Learning to Value Leadership

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Carl Simmons

What makes someone a spiritual leader? Who have you seen demonstrate that kind of leadership? How so?

We’re entering a new Monday series today, focused on spiritual leadership*. The fact is, you’re all leaders, whether you have a spiritual gift of leadership or because God’s blessed you by putting you where others rely on you. No matter how you got here, you’re leading in some way even now, and God wants to help you lead better.

And that’s not just in church—that’s family, work, even among your friends. You’re here today because God has grown and matured you, and whether you see yourself as a leader or not, someone does. So let’s honor the faith that others have placed in us. And while we’re at it, let’s better understand at how we can honor those God has already raised up as our leaders.

Grab yourself a coin, and hang onto it as you read. I’ll explain why later. In the meantime, let’s look at a couple different examples of leadership within one passage:

So Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well (Luke 7: 6-9, NIV)

What different types of leadership do you see here? How is that authority both recognized and honored by others here? What happens, as a result?

Now, for a tougher one—especially this morning*:

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”…

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light….

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.  For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor (1 Peter 2:4-6, 9, 13-17, NIV)

• What connections do you see here between trusting God’s authority and trusting human authority? How might all authority be seen as spiritual?
• So, does rejecting human authority mean rejecting Jesus? Why or why not?
• Take note the coin in your hand. In light of the answers you just gave, how much value do really you attach to being a leader?
• When have you been able to take the lead with something that really mattered to you? What did you learn from the experience?
• Without naming names, who’s a spiritual leader you know—who truly loves God—but whom you nonetheless have trouble working with? How can you see God working in him or her, and how can you honor that more openly?
• This time we’ll name names: How do you still struggle with seeing yourself as a spiritual leader? What would you want God to change about you right now?

Look again at the coin in your hand. Think of it as the responsibility God’s entrusted you with—again, no matter what that looks like right now. Take a minute to silently ask God to help you value what He’s trusted you with, and to also help you recognize the value He’s placed upon others through the responsibilities He’s given them. I’ll throw my own prayer in here:

Lord, we thank You for raising each of us up and trusting us to represent you in our churches, our homes, our workplaces, our relationships—even if we can’t understand why You would. We also thank You for the leaders you’ve given us. Help us to honor and trust their judgment, knowing that ultimate they’re accountable to You even more than to us. Help us to trust You in the circumstances you’ve placed us, and to let You lead all of us in the way You see fit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

*** P.S. It’s worth noting that most of this content was written two  years ago and this was “just its time” to repurpose it. Perhaps God’s timing as well. And as always, a reminder to myself before anyone else….

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Lay Down Your Strength: a fragment

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Even the strength we think we have comes from our need to compare ourselves to others. We may be correct in thinking we’re much more gifted in a certain area or areas in comparison to others. But what is that in comparison to God? Even our strength is weakness, and until we’re willing to acknowledge that, even what little strength we have is useless to God.

Study the life of Abraham sometime. On a personal level, that may have been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in terms of understanding how God operates in our lives. Over and over, you see this cycle: God calls –> Abraham tries to do things his own way, and fails miserably –> Abraham finally “gets it,” relents and allows God to accomplish His will in His way and with His timing –> Abraham himself begins to truly reflect God’s will. Thus, in the end, Abraham gets where God wants him, but in God’s way and God’s way only. Abraham was an ordinary man, with an extraordinary God.

Likewise, we often want to do God’s work, but nearly as often don’t want to do it in God’s way. But unless what we do starts and ends with God, it’s worth nothing. Do we want to give birth to an Ishmael or an Isaac?

Our strength—or rather, our reliance upon it—is still pride. And likewise, it must be broken. Watchman Nee, in his book Changed Into His Likeness, put it this way, “The characteristic of those who truly know God is that they have no faith in their own competence, no reliance upon themselves.” When we reach that point, then we are truly useful to God.

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Loving and Growing Your Children

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Carl Simmons

We’re continuing our Wednesday explorations of  bringing Jesus further into our deepest relationships, and this week we focus on our relationships with our children. For some of us, these might be the deepest relationships we have.

But unlike our relationships with our spouses and our friends, this role carries a much broader set of responsibilities. We have to do more than love our children—we’re charged with raising them. To teach them. To discipline them. To model Jesus to them.  To use just a couple modest examples:

• What’s one phrase or habit that always reminds you of your mother or father?
• How have your tried to emulate or avoid your parents’ behaviors in your own life?

Let’s face it, this responsibility can be both scary and overwhelming. But as we let Jesus work through our relationships with our children, He can accomplish far more than we’d hoped—and the results might look very different from what we had in mind.

Not all of you have children, but we still need to learn to love those closest to us the way Jesus loves them and help them to grow the way Jesus wants them to grow. You may well be in a relationship where you can help another person do that—where you’re a spiritual parent. So stay with me; there may be something here for you, too.

And with that, let’s looks at a general example that can work wherever we’re at:

“[A]lthough we could have imposed our weight as apostles of Christ; instead we became  little children  among you. Like a nursing mother caring for her own children, with such affection for you we were happy  to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. For you recall, brothers and sisters,  our toil and drudgery: By working night and day so as not to impose a burden on any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and so is God, as to how holy and righteous and blameless our conduct was toward you who believe. As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his own children,  exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you live in a way worthy of God who calls you to his own kingdom and his glory. And so  we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human message,   but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:7-13, NET)

How does Paul describe his behavior toward the Thessalonians? What did he model for them? How do you see that model being passed on to others here?

Likewise, what are some positive traits that your parents, or other adults, have modeled for you? How has that modeling affected your walk with Jesus? How have you been able to pass those traits on to others?

Now, let’s get a little more parent-specific. There’s a great scene in the animated movie The Incredibles, about a family (re-)discovering and learning to use their superpowers for good. In fact, you can watch it here.

• Think about the quote “Your identity is your most valuable possession.” In what ways do you think that’s true (or not)?
• How do you see Violet’s identity change during the course of this scene? What things enabled or forced her to change?
• What character traits do you believe you model well for your children? Which traits does your spouse or others model that you wish you shared?

Every child, regardless of age, is a promise from God—and God wants to fulfill His promise in each of our children’s lives. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in a given situation with our children—or so wrapped up in ourselves—that we forget that. So let’s slow down for a moment.

What’s one area in which you know you could honor your children more? Maybe it’s quality time; maybe it’s any amount of time at all; maybe you need to ask your child’s forgiveness for something and let God’s grace work through that process.

Silently reflect on that now, and begin handing it over to God. Pray something like this, and I will at this end, too:

Lord, we want our children to become the people You want them to be. Help us to release them into Your hands so You can do what You want to do. And use us to reveal Yourself to them. We also thank You for all the ways You ’ve used us to speak into our kids’ lives, even when we weren’t aware of it.

At the same time, we acknowledge that we’ve failed sometimes—probably lots of times—and we ask that You help us become better parents. Right now we confess our need for You in…[say whatever’s appropriate here].

We know You honor our prayers, and we ask for Your Spirit to work through us to become the parents You want us to be, even as You help our kids become the people You want them to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Rumors of Glory

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson imagine a church that lives up to the teachings of its Lord and Savior, and invite us to dream along—and then do something about it.

Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson. Rumors of God: Experience the Kind of Faith You’ve Only Heard About. Softcover, 192p., $15.99. Thomas Nelson.

The authors, childhood friends in Australia both now pastoring in the States—Whitehead at Willow Creek, Tyson at Trinity Grace Church in New York City—challenge our faith as well as provide some concrete examples of how they’ve seen it lived out in the course of their ministries. If you read these kinds of books often, much of what’s here won’t be new—chances are you have in fact witnessed “the faith you’ve only heard about,” albeit wished you saw it more consistently—but the authors’ enthusiasm is contagious. And I do appreciate  that it’s not just another “here’s what’s wrong with the church” book (or worse yet, yet another “here’s why people hate the church and we’d better adapt” book).

As some point of comparison: Think a decidedly more winsome version of David Platt’s Radical—not as in-your-face (which cuts both ways), but not as proscriptive either: Whitehead & Tyson throw out the challenges and the real-life illustrations to go with them, then leave it up to you to figure out how that’s going to work in your situation.

