Can I Pray for You?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Over the last several Wednesdays, we’ve been exploring  what it takes to develop a God-given vision. We’re a point this series now, or will be soon, when it’s time to share what God’s been putting on our hearts, so others can lift up that vision along with us.

And because it’s a God thing, prayer isn’t just a nice add-on. It’s our lifeline. It’s our ultimate reality check, with the Ultimate Reality. It’s also our way of connecting others with God’s work, in a way that they can see it’s God’s work, too. So let’s explore how we can engage with God more deeply in prayer, and how we can invite others along with us on this journey.

While prayer is something we all do—or maybe because it is—it can also become something we take for granted, either by going through the motions or by forgetting the awesome power there is in prayer. So today, let’s look at this subject through fresh eyes, and discover how our prayers can play a much bigger role as we dive deeper into the plans God has for us.

So for starters, read the following two quotes:

“Tomorrow I plan to work, work, from early until late. In fact I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”—Martin Luther

“Do you and I have work that we can’t imagine doing for thirty minutes without prayer? If not, perhaps we need a new life’s work. Or perhaps we need to do an old life’s work in a new way.”—Gary Haugen, Just Courage: God’s Great Expedition for the Restless Christian

• What are your reactions to these quotes? Why?
• How have your prayers changed over the past month, as God has been affirming and expanding the vision he’s given you?

God has given us a mission in this world. But it’s still God’s mission. God is our ultimate authority. God will give us what we ask for—or very likely, something even better, even if we don’t recognize that right away. God’s power and God’s provision go together. And with that, it’s time for another case study. Tab up, and read Acts 4:13, 18-35. Then think about this:

• How do you see others catch and spread the vision by “[being] with Jesus” here, either in prayer or, in Peter and John’s case, physically?
• What connections do you see here between our prayers and our willingness to help others?
• What needs do you see around you right now that need to be prayed about—and met?

“If we do not yearn and pray and expect God to stretch out his hand and do the supernatural, it will not happen,” says Jim Cymbala in Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. “That is the simple truth of the matter. We must give him room to operate.”

Most of us would welcome support of any kind, whether it’s prayer or encouragement or the meeting of a tangible need. But often, this requires letting go of some pride and allowing ourselves to be supported. It means being open about what our real needs are. But the benefits far outweigh a temporarily bruised pride, or our fear of admitting we need help.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).

• Where are you struggling to find God’s peace right now? What’s the need behind that struggle?
• Why do we hold onto our needs, instead of immediately giving them to God? Why do we often forget to thank God after we’ve given those needs to him?
• How could we catch ourselves earlier, so we can share our needs—and our gratitude—sooner?

A couple more passages on prayer (and work) to consider, then we’ll close this out:

Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:19-20, NIV).

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis (Colossians 4:12-13, NIV).

• What are the benefits of having others praying with us and for us? Come up with as many ideas as you can, either from these passages or your own experiences.
• Who’s your Epaphras, and why?
• How could having a group of Christ-followers like Epaphras in your life help you grow in your mission?

We need people in our lives who are as faithful in seeking God’s will for us as we are—or better yet, even moreso. We need people we can be vulnerable with, so they know how to pray for us—and help us. And as our relationships deepen, we’ll be able to help each other in ways that only God could have made possible, because we’ll have invited God into every step of it. And the people you need to share your vision with right now may be just the people to start with.

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Experience Is the Best Teacher

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Who’s the best teacher you’ve ever had—whether it was at school or somewhere else? In what ways did he or she positively impact your life?

When have you found yourself in the role of teacher? What did you find rewarding, or unrewarding, about it?

What do you enjoy more, learning from others or teaching them? Why?

Today we’re going to spend time with another set of teachers—God, and the experiences God uses to prepare us for his good works. Looking back on our lives, it’s not always easy to figure out how we got here—or to believe that God could use what we’ve been through, let alone the things we’ve done to ourselves. But God knows every experience we’ve ever had—everything we’ve accomplished, everything we’ve learned, everything we’ve suffered through, every stupid mistake we wish we could take back—far better than we do. God is still creating us, in the sense that he’s shaping each of us into the people he wants us to be. And God wants to use everything in us to create something special, in your life and in every life you come in contact with.

