APOSTLE PAUL CHALLENGES US

 Reading II Corinthians 6:1-13 yesterday was an inspiring experience.  I’m copying it here in case you’d like to review it:

6 As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. ² For he says,

‘In the time of my favor I heard you,
    and in the day of salvation I helped you.’

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Paul’s hardships

³ We put no stumbling-block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴ Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶ in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷ in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸ through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹ known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

¹¹ We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. ¹² We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. ¹³ As a fair exchange – I speak as to my children – open wide your hearts also.

Paul opens with an exhortation to not receive God’s grace in vain.  I believe he also talks about this in I Corinthians 15:10, where he refers to doing so as wasted grace.  The Apostle wants us to maximize our faith as he clearly sought to do in his life!  After all, God has gone to great depths to pursue us, redeem us and empower us;  we should, therefore, seek to be all we can be for Him and His Kingdom! 

Yet, ‘losing our first love’ [Revelation 2:4] is so common.  In speaking to the Laodicean church [Revelation 3:16] Jesus indicates how repugnant lukewarm followers were to Him!  Then He goes on – in both passages – to demand repentance and to speak of rebukes and disciplines for those who continue to waste the grace of God. 

It makes you wonder how much of the pain and opposition we face is really God-initiated to try to bring us to repentance?  He – far more than the apostle Paul – wants us to MAXIMIZE our faith.  Doing so will bring us great blessings of peace, joy and in some cases, plenty. 

So, according to Paul’s admonition, how do we fully implement God’s great grace?

By staying faithful to God:

·        By exercising endurance in difficult times including trouble, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments – even riots.  Enduring hard work, sleepless nights – even hunger.

·        By maintaining purity, understanding, patience and kindness through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as an expression of sincere love!  Through truthful speech and manifesting the power of God using the weapons of righteousness in our right hand and in the left! 

·        In times of honor and dishonor, bad report and good report – always being genuine, regardless of how others treat us.  Feeling, at times, like we might die – but pressing on toward eternal life in Christ!

·        Pushing forward through times of persecution and great sorrow;  even poverty, if necessary – knowing that ultimately we will gain a great reward that will last for all eternity! 

You surely see that this runs counter to what we hear and see in our culture.  This is the theology of a servant – to exist to serve and bless others.  This requires a CONSTANT denying of oneself while prioritizing the needs of those God brings us into contact with on a daily basis. Doing so will earn a great reward as well as an eternity of purpose, peace and joy!  It will be worth it all!  

Kind and Gracious Lord,

The only thing we feel that we’re good at is falling short of Your expectations for us.  Once again, we appeal to You for forgiveness and the strength to do better!

Your Call is a call to go beyond ourselves:  our wants and desires – and to be servants of those you cause us to interface with daily. 

Your patience with us amazes us!  You should have washed Your hands of us long ago, but You persevere in seeking to perfect us.  We have experienced no love greater than Yours!

So, we pray:

Make me a servant, humble and meek;

Lord, let me lift up those who are weak;

And may the prayer of my heart always be:

Make me a servant, make me a servant,

Make me a servant today.*

Amen.

*   [song by Kelly Willard]

I’LL DO WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO!

 Mary Brown wrote the words to this hymn in 1891:

It may not be on the mountain’s height,
Or over the stormy sea;
It may not be at the battle’s front,
My Lord will have need of me;
But if by a still, small voice He calls,
To paths that I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine,
I’ll go where You want me to go.

Refrain:
I’ll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,
O’er mountain, or plain, or sea;
I’ll say what You want me to say, dear Lord,
I’ll be what You want me to be.

Perhaps today there are loving words
Which Jesus would have me speak;
There may be now in the paths of sin,
Some wand’rer whom I should seek;
O Savior, if Thou wilt be my guide,
Though dark and rugged the way,
My voice shall echo Thy message sweet,
I’ll say what You want me to say.

In 2015, we returned from three years in China at the end of July.  As prearranged, I began to be the commuting pastor of the Kittanning, PA Free Methodist Church on a part-time basis in September. 

We faced the crisis of re-adapting to a culture we’d been away from for three years.  I desperately missed China and our friends/students there.

We had great difficulty finding a place to live.  We had to find vehicles and replace a lot of what we’d given away three years earlier.

We had no income.

Being a commuting pastor was far more difficult than I had imagined.  I made at least three trips to Kittanning a week and slept three nights on the floor in my office. 

Our son, Travis, died in October.  Words cannot describe the shock, pain and grief that came in the following weeks.

