Monday, December 31, 2007

Seeking His Face

Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. - Deuteronomy 34:10

One of the great differences between Moses and any other character in the Bible is how God describes Moses. Moses was a friend of God, and he met God face to face. "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend" (Ex. 33:11a). So often, we view others for what they can do for us, instead of who they are. There is a difference between being a servant and being a friend. There is a difference between being an employee and being a son.

Do you seek God's face, or do you find that you spend more time seeking His hand? God wants us to seek Him for our every need. However, there is a higher calling for every believer. That is to seek God's face, and to see Him for His love and tenderness toward us as His children. He can provide for our physical needs, but when we see Him face to face, we are changed. We no longer see Him as one to be feared as much as one to know intimately. We no longer view Him for what He can give to us, but for what He already has given for us.

When we see Jesus face to face, we are no longer slaves, but friends. We do not fear Him as a slave fears his master. We have entered a new kind of relationship-a relationship that has mutual respect and care.Today, Jesus is calling you to seek His face, not just His hand. When you seek His face, you will know His provision and His mercy in all aspects of life. Seek His face today and become a friend of God.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Door of Work and Adversaries

1 Cor. 16:9 – ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened for me, and there are many adversaries.’

Isn’t it exciting to think of a great AND effective door opening for you? Are there things you dream of accomplishing, but it seems the door is closed? At times there are open doors that look like they will lead to success. But then when you walk through them, nothing happens, and the dream crumbles before your eyes. Other times a great door opens, and it is not only great, but also effective.

There is a natural tendency to think that when God opens doors, that everything will go smoothly, and you won’t have any hardship, trouble, or failure. But the verse above actually indicates the opposite is true: when a great and effective door is open, there will be not a few, but many adversaries.

A human tendency is to look at opposition as a sign that you are doing something wrong. Perhaps sometimes that is true, but it can also be true that when you begin to walk and start to do exactly what He has called you to do, that opposition abounds, and seem to multiply before your eyes. If you’ve waited on the Lord and determined that you are indeed heading in the right direction, keep pressing on so that the door before you will not only be open, but effective. (RL)

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Knowledge Puffs

1 Cor. 8:2 – ’If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.’

I’m a big advocate of Bible study. I’d wonder about a church that didn’t provide people opportunities to study the Word. And I’m concerned about churches with very little in-depth teaching. Bible study is something we all need! Unfortunately, a possible danger of doing Bible study is that we can become proud by the knowledge we accumulate. Because of that, it is important to check our motives in the study we do.

It is possible to attend a Bible study not only to learn, but to show off the knowledge you already have. The phrase, “puffs up” in 1 Corinthians 8:2 means that it makes one arrogant. In contrast, the word “edifies” means to build up. Think about how you participate in Bible studies. Does your behavior display your arrogance, or does it rather indicate a heart that seeks to build up and encourage others?

I hope that you do study the Bible regularly, and that you do share what you learn with others. But if you feel that you know the Bible well, it would be good to remember the words of Paul, “if anyone thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.” This verse makes it clear that we should always be humble in our pursuit of knowledge, with the realization that regardless of how much we learn, the treasures found in Scripture are so vast. (RL)

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Judging Ourself

1 Cor. 11:31-32 – ‘For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord’.

Who likes to be judged? I know that I sure don’t! But judgment happens to everyone, one way or another. The good news is, we have options regarding who will judge us, and how we will be judged. In fact, we have the option of judging ourselves! The bad news is, judging ourselves is not easy. To judge ourselves means to look at ourselves objectively and detect our own shortcomings and sinful condition. That is very painful indeed.

The next option is to be judged and disciplined by the Lord. At this level, God, after judging us, brings us into a time of chastening. Chastening means to be corrected, and to have our character molded by others through reproof and admonition. And many times it accomplished through the affliction of evils and calamities. None of that sounds pleasant, does it?

If we fail to judge ourselves, and if we do not yield to the chastening of the Lord, the final option is to be condemned with the world. To be condemned with the world means to receive judgment that is worthy of punishment, together with the ungodly multitude, which includes all of humanity that are estranged from God and hostile to the cause of Christ. That is such a sobering thought.

Consider your options. Which type of judgment would you rather receive? (RL)

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Earthly Security

1 Pet. 4:12 – ‘Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.’

When I was in grade school, I learned the hard way the fact that regardless who my parents are, I couldn’t get away from the punishment my teacher had in store for me when I made some mistakes – such as not doing homework and got into fight with other students. There are some things that my parents will do and try to protect me, but there are things that they just ‘let go’ – letting me experience the ‘sweet bitter’ taste of life. And believe it or not, I found the same principle when I became a Christian.

Some Christians think that if they have God on their side, then no harms could be done on them or any of their loved ones. God for sure wouldn’t intentionally and purposely harm us, but there are certain things that God allows to happen and as the result, it may hurt us in one way or another. Peter reminded his reader of this truth because they seemed to be caught off guard when ‘fiery trials’ come their way. And he added that this is in fact a test from God – a test of faith as His faithful followers.

God tests us to pass, never to fail. He tests us so that we can be even more vigilant and strong, not to cut us loose. Let’s exercise our trust in God as we follow Him to the fullest extent. And let’s remember that faith will cost us something – our earthly security.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Redeeming Sunday’s Attitude

Jn. 2:16 – ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.’

We’ve been taught and so we’re told that we should expect something when we come to church on Sunday. For sure we are to expect some sort of spiritual blessing as we worship and received God’s word being preached. But for some people, their expectations of Sunday worship become so unrealistic – unbiblical – that they weren’t supposed to expect those in the first place when they come to worship. They’ve made the church – God’s house – the all purpose house that can fit in all of their needs and wants.

You see, we expect God to bless us of all our needs, and yes even our wants. But have you ever thought what God expects out of you when you come on Sunday to worship? Do you know what God expects out of His house on Sunday when it comes the time for prayer, worship, and His word? You expect God to meet you, but have you come to worship? You expect God to bless you of all your needs and wants, but have you come with a prayer in your hearts? You expect God to send His presence in the midst of us, but have you come with your minds and hearts set on Him?

There are times and yes, there are places for everything. God’s house – the church – is not the all purpose place that you can make everything out of. It is a place of prayer, worship, and His word. All of us have needs and wants, but when we come, have we come for prayer, worship, and God’s word? It’s not the church that’s dull; it’s your attitude that needs to be redeemed.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Good Things Versus God-Things

Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. - Romans 8:14

The greatest sign that we are maturing in our walk with God is when we can discern the difference between "good things" and "God-things." When the people of Israel journeyed out of Egypt through the desert, the cloud led them by day. They could move only as fast as the cloud. If they went ahead, they went without God's presence. If they lagged behind, they also lost God's presence.

Each of us must have the discernment to know when God is leading in a matter, or if it is simply a good idea. There are so many things in which we can be involved, and the more successful you become, the greater the temptations to enter into things where God has not called you. Entrepreneurs are especially prone to see all the opportunities.

As sons of God, we are called to be led by the Spirit. This requires a level of dependence on God in which many of us really do not want to invest. It requires listening, waiting, and moving only when God's Spirit tells us to move. Workplace believers are "action" people. We know how to get things done, but our greatest strength can be our greatest weakness.

Today, ask God to make you a Romans 8:14 man or woman who is led by the Spirit of God. Pray against lagging behind or moving ahead. Ask God to reveal whether the next project you consider is a "good thing" or a "God-thing."

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Disappointments

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. - Proverbs 13:12

Life is filled with disappointments. Many of God's greatest servants experienced deep disappointment in their journeys of faithfulness to God. Joseph, after spending years as a slave and in jail for crimes that he did not commit, revealed deep disappointment when he was forgotten another two years in prison. John the Baptist, when awaiting execution, doubted whether Jesus was, in fact, the Christ because he was sitting there awaiting his death. Elijah, losing all hope and despondent to the point of death, asked God to take his life in the desert; and Peter, who left his fishing business and invested three years of his life only to watch his Savior crucified, wondered whether the purpose of those three years could be justified.

When life doesn't add up, it leaves the heart sick. When we have done all we know to do and the formula has not worked, it leaves us questioning. These are times that try the very souls of men. There is no human sense to be made of it. We are left with a choice: to cling or not to cling. There are times when holding on to our Master's robe is all that we can do. It is all that He wants us to do.

The heights by great men reached and kept

Were not obtained by sudden flight;

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night.

Standing on what too long we bore,

With shoulders bent and downcast eyes,

We may discern-unseen before-

A path to higher destinies!

~Longfellow

There is only one answer to life's disappointments. Like the psalmist, we must "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken" (Ps. 62:5-6).

Wednesday, December 19 2007

A Heavenly Strategic Planning Session

And the Lord said, "Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?" One suggested this, and another that. - 1 Kings 22:20

There are few times we get a glimpse of what goes on in Heaven. Here is one instance when the angels were conferring with the Lord about the judgment of King Ahab for his sin and who was going to set up Ahab for this judgment.

If God wanted to use you to impact your world for Jesus Christ, what circumstances would have to be created in order for you to respond to His call? Would prospering you materially encourage you to this end? Would a major change in what you are presently doing be necessary? What would your response be should God and the angels conclude that the only way to move you into a position of fulfilling God's purposes was to remove some things that might be very dear to you? Would you agree with their plan if you knew this would be the only way you would achieve the purposes for which God made you? Hard questions, aren't they?

This is the very thing God does in many who have been called for a special mission. Moses had to be stripped of his royal position in the family of Egypt and sit in the desert for 40 years. The apostle Paul had to be knocked to the ground, blinded, and receive a personal visitation from Jesus. The 12 disciples had to leave their jobs for three years to follow Christ. Imagine what kind of disruption this had on their lives. There are many examples of God bringing major upheaval in the lives of those He called for His purposes. Why?

The reason is that we do not seek God with a whole heart in times of prosperity and comfort. Prosperity and comfort tend to breed complacency and satisfaction. It is rare to find the man or woman who seeks God with a whole heart who does so simply from a grateful heart. We often must have pain or crisis to motivate us. Eventually, that crisis bridges us to a new calling, and we embrace that calling if we are open to the Holy Spirit's work in us. We can actually thank God for the change that was required to get us to this place, but it is not without anguish of heart.

Would you be willing to sit in the strategic planning session for your life and agree with the plans God has for your life? Could you give God complete freedom to implement that plan, no matter the cost? Ask God to give you the grace and trust in His love for you to say "yes."

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Special Callings

Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. 1 Corinthians 7:17a - 1 Thessalonians 5:24

Each of us is called to relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We are called by Him, to Him, and for Him. Once we enter that relationship with Christ, we are called into the physical expression of that relationship. This is where our vocations are manifested as a result, not as an end in themselves.

Additionally, there are examples of special callings in the Bible in which individuals have a direct communication from God to do a specific task for Him. Moses, Paul, Peter, and many others had direct communication about what God was calling them to do. Not everyone receives this "special" calling. This is not to say God is not personal with each of us. Some have had extraordinary supernatural encounters with God that led to their calling being specific to a task ordered by God. All of us have been called to follow Christ and live our lives in obedience to Him. Many of us have a sense to go in one direction or another based on our life experiences and giftedness. This, too, is God's calling.

Calling goes beyond our work and includes our relationships to others: our wives, our children, our neighbors-and our coworkers. We must remember this in order that our "work calling" does not become elevated at the expense of the other important aspects of our lives. This is the holistic approach to the gospel in which God made all of life equally important.

Therefore, the next time someone says, "I was called into the ministry" or "I am in full-time Christian work," stop him or her and tell him or her we are all in full-time Christian work. There is no secular and religious in the economy of God. I have a dear friend who often says, "I am a servant of the living God masquerading as a dentist." So, too, are you first a servant of the living God.

Monday, December 17, 2007

The Spirit of Competition

I in them and You in Me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. - John 17:23

A story is told about F.B. Meyer, the great Bible teacher and pastor who lived a century ago. He was pastoring a church and began to notice that attendance was suffering. This continued until he finally asked some members of his congregation one Sunday morning why they thought attendance was down.

A member volunteered, "It is because of this new church down the road. The young preacher has everyone talking and many are going to hear him speak." His name was Charles Spurgeon. Meyer, rather than seeking to discourage this, exhorted the entire congregation to join him and go participate in seeing this "move of God" as he described it to his congregation "If this be happening, then God must be at work."Meyer, even though he was an accomplished preacher and teacher, recognized where God was at work and joined Him in it. [The author heard this on a radio show from Key Life Ministries with Steve Brown, based in Orlando, Florida.]

Can you imagine this story taking place in our competitive world today? Competition has penetrated the Church so much that many churches and Christian organizations approach ministry like a sports event. They view their mission as a business that seeks to gain market share among Christians - donors, members, influence - all under the name of God. I am sure God looks down at us and asks, "Whatever happened to John 17:23?" Sometimes we must remind our fellow servants that we are all on the same team! We should be seeking to impact the Kingdom of God, not increase our own market share.

When Jesus made this statement about unity in John 17:23, it represented the key to bringing salvation to many. He was saying that when His Body is unified, the non-Christian would be able to see who Jesus really is - the Son of God. Are you contributing to unity in the Body of Christ? Or are you contributing to a spirit of competition? Ask God where you can be an instrument of unity in His Body.