Therefore, we’re going to reflect on the times and places God has already met us throughout our lives. It may have been a mountaintop experience when you knew God was doing incredible things and you were in the middle of it; it might have been a time you were in the valley, but God was still especially close; it may have been a time you didn’t even know God was working through, but looking back you can clearly see what God was up to.

Read the following questions, and think about when God has been especially present in your life. If possible, write down your answers as they come to you. Take at least five minutes to reflect on this:

• When have you taken a big step of faith and/or obedience because you knew it was what God wanted?
• When have you been conscious of God guiding your steps, whether you knew it at the time or realized it later on?
• When have you felt most fulfilled in your walk with Jesus? What was taking place in your life at the time?

Now, rearrange the moments you thought of, in the order they happened. Then review your list and try to answer the next set of questions. If you don’t have answers right now, that’s OK, but start thinking about it:

• What patterns, if any, do you see in where God’s taken you up to this point?
• Based on what you’ve written (or even if it’s not based on what you’ve written), where do you think God may be trying to take you next?

God has done some incredible things in our lives—things that have fulfilled the desires of our hearts as well as His, times when He’s even let us help Him although He could have done it all Himself, even things that may have been painful at the time but have helped others to see God’s glory. God wants to reveal Himself even more, and to use it—use you—to reveal his life in you to every person God puts you in contact with.

And yet, a lot of the time we’re not even aware of how God’s been working with us. We think if it’s not spectacular—or at least our definition of spectacular—it’s not God who’s working within us. However, as A.B. Simpson says in The Fourfold Gospel.“We do not have to get up into some exalted state to find Christ, or down into some profound and terrible experience. We can find Him everywhere we are…. We can take Him as we are, and He will lead us into all the experiences we need.”

May we take those words to heart this week, and beyond.

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Lay Down Your Idols

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Carl Simmons

We have been created for worship. Therefore, we will ultimately worship something, even if it’s something less than God. Peter Kreeft, in Christianity for Modern Pagans, aptly points out, “The alternative to theism is not atheism but idolatry.” Even as Christians, the temptation to worship something in God’s creation—or of our own “creation,” for that matter—remains, and we can often fall victim to it without even realizing.

If we’re willing to look closer, what we worship—read: what we place above us—is the person or thing we believe will give us the most pleasure or benefit. We may subjugate ourselves to it, but ultimately it’s still about us. So let’s frame the question this way: What do you let serve you, other than God? That’s your idol, or at least your potential idol.

Still having problems identifying your idols? Let me make it even easier, albeit in ascending order of emotional difficulty. By the time we’re done, this may feel more like a pile-on than simply moving from one category to the next, but only means we’ve uncovered a big idol. So let’s….

Follow the money. Well, where does it go? And for that matter, how much of your “essential” spending is essential? As you observe where your money goes, think about the feelings you have in relation to those “purchases.” What are you really trying to buy? Security, pleasure, reputation?

Follow your time. Same idea. Where’s your time going? And again, yes, some blocks of time are immovable or at least difficult to change. But where does your “down time” go? And for that matter, do you need to spend that much time at work, or is it a choice? Either way, what’s motivating those choices?

Follow your tongue. Now it gets harder—first of all, because you actually have to listen to what comes out of your mouth. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34, KJV). So, what does your abundance look like? Or to put it bluntly: What are you full of? And why?

Follow your fear. What causes you anxiety? What makes you defensive? What do you find yourself unnaturally worried about? Don’t stop and justify it with, “Well, I have to, because….” Just answer the question. Then answer this one: What’s that fear telling you about what you truly value? What idol is lurking behind that fear, pulling the strings?

Follow this sentence to its ultimate conclusion: “My life is wasted unless I…” As you do this, take special note of that last little word. Because ultimately, all of this idol talk is about the I. We turn to our I-dols because we don’t believe that what God has for I is good enough. And yet, our own efforts ultimately leave us feeling even emptier—as if our lives have been wasted.

Here’s the thing: God doesn’t feel your life is a waste. Ever. You don’t have to fix it. And anything in your life that does need fixing is God’s responsibility. But we have to let Him handle it.