On Christmas night Debbie’s Dad went to be with Jesus after a wonderful day of fellowship, pictures and joy with much of his family! 

In the midst of this chaos we realized we needed a home.  We planned and purchased a manufactured home, secured a lot in Heron Woods and moved into this new home (after MUCH work) in early June, 2016. 

But our lives had changed too much!  We struggled to adapt.  Troy and I built a garage that fall and spring which was a nice diversion. 

However, I had lost something that I couldn’t seem to replace.  With no plans to retire at 65, I did just that.  To some extent, I’ve struggled consistently since that decision was made.

We’ve had trouble finding a satisfactory church home, although in these five years we’ve attended two wonderful churches where we’ve been embraced and accepted. 

I’ve become a Lyft driver which has given me some sense of purpose for my days.  But, it’s not my calling.

This morning, I – along with other elders in the Free Methodist Church – was invited to participate in the ordination of David Quillen at the First FMC in East Liverpool, OH, under the leadership of Bishop Linda Adams.  As I participated in the liturgy, readings, scriptures and prayers of this ordination, I was reminded of personally taking these vows in 1978 – forty-three years ago. 

There’s been a lot of joy and pain in serving the Lord and His Church through those years.  I look back with some satisfaction, knowing that I applied myself diligently and earnestly and saw fruit for my faithfulness.  Thanks be to God. 

But I sense that God is calling me forward into something.  I’m not done yet…

Some things have changed:

·      my physical mobility is challenging me

·      my mental acuity has diminished

·      my hearing difficulties are well established

·      I don’t have the energy that I had even five years ago…

However,

·      my creativity is as alive as ever

·      my passion is still in overdrive

·      I have a reservoir of experience and knowledge

·      I have a desire to be obedient and effective…

So, I’m deliberating, meditating and listening…

Debbie, as always, is right on track with me!  We’re considering what God may be wanting for us. 

We talk about starting a group in our home that would strengthen the spiritual walk of the participants and offer prayer and support as we all move forward in God’s plans for us.  Does God desire for it to morph into something even more significant? 

I’m also considering re-entering the counseling ministry.  This is an area where I’ve seen some fruit and have also been moderately effective evangelistically.  But, I’d need a place.  So, I’m driving around with my eyes open to possible locations.  I want what God wants, and I know there are lots of hurting people out there! 

I hope I’m stirring up your own juices! 

·      What is God trying to accomplish in your life? 

·      What’s He calling you to do? 

·      What changes is He asking you to make to adapt to His plans? 

Here are three ways you can respond:

1.   If you’d like to pray for us – THANKS!

2.   If you’re interested in the group I mentioned, then PM me on Facebook or call/text @ (724) 944-3881.

3.   If you have suggestions or connections for a counseling location – do the same…

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A CLEAR SENSE THAT GOD WAS DEALING WITH YOU?

Odd question, huh?  

But really, have you?  Maybe it’s because I’ve been a pastor for over forty years, but I tend to think that most of us HAVE experienced this awareness of a divine engagement.

Over the years, I’ve found that God has several key ways of getting His messages through to me.  These are not likely to be true for you, but that doesn’t mean that He won’t specifically tailor His leadings to impact you, as well.

BOOKS

It has been remarkable to me that God has repeatedly used good books to get His messages into my heart and mind.  It may be

·      a new book I buy to read

·      an old book that I suddenly notice on my shelf

·      a favorite that God brings to my mind with a suggestion that I re-read it

·      a book someone passes me with a suggestion to read it, or

·      a book recommended by one of the leaders I follow.

But somehow, as I read it I have an awareness that it was appointed for me to do so by God. 

REPETITION

When ideas keep coming round again and again – like a beagle chasing a rabbit – I begin to suspect that God is behind it. 

It could be a scripture passage that I continually see over the course of a couple of weeks.

It might be a topic that shows up

·      in my reading

·      in a message at church

·      in conversations

·      even through what I watch on television.

God knows how obtuse I can be, so from His kindness He repeats the message – UNTIL I GET IT!  Thank You for Your patience, Lord!

HIS WORD

You knew this one was coming, right?

It is His living Word!  It is His Holy Word!  It is His inspired Word!

Its impact is dynamic for everyone who submits themselves to it!

But, if you don’t read it – you forfeit this tremendous channel of communication! 

There have been SO MANY times while reading scripture that I knew God had me reading it for my own benefit!  His grace is STILL AMAZING!

__________________________________

Where is this coming from?

He’s been doing it for me again.  You want to know more, read my next blog… I’LL DO WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO!