Month: January 2020

Service in the Face of Fear

None of us are immune to fear. It shows up in the most unexpected ways and at the most unexpected times. Perhaps, we are asked a question that we don’t know the answer. Perhaps, we are asked to do a job we feel we don’t have the skill set to accomplish the task. Often, it is the latter that causes my heart to tremble. God seems to always be asking me to serve Him in a way that I feel I am just so inadequate to do so. But, God never makes a mistake. He equips, sustains and leads those He calls.
Clearly, I am not alone in this feeling of being inadequate to serve God in the way that He asks. Ananias was asked of the Lord to go to Saul of Tarsus and heal him of his blindness through the power of Jesus. Ananias was very afraid because Saul of Tarsus had the authority to bind all that called up on the name of Jesus. In addition, Ananias knew of all the evil things that Saul had done unto the saints at Jerusalem. I can’t even imagine how terrified Ananias must have been to approach Saul and heal his blindness by the power given him by Jesus.
Despite the fear of physical harm, and no doubt the fear of being asked to do such a daunting task, Ananias went and did as Jesus had asked. There is so much to learn from this passage in Acts 9:1-16. First, I am struck by the fact that Ananias did what he was told despite his fear. But, I am also encouraged that Ananias felt free to express his fear to Jesus. He told Him what he was thinking. So, often we feel as if we must bear our burdens alone, especially those that might be lacking faith. When in fact, we do not have to bear our burdens alone. We show our faith by bringing our doubts, our fears as well as our hopes and dreams to Jesus. When we pray confessing our sins, failures and doubts while revealing our desires and intents, God hears those prayers and gives us exactly what we need when we need it. Multiple times in the scripture, we see others asking God for clarification. This isn’t questioning God’s guidance or providential care. It is getting clarification and complete understanding. Ananias shows us we can ask for understanding when our heart is full of faith in Jesus and His power. Notice, Ananias did not question whether he could heal Saul by the power of Jesus. He was questioning how he could get it done in the threat of danger. And as always, Jesus protects His servant, Ananias. Service to the King is always under the watchful eye of the King!

Prayer: Lord give me the faith to walk in the courage of following you even when I am afraid. Teach me to trust you in all situations. Thank you, Lord, for being willing to listen to my concerns and to give me the peace I need to carry on. Thank you for equipping me, sustaining me and leading me.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7).

In Sync

“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3)
I have been thinking a lot lately about how important it is to walk in agreement. The Bible asks that simple question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed’” and life responds moment by moment with an answer. Friendships are strained when one doesn’t walk in harmony with the other. Jobs are ruined when coworkers work in chaos with one another. Churches become ineffective when congregations can’t come to agreement. It seems even nature resists the turmoil caused by not staying in step, man with the environment.
A perfect example of the importance of walking together was revealed to me when I looked down at the strings of my mandolin. I have just started mandolin lessons and as with most things, I am learning more and more about my walk with God as I explore this small instrument. There are 8 stings on a mandolin arranged in 4 pairs. Each pair consists of a string producing the exact same note. So, if one is out of tune with the other when you play the pair it sounds out of tune, because it is. If you don’t strum the strings simultaneously there is a distortion of the sound. For the instrument to play perfectly in tune, each pair must be tuned to make the exact same sound and the pair must be strummed simultaneously.
This simple truth of the mandolin is the same simple truth every Christian has with their Christian walk. We must walk in tune with God. We must obey His commandments, follow Him and do His will. We must walk so closely in step with Him that we become One as He shines through us. To see us is to see Jesus. We can’t be out of step so that you see us and only partially see Him or worse, you see us and not Him. We don’t want to look so different that others don’t even see the resemblance of Him in us. We need to be lost in Jesus and filled with Him.
My life needs to reflect Him. As the Holy Spirit glides across my heart and people see me, they need to see me, a girl saved by grace, walking hand in hand with Jesus shining His light for all the world to see.
Prayer: Lord fill me to overflowing. Search me and know me. Try me and remove from me anything that keeps me from walking perfectly in tune with you.

Connection

You never know the importance of a conversation, a word spoken or even an event attended. I often watch football on Sunday afternoons but never really think about it being anything but refreshing and a time for me to recharge. However, this Sunday afternoon was different. I watched a great Divisional playoff game just before getting ready for church. Loved how it ended and really enjoyed watching the game. In my mind, game over, event passed and on with my life.
Just a few short minutes later I was at church and getting ready to do my first lesson for 2020 with the younger kids. The first kid I saw was the boy that had driven me about half bonkers last year because no matter what I did, it just didn’t seem as if I could reach him or get him engaged. So, when I saw him I took a deep breath and prayed a simple, small yet very effective prayer. As we gathered for prayer requests, this little guy mentioned that they could take two names off the prayer list because those guys were no longer in the playoffs. My heart filled, and my eyes sparkled with glee. I knew immediately this was my in to this guys mind and hopefully his heart. I said, “Hey, wait.” The way he played today looked like he still needed prayer. His leg was not at full speed and he was much less effective.” My little friend whipped his head around like something out of a horror movie and said, “What did you say?” I calmly answered him and continued with more stats and information from the game. And just like that, instantaneously, we had bonded.
Perhaps, that doesn’t seem important to you. But, my job, as given by God, is to reach these kids with His gospel. I can’t do that if I can’t get them to listen to me or have confidence in me as a person, friend and teacher. He knew I knew about God and was well versed in the scriptures. What he didn’t know was that he and I were much more alike than different. What he didn’t know was that he and I could talk about a similar interest and have lots of fun while we also explored God’s love for him. What I didn’t know was that God really had a plan for my afternoon of football watching.
Now this brings me to my point of this whole post. God will use anything you give to Him to further His kingdom and do His Will. The Gospel is all about God’s love towards man and man must show his love towards others if they are going to reach this lost and dying world!
Mark 16:15, “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Sometimes the whole world is right in front of you.!

Prayer: Lord, please open my eyes to see everyone and everything you put before me. Teach my heart to respond in every situation with your love, grace and wisdom. Lord help me to invest every moment of my life and not to spend them. Take me, my life and my heart and use it for your service.