Friday, December 14, 2007

The Price is Right

Mt. 4:1-11

There is a professor of business who wrote an article on the death of ethics in business. He started out by telling a story of a businessman who went on a trip on an airplane. Across to him, was sitting a very attractive woman, whom he got to know and finally made a proposal – 1 million dollar for 1 evening. She was shocked and she asked him whether he was serious and he said yes. A couple of minutes went by and finally she said yes and everything was arranged. But about 10 minutes before landing, the businessman said to her, ‘I would like to make a slight adjustment, I don’t really have 1 million dollar, would you consider the same proposal for $10?’ On which she answered with rage, ‘What do you think I am?’ Which he promptly replied, ‘We’ve already established that, we’re just haggling over the price.’ The professor was basically convinced that we all have a price, though the temptation and the price might be different, but we all at some point will give in when the price is right.

Think about all the temptations that you’ve faced – what is your price? What have you traded in returns of the temptations that you have yielded to? Some traded their family for 100k salary, others traded their repentance for public image and still others traded their needs for wants. What is your price? Christ’ allegiance to God was priceless – He knew whom He belong to, He knew and convinced of His Father’s purpose in and for His life. His commitment and loyalty to His Father can not be traded for anything in this world. Do you have a price?

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Shortcut

Mt. 4:8-10 – ‘…All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me…’

We all have ambitions that might be different from each other – some in their career, some in their homes, some in their hobbies, and some in their educations. But in the Christian circle the word ‘ambition’ often is given a bad rep. Truth is our God is a pretty goal oriented God – He set certain goals when he created the universe, the earth, the animals, and mankind – and some say His plans are pretty ambitious. It’s probably true because God does not stand down when it comes to accomplishing His plans, He sought to it that it got accomplished. But the difference with us, human being, is that we are often tempted to take short cut to accomplish our ambition.

No matter who you are, how much money you are making or how smart you are – there are times when you will say to yourselves, ‘There’s actually an easier way to do this…’ With opportunities presented itself, we are even more tempted to take that short cut, thinking that if not now, when is it going to come again?

We think that if we won’t, then it won’t, if she doesn’t then he won’t, if they won’t then things won’t. We like short cut, not only it takes some pain away from our lives, but ultimately because we see accomplishment as an end of itself – we would care less how, when, and where, as long as we’re there then that’s the most important thing. But there is much more important thing to remember other than serving our ambition, and that is serving our God and Him only.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Standing Promises

Mt. 4:5-7 – ‘…If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written…’

Children are quick learner in claiming promises to their parents. You’ll hear them often than not say to their parents, ‘Daddy you said that…then why can’t I …? Mommy you said last night that… then why we’re not going…?’ They assumed that promises are unconditional promises that will happen despite time and conditions. Might wonder from where they learned it, but here the devil is using that same tactics against Jesus, as the children to their parents.

What is so dangerous about this 2nd temptation is the presumption that God will somehow act out on an immediate claim on his written or spoken promises detached from His timing and condition. We may not realize it but we tested God, as Jesus said of the devil, when we say, ‘Let’s have faith that God will…’ Aren’t we presuming on God’s will that somehow when we have faith then it is going to be God’s will? Or are we testing God on His timing, love, plan, and purpose?

God’s love and kindness are beyond any rational mind can comprehend. The fulfillment of His promises – timing, condition, and manifestation – is simply beyond our apprehension. God cares regardless how we feel, God loves us regardless the dark valley that we’re going through. Presuming on his timing and forms of fulfillment on his promises is a deliberate act of testing on His love, goodness, and kindness in our lives. His promises stand on himself, not on others.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Where Needs and Power Submit Under Purpose

Mt. 4:3-4 – ‘…If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread…’

I believe none of us signed up for a ‘tempted’ life on earth, but temptations do come in our weakest angle and time – even as we follow God. Vs. 1 says that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil – this is more disturbing than comforting to read and to reflect on, because this verse tells us that God’s love does not exclude us from being temped even when we have the power and authority to fulfill our own needs.

We’ve come to the point in our lives where we acknowledge that God has brought us to this point for a purpose. But somehow life takes a sharp turn where we see a great need that we can easily fulfill with our own power. And we struggle with questions like, ‘Do I have to stay hungry though I can turn these stones into bread? I have a legitimate need, why can’t I fulfill it myself?’