A couple chapters stand out from the pack, “Giving Up Your Rights” and “The Green Room.” Both push us to insist on, and live out, God’s justice and mercy rather our own version of “justice” (which often bears more resemblance to revenge). Key quotes from the latter chapter:

• Regarding The Lord’s Prayer: “Jesus’ prayer was not that souls would be saved so the people could go to heaven. Jesus told us to pray that God’s kingdom would come here, now.”

• And the refrain that closes more than a few paragraphs later in the chapter: “When we steward our privilege, the kingdom comes.” Translation: God has given us the blessings we have for a reason, and the reason isn’t us.

Looking at the book from a small-group perspective: The Reading Group Guide in the back is rather congested—each “question” is more like 4-5 questions all at once (I can hear the entire group saying “Can you repeat that?” as I read it)—but the talking points are relevant and useful. I would have loved to have seen some applicational questions as well, though.

All in all, there’s better books to be had out there, but if you don’t already have them, you could do far worse than to start here. Whitehead and Tyson envision a church that’s far more than what it is right now, and will help you do the same.

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The Neverending Story

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Carl Simmons

What’s your favorite story, and how does it end? (Here’s mine –> . For the record, I didn’t know the ending when I started reading it, let alone that I would find myself in the same place as Raskolnikov only a few hours before I found out.)

Think also about the story you and God are writing together right now. How have you recently seen God working in your life and your relationships? How has seeing that helped you to grow? How does all that fit into the bigger story of your lifelong—your eternal—journey with Jesus?

It’s been said that we might be the only Bible some people will ever read. That can be a scary thought, especially given some of the chapters that we’ve already written. But the good news is: God is still writing. We don’t always understand why God adds or allows certain chapters in our lives, but we do know that He’s crafting our stories to end well.

Robert Gelinas, in his book Finding the Groove, states, “Every person we encounter is someone who is also on the verge of encountering Christ incognito.”And as with any good story, God builds on what he’s already done. If we cooperate, our stories will always be moving forward, no matter how much we or other people might see or don’t see.

So let’s consider what the next chapter in our lives might look like, by considering what God’s written already, both in our lives and in His word. Let’s start with arguably my second-favorite passage in the Bible (and the other isn’t far behind—in fact the latter paragraph, last I heard, is my youngest daughter’s favorite passage):

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is present,  there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from  the Lord, who is the Spirit”(2 Corinthians 3:8-18, NET).

“More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung!  – that I may gain Christ,  and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness – a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness. My aim is to know him,  to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

“Not that I have already attained this – that is, I have not already been perfected – but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me.  Brothers and sisters,  I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded:  Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God  in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8-14, NET)

How does staying focused on what God’s going to do help keep you going right now? How does it also help you to let go of your own expectations or fears, and to just smile and say, “OK God, whatever’s next—bring it on”?

We are always learning. “We do not want to be beginners. But let us be convinced of the fact that we will never be anything else but beginners, all our life!” as Thomas Merton says. Still, we do know what God has already taught us, and that might well be an indicator of what He’s preparing us for. So think about this:

• What are you doing (or need to be doing) right now that you know Jesus wants you doing? Sum it up in a sentence or two; be specific.
• What do you think the next chapters in your story might look like? Who are the main players in it? Feel free to dream aloud here.
• Who can continue to support and encourage you, and vice versa, as you begin the next chapter?

Spend some time praying right now. Thank God for being with you always, and for the people He’s put in your life—whose examples, whose challenges, whose friendships help keep you growing out further and yet closer to God. Thank Him for the parts of your story He has yet to write, and for the parts He’s already written.

May you be able to celebrate the love God has for you, and your love for one another—and to take that love wherever God sends you next.

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Lay Down What’s Done, Part 1

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Getting this one out to you a little early, as we’re leaving sun-up tomorrow morning to visit our daughter and son-in-law. Which, in a way, connects with this latest entry….

Our first several Friday entries have been about you receiving forgiveness; this next bunch are about you extending it—to others, and maybe to yourself as well.

Let’s pick up where we left off last week. Only this time, rather than dwelling on the things that have caused us deep shame—and for today at least, the need to forgive others in those areas—let’s go broad instead of deep. Let’s explore the width and breadth of all those “little” things from our past that nonetheless work together to hold us back from believing God’s best for us.

And the fact is, the person least immune to all this is me. As I warned all of us in the introduction, by addressing these issues and “laying them out” before you, I’m also taking a buzzsaw to the undergrowth in my own life. And as I finished the previous devotion (Week 1, Day 5), I got hit by my own accusations—not by shame per se, but by all the negative things in my past that I nevertheless allow to define me.

To be sure, some of my counter-reactions to those negative things have had some very positive results. You’re reading one of them right now. For that matter, there’s a six-book bible-study series with my name on it out there that was very much a counter-reaction to a few different yet decidedly negative circumstances in my life at the time (“I’ll show you what discipleship looks like!”). And as I reflect upon it, it was my counter-reaction to my childhood that gave me the determination to ensure that my marriage and the way our children were raised would be different. And they were.

And yet, there’s a piece of me—bigger than I probably realize even now—that still spends an inordinate amount of time identifying myself against those negative things in the past that I’m not. Looking at that in other people’s lives—and I think this is even truer with those trapped by shame—I observe what I like to call a “spiritual Stockholm Syndrome.” That is, the penchant to identify ourselves with—and excuse, yet not truly forgive—those who have hurt us deeply.

I, too, am often just as trapped by it.

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Books Can Be “Well Done,” Too

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Carl Simmons

And no, I’m not talking about “well done books” in the burning sense…. but rather “well done” in the “parable of the stewards” sense of Matthew 25, because that’s where this book takes its cue from.

Dwayne Moore. Heaven’s Praise: Hearing God Say “Well Done.” Softcover, 176p., $14.99. Group Publishing.

Full disclosure alert: I was editor for this book and wrote the small-group sessions, and was editor for the youth version of Dwayne’s first book which also just released last month. That said, there’s a reason that I and my marketing manager (or was I her editor? Hi Amy!) went to the leadership team and pushed for both books until we finally got our way. Now it’s your turn to find out why.

Let’s face it, this whole “God rewards us in the next life for what we do in this one” thing is a tricky subject. It sounds egotistical. Self-serving. Kind of arrogant, actually. And really, on the other end of that, is there really any way that anything I do is good enough for God to call “well done”?

And yet, it’s a thoroughly biblical principle, and as Dwayne points out, a very logical one: When you love another person, you want that person to be happy. And you want to know you’ve made him or her happy. You want to see and experience their joy, because you love them. Very little in this life beats that feeling. How much more so then with God, the creator of all persons and things, who loves and desires to take joy in us?

As a noted worship leader and teacher, Dwayne knows a little bit about taking joy in Jesus, and he shares that knowledge with us—again, in a way that’s thoroughly biblical as well as often quite personal. Dwayne walks us through the elements of a life well-lived, and shows us not only that such a life is possible but one that God calls every one of us to.

This 6-week study contains five daily devotionals and a small-group session for each week; therefore, it works for individuals as well as with churches or small groups.  (Brilliant editorial decision, that. :)) Each devotional includes opportunities to stop and reflect, as well as opportunities to do something tangible with what you’re learning, including “My Daily Response” and “My Daily Meditation” at the end of each day.

And there’s a few places in this book that will just plain get to you. A couple I won’t fully give away: Dwayne’s struggles during the beginning of his own calling from God in his teen years; and the story of 9-year-old Tucker Beam, who fought cancer on three separate occasions, and how he and his parents dealt with it all (I know people who were crying over this one before it even went to press).

And somehow, the following passage from Week 1, Day 1 just got to me more personally, and encapsulates what this book is all about:

“Was there someone in your life who poured time, energy and resources into helping you accomplish a dream?… The crowd is on edge as you step up to the plate to bat or raise your bow to play. This is the moment you’ve dreamed of. And you don’t disappoint. You play your heart out. Your beautiful notes soar all over the music hall. Or your hit goes flying over the outfield fence. The crowd goes wild. Everyone’s on their feet, clapping and shouting.

“But… you’re not thinking about all those other people out there cheering for you. Your eyes scans the crowd for your mom or dad or friend who made all this possible, the one who sacrificed so much so you could have this moment. When your eyes meet, and you see the pure joy and pride on that person’s face, no one else’s applause and no one else’s approval even matters.

“That’s how it is with God’s praise of you and me. Nothing will bring more pleasure to us—or to him.”

