Good Enough for Him!

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But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10a

Often we hear people say that this verse means that the beauties of Heaven are beyond our wildest imaginations. But if we read on, we see that the Apostle Paul is teaching that all of God’s promises are beyond our understanding, until He reveals them to us by faith. There are thousands of promises in the Bible, but today let’s just take a look at one

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30 NKJV

Whether we realize it or not we all face challenges today. Our friends, neighbors, coworkers and even family members all have expectations that we try hard to meet. “What have you done for me lately?” is too often the measure of their acceptance and the sad reality of how they value us. Now their expectations are not all bad. After all, we who are fathers, ought to provide for our families, as good neighbors we need to keep our lawn mowed, and coworkers have a right to expect that we do our job. But when we apply that kind of thinking to our relationship with God, everything falls apart, because none of us has the ability to please Him. The Bible tells us that all of us have sinned and missed the mark (God’s reasonable expectations). Our total failure at pleasing God is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is more than just good news, it is better than anything we have imagined even in our wildest dreams! And it is only at the cross that we, through repentance and by faith discover His amazing gift of grace. It is finished forever and in Jesus Christ, God has given us all we will ever need to be good enough for Him!

Partnership

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A Gospel Partnership

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1:3-5 ESV

When I think of people who have helped to shape history of the Christian church, the Apostle Paul comes right to the top of my list. But in first century Macedonia, no one had ever heard of Paul or for that matter of Christianity. On his first visit there, Paul went in response to a dream the Holy Spirit sent him while he and Silas were in Asia Minor. Though Paul did not question the dream’s origin, he had a difficult time letting go of the successful ministry they were having there in the region which now is modern day Turkey. Yet, in obedience to God’s call, Paul and Silas boarded a ship to make the crossing and once ashore headed directly for Phillipi. Maybe at first, Paul wondered why God had called him there. They found just a tiny group meeting for prayer at the riverbank in place of the meeting places overflowing with crowds that they had seen in Ephesus. Yet, from those humble beginnings, Paul discovered something new: that was partnership. He found in these humble friends, people who did not just come to see miracles, or to gain some spiritual gift. Instead, this small group was moved by Paul’s Gospel message and stayed to become his lifelong friends. Later as Paul went on his missionary journeys and later to prison in Rome, they sent people to help him and out of their meager resources sent offerings to him from that day until the end of his life.

Like those friends of Paul, you and I might not be gifted speakers or influential leaders in our church, but we can partner with others in the work which God has called them to do. We can pray for the situations they are facing, go out to serve side by side, or give financially. Though what we can do or how much we can give may not be a lot, what we can do matters to Jesus. Remember that five loaves of bread in His hands can supply more in the work of the gospel than a year’s wages in the hands of the world!

Connected

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I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5 ESV


On July 26th, the Olympic Summer Games will begin in Paris. There thousands of athletes will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in 32 sports. Like the ancient Greek games, the winners will proudly go home with those medals and mount them in display cases for everyone to see. But Jesus told His disciples that following Him, was not like that. Individual achievements were not to be their hallmark. Instead, Jesus made it clear that everything we do was about being connected, and specifically, being connected to Him. He told us that without Him, we could not accomplish anything. I know that in my nursing home ministry, there have been times when, just adding up the services put on, the number of people coming, or seeing how many children can be persuaded to sing carols at Christmas become goals in themselves. But Jesus said that living for Him was to be nothing like that. Instead, we are to simply remain in connection with Him, and He will accomplish the work of bringing about the fruitfulness. Yes, having a crowd show up for a service is fulfilling, but connecting people one by one to Jesus is what really matters. Think of the ministry of Jesus Christ. Certainly, He drew large crowds, to the point that He fed 5,000 men in one and 4,000 in another. But the goals of Christ were always far different than what ours would have been. He didn’t have folks sign “New Visitor” cards, collect contact numbers or start planning for an even bigger event. Instead, Jesus turned to His disciples and said, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. ” (John 6:56) Jesus was not pursuing popularity, but connection. He didn’t want to know how many were visiting, He wanted to know who would abide in Him. This was nowhere more evident than at the end of His life as He hung on the cross. There, the earthly ministry of Jesus ended as He connected to one disciple, one parent, and one soldier. Though countless millions would later come to faith in Him, that day Jesus focused only on those three who were nearest to Him. Alone and suffering terribly, He did not debate theology, but He prayed for forgiveness for those who had put Him there. He finished the work of our salvation, by being cut off and forsaken, so that we could be included and connected to Him. And if the Son of God loved us so much that He gave up everything so that we could be connected to Him, then we must be willing to give up whatever He asks to help people, get connected to Him. Last Friday we just returned to one facility where services had been cancelled for the past month due to another Covid outbreak. It was so great to get together and be connected again, and today’s video is the closing song of that service. I hope you join us in celebrating that connection by the grace of our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ!