Saturday, November 30, 2013

THE WAY TO PEACE




When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, He causes their enemies to make peace with them.

Proverbs 16:7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever had an enemy? Someone who it seemed was always at odds with you?

Maybe your enemy is someone at work. Maybe it’s a neighbor. Maybe it’s someone in your own family as it can be many a time (Does anything hurt as much as someone who is flesh and blood being your adversary?).

Yes, we all have enemies and perhaps the one thing we crave more than anything when we have them is for the conflicts to end, taking with them the stress, anxiety, angst, and fear that accompanies them. We long to be liberated, to experience peace once again in our lives. We wish for things to return to some sense of normalcy.

I remember an incident once that I ran into. I was a Departmental Leading Chief on one of the ships I served on and had just gotten a new Department Head, a Navy Officer, to work for. He came on board and instead of partnering with me to run the department, he sought to be oppositional in every matter we had to handle together. Everything was a battle, as if he needed to assert his authority over me by choosing a side and fighting me to win. It was a real difficult, challenging, and caustic work environment to say the least and it wasn’t just me. He seemed to do it with everyone.

So how did I handle this situation? It seemed like it was going to be a few years of long term misery and all out warring as he and I were going to be stationed together for awhile. No one was going to be the better for that unless this situation got fixed. I needed help and was at a loss as to how to deescalate things and bring the working relationship to a place where we could cooperate and function properly for the good of the people we were appointed to lead. And so I did the only thing I knew to do. I prayed.

That was the key. I fell back on my faith and allowed the Lord to help me through the situation. I wrote yesterday about how He is always working things out to their proper end. Well, that’s just what He did here as well fulfilling yet another of His proverbs:

When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, He causes their enemies to make peace with them. Proverbs 16:7

I was strong in my walk with the Lord and committed to live each day as Jesus lived. Everyone I worked with knew that about me, even my new boss. And if I acted in any other way than how Jesus would have acted, then I would have sinned and brought discredit to His holy and precious name. There was a sense of accountability I always felt and I embraced it because I wanted to be held in check. As a result, my ways were the ways of Christ and those ways will always bring the Lord pleasure.

Back to my story.

For it came time to debrief annual evaluations and I had to sit down with my Department Head to do mine. He asked me how I thought things were going, and I, never one to not tell the truth, shared with him my feelings, critiquing him but doing so professionally. If we were going to get things where they needed to be, we were going to have to talk about things openly.

Well, right after I finished sharing what my concerns were (and he asked me, remember), he launched into a verbal assault that went on for a minute maybe two. He was yelling at me at the top of his lungs and cursing me out, telling me that I don’t understand what he is doing and I have no right to criticize him. His reaction shocked me a little and although it angered me at first, I didn’t go at it with him. Instead, I allowed the Holy Spirit to take over and bring me calm in the midst of the conflict. I sat there and looked at him and waited for him to finish, allowing him to get everything out of his system. You see, he needed to purge before the Lord could enter in and do something special.

After he finished, I asked him if I could speak now and he said, “OK.” I, in a calm manner, simply told him that I thought we were sitting down to discuss concerns about our department and how things were running. I said, “I thought that we were here to have a professional discussion. What I didn’t come here for was to be yelled at like a dog and verbally abused. And so if this is where this meeting is going and if this is going to continue, then I have nothing else to say and I’m finished.”

What happened next is what is so amazing (and miraculous) about this testimony. For my department head leaned back in his chair, breathed out a big breath like one does when they are stressed, and said to me, “Senior Chief, I am sorry for speaking to you like that.” And I gladly accepted his apology and told him I forgave him.

You know, from that point on, we had as good a professional working relationship as you could ask for and it all happened because the Prince of peace caused one who was my enemy to make peace with me. Once again, the word of the Lord had been fulfilled.

I don’t know what you are going through today but maybe you have a situation where you are dealing with an adversary. My best counsel for you is to follow the word of the Lord today from Proverbs 16:7 and find your way to peace, walking in the way of Jesus so that the Lord sees your life as pleasing and then causes your enemies to choose peace over war in their dealings with you.

Friends, the word of the Lord is truth. I witnessed it myself and know it will work for you too. Stay encouraged, faithful, and trusting. He will handle the rest.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

Friday, November 29, 2013

HE IS ALWAYS WORKING IT OUT




The Lord works out everything to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster.

Proverbs 16:4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

A lot of people are going through tough times today. This truth bears out in the number of prayer requests I have.

People are trying to endure tough economic times, either trying to make ends meet with the job they have or struggling because they aren’t currently working. The prospects for both seem dire as the economy seems to be flat-lined and the job pool is extremely shallow if not dried up in many areas.