Spend some time exploring Heaven’s Praise, and let your mind and heart be opened by how God wants each of us to “finish well.”

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Who’s the most important person in your life?

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Who’d you come up with? And don’t spiritualize/cop out on this question and say “Jeee-sus.” I’m talking about the most important person on this earth to you.

Now, why is he or she the most important person to you? And “because he or she’s my ________” isn’t an acceptable answer. Why is that person  important to you?

As best as you can remember, when did you realize that something had changed in your relationship? Was it a dramatic change or did it happen more gradually?

For the next few months’ worth of Wednesdays, we’re exploring how a living relationship with Jesus affects every part of our lives. We’re going to start with the most important human relationship in our lives right now. For many of us, that’s our spouses, and that’s where the principle focus will lie today.

For others of us, though, that’s not the case. No matter what your current situation is, the bigger question remains: How do you show the love of Christ to the most important person or people in your life?

As we learn to share our lives in Jesus with those people, we begin to understand how to share it with others as well—and our most important relationships become deeper and more intimate as a result. Loving those closest to us the way Jesus loves them is something we all need to learn more about. Read, then reflect:

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he  may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.  In the same way  husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body  but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body.  For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become  one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually  speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless,  each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself,  and the wife must  respect  her husband” (Ephesians 5:22-33, NET).

This passage tends to elicit some strong reactions, so let’s not ignore them as we break this passage down further. And to be clear, these questions are for both sexes:

• What’s your reaction to the word “submit”? What personal experiences—positive or negative—does it bring to mind?
• Think about a time you submitted to your spouse (or again, another important person in your life). Why did you choose to do it? How did it affect your relationship?
• What’s the connection between submitting to someone and loving someone? How are they different? How does submitting show the other person how important he or she is to you?

If that important person in your life is available right now—or you’re able to remember this entry long enough afterward to attempt this—I’d like you to try a little experiment in submitting. I’ve seen this do some powerful work in a small-group context, but there’s no reason it wouldn’t work in the privacy of your own home/coffee shop/workplace/etc. …

Sit down with that person. Let the younger of you two take three minutes to share something you’re currently struggling with outside of your relationship. It might be a work situation, a problem with a family member or neighbor, or something you’ve really been wrestling with God over. Tell your partner what you really think about the situation, and if possible, how he or she could help. Be sure not to direct any criticism or blame as you describe your situation.

Those of you listening: Do nothing but listen. Don’t suggest. Don’t commiserate. Don’t get defensive. Don’t do anything but listen.

After three minutes, switch roles. And again, as your partner shares, be quiet and don’t interrupt. If nothing else, this is a good opportunity to talk about something you’ve been wrestling with—and to practice your listening skills! Afterward, reflect together:

• Which was easier for you: talking or listening? Why?
• How do you feel honored when you know someone’s really listening to you?
• What are some other ways can you can submit to and honor the person across from you?

Communication foster intimacy, and as Bill Hybels says, “For a marriage relationship to flourish, there must be intimacy. It takes an enormous amount of courage to say to your spouse, ‘This is me. I’m not proud of it—in fact, I’m a little embarrassed by it—but this is who I am.’ ”

So either on your own, or together, reflect on these questions. Again, substitute “most important person” for “spouse” as needed:

• Within the past month, was there a time you let your day get so full that you barely had time for your spouse?
• Have you recently ignored your spouse—even for a minute—because of something you were watching on television, a computer screen, cell phone, or iPhone?
• Within the past year, have you let work get in the way of a time the two of you had planned to be together?
• Within the past six months, have you let a dispute over children, friends, or activities come between you?
• Have you ever let a hobby or other interest consume so much of your time that your spouse felt neglected?
• Let’s look at the positive side now: What’s one way your spouse has shown that you take priority in his or her life? How has that helped you  “return the favor”?
• What’s your biggest challenge in giving priority to your spouse? What’s one practical change you could make to overcome that?

Be sure to put your answer to that last question into practice. And may God bless each you as you take your relationships to the next level.