What’s more—and we’ll delve more into this in future weeks: Your life is a small speck in the face of eternity. Any “waste” that’s happened, or is happening now, is not only redeemable but nothing in the face of God’s glory. And as you lay down the idols you’ve identified, God will take that “waste” and transform it into something that reflects that glory.

As we close this section on laying down your past, there’s probably no better way to do so than with Romans 8:1-2: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (NIV). The past is as done as you want it to be. God will use it as He sees fit—not to condemn you, but to transform you back into His image. So lay down the things we worship aside from God, and let’s move into the present.

Lay It Down Today

So, where did all that “following” lead you today? Now’s the time to lay those things down—literally, if possible.

For every idol you identified, try to find a physical item that represents it. Is it a home or car? Get out your keys. Money? Get out your wallet or purse. Reputation? Find an award or some other item.

Then, get on your knees before God. No, seriously, do it. Then lay down each of these items before Him. Confess how, and why, they’ve become idols in your life. Then ask God to help you to trust Him, and to use these items for His glory instead of yours. Then thank God that He is the one who’s truly worthy of your worship, and begin living more in that reality.

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Of Course My Family Supports This… DON’T They?

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Carl Simmons

When have you told your family about something you really wanted to do—but they didn’t (and/or didn’t want you to do either)? How did that work out? What might have helped them—or you—make the right decision?

Sometimes we look back at disagreements we’ve had with our families and laugh. Sometimes they’re so painful that we still don’t want to think about them. Both examples, however, show us that our families’ support for what God’s trying to do in our lives can be critical.

To put it bluntly: If we can’t even communicate to those closest to us how much God is in this vision, and how much we need their support, how can we honestly expect anyone else’s support?

Depending on our situations, we might not be able to expect our families to support or even understand what God’s calling us to. But our spouses, our children, and our extended families can still serve as a reality check. They may not see what God’s doing in our lives, but they see us. And no matter how painful or seemingly unfair their concerns might be, there might well be a grain of truth to them. Now’s the time to deal with those grains.

Sometimes we just need to help those we care about see what we’re seeing. The unknown is scary. We wouldn’t have spent the last three Wednesdays addressing that if it weren’t true. So let’s discover how we can help our families see and embrace what God’s putting on our hearts.

But first, let’s look at a biblical example of one family venture gone terribly wrong. Open that tab, read Genesis 19:1-4, 9-38, then think about this:

• What’s motivating each family member here, and what went wrong for each of them?
• Why didn’t Lot’s family just listen to him—let alone to God’s angels?

Think about your family, and the “God things” we’ve been trying to sort out together the past several Wednesdays. Now, think about sharing that “God thing” with them—or about what you’ve shared with them already. What parts of your personality or behavior might cause family members to respond “Yeah, right” to what you’re sharing? Do they have a point? If so, why?

Let’s look now at a very different example—one which, in fact, involved Lot’s extended family. It’s in Genesis 22:1-18.

• What do you think is going through Abraham and Isaac’s heads here?
• Most of us don’t have family members as compliant as Isaac, even when they love and want to support us. How can we help them deal with the fears and hesitancy they still might have?
• Which of the two situations we’ve looked at seems most like yours? Why?
• What do you think you and your family are going to need to sacrifice as you follow God’s vision? How easy or difficult will it be for all of you to believe that God will provide what’s needed for your sacrifice?

We’ve probably all heard the phrase, “If Momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” But this ain’t just about Momma (or wives). It could be our husbands, children, parents, or anyone else we’re close to. This is an issue that literally hits close to home. In a sense, you’re asking your family to show even bigger faith than you have—because they’re not only needing to trust God; they also need to trust you.

And this can get complicated in a hurry. We want to please God. And we want our families to be happy. Even the Bible can give us some seemingly conflicting messages about this. Let’s look at some of those messages, and try to make some sense of them.

• Matthew 12:46-50
• Luke 14:25-33
• 1 Corinthians 7:29-35
• Ephesians 5:28–6:4

• How do we reconcile these passages? How can we follow Jesus and honor our families?
• What does that look like to you right now? What specific actions will you need to take to make it happen?

Got your keys handy? Go get them. Hold up the key you consider to be your  most important one.

