What's Your Ambition?

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV

The contrast between ambition and a quiet obvious. Often straight ambition makes you think about trying to succeed with glory. A quiet life makes you think about peace and stability. I think Paul is trying to get us to seek to live godly lives that glorify Christ, passionately, but, with humility and grace. 

Honestly, I think a lot of what I tried to do as a young Christian became more about me being known as a great Christian, rather than Christ showing himself great in me. The world glorifies the messenger. Christianity glorifies Christ. Christ in me, the hope of glory. 

Our genuine, humble service of others should gain their respect not their applause. We are not trying to look good as servants of Christ, we are trying to show Jesus' goodness to the world. 

Just Please God

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 

1 Thessalonians 2:4 NIV

You can try to please yourself, you can try to please others, or you can try to please God. If you try to please yourself it's easy to rationalize the results. If you try to please others you end up at the mercy of peoples whims and emotions. But, if you try to please God you end up concerned with doing what is right. 

Please God and you will do what is best. You won't try to make yourself the center of attention because the gospel is about Jesus. You won't try to make the "felt needs" of others the complete focus of your outreach because the gospel is about our need to have sin and its' effects dealt with in us. You will try to please God and lift up Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. That pleases God. 

God Uses You As You

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

Acts 26:28-29 NIV

Wow! What an incredible statement! Paul's passion and commitment are both inspiring and intimidating to me. Inspiring in that I want to have that kind of relationship with Christ that I can tell someone that I want them to become like me. Intimidating because I feel that I so often fall short of that ideal. Do you know what I mean?

The truth is that while we may not be Paul we are who God created us to be. Ourselves. We may not stand before kings but, we stand before our family, co-workers and friends and that is who God has called us to be a witness of his love and forgiveness in Christ. 

My father thought God could not use him when he first gave his life to Christ. He firmly believed he was not worthy and was not good at witnessing and didn't know the Bible well enough and didn't know how to pray and... You get the point. God thought differently. What was funny was there was this string of people who basically asked him, "What must I do to be saved?" I knew some of those men. They would of never listened to a pastor or preacher or set foot in a church. They saw a change in his life and wanted some of whatever had changed him. 

My point is that God calls each of us to be a witness to different people. He calls us first to who he puts before us. So, who is God placing before you? 

Prepare the Way: Be Real, Be Willing

And you, my child, will be called 
   a prophet of the Most High;

for you will go on before the Lord 
   to prepare the way for him,

to give his people the knowledge of salvation 

   through the forgiveness of their sins,

Luke 1:76-77 NIV

Every day we represent Christ to the dying world around us. This is no guilt trip. It's just the truth. We don't have to be perfect, we just have to be real and willing. 

If we are not real, as in honest about our own shortcomings and sinfulness, we will just be hypocrites. You see, as a Christian, our witness is not about how good we are, but, it's about how good God is. Our neighbors, co-workers and friends don't need us, they need Jesus. Our very humanness is our opportunity to let the grace of God in our lives witness to those around us. 

Be willing, when the moment appears, to share in whatever way you can. You don't have to have an alter call. You don't have to stand on a soap box. Just be willing to share anything that God has done in your life. The Holy Spirit can take the smallest thing (in our eyes) and use it to make a way into someones heart. Maybe all you did was mention that you went to church in a conversation. That's all the Spirit needs. Just be willing. 

Do You See Justice?

For the earth will be filled with
   the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
   as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:14

The prophet saw the corruption of those in leadership and even in those God was using to punish the leaders in Judah. Justice was perverted and the wicked seemed to go unpunished. God's message was that his justice would come around to them. Rage as they may, their end will come.

If you have ever watched a great fighter matched against a very aggressive opponent you know how this works out. The aggressive fighter seems to be carrying the fight as he strikes with relentless furry. The great fighter dodges, blocks and waits for the opportune moment to counter strike. When he finally delivers a blow it is with awesome force and accuracy and quite often ends the fight quite quickly. 

In a way, God's justice is like that. With relentless rage the enemy of our souls strikes away at our lives and we wonder were God is. The wicked seem to prosper and justice is perverted. Just wait. Their turn is coming and God will be glorified. 

What is our responsibility. To wait on God. To do what we know is right, even though everyone around us is doing what is right in their own eyes. Acknowledge God in all you do. Give God the glory. He will make himself known. 

Everybody Needs Mercy

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Jude 1:22-23 (NIV)

There is a fine line between being zealous to see people come to know the saving grace of God in Christ and acting like a blind fanatic. I once was in San Fransico and walked by a street preacher standing on a corner preaching away. He sounded pretty right on. On of my friends sincerely said, "Amen, brother. Preach it!" The street preacher turned to us, gave us the middle finger and a few obscenities, turned back and started "preaching" again. I think he kind of lost the idea of, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."

I think most Christian know people who they have worked with who were or are vehemently opposed to the gospel. They still need mercy, whether they acknowledge it or not. You can't argue someone into the kingdom of God. You may have to confront (in love) arguments that oppose Christ, but, the love of God shown us all by the mercy of God in Christ is what they need. 

Because I Said So

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

1 John 4:1-3 (NIV)

I guess I have always been one of those people who questioned authority. Saying, "Because I said so!" didn't really work for me. Shorty after giving my life to Christ I started to attend a Calvary Chapel church. One of the things that impressed me was that the pastors would say, "Don't believe me just because I say something. Compare it with the Bible and if what I say doesn't agree with what the Bible says tell me." The deal is that you have to read the Bible and study it to know what it says. In the same way you have to spend time with Christ to know him. If you don't acknowledge that Jesus came in the flesh, that he is real, you don't know Jesus. 

A lot of people say a lot of things about Jesus. The Jehovah's Witnesses say that Jesus was Michael the Archangel before he became Christ and was "a" god, not "the" God, Jehovah. Some say Jesus was a good teacher, a great man, or maybe just a myth. The Apostle John flat out says that if you don't acknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, you are not from God. 

Just because someone calls themselves a teacher, a prophet, an evangelist, does not make it true. People say all kinds of things. John tells us not to believe everyone, and to check if they believe that Jesus has come in the flesh. If they are wrong about who Jesus is, that won't be all they will be wrong about, because no matter what else they say they won't be talking about the Jesus of the Bible, the Way, the Truth and the Life, the only way to Father (John 14:6).

Father, help us to know you, to know Jesus and to remain in him. Praise be to you in us today!

COURAGE TO TELL THE TRUTH!

"The man answered , "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening  the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."" John 9:30-33

I love this story! The courage of this man to tell the truth about what Jesus had done in his life despite the doubts and insults of the Pharisees is courage born in faith.

The Pharisees, like all legalists, get hung up on technicalities. But, the real issue is power. Power over others and the illusion of power over their own lives. They tried to set the rules and interpret the Bible in ways that made them righteous by their actions. Jesus came and threatened (in their eyes) everything they thought about God and themselves! They couldn't get to Jesus yet so they went after the man whose eyes Jesus had opened. 

Sometimes telling the truth about Jesus will get you ridiculed and ostracized. The cool thing is that after the Pharisees threw the out the man whose sight was given to him, Jesus found him (John 9:35ff). After every battle, look for Jesus because he will find you. 

Father, give us the courage to tell the truth about Jesus no matter what others may think. Praise be to you in us today!