Embracing our Sacred Responsibility with Christ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Embracing our Sacred Responsibility with Christ

 

I was recently in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This is a beautiful, Victorian town in the Ozarks, with old hotels, bathhouses, and interesting residents, to say the least. Since it’s near our farm, my wife and I love to hang out there and sample the food and culture. Although there are some folks who live there that identify with the mainstream culture and lifestyle to which my wife and I are accustomed, there are also some people who look at life through a different grid than us. There is a reason. Back in the 1960's, this small village was all but vacated, with many things in disrepair. It then became a favorite hangout for the "hippie" movement of that era.   These young people visited and remained, becoming the primary residents of the town. The "Love Children" of the 60's created a unique present-day attitude and laid back persona in this artsy community. With these things in mind, you will better understand what happened to me at a local restaurant. I had just finished the best Reuben sandwich I had ever eaten, and I told the waiter so. He was a guy with a long pony tail, and he had that laid back persona of which I speak. I asked him, "What made that sandwich so good?" He looked at me, rubbed his chin and thought a minute before giving a slow-talking response. With an honest look he answered my question, "Yeah man, that's a good question," he answered. "I guess it has to be love?" He was serious as a heart attack, and I could not help but break out in laughter. We both had a great laugh by his reply.

 

After he left my table, in my thoughts, I was taken back to a time in my past when certain young people had discovered what they thought was the answer for the world's problems. In fact, the Beatles wrote a song about it, which you might remember. All You Need is Love was first performed in 1967 by The Beatles via satellite on a live global television link. It was watched by 400 million people in 26 countries. The song’s message made quite an impact, and this is also a truth spoken by Christ. Would not the world's wars and evil toward one another be solved with love flowing to us and from us to each other? But like so many other truths God has given mankind through history, Satan took this one and perverted it, giving free license to a youth culture to live a lifestyle of sexual "free-love" and irresponsibility. Therefore, we need to understand what perfect love is all about and how we love one another with it, for I think the culture of the 60's is now invading the Church, and we are losing our moral bearing. 

 

The love of Christ is indeed revolutionary, for there is nothing like it in this world. His love is heavenly and cannot be produced or replicated by mankind. It can only be accepted by us personally and flow through us to others. It can be rejected, for that is our God-given right. However, even if it is accepted by a believer, it can also be hindered from flowing through us. This is a great shame when this happens, for it is a great loss for the family of God.

 

On a good day, there are several kinds of love that mankind can produce. Examples would include family love, friendship love, our love for a girlfriend or best friend, and yes, the possessive love of lust for a person or a material possession. But one thing is common in all of these types of love, even the best of them, and that is the conditional nature of each. Each of these types of love will have an attitude which says, "I will love you if .....," and it is the "if" that separates Christ's love from the rest, for He loves at all times, good or bad. 

 

Think of it: Do we love that car as long as it does what we hoped it would do when we bought it and hate it if it doesn't? Do we love a friend, or a best friend even if he or she lets us down or shun them if they have? Do we love all those people and things through thick and then, even when they have betrayed us,  broken our hearts or  angered us?   Now let's get honest, for I am not condemning you or me if we see we are not measuring up in these areas. We should not condemn ourselves, for certainly we have Satan working overtime to condemn us, since he is the Great Accuser. But we do need to see clearly the distinct nature of Christ's love. It is a love completely separated from all the different loves that the world and the flesh produce, and it is the kind of love Christ told His disciples to give each other. It is also the kind of love that is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 which enables spiritual gifts. It is also the kind of love mentioned in Ephesians 5:25 which enables a man to love His wife as Christ would want. But a man and mankind cannot produce this kind of love. Only Christ can. But Christ can love through us, if we allow Him. This kind of love cannot be counterfeited. 

 

Like the Beatles who told us that all the world needs is love, we hear the same thing from activists, politicians, world leaders, and even religious leaders. But most all of them simply point out the obvious need to love others. What they do not do is show us is how to love one another in a way that overlooks and accepts our differences. Christ does. They cannot show us how to love in such a revolutionary way that rocks and changes our world. Jesus can. Christ has given us this kind of love, and we should allow it to flow through us to other believers and to non-believers alike. It should be an overpowering example that should be seen in the Body of Christ. The world should look at Christians, and the way we love others, and see a love separated from all others. It should be the most visible example in Christ's Church.

 

What the world needs is love. I agree. What the Body of Christ needs is love. What a family needs is love. What a wife needs is love. And what a man of God needs is love. But let's understand that what we all need is Christ's love, and what our world needs is His love flowing through us. All the other types of love fall short of God's perfect love, and it is only perfect love that can influence this world for the good. As Christ's disciple, we have the ability to unleash His perfect love on all the people in our life, and it this love, not the others, which the world longs to see.

 

Maybe my hippie friend was somewhat right though? Things do taste better when they are given in love, even a Reuben sandwich. 

 

Because of the love of Christ,

 

Rocky

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS DEVOTIONAL

 

Embracing our Sacred Responsibility with Christ

 

 

 

This is one of those verses that a Greek scholar would have a great time explaining. The only Greek I know is the guy who owns the restaurant where I get a great hero sandwich. Therefore, I can only give you my humble opinion on the verse. But, I have a good idea what the Apostle Paul was saying. Even so, the part of the sentence that says, "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed," has got to be a little confusing for most readers. The way this verse speaks to me is to read it in context with the following verse, for in doing this we see that Abraham was given a promise by God that he would be a father of many nations.   This promise was given to him about 25 years before the three angels came to his tent and told him that he and Sarah would have their child within a year. By this time Abraham was about 100 years old and his wife Sarah about 90. Abraham, being the man of faith he was, believed God would and could do the impossible, even though it looked hopeless. When Sarah eavesdropped on this conversation and heard this prediction, she laughed. So, not only was Abraham having to deal with his and Sarah's aged bodies to challenge his hope, he also had to deal with a wife who literary laughed at the possibility of having their first child together.   I wonder which part in Sarah's thought process about having a baby made her laugh. Was it having the baby, or thinking about her 100 year old husband coming to bed with romance in his eyes? That would make me laugh. I don't know if you have ever had your wife laugh at you when you had a little romance in mind, but I will tell you, it's not a good climate for making a baby.   I think it is safe to say that Abraham had a lot of things going against the promise being fulfilled, and this is why we understand that it would be normal to have little hope. It could even be called "hopeless." His situation was "Against all hope," and yet Abraham still had hope.   What a great lesson for those of us who feel that we have a hopeless situation we are facing and have given up. But if God can do what he did for Abraham in his situation, how much more can He do for us? It could be cancer, unemployment, or loss of marriage that makes us feel that our situation is hopeless. But if Abraham were speaking words of encouragement to you, he would say, "Do not lose your hope, for God can do the impossible."

 

Only yesterday, I heard from a man who I greatly love and respect, one of our highly respected leaders who shared information about his wife. Both he and his wife must face chemotherapy to battle cancer that has invaded their bodies. My friend has been in a battle with this disease for years. Along with this, he lost his first wife to cancer, and his son died close to the same time. All of these things happened within the last few years. Our leader's wife is a beautiful young woman with small children. She received the news of the cancer only a few months ago. From the emails I have received from both these people, there is a firmly established truth on which they stand. They believe God is totally in control of the situation. They have their eyes and hope fixed on the Lord's sovereign rule over their life, even though, at times, they grow weary in the battle of faith.

 

Several years ago, I had my own cancer threat and battle and had just completed it. It was not coincidental that I met this friend of whom I speak at this time. When we first met and shared our stories, he asked me what was my most comforting thought during my ordeal. I told him this was an easy answer. I told him what comforted me the most was that God is sovereign, and He loves me. He smiled and said it was the same with him. I think it is these two facts that allow us to face a hopeless situation and still have hope. It was this way for Abraham, and it can be the same way for us, if we will stand on His promises.

 

How do we stand on God's promises, and allow them to undergird us in our challenging times when things seem so hopeless? There are several ways. Although I am a big proponent of memorizing God's promises so we can call one up in an instance to undergird us, I understand this can be a challenge for some people. Therefore, I would recommend that all of you invest about $5.00 in something like the Jesus Person Pocket Promise Book. This is a little book of promises by God that you can go to when you face a seemingly hopeless situation, which will remind you who God is, who you are to Him, and that He has a promise for your particular situation. The book I mentioned has about 800 promises listed, and I can almost guarantee you there will one for your specific situation. Find it. Believe it. Stand on it. God will walk you through this present threat in your life.

 

When Sarah learned she would have a baby, she laughed. When the baby was born, he was named Isaac, which means Laughter. Certainly it was a joyous time for old Abraham and Sarah to have a baby. It was also a time of laughter to see God do an impossible thing, when everyone would say it was hopeless. This laughter began about 1800 BC and continued in a stable in Bethlehem, as God did the impossible again and birthed a child through an immaculate conception with a virgin. This laughter rang out at the miraculous resuscitation of Lazarus, as he walked out of a tomb, and it culminated in the laughter brought on because Jesus Christ conquered death and has given His believers life eternal. Now, almost 4,000 years after Laughter was born to Abraham and Sarah, laughter sustains us this day, because the same God Who did all the impossible things He did in the Bible days, is still doing them today.

 

Does this give you as much hope it does for me to know that there is no impossible situation for God, and we always have a reason for hope? If it does, then keep hope alive in your challenges, for He Who is able has promised. Now, find what He has promised you.

 

Standing on the promises,

 

Rocky

IF YOU'D LIKE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS DEVOTIONAL, CLICK HERE

 

Embracing our Sacred Responsibility with Christ

 

 

It was back in the days when organized crime was rampant that this particular thoroughbred was born. He was sired by a winner, and his pedigree was impeccable. And yet, he looked gangly and had a strange gait as a youth. "This could be no winner," the experts declared. "He couldn't even be good breeding stock," they asserted. It was a fair assessment, for he certainly didn't look the part. In fact, he was somewhat plain and had warts on his face. Even so, one man believed the colt had something below the surface that no one could see.  The wise trainer felt that the horse had the heart of a champion, one which would one day distinguish this horse from all others. The trainer took a chance and bought the colt for hardly anything. Even so, the amount was all the trainer had been able to save all of his life.

 

It took time, effort, and work to help the colt grow stronger and faster. At times, it looked as if the horse was being pushed too hard, and his heart would surely fail before his training was halted. But before damage to the heart could occur, the horse would be given rest and food, and he grew stronger as each day passed. Such was the life of trainer and horse alike for the many months to follow. Eventually, the horse was ready to run his races, for the hard training had paid off.

 

The thoroughbred had now matured into a magnificent athlete. Still, he was unproven and physically bigger than most horses. Skeptics continued their criticism based on his looks alone and declared he was too big and would falter in long races. But as he would do all of his life, he proved them wrong and won one race after another. "Something must be done about this freak!" the illegal bookies declared. "Because he is winning all the time, he is altering our system. We can't predict a race in our favor." To even things out, they bribed track officials to require more weight than normal be carried by the horse, hoping to slow him down. Still, he won his races. Each race had even more weight added. But the big horse pushed through the pain of the long runs and would somehow win. After many races won by the thoroughbred, the mob attempted to break his legs and put him out of commission permanently, thinking that no horse could come back from such leg injuries. They succeeded in inflicting great damage, and the skeptics said, "That will be all of it for him."  

 

The trainer had made more money on the horse than he ever expected. In fact, he had money enough to buy other horses and invest in their future, as he did with the horse who had been such a winner. So, he would be alright financially. But he loved the big horse, and he knew his champion was not ready for green pastures. It would kill the horse to remove him from racing when he still had a will to win and a strong heart beating within him. So, the trainer and the horse began a comeback from the injuries, in hopes the horse would return to form. Although the criminals succeeded in damaging the thoroughbred's legs, they had not been completely broken. Still, the work of this evil against the horse had changed his gait, even though the legs had healed. He could run, but it was obvious that something had changed in the horse. Each step was forced, labored and made in pain.  Still the horse ran the best he could.

 

The skeptics next declared, "He will never return. Send him to the glue factory!" They still didn't get it. They could not see the will to win and the heart of a champion still beating within the wounded, damaged horse. They could not understand how the odds could never predict what this hidden part in the animal would play in his return to the track.  

 

It was race day, and it was the biggest race of the year, when the damaged thoroughbred returned to compete. The trainer had determined that this would be the last race for the beat-up horse. It was a sentimental gesture in letting him run his final race. The odds were greatly against him. The gangsters didn't feel they had anything to worry about, for the experts had convinced them the horse was through. Even so, they bribed the track officials to place the greatest weight on the horse he had ever carried, just for safe measure. At the starting gate, the older thoroughbred was different from the others. The other horses had the look of champions, with competitive fire in their eyes and flaring nostrils, as they prepared for the start. The older horse looked straight ahead, eyes glued to the track. It was apparent he had only one thought, which was to run his race and not waiver, giving it the best he could.