These economic problems are placing strain on relationships resulting in varying degrees of brokenness. Either couples are in a constant state of dispute which too often leads to abusiveness or they just agree to end their relationship all together, leaving fractured lives and hearts scattered throughout society, a number that includes many children who are left caught in the middle.

Others are struggling with a multitude of health issues, some minor, some life threatening. The illnesses and diseases people are afflicted with are as varied as the treatment regimens people face after being diagnosed. They range from a short full recovery to having to be on medication for the rest of their life to keep their affliction under control to surgery or possibly radiation or chemotherapy or transplant or amputation or a combination of these in order to give someone a chance to continue living.

Still others grapple with the matter of death, whether facing down their own mortality or grieving the loss of a loved one or friend. We all know death is something that is inevitable in life but when it happens, we all have our difficulties in dealing with the finality of it all.

This is obviously not an all inclusive list of issues people are dealing with today but I feel it captures the fact that so many are dealing with so much.

So where can we find some form of encouragement in the midst of our circumstances? Is there any good news?

Fortunately, there is and it comes as it always does from the word of the Lord. Here’s is just one verse which I will frame my point around:

The Lord works out everything to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster. Proverbs 16:4

Here is the good news for all of us today and every day.

The Lord is working things out. Believe it.  

The Lord has always worked things out for those who place their faith and trust in Him. And He always will. I can say that because His word is truth and His word says that He works everything out to its proper end.

But do people today really believe this in their hearts? Do they really trust that the Lord is working things out in their lives, especially in the midst of situations where there seems to be no way out of difficulty?

It can be hard, right?

You see, our human nature gets in the way of allowing us to fully accept and buy into the fact that the Lord is at work in our tough times. We expect Him to work immediately and give us instant relief from what is ailing us and when that fails to happen, we allow our faith to wane and sometimes even leave us.

We hear the word of Lord telling us that the Lord is working things out but deep inside we want a sign that this is happening. We want some evidence so we can believe like the doubting disciple Thomas who failed to trust that he was communicating and communing with a resurrected Savior. Unless Thomas could touch the places where Jesus was nailed to the cross, he would not believe that Jesus was really with him (John 20:24-28). I feel Jesus, through God’s word, says the same thing to those who refuse to believe Him today that he said to Thomas more than 2,000 years ago:

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29

Indeed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. Those who trust that the Lord is working things out to their proper end and fulfilling this other promise we find in Paul’s letter to the Romans:

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Our Lord God is always working things out to their proper end but He is also working things out for the good of those who love Him. Believe and trust in the Lord, love Him with all your heart and mind and soul and strength, and He will work things for your good. That’s good news for us today from His word, even in the midst of the most trying times.

Do you believe it?

There’s one other major point I want to make before I close this devotion today.

For there may be one question you might be asking yourself from this proverb which serves as the foundation of today’s message:

So Mark, define a “proper end” for me. What does that mean exactly?

You see, the question needs to be asked because the answer frames the stumbling block that gets in the way of most people believing that the Lord is working things out.

The only right answer to the question is that the proper end is determined by the Lord and the Lord alone. We may have our own ideas of what the proper end should be to our circumstances but that’s not what matters. What counts is how the Lord wants it all to end and this has two application points.

The first is in dealing with our life matters. We are in the midst of a given situation and the Lord has a proper end in mind. That ending might be happy; it might be bad. It depends on the Lord and what he sees the end as needing to be in order to be proper. If you believe and trust in Him, He is working things for your good. If you are not a believer, He may work out things in a different direction, a direction where He is trying to get your attention and draw you to Him. That may be the by-product of a proper end that in your eyes is improper.

No matter what the outcomes of our situations, we should be sizing them up in regard to the Lord always working things out to their proper end. In the final translation, we get what we deserve from the One who doles out perfect justice and judgment.

The second application point deals with our life’s end and as stated, we all will deal with the matter of death in life. So what is the proper end for us then?

For those who placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, their proper end will not be an end at all but rather a glorious beginning of a life eternal with their Savior and the God who sent Him. For those who don’t believe, those who are counted among the wicked because they rejected Jesus and His offer of everlasting life, their proper end will disastrous and they will find life over at death with a fiery trip into the pit of fire awaiting them.

There is no middle ground here friends. The bottom line is that we all have a choice as to what our proper ends can be. Not that we can dictate what ends come in our life’s circumstances because only the Lord knows what is truly good for us and He will work out things to that end. But at least we can have faith and hope that He is working things for our good and not for our detriment as is the case for those who choose to love the world and its sinfulness more than Him and His righteousness.

