The Journey Readings: Week 133... and... His good hand...

This week... we finished up Ezra... began Nehemiah...
both men were given big jobs to do...

After completion of the temple... Ezra was called to return to Jerusalem to teach the law to the people... show them how to live it... and judge them when they disobeyed...

Nehemiah... upon hearing the news of the trouble in Jerusalem... was called to rebuild the wall...

Both men were in exile in Babylon when God stirred their hearts...
both needed permission from their king...
both needed means by which to complete their call...
authority...
finances...
manpower...

Because God was the One who called...
the One who stirred hearts...
His good hand... provided all that was needed...

He moved the heart of the king to be gracious to both men...
they each received all they needed from the king...

Ezra said it best...

Blessed be the Lord, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this

into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem,

and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors,

and before all the kings mighty officers. I took courage, for the hand of the Lord

my God was on me...

Ezra 7:27-28 ESV

His good hand... was on these men in the tasks He called them to...

both faced hardships in the work... but both took courage...

stood firm... persevered... because His hand was on them...

Just know... when you respond to His call...

no matter how large... no matter how equipped or ill-equipped you feel...

His good hand will provide...

no force will overpower...

be encouraged... be bold... trust in Him...

and His good hand...

This week's readings...
Monday              Nehemiah 4-5
Tuesday              Nehemiah 6:1 - 7:4
Wednesday         Nehemiah 7:5-65
Thursday            Nehemiah 7:66 - 8:18
Friday                 Nehemiah 9

joy in His purpose...

I heard it today... a new perspective on Romans 8:28... at least for me...

And we know that for those who love God

all things work together for good,

for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 ESV

In an interview... the founder of Revival Outside the Walls... attributed joy... to pursuing God's purpose... with your life...

This man found joy... only after he realized he was to live for God's purpose... not his... even though he spent years working in the church...

God's purpose... disciple-making... 

And Jesus came and said to them,

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..."

Matthew 28:18-19 ESV

The one purpose we are called to fulfill with our life... is making disciples... by sharing our faith... blessing others with the good news... that is also for them...

Living life for God's one purpose...

makes ALL things that He allows in your life...

an opportunity to share faith...

reveal His power... glorify Him...

and bring others to Christ...

hence... it's... ALL... good...

This man on the radio... filled with enthusiasm and joy...

was not a man with a trouble-free story...

With joy he spoke about God's call on his life...

the call he heard in an ICU bed...

a bed in which the doctors said he would die...

This man challenges Believers in severe straits...

walking in the shadow of death...

to rejoice at the adventure...

to not waste a moment of the trial...

but use it for God's purpose...

drawing others to Him... through a witness of...

trust...

faith...

joy...

Then... on another program...

I heard stories of present day martyrs...

One... a Chinese preacher... with a ministry on the border of North Korea...

feeding those who fled... crossed the river into China...

not only food... but good news...

This man would not help them stay in China...

he encouraged these new Believers... charged them...

to go back to the darkness... with the Light they now carried...

and share it with their family... friends... neighbors...

Just this last weekend...

the Chinese preacher making disciples...

sending them out into darkness...

was brutally murdered...

The remarks of the representative from The Voice of the Martyrs...

celebrated the welcome... this faithful preacher of Light...

surely received in heaven... Well done... good and faithful servant...

Joy... in being used for His purpose... do you have it...?

Can you filter all life's ups and downs through this charge...?

Have you embraced the purpose of your life...? the one to share faith...? make disciples...? wherever and in whatever circumstances He brings into your life...?

Joy in His purpose...

I just really never made the connection...

But if all things work for good...

in fulfilling His purpose...

shouldn't it bring... unimaginable... joy...?

joy... joy... joy...

I felt it this morning... joy...

The inexplicable joy...
found in His presence...
feeling His Spirit active...
working through me...

It's always such a wonder...
a mystery... how being obedient...
seeing Him show up...
experiencing His faithfulness...
brings such... joy... joy... joy...

I hope you find some today...

If it's been a while... maybe it's time to check with Him... see where He's calling you...

Are you doing what He wants you to...? serving...? giving...? seeking...? obeying...?

My experience has been... if you are... it will not fail to come...

Joy...

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 ESV

Joy... 

For you make him most blessed forever;

you make him glad with joy in your presence.

Psalm 21:6 ESV

Joy...

But the righteous will be glad;

they shall exult before God;

they shall be jubilant with joy!

Psalm 68:3 ESV

counting...

Counting on Him... for...
peace...
strength...
time...
energy...
inspiration...
to do all He's calling me to do...

Lord... I'm counting on You...

You have a lot to do...

I can do everything through Christ,

who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13 NLT

exercising faith...

A question in this morning's study... made me feel vulnerable...

The church is a body, and every member is a specific part with a specific function. What is one spiritual gift God has given you and how are you developing it and using it for his glory? How can your group members encourage you as you seek to use your gifts to serve Jesus?

---The Story: Adult Curriculum

I could answer the question... but I didn't want to say it out loud... didn't want the group to know... because it's a stretching for me... something that took me a while to embrace and share...

The spiritual gift I believe I've been given sounds big... almost embarrassing to say... knowledge and teaching... of His Word...

I have been exercising it through teaching... leading... Sunday school classes... Bible studies... and through the writing taking place here... in a small obscure way...

But a challenge to pursue something a little bigger... take the next step... has been pressing...

Out of the Lenten exercise of walking through Romans 8... I felt Him calling me to take it deeper... develop the thirty writings from Jeremiah's Menu into a full blown six week study... to offer this summer at my table...

Way out of my comfort zone... the potential for failure seems huge... yet... last Sunday I committed... surrendered rather... and began to write... began to share the call with others...

This morning... sharing this call... saying what I believe I've been gifted with out loud... brought waves of vulnerability...

Asking these ladies to pray for this journey... inviting them to be a part of the journey... was hard... an exercise in faith...

So... now that I've said it out loud... and shared it here with you... I ask for your prayers too...

Pray for me to be faithful to this call...
Pray I will be bold...
Pray I will be Spirit led...

This exercising of faith... makes me break out in a cold sweat...

He calls things that are not... as though they were...

Waking grumpy and achy... 

I find comfort... hope... joy... in Him... 

the One who calls things that are not... as though they were...

... the God who gives life to the dead

and calls things that are not as though they were.

Romans 4:17

I hear this truth... echoing through the Beatitudes...

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...."

Matthew 5:3-10

None of this feels... blessed...

lowly spirits...

mourning losses...

being overpowered...

hungry for justice...

caring for the sick... brokenhearted... wounded...

dealing with conflict...

persecution...

No... none of these things bring happiness... in the here... now...

But He says...

Behold, the former things have come to pass,

and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth I tell you of them.

Isaiah 42:9 ESV

The former gone... new things spring forth...

He calls things that are not... as though they were...

He knows what He has planned...

His Word does not return void...

Yes... on a day that began grumpy... and achy...

somewhere along the way... I find... joy...

because... what He says is... 

even when it doesn't feel like it...

it will be...

Amen...

a call to stop...

Returning home on Saturday evening... I saw it... a sign...

Prayer Garden

Public Welcome

Passing this sign at 65 mph... that still small voice said... Stop...

So I slowed... significantly... where the arrow pointed... and all I saw was an RV park...

Thinking... Well... I missed it... I zoomed on... but not for long...

That voice... His Spirit... it pressed... 

Passing each spot to U-turn... the angst... increased...

Asking forgiveness for missing the opportunity... did not bring peace...

At the next left turn lane on the highway... I turned...

Backtracking several miles... I came again to the sign... a sign to pray...

Making my way to the garden... car parked... Bible in one hand... iPad in the other... I found myself standing at the entry to the prayer garden and prayed... OK... I'm here... 

With ears open... I began to walk...

My expectation... He had something for me... something to tell me... adding to all I heard over the last two days at the leadership conference...

But continuing down the path... it was hard to hear...

Next door... country and western tunes blared... as the neighbor worked on his house...

The garden was full of concrete animals... and men's words... 

All a bit distracting...

Making my way to the gazebo... I sat... telling Him... I'm trying to hear... but there is a lot of noise from the world here... 

I listened more... What do you have for me...?

Nothing...

Then... Why am I here...?

To pray for this church...

Ahhh.... there's the unexpected answer... 

I was not called to this garden to receive...

but to give...

What shall I pray...?

Psalm 32...

(His standard answer for everything of late...)

And so I prayed... through the psalm... for the church He led me to...

When I was done... I went back to the car... headed again... for home...

No more angst... at each turn around...

Just peace...  