Keys do a lot of things. They open things; they lock things away and protect them; they turn things on and off. I’d like you to think about the key you’re holding, and what God’s asking you to do in relation to your family? Do you need to open up and share more of what’s really on your heart? Protect what God’s showing you from the criticism of an unbelieving family? Or just get in the car and take a long drive with your spouse or child who’s afraid of losing your time and attention?

Whatever comes to mind, hold up your key and pray silently about it for a minute. Ask God to help you be obedient to Him in every part of your life. Ask Him to help your family to understand and support what He’s showing you, and to help you see our yown blind spots. Ask Him to help you do everything in your power to love your family and to keep seeking God’s will no matter what the reactions might be, and to have the patience to wait for your family, if that’s what’s needed—and that they’d have  patience with you, if that’s what’s needed.

May you all keep following God’s lead no matter what fears or misunderstandings there might be in the meantime.

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Going to a Better Place… Together

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Carl Simmons

How better to start this week’s devotional than with the words of Jack Nicholson? View them here, then think about this:

• Who inspires you to be a better person?
• Is it because of his or her actions, because you want to make that person happy or proud… or both? or something else?

Over the last few Mondays, we’ve been examining where God has put us and what kind of heart He wants us to have toward the people and situations He’s put us in. So today, we begin drilling a little deeper into specifics—what we can really do to become the hands, the feet, the heart of Jesus to those we encounter everywhere in our lives.

Brian Jones, in his book Getting Rid of the Gorilla, observes, “Disciples do not just believe differently, they behave differently. They stick out. They provoke. They cause people to think. Disciples jar others to evaluate their own lives, often without uttering a word. Disciples point people to the kingdom of God simply by their behavior alone.” As we do that, we’ll discover how can we help—and maybe even inspire—each other as members of the body of Christ.

So open up that new tab, read through 2 Corinthians 3:17–4:1, 2 Corinthians 4:6-11, and Hebrews 4:14-16, and consider these questions:

• Externally speaking: How do (or should) Jesus’ and Paul’s examples here inspire you to be more like Jesus?
• Internally speaking: How have you seen “the Spirit [make you] more and more like him” (2 Cor. 4:18)? Think of your own examples here.
• When has God’s light shone through you, despite your circumstances? How have those times changed the way you see God? yourself?
• On the other hand, when have you had a hard time seeing God at work—when you thought, “yeah God, you could’ve kept that one”? Why do you think God let you go through it anyway?

God has allowed us to experience some incredible things—even if they may have seemed hard at the time—and God wants us to share with others what He’s done and to give Him the glory. There are probably also some things in our lives that we wish God hadn’t allowed. But if we haven’t already seen proof, God can and will use everything for His good, even those things that seem lousy and unexplainable to us—if we’ll trust Him.

“God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are, and if we faithlessly discard situation after situation, moment after moment, as not being ‘right,’ we will simply have no place to receive his kingdom into our life,” Dallas Willard says in The Divine Conspiracy. “For those situations and moments are our life.”

As we’ve experienced God’s glory, God has already equipped us to help others to draw closer to Him—more than we know. Jesus told us, “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:18-20, NIV).

Let’s consider how that’s already played out in our lives, and where God might want to take it from here:

• When has God unexpectedly brought one or two “others” into your life who helped you grow closer to Jesus? How did God use them?
• How does (or would) having other Christians you can trust in your life help you to grow in Jesus in a way that “going it alone” can’t?  

God brings people into our lives that we weren’t expecting to help grow us. Begin looking at the people you’re with that way. Learn from each other. Inspire each other. Pull each other up. And find ways to connect outside of our time here to do that as well. And then, watch what God does with it.

And here’s an assignment: If there’s someone you can have this discussion with, get with him or her and talk through the following three questions together. You might have answers to all three of them; you might not have answers for any of them right now. Either way, start exploring them together:

What things am I doing right now that God has clearly led me into—and how am I doing with them? Has God been impressing you to be a better parent, a better spouse, a better steward of your time or resources? Has he called you to come out of a situation or habit that’s hurting yourself or others? Where’s God put you? And how are you doing with it?

What things might God be leading me to do now? What do you think God’s calling you to do right now? How has He been speaking to you lately? And what do you need to confirm that it really has been God prompting you?

