You Mean More To Me...

You mean more to me than...

Well before I complete that sentence, let me explain that I worked long hours over the weekend.... sitting in the Mid-Year Board Meetings for our Medical Society with some of the top physicians in Academic Medicine. They are brilliant men and women pouring their lives out for a noble cause. I admire the dedication of their lives... long hours every day... and I respect the stature of their lives and places that their gifts and dedication take them....but I have to tell you, that when it's all said and done, their service to mankind will be so small compared to what you are doing for the eternal kingdom of God.

It is not long into a ministry year that leaders begin to feel the weight of the commitment they have made. It's more than a one or two busy weeks. It's a lifestyle. You are sacrificing other things... perhaps you haven't been able to dust, or connect with someone or you just had to say no when your tween asked for cupcakes for class at 10 p.m. last night. All we can give is all we can give.... and sometimes that is where the enemy comes in.... minimizing the commitment and telling us we should quit....the cost is too high. We can do this in another season.

Well I'm here to tell you not to.... I'm here to remind you that serving in the Kingdom of God for such a time as this is the highest and best and greatest work that you can do...yes, even higher than those top academic physicians pouring out for the good of mankind... you see your work will last forever and it will NOT be taken away. Matthew 25:34-40 comes to mind, where Jesus through a parable said:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Do you see how blind they were to the work they were doing? ... and how insignificant they thought that work was? Yes we see the big stuff, but I think God is telling us... we have no idea how inverted the economies are truly going to be.... nor can we fathom how blinded we are just by being a part of the world... we can't see the big picture to understand the value of our service. But, it won't be long before the economies are going to change.... UpSideDown! And, your love on behalf of your ladies will surely be remembered by Our Lord.

So, getting back to my first comment... you mean more to me... you mean more to me than all that the world can offer. True that...because of Jesus. As the God of All creation, through whom the whole world was made hung on the cross... I suspect he looked through eternity at you and me.... he remembered the temptations he had faced in the desert and from political leaders of the time; and the myriad of taunts and jolts that he faced every day... and he chose obedience to the point of death, even death on the cross.

In doing so.... he escorted in a new kingdom that will not perish or fade... and He said to you and me with word and actions... I love you. You mean more to me than anything in this world.... So today, I want to encourage us to Cling to Him and embrace the work he has given us in His kingdom and the faithfulness he calls us to. Because it will be richly rewarded...

Thy Kindom Come

“Thy Kingdom Come!”
As he began his ministry, John the Baptist proclaimed, ‘The kingdom of Heaven is near” (Mt 3:2) and when Jesus stepped on the scene, he proclaimed ‘the kingdom of God is at hand.’
Jesus spoke a lot about the kingdom of God, and I’m convinced that Satan does everything he can to divert our focus from that kingdom. He wants to keep us focused on the kingdom we live in, the one that we see: the kingdom of the world. Do you remember how Satan tempted Jesus in the desert? He offered him ‘all the kingdoms of the world.” And what is the very thing that chokes our spiritual well being? Luke 8:14 says, “they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.”

I’m concerned that this is our greatest battle. Satan wants us all to focus on enjoying the good life. And, if that doesn’t work he wants us to worry and fret with thoughts like where our next penny will come from, or about our situation of not having (whatever). Finally, he will seek to make us discontent - wanting more. In fact, the enemy of our souls will do whatever he can to get our focus on what is seen instead of the unseen. And because our culture is free and we live in a wealthy society compared with much of the world, it is so easy for us to get pulled in many directions… and if we are not careful… those will be worldly directions for more, bigger and greater.

