"Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit."In a Reader’s Digest article entitled “Fast-Track Fundamentals” by Richard A. Moran, a series of proverbs was supplied to remind career-oriented people of things they all too often don’t know or forget.John 19:30
One of these maxims was: "Understand what finished work looks like and deliver your work only when it is finished."
Jesus knew what finished work looked like and didn’t quit until His Father’s work was accomplished.
[Reader’s Digest, date unknown, 112-114; condensed from “Never Confuse A Memo With Reality,” Moran, © 1994, HarperCollins, NY.]
Showing posts with label Surrender. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surrender. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
ATONEMENT: Understand what finished work looks like!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
PARABLE: One bucket per person!
"Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, 'Behold, we are your servants.' But Joseph said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.'"I had been told my work would end, just as the others’ would end, when the canyon was emptied … or when I died, whichever comes first. Ages ago, during an extremely violent natural disaster, the canyon had been filled with rubbish and debris. The owner had a special place in his heart for this canyon and wanted it cleared.Genesis 50:18-20
One bucket of refuse was removed by each of the owner’s servants each day. When the canyon was empty all our labors would end. In the early days, my bucket was not too difficult to carry, it didn’t seem so much to take just one bucket of trash out of the canyon each day.
After months of load bearing, I noticed the canyon wasn’t emptying very quickly; it was then my bucket began to grow heavier each day. And it was then I began to grumble, reflecting often on my initial, though foolish, optimism.
I now began to wonder if the others, those who carried their loads out before and after me, were just slackers, pretending to carry a bucket of waste each day. Or perhaps they found a way to get out of doing the work altogether. Maybe, I thought, the owner has favorites, or shows favoritism.
One day I complained loud and long until one of the owner’s assistants arrived to see what all the commotion was about. After listening patiently and carefully, the assistant agreed to take the issue up with the owner.
The next day the assistant returned just as I was about to go out for my daily bucket of litter. “Follow me, we’ll get you another bucket.” He said. Soon we entered an equipment yard where buckets of every kind, large and small, were scattered about.
In the middle of the yard was one tremendous bucket. “Whose is that?” I inquired.
“Oh, that one belongs to the owner,” the assistant said. “Every day he carries one bucket of trash just like the rest of you.”
“What about those other buckets? The really big ones?” I asked. “Those belong to the owner’s special assistants. The largest red one is mine.” He responded.
It was then I saw a small bucket, over in a corner. My mind instantly grasped the significance of this small bucket. If I had the smallest, I would never have to worry about others carrying less junk than me. “I’ll take that one! It’s perfect.” I exclaimed.
“That’s interesting,” the assistant said. “Why?” I asked curiously. “Because that’s the the one you came in with!” The assistant said softly.
So you think your burdens are too heavy? The Lord’s is heavier! You think others are slackers? Perhaps their burden is enormous compared to yours! You think you’re asked to do too much? Perhaps you’re not asked to do enough! Perhaps you think you’re one of God’s special agents! Perhaps you’re not so special at all! Perhaps you’re load is right where it ought to be!
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
DISCIPLINE - What the student is supposed to learn!
GENTLE PERSUASION! [Hebrews 12:7, 8 (9-13); other topics - body (Church), chastisement, surrender]
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
In order to blend eggs by hand, the eggs are broken into a bowl designed for that purpose. The cook then takes a wire whip and aggressively whips the eggs. More often than not one egg yolk will refuse to cooperate; the cook must stop the whipping and deliberately break the obstinate yolk.
God desires the body of Christ be a blended whole; He desires each of His children have “a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart.” [Psalm 51:17]
Chastisement (discipline) is never a pleasant thing. But God desires each child work, properly and supplying the essence of who he or she is according to his or her gifts. This causes “the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” [Ephesians 4:16]
Predictably, one member won’t break under the gentle persuasion of the Lord; in such a case, breaking is called for.
How wonderful it would be if we could all fear God, yet not fear the strengthening process of His discipline.
IN FULL UNIFORM! [Ephesians 6:13; Armor (of God), Discipleship, Preparation, Sanctification]
Somehow, the young man found himself standing directly in the path of an oncoming car, the driver hit her brakes; but before either of them could do anything it seemed the ten-year-old was shoulder deep in the windshield of the automobile. “Are you alright,” asked the driver. From inside the football helmet a squeaky voice responded, “I think so!”
The boy, a participant in Pop Warner Football, was on his way home from practice, in full uniform. The driver saw the boy too late to stop; the boy saw the car too late to get out of the way.
It is unnecessary to explain why we are admonished to ...“take up the full armor of God, that [we] may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”Much like the ubiquitous seat belt, the armor of God is, for the most part, unused by believers today. And yet the devil, that self-centered maniac who drives blind, loves to plow through unprotected children on the King’s highway.
God has provided the armor; but He has left it to us to put it on, one piece at a time. Why we don’t is a mystery. Perhaps it’s “won’t” rather than “don’t.” Perhaps the devil is not the only creature that’s self-centered.
JESSE WHO? [Matthew 10:26; Body life, Commitment, Consecration, Holiness, Righteousness]
Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
Thomas Firbank, in I Bought A Star, tells of a conversation he had with a formula race driver; he asked the professional why he took time to paint and polish the undercarriage as well as all of the other unseen parts of his race car. The driver responded, “If the metal is spotlessly clean, I can see at once if there is a flaw.”
The church needs to adopt this attitude; sanding, grinding, buffing, prepping, painting, and polishing every unseen part. Not so God can “see at once if there is a flaw,” nothing is hidden from His sight [Hebrews 4:13] ... so that we can see our own flaws.
Holiness is from God but the holiness of the saints is not; that responsibility rests wholly on our shoulders!
Soldiers are taught field discipline during peacetime, in the barracks. Polished boots and buckles, along with carefully folded underwear, are not needed during peacetime, nor are they essential for barracks’ life. This discipline is for the field during wartime. In the field, attention to detail IS essential … it cannot be learned under stress, nor is there time to do so! Every boot camp Drill Instructor knows this!
Every army knows (or quickly learns) it is a malicious policy which says during training, “We need not bother the men with the details; they’ll pick them up as they need them in the field.”
Too frequently today we are witnessing an undisciplined demeanor among “the saints”; worse, we are seeing it promoted by many of their instructors.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
CONSECRATION - AKA: spiritual surrender!
SOWING ROTTEN SEED! [Matthew 13:1-23; Consecration, Giving, Nature (old vs. new), Surrender]If at one of our church potlucks the cooks decided to serve us leftovers, how would we feel?Say they prepared a scrumptious feast but instead of serving it to us they set the best aside for themselves and served us what was left?Say the pastor’s wife took the new sack of potatoes home for her family, then mashed the old spuds under the sink, the ones with the mold, for the guests?In far too many ways the church is treating God in much the same way? How often do we set aside the best for ourselves and give God what’s left over?Oh some will say, “I always write my tithe check first.” But let’s ask them, “What about your service to the Lord? Do you serve Him first before you serve others or yourself?” Let’s ask them, “What about your talents? Does He get the best of your ability and your intellect?The Church must remember the main point of the “widow’s mite”? Recall that the Lord’s focus wasn’t the amount which was given, it was the heart attitude before, during, and after the act.
Saturday, March 05, 2005
SANCTIFICATION - Our hand in His hand!
AIMING FOR THE CENTER OF HIS WILL! [Matthew 7:13,14; other topics - Walk, Way (The), Will (of God)]
In order to keep my car in the middle of the lane, I was taught (by a farmer) to “aim” the vehicle down the road.The Christian walk is like that: God doesn’t want us veering to the right or the left; He wants us on the straight and narrow. Paul says we should focus on things above and in so doing we’ll keep right in the middle of His Way. For me the narrow gate figuratively represents “things above.”
Praise His holy name. (added 2/15/2006)
AIR SPEED! [James 4:4-10]
All winged aircraft have one thing in common, they must maintain air speed or they will go into a stall and nose-over. From time to time, our walk seems to nose-over, our forward progress being insufficient to sustain the "lift" needed. We must
1. be prepared for His presence
2. respond to his presence, and
3. experience His presence!