Surely those questions were not new to Christ, but what made Him stand through this 1st temptation was His trust God’s word which led Him to this place in the first place. God’s word confines His choices and moves – even when it comes to fulfilling his own legitimate needs.

Can we be content with God’s word in our lives – even when it means that we have to stay thirsty and hungry in our wilderness? Do we let God’s word confine our choices and preference or do we take matter into our own hands? Believe it or not, we live by God’s Word.

Monday, December 10, 2007

3 in 1

Mt. 4:1 – ‘Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.’

Certainly we’ve all been tempted in many and different ways. As we grow older, we should recognize which areas of our lives are more susceptible to certain temptations. But the big question is - what’s really at stakes when we are faced with temptation? 3 things are at stakes.
First is our future. Normally we would think temptation as a ‘Rest Area’ in a tollway which we can easily come and go in with no effect on our intended destination – a disconnected event. But temptation is actually a diversion – because temptation will eventually set a pattern that put us in a different road that leads to a different destination. Our future is at stake when we are tempted.

Second are those who are under us – family, employees, etc. We often fatally assumed that we can keep the consequences of yielding to a temptation exclusively to ourselves. But we know that many children are fatherless because dad could not resist the temptation of having an affair at the office. Our loves ones, employees – those under us are at stake when we are tempted.

Third and final is our trust in God. Temptation is not all about the test of self control, but deep within, is actually a test of our trust in God. Do we trust God that God can somehow address my complicated marriage when we’re tempted to say goodbye to our marriage? Do I trust God that He can address my loneliness when I’m tempted to grab any guy or girl in front of me? Our trust in God is at stake when we are tempted.

Friday, December 7, 2007

A Question of Ownership

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. - Matthew 10:39

Otto Koning was a missionary in New Guinea. He worked among a native tribe that had known only their village ways. One of those village ways was stealing from others. When Otto and his wife arrived and moved into a hut, the natives often came by to visit. The Konings would notice that after the natives left the missionaries' home, various household items had disappeared. They saw these items again when they went to preach in the natives' village.

The only fruit Otto could grow on the island was pineapples. Otto loved pineapples, and he took pride in the pineapples he was able to grow. However, whenever the pineapples began to ripen, the natives would steal them. Otto could never keep a ripe pineapple for himself. This was a frustration, and he became angry with the natives. All during the seven-year period in which this took place, Otto preached the gospel to these natives, but never had a conversion.

The more the natives stole, the angrier Otto became. Finally, one day Otto had a German Shepherd dog flown in from another missionary to protect his pineapple garden after other frustrated efforts failed. This only further alienated the natives from him.

Otto took a furlough to the United States and attended a conference on personal rights. At this conference, he discovered that he was frustrated over this situation because he had taken personal ownership of his pineapple garden. After much soul searching, he gave his garden to God. Soon the natives started having problems among their tribe. They discovered that Otto was the reason for their problems because he gave his garden to his God. The natives saw a correlation between what Otto had done and their own lives being affected by calamities in their village. When Otto gave his garden to God, he no longer got angry and was free from worry. The natives started bringing him fruit from the garden because they didn't want any more calamities to come into their village.

The light came on one day when a native said to Otto, "You must have become a Christian, Otto. You don't get angry anymore. We always wondered if we would ever meet a Christian." They had never associated Otto with the kind of person he was preaching about because his message did not line up with his life. Otto was broken in spirit when he realized he had been such a failure.At the end of seven years, he witnessed his first conversion, and many began coming to Christ once he fully gave his garden to God. The fruit grew so abundant that Otto began exporting it and growing other types of fruit, such as bananas. His village became the most evangelized in the whole region, yet for seven years he had not one convert.

Otto realized something each of us must realize: To gain your life you must lose it, along with your possessions. It was only when he gave all his possessions to God that he became free from them. God measured back to him manifold once He had complete ownership.

Do you have some possessions that you need to give up to God today? Let God have all that you have. Become a steward, not an owner. You will be surprised at how well God can take care of His possessions.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Check Under the Hood

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. - Colossians 3:8

"The root issue you are dealing with is fear. The physical symptom is control, and when you cannot control, you get angry because of unmet expectations." These were the words spoken during a conversation in a restaurant to someone who was separated from his wife. He described his anger and how he never saw some of these characteristics in his life until he entered this marriage.