If you serve in a church like I do where there are so many spiritual conversions, the enemy’s #1 strategy has got to be to stop the maturing process. If he can’t keep people from entering the kingdom then he wants to lull them into spiritual complacency and to keep then focused on the world, its values and its temptations.
So how can we stir growth and maturity? We need cultivate a kingdom perspective. Here are three thoughts about the Kingdom to help us gain that perspective:
1. The kingdom is unseen so can they see it? It takes spiritual birth to see the kingdom. ”Jesus told Nicodemus, ‘no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” We need to make sure there has been a spiritual birth. (John:3:3.)
2. The Proof is in the POWER. Resurrection Power is the commodity in the kingdom of God. 1 Cor 4:20 says, “the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” We want to live in the Resurrection Power of Christ… there is no need to debate or brag about one’s claim to the kingdom, but to live it out with a demonstration of Christ’s Holiness, Love and Righteousness in our lives.
3. It is evidenced by the PRESENCE of a King. The kingdom of God is subject to a King's authority! Christ Jesus the King of Kings should be sitting on the throne of each of our hearts. Cultivating a kingdom perspective means turning from the worldly things and people we love more than God...which are idols in our hearts.... in order to humbly submit to Christ's authority.

Do you see what I’m seeing? As we seek to gain a kingdom perspective and turn from worldly pursuits, we learn to abide in the righteousness of Christ and submit to His rule in our lives! That’s how we all mature and that is how God’s kingdom advances…. In the unseen places of our hearts.

And, that is why the enemy wants all of us to be choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures... because the more we focus on the world, the more blind we become to the kingdom of God.

So the antecdote for fear, worry and discontentment for a born again believer in Christ is to turn our spiritual eyes on God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness, because the more we focus our hearts on His Kingdom, His Righteousness and His glory, the dimmer the world gets.

Lord, your kingdom come! Open the eyes of our hearts to see you… to be able to discern your kingdom. Help us to grow up into the fullness of faith in you. We want to submit to your authority in our lives, we want to help them learn to put on your righteousness that comes by faith, and we want to help them repent from being choked by the worries of the world, the riches and pleasures of the world. For nothing else satisfies. No one but You.

Personal note: If this is new to you, contact me. There is a great Women's Bible Study beginning 9/13/11, taught by our Women's Director Lina Abujamra,MD at Harvest Bible Chapel, Rolling Meadows... Come at 6:50pm. Ask for the UpsideDown Study of Acts. OR.. head to Harvest Bible Chapel nearest you on Saturday at 5 p.m or Sundays at 9 am or 11:16 am. There is a great study beginning this Sunday. We care about YOU!

Dressed in Full Uniform

“Soldiers who are dressed in their uniforms act like soldiers”

It’s so natural to get at the end of a ministry year, and want to flee from ministry, isn’t it? You are tired and weary and just want some refreshment. And the last thing you want to do is to commit for another year! It’s so natural. Then, comes the enemy… probably whispering in your ear… ‘just take a year off… you deserve it.’ When this happens, I hope you are sensing a red flag!

Galatians 6:9 is a wonderful passage about not quitting. Set in a discussion about sowing and reaping, and whether we serve for fleshly motivations or are driven and filled by the Spirit. It says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Underline, “If we do not give up!”

For almost 10 years, I worked alongside the Teaching Director in a local ministry chapter, helping her recruit leaders and teachers. I encountered many devoted followers of Christ, and I also shared the Lord’s grief as some ran their own way, year after year, and put tennis leagues ahead of serving God. I learned a lot about serving… like once God places you somewhere… keep serving there until He moves you out. Just like the Israelites in Numbers 9. When the Cloud would raise up from the Tent of Testimony, it was time for the Israelites to move on. If it settled there, they were to remain. Moving on is really not OUR decision. It’s the Lord’s…. if we are surrendered to Him, right? Our service is subject to our leaders, our spouses, and validated by the LORD and those we serve. But, sometimes we don’t see a lot of the fruit that has been done so we are not sure we have been ‘validated.’ That's okay. All we need to bring to that ministry is what we have.

One year at a new church I said yes to being a SGL, but as the year went on I had so little to give… my dad had just died, my mom and husband were taking turns with very serious conditions in/out of prolonged hospital care. As I came to the end of the ministry year, I asked the LORD… what use was I? His answer was: You showed up. That’s it. From that group, He raised up 3 gals who are still in various parts of leadership and service. HE did it.

Each year he grows us as he grows others. None of us is the perfect in our service to Jesus. That is how the body of Christ is built up. So, as you consider your path for the summer and next year… I encourage you to not be tempted towards the fleshly pursuits and to be wise with your plans. Set your heart to trust God to refresh you from this work... He most assuredly will... and be eager to do more good… so you can share in the harvest.

The quote about dressing like a soldier so I act like one speaks such wisdom to me. And, it challenges me to stay dressed and ready for service so I act more godly in my every day life... and it will be rewarded by our Master: “Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return… when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, and will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.” Luke 12:35-37.

A Leader's Zeal

More Encouragement for Small Group Leaders

I love the account of Phinehas' zeal in Numbers 25. Do you remember the story? Phinehas was the grandson of Aaron, the Priest. And when the Israelites were weeping before the Lord because they were being punished with a plague for their sexual sins, a man from the tribe of Simeon walked right past them with a Midianite woman. Phinehas was indignant. He grabbed a spear, followed them to their tent and drove it right through both bodies. His action put an end to them, an end to their sin, and an end to the plague.

BUT what inspires me was that God was impressed with Phinehas’ zeal. God commended him “for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them.” Sometimes we have to show our zeal for God by stepping out and speaking the truth in love to someone in our small groups. I know some of you have and are being zealous in this way, and that’s why I wanted to remind you how special this is to God.

It’s not easy confronting someone else’ sin:
It takes preparation – arming ourselves with the Word.
It takes time and energy- when we could be doing something else.
It takes boldness and courage- uncomfortable delicate social situations.

I personally was challenged by the fact that most of the Israelites were weeping and praying outside the tent of meeting, but that wasn’t enough to stop it. In fact, twenty-four thousand Israelites died before one person stepped up to confront it. How many more would have died had Phinehas NOT stepped up? It took Phinehas to see the sin and CARE ENOUGH about GOD’s HONOR to DO SOMETHING about it.

Finally, I am encouraged about how personally God received Phinehas’ act. He saw that there were two distinct acts of righteousness that went forth that day. One was the slaying of the sin, but the other was the will of Phinehas’ heart. God rewarded both. First, by stopping the plague and the second by honoring Phinehas in a very personal way. We see it in God’s instructions to Moses that basically said: ‘Hey Phinehas! I saw what you did and I know that the reason you did it was for Me… and I’m going to bless you for this… and I’m telling Moses to tell everyone that I am going to bless you for this… so that all people of all time will hear about it…’

Well, God’s word says it better: "The LORD said to Moses, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.” (Num 25:10-13)

So, this morning, I am thinking about the ways small group leaders express zeal for the Lord. And I just wanted to remind you that God does see it… He will help the lives of those you are stepping out for and He delights in YOUR zeal to honor His name!

Regard It As Holy

My Small Group Leader friends came to mind as I was reading from Numbers 18 this morning about the duties of the priests and Levites… Aaron’s line. They had special service before the Lord. They alone had special access to the most Holy place. And, they alone were allowed to partake of Holy offerings. But, the LORD told them “You must regard it has Holy.”

I was remembering how far away that line of priests fell from God’s original plans by the days of Nehemiah. There were many factors that pulled the most precious line of priests away from the call the Lord had on their lives. I suspect the worst was they had forsaken their first love… and that gave the enemy the foothold he needed to draw them away. They left the temple work to panel their houses and plant their own fields. (Living for self… right?) What struck me as I read it today was God’s command that they must REGARD their most special call as Holy, or set apart. I think he was telling them to not let the world or their own thoughts or even the enemy tempt them into minimizing the importance of the work they are doing before the LORD.