HEAVEN ON EARTH! [Various; Life (True), Heaven]Heaven may be compared to the dining hall of a great king. Where, for now, we’re all outside his castle waiting to be let into the Great Hall. Everyone has received an invitation to come to the royal table and join in consuming his royal feast, only not all will accept his invitation. [Mark D. Roberts, After I Believe (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), 19]
The interesting aspect is the Christian life this side of eternity future; its like the “Heavenly Cook [letting] us stick our fingers into the batter of heaven while it’s being prepared. The Christian Life happens not just in the future but right now.” (added 2/15/2006)
HUMAN BOOKCASES! [James 1:22-25; other topics - Knowledge; Word; Works]
When I was in elementary school I recall the big deal my mom and dad made over money, how tight it was. But then they bought a set of Collier’s Encyclopedias on an installment plan because they thought my sisters and I could use the knowledge.
The buyer received a complete set of books at the time of purchase, with updates coming every year. You also received a small doubled-shelved, wooden bookcase. It was designed specifically for the books.
I was about 22-years old when those books went for $10.00 at a yard sale. I don’t ever remember opening any of them; I don’t ever remember my sisters opening any of those books.
In fact, I don’t ever remember my mom or dad opening any of those books ... except the first couple of nights, to show us how they were full of facts and knowledge and other useless stuff.
Sadly, many Christians are like that little bookcase. They’re crammed full of information, facts and knowledge ... but it never gets applied.
Christianity is intended to be applied. Like those books filled with all that powerful knowledge, Christians whose heads are full of knowledge are useless, unless some of that learning seeps down into the heart, where knowledge gets applied.MASTER BUILDER! [Romans 6:19]
A master shipbuilder steps out into his yard and looks around him. There are vast skeletons of ships in the process of completion; there are others nearing completion. But there is nothing in the scene to satisfy, nothing is as he envisions. The big hulls are at present good for nothing. A thousand hammers pounding a thousand rivets into place like a thousand woodpeckers from hell. The yard is strewn with scrap and jigs.
And a short distance is the public harbor, with its fancy and not so fancy boats, of every size and shape; and near it is the grave yard ... decaying, rotting, half-sunk craft ... abandoned and doomed to one day be taken away to a fiery pit.
Yet the owner stands content amid the imperfection. He never thinks of doubting the process he commands. In his mind he knows the ideal, the perfect ship, and he justifies these imperfect vessels by imputing to them that ideal.
God is like that master shipbuilder. The ideal servant exists in His mind. He has the Blueprint; man is jut the image of what is to be. When God looks at him He does not despair, because He knows what the Perfect Man is like and smiles at the thought of His Son.
Attribution: e-Sword Ministries' (2000+ Illustrations)
PARADOX OF CHRISTIAN GROWTH! [John 3:30; Discipleship, growth, humility]Someone once said they knew when a believer was growing because:
SPIRITUAL NAVIGATION SYSTEMS! [Romans 1:18-20; other topics - Attributes (of God), creation, discipleship, nature, revelation, witnessing]
“Get ready! You’re going to have fewer excuses for getting lost on the road.” This sure sounds like it might be from a tract on the Roman Road, doesn’t it?
No, it isn’t! Actually it’s ad copy from an Internet advertisement for “on-board navigation systems” from the automobile industry. These “NAVS,” as they are called, use GPS (Global Positioning Satellite technology) to locate a position precisely; the same technology used recently by scientists to determine the exact height of the Washington Monument.
As model years pass, more new cars are being offered with onboard navigation systems, which help you map your route to important meetings, or to that favorite vacation spot near grandma’s, or to a restaurant whose address you’ve forgotten. NAVS can even help direct you to a local automated teller machine (ATM) or nearest hospital or your next job interview.
Now there’s no real excuse for getting lost, even if you’re one of those guys who refuses to ask for directions.
God has been far ahead of modern technology. In Romans 1:19 Paul says,For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.God’s plan has always been to provide man with a spiritual navigation system. In fact, Paul clearly says just that. God has given mankind all they need to know to know where they are in relationship to Him: general and special revelation - not to mention the conscience, which the Holy Spirit uses to convict us and guide us.