What things might stop me from doing what God is leading me into? What’s holding you back right now? Disobedience? Fear? Self-consciousness? Uncertainty? A lack of experience in an area you nonetheless feel God calling you into? What’s holding you back from fulfilling God’s will in your life right now?

After you’ve discussed your answers with each another, take some time to pray for one another, and to set aside a time during the week to touch base with one another, whether that’s phone, e-mail, texting, whatever. May God bless you this week, and may He bless your new journey together!

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Lay Down Your Addiction, part 2

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Last Friday, we addressed the need to lay down the things we hold against others. Today, let’s start dealing with the logs in our own eyes—beginning with the things we know we struggle with. We like to compartmentalize the word “addiction,” but the fact is, the mindset that comes with it is actually pretty pervasive in our lives.

There’s another old-fashioned word for what we’re talking about: lust. And it doesn’t have to be the sexual kind (although it might well be). We want what we want and we want it now. And we keep on wanting it—because it wants us, too. That’s the power of lust, or addiction. We believe it will satisfy a need God can’t, or won’t. But if God won’t satisfy it, it’s not a need. We’re the ones who have elevated our desires to that status. When we cease to trust God, we begin to welcome the lusts of our own hearts.

Jesus didn’t fall for that trick. And therefore, Jesus knows the way out. Because He’s been there. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death… Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted (Hebrews 2:14-15, 18, NIV).

Because Jesus went through temptation for us, came out the other side, and then paid the price for our own failure anyway, He is able to deliver us. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13-14, NIV).

Lay It Down Today

In our first installment on addiction, we talked about the usefulness of spiritual discipline. We’re going to practice one of those disciplines right now: Silence. Pulling ourselves away from the world helps us to hear God more clearly. It’s a way to remove ourselves from the constant compulsive flow of the world that pulls us so easily into temptation and addiction. And, it’s a way of telling God (silently, of course), that He takes priority.

Psalm 46:10a is a pretty popular phrase we throw around for this: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (I’ve always like rephrasing that “Shut up—I’m God.”) But I want you to start your time of silence by reading all of Psalm 46. Because it’s all about trust, and the fact that God is worthy of our trust. Then, take at least 10 minutes to close your eyes and be totally silent before God. Your mind will probably keep buzzing for at least the first few minutes. That’s OK. Give the buzzing time to die down. Let God speak, and quiet yourself down enough so that you can hear Him.

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Small Groups, Big Questions

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Small-groups megachurch pastor. Author. Encourager. Bill Mallonee fan. He’s all this and more.

This week’s Other Voice shifts back to our blogroll, and to be honest I’m not sure why I haven’t called him out sooner.

My Buddy Rob Bentz® is pastor of small groups  for Woodmen Valley Chapel, which at last glance was the largest church in Colorado Springs not called New Life. 🙂 We first met a couple years back, as we were preparing to revamp the already-long-dormant-but-still-rife-with-content smallgroupministry.com (it’s a long, sad story).  For the less than year it was permitted to finally flourish, Rob served as one of our two bloggers.

And lemme tell you, the boy was a quick study. The proof of this lies in the fact that churchleaders.com (who used a bunch of SGM.com’s material to get their own site started — with our blessing, mind you) picked him up after our untimely demise. You can find him elsewhere as well.

And in the months immediately following The Great Purge, Rob was also quite the encourager, to the point of sending useful job listings from the myriad Christian organizations in the Springs (none of which, unfortunately, panned out). You’ll find that kind of encouragement on Rob’s blog as well, Created for Community. You’ll also find good ideas for small groups, as well as a willingness to deal with the harder questions (his Monday entry is one such post).

Enjoy, and we’ll meet up again tomorrow.

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Counting the Gain

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Carl Simmons

We continue our series on God-given vision today. And it’s been awhile since I’ve used a Lord of the Rings clip, so let’s fix that. As you watch, put yourself in this scene and think about the mission you’re feeling called to right now. Then reflect:

• Who in this scene do you most feel like right now? Why?
• What do you think of Bilbo’s words that close this scene? Do they comfort you, unsettle you, or something in between?

Last week, we looked at how we can get caught up in wanting something so badly—even if it seems right to us—that we can talk ourselves into thinking it’s what God wants, too. This week we head in the opposite direction: How can fear and doubt—whether it’s about what God wants, our own motives and capabilities, or something else—cause us to miss, or even run away from, what God wants?