And, that is what I am writing about today. We are servants of the Most High God and have received a call to serve as a priest (if you will) in His Very Important Ministry. The world, the enemy, and sometimes even our parents and co-workers will minimize our service. They will liken it to other volunteer works or act as if we are wasting our time…. But YOURS is the REAL DEAL. Each of the ladies He has place in your care is precious to Him. He died for them. And the work that the LORD is doing through you is life-giving… and life-changing. And, there is a strong reason that the enemy doesn’t want you to remember that… so, I wanted to take a moment from my DC stuff and remind you. You are loved by the Lord Most High, and He has assigned you a most precious call. Your service to Him is so very important… for now and for eternity. And, the ladies in your group need you… to be faithful, to be faith-filled and to love them with Christ’s love and in His power.

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (Rev. 1:5b-6) I hope you have a blessed evening and a wonderful week of refreshment. Remember to send me your prayer requests.

Keep Scooping

I thought of the toil of small group leaders I know when I wrote the message below in response to Luke 8, the parable of the Sower:

“But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”

Bearing Fruit with Patience…. P-aa-tience.

I don’t think I would have always been a patient farmer, more spazzy at times. I might have found myself standing in the middle of the field and, talking to the dirt, looking for the tiny sprouts…. as if I was making them grow. Well, maybe.

But, in reading that verse, you came to mind…. Meeting every week with your group… faithfully being what God would have you be to them. It may not be as ideal as you would wish… or envisioned, but you are faithfully sowing God’s word with His love...like He asked you to.

Jesus said the seed that fell on good ground represented those who heard the Word and had noble and good hearts. They treasured it… kept it for themselves… and they bear fruit… with patience.”

The word ‘patience’ connotes stability in doing the task. The NIV uses ‘perseverance,’ which implies a consistency… like a mother getting her child to try a new vegetable. He spits it out. She puts it back in… he chokes it out, she scoops it off his face and in it goes. And, tomorrow… same thing… all over again.

Experts say babies have to try a new food 10-15 times before they will eat it.

It is reasonable to expect that it may take us 10-15 exposures to a new spiritual thought before we can clothe ourselves with a new flavor of humility, or love. So, at times you may feel just like that mom… scooping it in… again. But that's okay. They won't get to the tenth try until they have tried it the first 9 times!

So when the calls come in that ‘this one quit’ or ‘this one can’t keep the commitment’, keep in mind it’s not because of you. (No matter what our enemy says!). You are the servant with the noble and good heart who is keeping the Word for yourself… and persevering to bear fruit… yes, even with patience.” So, keep scooping!

A Full Breath

My husband never felt better after his 3rd heart incident in 2005. Two years later, with 8 stents in his heart, he still couldn’t take a full breadth. The physical distress was bringing him down. My clinical friends told me to keep looking for answers. So... I took him to Cleveland Clinic, which is the named by US News as the best heart hospital in the nation for over 20 years. Other doctors had not been able to find anything wrong with him, but performing over 10,000 heart procedures a year, Cleveland had all the best clinical tools. We were there twice and they didn’t find anything wrong...except during our second visit, they did one test that showed just a tiny irregularity... hardly discernible. The physician told us since we were out there, it was worth exploring, because everything else looked fine, except his ‘stated distress.’

That example came to mind as I thought about some of the women in my groups of yester-year. Some of them seemed so fine... nothing really obvious on the outside.... except one little... hardly discernible problem they were having.... like continued request to have a regular quiet time or lack of victory in a certain area. The ‘spiritual rut‘ syndrome can be the same ‘hardly discernible’ symptom that can show us, as their mentor, that something is really wrong inside. They can’t get a ‘spiritiual breath‘.

Mentoring someone spiritually can be so difficult because only God looks at the heart AND the secret things belong to God. BUT, as shepherds in God’s kingdom we are called to disciple and impart spiritual gifts... to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. You may have women in your groups, who need you to ask the hard questions... say the ‘tough things’... and challenge or encourage them. Why, after 4 months, are they still asking the same prayer request? Is it just a continual area of concern? or is there something else blocking their relationship with God?

When my husband was at Cleveland, the doctors and clinicians made him frustrated and discouraged. Some didn’t believe him. They asked him questions... ran tests... it was not comfortable. BUT, when that doctor went in and found that one of the stents was too small for the vein and used the most advanced technology to open that vessel... he immediately got his first full breath in years! Since then, his outlook has been so much brighter.

For those of us serving as shepherds in small group ministry, we can be liked to God’s clinicians.... asking the tough questions... praying for the answers. While Christ alone is the Great Physician and Healer.... perhaps this week your probes into your ladies lives could lead to the ‘procedure’ He uses to give them a fresh breath of His presence... and isn't THAT what brings joy to your heart and results in rejoicing among the angels in heaven?

A Missionary Named Jay

I wish you could have met Jay and his wife. They were the leaders of the very first Bible study I attended as a new believer. They had been missionaries in Africa most of their lives and dearly loved by the congregation. Our paths didn’t cross very long, but I remember him because he used to laugh at some of my answers in the Wednesday night study that he led. It wasn’t an offensive laugh or a mocking laugh either… in fact it seemed kind of private… I didn’t understand it at the time…. I remember considering if I should be offended, but decided to just ignore it.

Several years later, I heard the laugh again. But this time it was when my grandmother first gazed my firstborn…her very first great grandchild. There was the laugh! It took me a few days to place where I had heard it… then I remembered Jay. That was Jay’s laugh! That’s when I realized Jay had been delighting in the new life he was seeing in me. It touched me, because I heard he and his wife were going through a difficult time…. yet whatever his difficulties, I suspect they were health related, God used the freshness of life in another believer to refresh him. My life moved on, but I can’t tell you how many times God used Jay’s example to remind me to look at others with a kingdom perspective.

And thinking about it today, there is something that I am still learning from Jay… it is not so much what you say… but who you are. His laugh was an overflow of who he was… and where his heart was with God. Amen?

Hope That is Certain

I love Spring. For months we live under clouds. Storms. Icy blasts. Darkness. Then seasons change.... and the dark, ugly death and decay give way to bright green buds that turn into fresh colorful flowers.

I am certain that God gave us the change of seasons so that we do not lose hope... in our own circumstances.... and in the circumstances of others. Winters do thaw. Little brown bulbs that look dead and ugly morph into beautiful, fresh flowers. Grey birds molt and become bright yellow and red.

Spring builds our confidence that our hope is certain. SO I close with these words of encouragement for you... as we begin to see the seasons change in some of the ladies in our study, because some of the work that you are doing this season, despite the circumstances you are enduring, will surely one day will also be a display of God's pageantry in heavenly places: “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them" Hebrews 6:10

Just Let God

Just let God...

I visited with a dear friend recently. She was dry... so after we spent time catching up, I sensed a nudge to spend some time just reading His word and praying. We read four chapters of the Bible out loud, together, and as we read, my heart began to burn and I sensed hers did too... we chatted about some of the things we saw in the scriptures.... and when we were done, we prayed together about the things that we knew He would want us to pray about.... it was a true blessing! I think we both went away spiritually refreshed, because we gave the LORD the chance to minister among us.

Later I thought of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus when they said, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" Indeed our hearts were burning, and why wouldn't they be? Jesus is the Living Word. He is among us when two or more are gathered in His name. He inhabits the praises of His people. He is the First and the Last... the Beginning and the End... and yes... he is “Immanuel. God with Us.”

So let’s not let the enemy make us feel like we are a spiritual geek for opening and reading our Bible together... or let someone’s shyness make us shrink back from praying together... but rather, let’s open our ministry to the Lord... and Just Let God. Amen?