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Pay It Forward: discipleship version

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Carl Simmons

If you’ve never seen the movie Pay It Forward, you’ve probably at least heard the concept, although you may or may not have been given the full picture. Usually it’s portrayed as: One person does a good, unselfish deed for someone else, who “pays it forward” to another person, and so on (and often with the implication that it will come back to us at some point). Which in itself certainly isn’t a bad thing.

But let’s come back to the movie illustration of it, portrayed on the right, which today we might call  “generosity gone viral.” It still starts with one person, who serves three other people, who then reach out to three more, and so on. Which becomes a huge impact in a hurry. And the one person at the top of the chart already has his or her reward—that person is watching this goodness, cooperation, a willingness to serve, faith that others would see it through, spread. Who wouldn’t want to see that?

Assuming you feel the same, here’s the next question: How could we apply this idea to the people we’re already invested in? Think about it. If you poured out your life in Jesus into —and I mean poured out into, not just “checked in regularly with” or “was accountable to”—just three other people each year, and each of them did the same thing… you can see the possibilities. And sure, some of the people you invest in won’t do this; but others will go far beyond this as God leads them. So let’s stay focused on the possibilities and dream a little today.

If we’ve really take Jesus’ words to heart and applied them, it’s likely we’ve already found ourselves in deeper, more meaningful relationships. It’s also likely that God has stirred up something else within us—a desire to grow even more people into the love of Jesus. That might mean expanding our circle of influence, maybe even taking more of a leadership role—because if God’s put something on your heart, he wants you to do something about it.

As you step into the mission God’s called you to, you may be surprised to discover who else God has been calling—but was waiting for you to step out and step up. And if we’re willing to make that investment in others, and help them see how they can impact others in the way God’s called them to, there’s no telling how big an impact our little contribution could make. And even if you never see the results, that’s OK. God sees it. And so does every person your life has touched, either directly or indirectly.

Let’s look at two passages—one at the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry and one near the end—both ultimately speaking to all of us:

“’The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim releaseto the captives
and the regaining of sight  to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year  of the Lord’s favor.’

“Then  he rolled up  the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then  he began to tell them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read’” (Luke 4:18-20, NET).

“Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited 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 naked and clothe you? When  did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the king will answer them,  ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’ (Matt. 25:34-40, NET).

What connections do you see between Jesus’ mission and ours? What differences? And, why do you think Jesus puts so much value on the people we tend not to value?

You might know people who literally are poor, imprisoned, blind, or oppressed, and you might feel a burden to reach out to them. Maybe you don’t know these kinds of people personally, but you still feel a burden. Or maybe the people you’re thinking about aren’t literally suffering like this, but it’s obvious that they’re spiritually hurting.  And they need Jesus just as much, if not more, right now. So consider this:

• Whatever your definition is: Who are the poor/imprisoned/blind/oppressed in your life?
• How have you seen yourself as poor, imprisoned, blind, oppressed (or still do)?
• How has God been preparing you—investing in you, maybe through those things you just thought of in that last question—to “proclaim… the Lord’s favor” to others?

It’s important to discover the answers God wants you to have. Not the “right” answer. Not the answer that will make you feel less guilty. Not even “What should I do?” But the answer to this: What has God put on your heart, and what does He want you to do about it? And if that answer’s not clear, the ability to wait on God and enjoy His presence while you wait.

Go ahead and keep reading from Matthew 25, this time from verses 14-29, often known as “The Parable of the Talents.” And think about this:

• How have you already seen God turn the “small amount” he’s trusted you with into something bigger?
• Why should we welcome “many more responsibilities” as God gives them to us?
• In what ways do you still take what God’s given you and “[dig] a hole in the ground” to hide it?
• How might God want you to “dig out” and invest, so you can “celebrate together”? And what will that investment cost you?

Also, begin thinking about this : Who can come alongside and help you—either in a hands-on way, to help you think it through, to encourage you, to tell you how they walked through it, whatever? Who can pour into your life, as you’re learning to become that person to others?

Paul David Tripp, in his book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, reminds us: “Remember, it is impossible to celebrate God’s work of transformation without confessing your need for more. No one is more ready to communicate God’s grace than someone who has faced his own desperate need for it.”

Let’s take all this to heart and move forward, together.

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Lay Down Your Shame

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Carl Simmons

“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8, NIV).