THE LORD’S LEASH! [Luke 15:17a; Discipleship, discipline, obedience, submission (surrender)]
Recently, I took my dog for a walk just as I do every morning. When I leave the entrance of our housing development, I always look both ways to see who else is out walking their dog. A few are pests: both owners and dogs.
Up the block, I saw the man with the golf cart and his little grey poodle; both are regulars. I noticed his dog was off the leash again, so I crossed the street and walked the other way. When I reached Foothill Boulevard, two blocks away, I crossed to the other side and headed home.
That’s when I heard an anxious voice calling a dog. I looked up and saw this vicious, bloodthirsty, 9½ lb. grey speck burning rubber in my direction, a block away, his owner in hot pursuit. I tried to scare the little speck away but he made an end-run, stood up, danced over, put his paws on my dog’s face, and bit him on the forehead. Well, my dog, Buck, doesn’t like to be bit, but he likes boy dogs even less.
I was able to pull the little dog from Buck’s mouth before he swallowed but not before the little fur ball twisted and tore the back of my hand up. As bad as my hand was, what the poodle got for his efforts was much worse.
The moral: don’t covet being off the Lord’s leash or even at the end of his leash (Parents, pay special attention: don’t let your kids off their leash until you’re certain they have the spirit God wants for them.).
Moving farther away from your Master than your Master gives you leash is not wise at all: not only might you get hurt, or killed, but you’ll certainly bring pain and suffering to others. This latter point is worthy of emphasis.
Too often, we are lulled into seeing the Leash of the Lord as “for our benefit alone,” we rarely give thought to the benefits others reap from our being tethered. Consider that my dog was on a leash and we were both minding our own business, yet we were both bitten and I’m out over $100.
Also, consider the consequences to the owner of that little beast; he’s out over $600. And my dog? He’s real upset that I interrupted his meal. And Shadow (that’s the perpetrator’s name)? Well, he is just now able to face the great outdoors.
Look back, beloved, at all the time off the Lord’s Leash and witness the devastation of that time.
THE JOY OF THE JOURNEY! [Romans 6:19-22]
George, let’s call him George, was a very busy and very successful younger man. In fact, he had done so well that he decided to surprise his wife with a trip to Tahiti over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. On his lunch hour, he hurried to his agent’s office and picked up the tickets.
In early December George stopped at the dry cleaners on his way home to pick up his suits and was surprised when the manager handed him an envelop with two unused tickets to Tahiti. After he had purchased the tickets he had put them in his jacket pocket and immediately went back to his normal routine … he forgot the entire event.
Many people are just like George. They pray to God for forgiveness and promise to do better but immediately, they forget what they’ve done and return to their normal routine. Even some genuine believers accept a ticket to eternity, put it away, and never seem to experience the marvelous journey laid out before them.
The salvation event ought to be like the ideal marriage event, where two distinct and independent individuals agree to unite and journey through life together. Instead, far too many salvation experiences are like far too many marriages: the uniting occurs but the couple never experiences the journey’s joy, and often end in separation.
It is true that all we must do is “call upon the name of the Lord” [Romans 10:13], but God never intended the journey to end there, just as a marriage is not supposed to stop on the trip home from the honeymoon.
VOLCANO STEW!
On the isle of São Miguel, in the Azores, a powerful and popular dish, cozido, is prepared in an interesting way: mix beef, chicken, pork, sausages, and vegetables together in an aluminum-cooking utensil, place this in a cloth bag, bury it all in the ground near Lake Furnas, and let it steam naturally for approximately six hours.
The volcano Furnas created Lake Furnas when it erupted thousands of years ago; soil surrounding the lake can reach a temperature of 208 degrees Fahrenheit, providing villagers with an unique natural oven. [Adapted from National Geographic; cited in Reader’s Digest, “Notes From All Over, p.204, nd.]
God could have chosen another way to deal with rebirth, perhaps taking us up to glory immediately. For reasons He and He alone knows He decided to leave us where we were to prepare us according to His receipe and His time. Perfect in the end!TAGS: Bible, Christianity, Illustrations, Sanctification, Sermons, Religion
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