And wonder... at a call... to stop... and intercede... for a church... I know nothing about...

Privileged for the opportunity... grateful for the turnaround... and the blessing of serving Him... wherever He leads...

Is He calling you to stop...? not for yourself... but for another...?

Be willing to listen... stop... and intercede... when He calls... even if you don't know exactly who it is you are praying for...

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions

with all kinds of prayers and requests.

With this in mind, be alert and 

always keep on praying for all the saints.

Ephesians 6:18

when it seems like it all won't get done...

When it seems like it all won't get done...
check to see if you are doing what He's called you to...
or what you want to do...

Then if it is His call...
remember it's His to do...
His to manage...
His to provide the strength...

Now may the God of peace... equip you with everything good that you may do his will... through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20-21 ESV

And if it is not His call...
ask for His mercy... and forgiveness...
complete your current commitment...
then stop doing it...
ASAP...

affirmation... for the journey...

This morning began the first reading... of the three year reading through for The Journey... the newly embarked on Sunday school class...

Beginning with the book of John... not a traditional reading through (Genesis to Revelation)... but one focused on Him... Jesus... the Good News Gospel... the One whom the Whole is about...

One sojourner in class... asked about curriculum... (just as the pastor had...) I had to say... There is none... or I could have said... There will be... when we're done...

Our only curriculum... His Word...
Our guide... His Spirit...

"... It is written in the Prophets,

'And they will be taught by God.' ..." ---Jesus

John 6:45 ESV

With one ear open to Him... each time we open to read... we will ask as Paul did... on that road to Damascus (Acts 22:1-10)...

Who are you, Lord?

What shall I do, Lord?

I suppose I should have been more clear... in the promoting... given a warning...

I don't really know what I'm doing...

This journey... is truly one for me... a spiritual discipline... apparently in writing curriculum... for a three year reading through...

So in today's first reading... John 1:1-42... I asked the questions...

Who are You, Lord?...
I listed... the many things He is... as revealed in this passage...
The Word... 
God... 
Timeless... 
Conduit of Creation...
Life... 
Light...
etc...

But the one that spoke... the last verse I came to...

Andrew then led (brought) Simon to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon son of John.

You shall be called Cephas --- which translated is Peter [Stone].

John 1:42 Amp

He is... The One who gives us our identity...

He names... identifies... His disciples... by whom He calls them to be... who He created them to be...

The world does not identify us... determine who we are... only The Word... does that...

Then the Word that spoke to my spirit... regarding... What shall I do?... 

Prepare the way for the Lord...

John 1:23 Amp

Come and see.

John 1:39 Amp

And I dug into those words... prepare... come... and both... they have to do with travel... with journeying... and I feel the affirmation... sitting a little dumbstruck... by what I find...

The Enhanced Strong's Lexicon... says the Greek... prepare... actually means... to make straight, level, plain... to lead or guide straight...

Then Louw Nida... translates the verse... 'make a straight path for the Lord (to travel)'...

I hear two things... from prepare the way...

1)  A challenge to lead well... take seriously... be wary... careful... in teaching... leading... I'm steering others in their faith... on this journey...

2)  Make my way straight... continue to strive for holiness... make a straight path for the Lord... He is in me... He takes on my sin as His own... my sin makes His way more difficult... make a straight path for the Lord... Repent...

And... come... Webster's alone... tells me... to move or journey to a vicinity with a specified purpose...

This journey... not only the word for a year... but a call... an identifier...

So here I sit... humbled in His presence... at the call... the journey... affirmed...

Come and see...

[For those who want to read along... on the three year reading through... the passages will be posted at the bottom of Sunday's posts... (but here today... on Monday... since I didn't think of it til today)... Readings are M-F... five passages a week...]

This week's readings for The Journey...
Monday            John 1:1-42
Tuesday            John 1:42 - 2:25
Wednesday       John 3
Thursday           John 4
Friday               John 5

[And I wonder... at the audacity... of thinking I'll still be here... doing this... three years from now...?!]

hanging... on trust...

It's one of those day...
listening...
trusting...
standing on the edge of faith...
toes over the edge...

His call...
it seems too much...

Too much to fit in one week...
one day...
one hour...

The mantra...
the prayer of the moment...

If it's His... He will get it done...

And He has... so far...

Trusting...
that what I hear...
is Him...

He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 ESV

Be still my soul...

hang... on...

trust...