One of the very first things Peter says to Jesus captures a huge issue for a lot of us. After a night of fishing and catching nothing, Jesus blesses Peter, James and John with more fish than they can handle—and yet, all Peter can see is how short he’s fallen of God’s perfection.

Which, in itself, isn’t a bad thing. It’s not unusual for us, too, to react this way when we first truly encounter Jesus, and we always need to remember the truth in Peter’s words. But Jesus didn’t come just so He could “go away.” He calls us to lay down a life consumed by shame at who we are or what we’ve done.

The things we’ve done—and the evils done to us—are done. By continuing to base our identity in those things instead of allowing them to die, we will never approach God—or more to the point, let Him in, because God is already approaching us. We can’t undo what happened, but we can undo the hold of those things upon us. We can own our sin without it owning us. Jesus’ response to Peter, James and John confirms this: “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people” (Luke 5:10). Jesus calls each of us to lay down our shame, and follow Him forward instead.

But because of our willingness to identify ourselves by our worst moments, we’ll do just about anything to fill the hole that the Spirit should be occupying. We believe we need to be successful, popular, powerful, constantly entertained or occupied, because what we are and what we have isn’t good enough. That’s where the power of temptation lies—in the idea that who God created us to be, and what He’s created us for, isn’t good enough. That God got it—and us—wrong.

This brings us full-circle to letting go of this old, false self and embracing who were truly meant to be in Jesus; that’s what this laying-down process is all about. We are called to acknowledge our guilt and move on, not take up permanent residence in our shame or our hurts.

In a (hopefully not blasphemous) sense, Jesus has carried and shared in our guilt all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Like the first Adam, he looked on instead of stopping those events from occurring. The Fall could have been prevented. But it wasn’t. But let’s not forget another incident, in another garden several thousand years later, which Jesus also could have stopped from happening. But He didn’t. Jesus stopped in Gethsemane, and saw through at Calvary, what began in Eden.

The cross removes our guilt. All of it, if we’ll let it. However, it leaves responsibility. Jesus says to us, just as he did the woman caught in adultery, “I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11, NET). And, to “take up the cross, and follow me” (Mark 10:21, KJV).

But it’s not all work and struggle. Let’s circle back to Peter, because God uses him to give us a great “before and after” picture. Three years later, mere days after Jesus’ resurrection and appearance to the disciples—and for that matter, mere days after Peter’s repeated denial of Jesus—we see almost the exact same scene as the one in Luke 5, this time in John chapter 21. Peter, James and John go fishing again; this time they’ve got Thomas, Nathanael and two other disciples with them (and after all the bickering throughout the gospels, it’s nice to see them finally starting to work together). And again, they have another bad night of fishing.

This time Jesus shows up on the shore—close enough to yell, but far enough that they can’t yet tell it’s Him. He tells them to cast out their nets, and again, the nets can’t hold all the fish they catch. Peter’s been here before; he realizes it’s Jesus.

But what’s Peter’s reaction this time? He throws himself into the sea and swims as fast as he can toward shore. He doesn’t wait for the boat to dock, or freak because the guy he’d betrayed only days earlier is maybe 100 yards away, back from the dead and knows how to walk on water. This time, Peter’s going as fast as he can to Jesus.

Clearly Peter’s still an impetuous kind of guy, and “a sinful man!”, but equally clearly he’s learned something about his relationship to Jesus. Peter, quite literally, is shame-less.

And now it’s our turn. Whatever has happened in our past is an opportunity for Jesus to transform it, and us, if we’ll let Him. “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3). You are in fact already blessed because none of us deserve grace, and no matter who you are or where you stand with Jesus at this moment, His grace is offered to every one of us anyway, right now. And therefore, the challenge now becomes to receive and rejoice in that grace. The past is gone. Let it stay gone. And we’ll look more into that next week.

Lay It Down Today

What issues from your past came to mind as you read today? Get a piece of paper and write them down. Then bury your past—literally.

First, take some time to pray, giving over to God whatever you’ve written down, and asking the Spirit’s help in empowering you to keep letting those things go. Then, take your paper and bury it (or tear it up). Thank God for your past—because it’s made you who are today, and in brand-new ways you’re now willing to let Him reveal—but let whatever shame that remains in your past die, so you future can live.

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