 

 

The gates opened and the race began. The other horses charged out of the gates, mostly moving wildly back and forth as their jockeys tried to keep them on course and establish a pace. The older horse was at the rear, but his path was straight and true. His effort was to not just make a show of it, but to run the race all the way through the finish line, as straight as he could. His jockey knew it was a waste of time to be riding a race on the beat-up mount, so he let the horse dictate the pace and the path. He simply hoped the horse would not fall in the process. 

 

It was halfway through the race when the older horse began to slowly move from the rear and through the pack of other horses. All observers were amazed that he had kept up as long as he did, for it was obvious the horse was laboring. Going into the last turn on the track, the older horse began his charge to catch the leaders. It was an impossible endeavor. Everyone knew it was a valiant effort, but there would be no way the horse could catch them. After all, the odds were against him, not to mention the unfair weights placed on his back.

 

The jockey began to realize something was going on in his horse that no one could understand, unless they could sense the determination that ran beneath him. The horse began to bear down with all his might, for he would not be denied his race to the finish line. Therefore, the jockey gave him loose reins. The horse had only one objective, which was to run and win the race, and no amount of weight placed on him or evil done to him would keep him from his final dash to the finish line.

 

The horse caught up with the leaders, and it was now a neck to neck race to the finish line. It would be a close finish, for now only two horses closed to the line. One horse was the odds-on favorite. The other was the least expected to finish, much less win the race. But there he was. The old damaged and cheated racehorse was giving it his best to finish his race.

 

What makes a champion race horse defy the odds, when everything is stacked against him? We could also ask, what makes a Christian man continue to run his race when he has been beaten down by the world, the flesh and the devil?   You see, it is in the last moments of a race, when legs are weary, breathing labored and determination wavering in a horse, that there is only one thing that will make the difference. With a man it is the same. He must run his race through discouragements, unfair treatment, and an evil enemy army that is trying to hurt him, just like the mob did to the thoroughbred. It is true that a champion man is like a champion horse in that it is not the obvious strengths, or the odds going for them, that makes the difference. It is the unseen, and often overlooked quality, that beats within a man and beast alike. With a horse it his heart and desire to win that will cause him to run the race to the finish line and claim the victory. With a man, it is the will to persist and the ability to find a strength hidden within his faith and character. This is what causes him to refuse defeat as an option.

 

The old thoroughbred took every challenge thrown at him and ran his race the best he could to the finish line. Was it good enough? Well, the odds makers would say no. But the heart of a champion never listens to the odds, which was the case for the old racehorse as he ran through the finish line and won his final race. For the horse, rest and green pastures were now ahead for him, almost like heaven is for God's Champion when he gives it all he's got and finishes his life race.

 

Men, we are all God's champions in the making. There beats within us a champion's "heart" wanting to come out and prove who we are by running a winning life race for our King. Some of you may be in the training stage that prepares you and your "heart" for a new race ahead. It's tough work to be trained by the Holy Spirit for such a race. But let your heavenly Trainer have His way with you, as He prepares you for winning those races. Some of us are in the last turn in our race to the finish line, and it is His training that has prepared us for this time in our life. It very well could be our finest hour. Either way, it will never be the odds that will be for us or against us that determine how we finish our race. Rather, it is the assurance of God's unfailing love that makes us want to keep running. It is the word of God that gives us a straight course and guides us in our race. And it is the heart of a Champion that does not allow us to swerve or waiver or give up, when the going gets tough. It is the Champion's heart that will cause us to run our race, against all obstacles, on our way to our finish line. This is why God is at work in each of us right now, and in His own way, He is preparing us to run a strong race so we can claim this prize. He is making a Champion out of us. So, don't be discouraged when His training seems too hard. Let Him have His way, for you are being trained for a special purpose. Remember:  The world desperately needs Christian Champions, and we are being raised up to make a difference in this world. So, stay strong in your trust in your Trainer and stay connected to the Vine. It is in this special place that the heart of a Champion is formed. It is here you will become the man you long to be.

 

To that end and to our King's great glory we run our race,

 

Rocky

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THIS DEVOTIONAL