being hated, especially for your own stupidity. There is, though, in being hated for your allegiance to Jesus Christ.

Do these things, and your reward will be great in Heaven. Looking forward to it.

Suffering? – Do It For Christ

Ever feel like you are in prison for no reason? Maybe you have been physically imprisoned for preaching Gospel, much like the Apostle Paul. But for most of us, I would say, there are setbacks that feel like spiritual prison – physical ailment, relational conflict, ministry opposition. Its an age-old question, “God, why would you allow this in my life?”

Paul found himself in many similar situations. Why would God allow somebody as gifted as Paul to face such opposition and even be imprisoned? Seems like a waste of a good resource, huh?

If you’ve ever read the New Testament, you’ll realize that Paul did not live an easy life. He was in and out of prison, sick in body, and faced persecution on all sides. Yet he is the man who says:

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me [imprisonment] has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ” (Philippians 1:12-13).

Paul’s imprisonment actually served to advance the Gospel because people knew He stood for Christ.

As a Christian, there is no inherent blessing in suffering. We don’t go looking for ways to fight , get sick, or be imprisoned just to be more righteous. That is called ridiculousness.

But the Apostle Paul also says this:

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have” (Philippians 1:29-30).

If you are a child of God, taking ground for the Kingdom, you are engaged in conflict. The enemy of your soul will oppose you. This is a privilege from God, not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer.

Expect it and rejoice. Never lose heart. Fight the good fight. God is with you. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

We are engaged in a war that has already been won.

The Will of God

Last night we began our “Fashionable” series, starting with Romans 12:1-2:

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).

This was my main thought: The will of God is more about WHO you are than WHAT you do.

So often we obsess over the details of WHAT God wants us to do that we neglect WHO we are becoming according to His Word.

Sometimes God speaks to our hearts and tells us what to do, where to go, what job to take. Other times, according to Romans 12, we are to make decisions based off a renewed mind. We are to discern what the will of God is in all situations because we are daily offering ourselves to God in surrender, not being conformed to this world, and having our minds renewed according to Scripture.

Here are some one-liner helps. Hope they are a help!

• Make decisions based off a renewed mind
• Knowing the will of God is developed from a lifestyle, not always a moment
• Don’t use prayer as an excuse for doing nothing
• There is something I can do now as I get to where I am going
• Focus your life on principles of Scripture

Any thoughts?

Easily Edified

This really made me think today.

Living to Please God

I don’t think about pleasing God enough. In my day to day busyness you know who I’m more concerned about pleasing? People. You mind if I get a little vulnerable today? I am more concerned about maintaining other’s opinions of me than radically living for God’s attention. As long as people are talking about me, like me, and are blessed by me, I feel good.

Do I pursue the pleasure of God in the same way?

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

That is a convicting verse. If you are like me, here are some questions I am asking today. I pray they are a help to you as well.

• Am I spending personal, alone time with Jesus apart from the crowds?
• Am I directly applying Scripture to my life on a daily basis?
• Am I just blogging/facebooking my thoughts or truly internalizing God’s Word to me?
• Do I live more self-aware or more God-aware?
• Do I pray consistently? Or are my dreams too small where I can just ‘get them done’?
• Am I asking God to make me aware of the lost every time I step outside my front door?
• Does my life reflect a passion for Jesus Christ above all other things?

Would you add any others?

The Foundation of Serving

What is your foundation for serving others? Is it out of a desire to stroke your own ego or out of love for Christ?

The Outflow of Devotion

I’ve been thinking a lot about the outflow of our devotional lives. I’ve observed (in myself!) two very opposite attitudes that can result from the same great source of personal time with Jesus:

1. Superiority & Judgementalism
2. Broken-hearted humility

Contemplate two scenarios:

First: You just spent considerable time in prayer. The Word of God seemed to come ‘alive’ to your heart and you begin writing down all that God is showing you. You then begin to feel wise and important and begin thinking of all the people in your life who NEED to hear this. They are not living at their best and YOU have the answer.

Second: You just spent considerable time in prayer. The Word of God seemed to come ‘alive’ to your heart and you begin writing down all that God is showing you. You realize how unworthy you are to be hearing from God. You begin to thank Jesus for His saving work in you, the ‘chief of sinners’.

Same encounter, two very different outflows. The first approach makes you proud & judgemental. The second makes you humble and joy-filled at God’s grace in your life.

Allow the tone of your daily life to be marked by a humble joy. Marvel at the miracle of God’s saving work in you!

Just when you thought you were comfortable…

It seems that being comfortable is not a priority on God’s list of character qualities. What happens to the follower of Christ when he/she is comfortable?

Apathy. Lack of faith. Less urgency in prayer. Little concern for the lost.

It is my belief that God intentionally uses trials to keep us trusting in Him, running hard after Him, desperate for Him.

Without our world being shaken at times, we would simply relax and enjoy the pleasure that prosperity brings. Though we should never ask God for pain and suffering, it is going to happen and we best know how to respond when it does.

Thank God for your difficulties today, though it seems like a costly offering. It just may be His gift to you.