This is the proper end for this writing today and I can only pray that it works for the good of all those who read it. Know I will continue to pray over all of you, trusting in the Lord who holds your life and all its circumstances in His hands. Blessings to you always.

Amen.

PS: If you have a testimony about how the Lord is working things out (or has worked things out for your good), won’t you share it today and leave a comment? Your words may just be a blessing to another.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com

Thursday, November 28, 2013

THE MAIN REASON TO GIVE THANKS



Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk.com.

In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 16:2
Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”? 20:9
The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways. 21:29

Proverbs 16:2, 20:9, 21:29       

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The question found in Proverbs 20:9 is one that pierces us to the soul (or at least it should):

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin”?

It’s a question we should always ponder but I am afraid that we seldom do.

You see, we want to focus on the good parts of who we are. We want to accentuate the great things we have done and we want to gain the acceptance, favor, and praise of others. We want people to see what’s right about us, even if it means putting on a façade and pretending we’re someone more than we really are.

The truth of the matter is that we aren’t all that we make ourselves up to be. The question posed by the proverb leads down a path we don’t want to travel – the path of reality and humility. In fact, some people don’t want to travel this path so much that they look intentionally for a pastor and church who will always make them feel good. In the comfort zone of non-condemnation, they find themselves immune from having to feel guilty about what is wrong within them. There is no focus on their sinfulness, only focus on God’s goodness and His intent to give one every good thing that they desire. You may have heard about these prosperity pastors and they are popping up all over the place because there is a large body of believers ready to join their flock.

You see, many believers believe taking the path of least resistance when it comes to dealing with their sin problem is the right course of action. Given the choice to face their wicked nature head on or detour around the matter, they gladly skirt the issue at hand since the opportunity to do so easily presents itself. They put up a bold front when it comes to the tainted way that they live but they refuse to give thought to their ways like the upright (Proverbs 21:29).

There’s just one big problem with all this. You might be able to ignore that you are impure and a sinner but it never removes the fact that it’s just what you are. You have a problem and you need to deal with it head on. It’s not going anywhere.

And more than that, the Lord sees you for who you are. You cannot hide the fact that you are a sinner from Him and for He even sees your motives and weighs them (Proverbs 16:2), measuring them on a scale where righteousness is the standard. Unless you acknowledge your sinfulness and impurity, you’re not going to measure out well on the scale as you will tilt hard to the side of wickedness, the side that only brings the Lord’s judgment and consequence.

So why do I write a devotion like this on a day when we are to focus on giving thanks?

Because if we receive and concede to this word of the Lord today, we will be taken to the main reason we need to give thanks on Thanksgiving and every other day for that matter.

For it’s in our brokenness, in the time when we realize that we aren’t pure and without sin, that we are drawn to the gift of Jesus, our only hope, our only remedy for the incurable sin that afflicts us. It’s through Jesus that we can go on and still function every day in carrying out His will and way despite the sinners we are because only through Him do we find redemption, only through Him do we find forgiveness of our sins, and only through Him are we left justified before our judge, God the Father (and justified means we stand before God at judgment just as if we had never sinned).

There is no place on earth which includes any church on earth where we can stand and not be condemned. Think about that the next time you want to join a prosperity church just to feel better about yourself.

No, the only way to be free from the condemnation and wrath of the Father (God) due to us because of our impurity and sinfulness is through the Son (Jesus). For the scriptures are clear on this:

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. Romans 8:1-2

When we come clean before God, confess our sins, and accept Jesus as Savior, understanding that He died on Calvary’s cross to pay the penalty that we should have paid, we should be taken to places in our life attitude:

1. We should be taken to a place where we choose to push our sin and impurity aside, seeking each and every day to be a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), one who seeks to ever be more like Him, trusting in His words that proclaim He is the Way and the Truth and the Life, the only way to God the Father (John 14:6). With this new life attitude, we find ourselves hungering and thirsting for righteousness, ready to be filled and blessed as Jesus fulfills His promise given in His teaching (Matthew 5:6).

2. We should be taken to a place of thanksgiving, for the only reason we have to celebrate in this worldly existence is when we know we have the salvation that brings with it an eternal hope. And that salvation and eternal hope only comes through Jesus Christ.

Friends, I pray today that you have the best Thanksgiving ever but I pray even more that you are giving thanks for the main reason you should be giving thanks for and that is Jesus Christ, the greatest gift that God ever gave us, the Gift who came down from heaven to rescue and save us from sin.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com