Fear of the unknown—or for that matter, of re-experiencing something painful—is something we all face. And because the future is unknown, it’s easy to make it into something even scarier than it really is.

In his book Love Is an Orientation ,Andrew Marin observes, “Fear of the ‘what-ifs’ tends to have a crippling effect of Christians’ outlook and practice. But we’re not called to live in fear; we’re called to live in faith one day at a time.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer adds,  “The self-tormenting and hopeless question regarding the purity of one’s motives, the suspicious observation of oneself, the glaring and fatiguing light of incessant consciousness, all these have nothing to do with the commandment of God, which grants liberty to live and to act.”

But there’s another spin, too, courtesy of C.S. Lewis, “It is a remarkable fact that on this subject Heaven and Hell speak with one voice…. What matters, what Heaven desires and Hell fears, is precisely that further step, out of our depth, out of our own control.” You never do know where it will take you.

While the future is unknown to us, it’s not unknown to God. You’re reading this because you believe there’s something God wants made known. And for that to happen, the first person he’s going to have to show at least part of that to is you. That thought should frighten you. Therefore, we need to get past our own fears of the unknown and trust that God knows the way he’s taking us. This week is about taking a step forward somehow, and discovering why, despite the fears and uncertainty we might have, that if this is God’s vision, it’s all worth it. So let’s begin.

Since this is our third session on the matter, we’re going to look at three examples this week, so get that additional tab ready. (Don’t worry; no more upping the ante after this.) And since we’ve already put some of our fears on the table, let’s begin to examine the fears we might have about what God’s calling us to, and how we might get past them. And let’s start with an example that few of us would willingly choose. It’s in  Jeremiah 20:7-18.

• What emotions and reactions does Jeremiah experience here?
• Let’s me just ask this: How can one person possibly be feeling all these things at once? How would you explain it?
• Where’s the “fire in [your] bones” right now? In other words: What would you attempt for God even if you knew you’d fail over and over? And where does the vision you’re exploring fit into that?

A big part of recognizing a God-given vision is realizing, “I can’t not do this.” Jeremiah went the distance on a mission that looked like a failure to everyone else, and even to Jeremiah himself. But Jeremiah obeyed God, and even praised God in the midst of his despair, and by doing so he gave an entire nation an opportunity to turn around.

More often, when God gives a vision, He also provides a happier ending, even though there’s often huge obstacles to overcome. So let’s look at a much more successful—but no less scary—example that takes place more than 100 years after Jeremiah’s attempt, in Nehemiah 1:1–2:8/

• How does Nehemiah seek God’s will—and do it—over the course of this passage?
• How strong of an indication is it that the things we’ve “wept… mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven” about are the things God wants us to do?
• And: What’s tougher for you—to weep, mourn, fast, and pray for God’s will (Nehemiah 1:4), or to wait from “late autumn” to “the following spring” (Nehemiah 1:1 and 2:1) for an answer?

There’s a certain point where it doesn’t matter how hard or impossible something looks—if it’s truly God’s call, then it’s a call we need to answer. We never fully know what God’s getting us into, and that’s often a good thing. Nonetheless, we should make every attempt to understand, as best we can, what God wants, and what it’s going to cost us. But once we’ve counted that cost, we need to say “never mind the cost” and embrace what God wants to accomplish. God wants to put things right in this world He’s created, and He wants us to be a part of that plan.

So, one more passage, this time from the New Testament—John 6:60-71.

• About what in your own life, right now, could you say, “Jesus, couldn’t you have made this a little easier to understand?”
• How would Peter’s response, “Lord to whom would we go?” help you move forward, even as you continue to work through those things you don’t understand?

You might still sorting through whether this vision you’re wrestling with is God’s or not—or, whether you’re meant to be a part of it. So let’s wrestle a little more:

• Which of today’s three passages feels closest to your situation right now? Why?
• If things don’t turn out the way you envisioned, what’s the benefit of following wherever Jesus takes you anyway?

The idea here isn’t to fast-track, or short-circuit, your wrestling process, but to think about and pray about what your next steps are. Because no matter what you decide, the future is still unknown, and you’ll still need step somewhere with God’s help. So, start walking….

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Born to Lea… SERVE.

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Think about a humbling or humiliating situation you’ve faced—for example, a layoff or demotion at work, something big you tried that failed in front of everyone, or even something embarrassing that happened when you were growing up. Besides “humbled” or “humiliated,” how else would you describe how you felt when this event was taking place? What good, if any, do you think came out of it?

Jesus talked about humility a lot. Perhaps surprisingly to some, most of His comments about it came in the context of leadership. But to lead as Jesus did, humility is critical. “One can so easily become too great to be used by God,” Corrie ten Boom once said. “One can never be too small for his service.”

Paul understood this about Jesus, and observed it in the leaders he was developing. Check out these passages from his letter to the church in Philippi:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
   did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
   by taking the very nature of a servant,
   being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
   he humbled himself
   by becoming obedient to death—
      even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
   and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father….

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.  Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me (Philippians 2:3-11, 19-30, NIV).

The literal translation of the beginning of verse 7 is “he emptied himself.” Jesus emptied himself. He gave up everything for us. Let’s think about that a bit more, especially if this is the attitude each of us is supposed to have.

• What examples of Jesus’ humility do you see in Timothy and Epaphroditus?
• How do you nonetheless see these two men as leaders? How do you see God (or Paul) honoring their attitude here?
• Do you think we need to be totally emptied of ourselves before God can really work through us? Why or why not?
• If you truly had “the same attitudes that Christ Jesus had” (verse 5), what would look different?

Think about your family, those you work with, and even people you don’t know very well. What are some realistic, practical ways that you can follow Jesus’ example and serve them?

OK, that was a nice mental activity. But let’s take it further:

• Out of all the ideas you just thought of, which ones do you think you’d actually do?
• What makes you uncomfortable or unwilling to serve others? What can help you get past that?

Serving others isn’t always easy or comfortable, but Jesus showed us not only that we can do it, but to have joy while doing it. It can be hard to step out of our comfort zones, but everything Jesus did showed us that it’s worth it to follow His example.

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

“What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:20-28, NIV)

• Be honest: In what ways are you like “the sons of Zebedee,” James and John (or their mom, for that matter)?
• What’s a situation right now where you’d considering serving more fully… as long as it was on your terms?
• What would take for you to let go of your “rights” and serve God however he wants you serve—in that situation or any other?

Ask God to help you use both your hands and your feet to lead the way He wants us to—by serving those around us—and that you’d not only have  His willingness but also His heart for the people He’s placed around us.

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Lay Down Your Bitterness — another piece

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Let’s circle back to last week’s “transgressors” thoughts and add a little something to them. Something else I’ve been noticing in the gospels recently, which I suspect you have too in some similar way….

The people we’d normally think of as transgressors (or whatever word we’d substitute for that)—those who commit sins of some obvious type of self-indulgence—aren’t let off the hook by Jesus, but are also offered his compassion. He calls them out on the carpet, but at the same time He calls them to something better. He understands these people are only trying to fill a void in their lives, however poorly or self-destructively. Thus, He points to Himself and says, “I’m what you’re looking for. Lay down all the rest of it and come follow Me.”

The people who truly anger Jesus aren’t those people I’ve just described. Rather, it’s the victimizers—those who corrupt others, who take advantage of children, those who hurt and damage others, especially those who do it under a veneer of self-righteousness. These are the people Jesus takes on constantly, who are subject to His anger and pronouncements of judgment. And not surprisingly, it’s these people who ultimately condemn Jesus to death—enabling Him to “be numbered with the transgressors.”

And yet, how does Jesus tell us to respond? “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.    

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (Luke 6: 27-36).

In short: You don’t get to hold onto your hurt. You don’t get to allow it to fester into bitterness. You don’t get to hold it over their heads. Let Me handle it. You, lay it down.

And eventually, Jesus’ “head disciple” and our repeated example gets it too. First Peter is full of encouragement to live as Jesus told us to, and I’ll close with these for today. See you next week:

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing (3:9-10)

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander (3:14-16)

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God (4:1-2)

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (4:8-9)

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you (4:12-14)

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (4:16-17)

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