Someone once said, "Anger is like the lights on a dashboard. They tell you something is going on under the hood. You must find out the source of the problem." Whenever we have expectations of another person and those expectations do not materialize, our tendency is to get angry. The source of the anger is often the fear that the unmet expectation will negatively impact us. We fear that our finances, our well-being, our image, or any number of things may be impacted by the unmet expectation. That person's wife had not met his expectations in many areas of his life, so then, many times it resulted in harsh words that damaged his wife's self-esteem. Now, it was leading to a marriage crisis.

Jesus often spoke of living as though we were dead. How can you live as though you are dead? "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:11). It is a choice each of us must make. Once you become dead to that which stirs an emotion in you, God is free to change that situation. Until then, you can expect God to allow that situation to remain until you reckon yourself dead to the effects of the issue that causes you to struggle.

Is there something that causes anger within you? Ask God what the source of that anger is. You might be surprised at what you find. Then ask God to give you the grace to reckon yourself dead to that issue. You will find new freedom in your relationships and your own peace of mind.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Enlarging Your Territory

..."Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory!...." - 1 Chronicles 4:10

He is mentioned only once in a brief description in the Old Testament, yet what he says and what his life bespeaks could fill volumes. He was a man whom God saw as worthy of a request that had significant consequences for him and his family. His name was Jabez. Here is how the Scripture describes him:Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain" And God granted his request (1 Chronicles 4:9-10).

When you think of territory, you probably think of land or some area in which you have dominion. Jesus often spoke about giving responsibility based on what we do with the little things first. Jabez must have been a very responsible person. God describes him as honorable. Jabez must have understood what it really means to be blessed by God. He was a man who knew what it meant to press into God and ask for God's favor with passion. God saw the heart of this man and gave him his request. His borders were enlarged! He lived a life free from pain. Imagine that!

The only reason God will enlarge a person's territory is that He knows that person will use it responsibly. He will steward what is given in light of God's Kingdom. God truly wants to increase our territory to have greater influence in the world around us. That territory can mean personal influence and/or physical territories.

It is rare to have a life without pain. Pain is often necessary to mold us and shape us. This is the only exception I have seen in Scripture. Jabez must have been quite a man with incredible integrity and purity of heart.Are you this kind of person? Can God enlarge your territory and entrust you to use it for His purposes? Ask God today to enlarge your territory. Ask Him to make you the kind of man or woman who is worthy of such trust.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Freedom and Boundaries

Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" - Genesis 3:1

God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries--freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us, boundaries to protect us from evil. The boundaries in the Garden of Eden were not set for the purpose of limiting Adam. Man got into trouble when he questioned those boundaries. God had provided everything he would need for life. He also entrusted man with responsibility to manage and work the Garden. God gave him freedom in that responsibility. God knows we were made to express ourselves creatively through our work.

Each of us must have freedom and boundaries in our work life. Whenever you are hired for a job, you must have the freedom to make certain decisions. You must have the authority to manage things within your area of expertise. You must also have limits within your area of responsibility. You need to know where those limits are and stay within them. Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God's authority and our authorities at work.

Jesus understood these boundaries. When He was tempted for 40 days by the devil after being baptized, He was challenged by satan to go outside His freedom and boundaries. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Satan said that He had the power to turn a stone into bread. Jesus was hungry and easily could have justified using His power to feed Himself. However, Jesus understood He could do nothing outside the boundaries of God's will for His life. It was God's will for Jesus to be tempted and to withstand the temptation. God was showing His Son that "man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4b).

We are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries. Whether it is solving financial problems that have arisen through debt, making wrong decisions due to pressure, or manipulating someone in order to achieve our ends, it all represents rebellion toward God.Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life. These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Friendship with the World

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. - Romans 12:2

When we come across the term "world" in the Bible, it isn't necessarily speaking of the Earth, per se. Rather, it is often speaking of a system, a mentality, or a way of thinking. This system, this mentality, is controlled by "the god of this world," also known as Satan.

A serious enemy the Christian faces today is the world. The Bible warns, "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4). In the original language, the term "friendship" in this verse appears only in the New Testament and speaks of a strong emotional attachment, to love, to have an affection for, or even to kiss.

The Christian who turns from Christ and His church to seek pleasure and satisfaction from this world has put other gods in His place. That is the message God gave Jeremiah for His wayward people: "For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13).

A cistern is a large well or pool carved in a rock. A broken cistern has sprung a leak and can't hold water. God is saying, "If you go out there to the world and drink from that well, it is not going to satisfy you."

So what are we to do when we are surrounded by this mentality, this world system that is so contrary to what the Word of God teaches? The only way to counteract this world's message is to saturate ourselves with the things of God.