Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

July 23, 2010

Walking by Faith
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:6-7, NIV

In college, I took a course in which I was instructed to bring a blindfold to class one day. 

Sounded a little suspect a first, but I soon found out that it was just a harmless exercise in trust. We were paired up and had to take turns walking around campus while wearing the blindfold. The partner who could see would audibly guide the blindfolded individual.

When we reconvened in the classroom, we were to discuss what we were feeling and thinking while blindfolded. Were we fearful? Did we have faith in our partners? Did we trust in and follow their instructions?

I can't remember if I had a good guide or not. But I do remember not liking be blinded to what I could see. I didn't like being out of control. It was disconcerting, and I was thankful when the exercise was over.

As believers, this illustrates how our lives are to be lived. We all are wearing "invisible blindfolds," if you will. We are never promised that we will see everything we want to see in this life. Nor are we guaranteed to understand our circumstances or why we must face times of hardship and struggle on earth.

Instead, we are told to follow the voice of the Lord. To focus on the eternal, not on the temporal. To trust in what we cannot see.

Several examples in the Bible encourage us in this kind of "by faith" living. ...

Gideon ... who defeated the Midianite army with a force of only 300 men. They carried no weapons-just clay jars and lanterns into a battle with the Midianites, who numbered 135,000! A surprise attack in the dark of night only confused the Midianites, and they turned their swords on each other. Only God could have orchestrated this unbelievable victory (Judges 6-8).

Esther ... who risked her life to save her people from death. As the wife of King Xerxes, Queen Esther could do something to stop Haman, the evil prime minister who was plotting to kill all the Jews in the empire. She could have chosen to play it safe and not speak up. But she obeyed the Lord and bravely approached the king with her request to save the Jews (Esther 1-10).

Jonah ... who lived in the belly of a fish and didn't know if he would make it out alive. When God instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh to warn the people of their sin, he first disobeyed and got on a ship heading the opposite direction. God then brought a storm and caused Jonah to be thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. Jonah prayed and repented, and the fish spit him out. Jonah then went to Nineveh and preached, and God did not destroy the city (Jonah 1-4). 

Today, you may feel like you're facing insurmountable opposition-the size of a 135,000-member army! Or perhaps your circumstances make you feel like you're stuck in the hopelessly dark belly of a big fish.

But God knows what opportunities lie ahead for you, so be encouraged! And may you and I continue learning to live each day by faith and not by sight.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Looking back on your life, think of the times when God asked you to do something that seemed "strange" to you. How did you respond at the time? Can you see now that his plan was the best way? Thank him today that, through your life, he has indeed done marvelous works!

Further Reading

1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV
2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV

[Judy Harder]

July 26, 2010

How's Your Heart? Check Your Driving
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24, NIV

It's easy to be fooled into thinking that your heart is in pretty good condition. And so perhaps you've had thoughts like this:

I'm a good person.

I attend church twice a week.

I go to a weekly Bible study.

I keep up with my daily devotionals.

I volunteer in my community.

I tithe to my church.

I'm kind to my family.

I pray for my friends.

Sound familiar? We can focus on the peripheral so much so that we forget to dig a little deeper and see what's really going on inside our hearts. 

Well, I've discovered a sure-fire method that will quickly expose the condition of the heart. That's right. Here it is: it's driving. Yes. D-R-I-V-I- N-G. 

When you're driving, its seems like the real you comes out to play. I know that I would never want someone to record the thoughts that go through my mind or the words that exit my mouth when I'm driving. They're not R-rated, but I sure wouldn't want them inscribed on my tombstone. 

These thoughts happen fairly regularly. Like recently, as I made my way through a sketchy part of the city. I encountered folks driving way below the speed limit. Other folks cut me off while trying to get in front of other slow drivers in other lanes. And another driver took up two lanes while trying to make a left-hand turn (!!!).

In these incidents, what I thought really shocked me. Afterward, I immediately wondered, Did I really think that? My heart is so ugly. Oh dear God. Please help me!

I'm not telling you what I was thinking, because I am ashamed. But I will tell you this: it enlightened me. My thoughts shone a light in the dark corners of my heart. I saw how horribly corroded and nasty it was-like what you experience when you pull up the stopper from your kitchen garbage disposal. Foul!

I saw the judgment. I saw the pride. I saw the lack of love and forgiveness. It's gunk that needs to be cleaned out-really bleached out-on a consistent basis. But bleach smells, it's strong and it stings. Who wants to willingly submit to that? It's hard to do, but it's absolutely essential if we are to stay spiritually healthy and heart smart.

While I'm disappointed in my condition, I'm thankful that driving is doing such a good job of testing me and exposing what's in my heart. And until I'm old and decrepit and can't maneuver a moving vehicle anymore, I know that my next heart check is just one keyed ignition, one gear change and one gas pedal away.

Intersecting Faith & Life: If not driving, are there other situations or activities in your life that "put the squeeze" on you and really show what's going on in your heart? Maybe it's an individual who just knows how to push your buttons. Or perhaps the ugliness comes out when you're dealing with customer service personnel. Whatever it is that exposes the ugliness, ask the Lord to examine what is there and to change you from the inside out.

Further Reading

Jesus Christ:  Heart Radiologist in Residence
Motives Matter in the Workplace

[Judy Harder]

July 27, 2010

I Am Pilate
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"What is truth?" Pilate asked.
John 18:38

This week I met one of the most understandable yet guilty figures in the Bible. This man desperately tried to convince himself that he could control his circumstances. He had a vague intuition for what was right, but he was constantly torn between catering to the crowd and bullying them to show his power. He was overwhelmed by material consequences and implications. And in three simple words, he revealed the heart of his stubborn weakness.

As I again read Pontius Pilate's interview Jesus, I wondered how a man could stare the Son of God in the face, find Him not guilty, and yet condemn Him to death. Each Gospel offers some perspective on why. In reading their accounts, I found that Pilate's deep flaws were eerily similar to those I see in myself.

You see, I think Pilate had a modern mind. As a Roman, he wasn't very "into" religion. Belief in the gods - and the emperor as a god - were vestiges of an older system by his time, now adopted as a form of patriotism. His real religion would have been in the glorious Roman Empire, the unconquerable empire-without-end. This thoroughly material belief would have dominated the thoughts of a Roman procurator such as Pilate. He had no room in his world for the supernatural.

All that was called into question when they brought in Jesus. At that point, Pilate's religion showed its consequences in his character.

Demand for Material Answers 

From first to last, Pilate's questions to Jesus involve politics and facts. Jesus' answers were unintelligible, because Pilate was asking the wrong questions. Pilate couldn't understand supernatural answers because he was thoroughly material. He thought the world could be interpreted through distinct movements and verifiable facts. He couldn't accept any mystery in faith, and so he rejected the Messiah as another man.


False Sense of Power

Pilate's religion of materialism forced him to rely on position. He told Jesus, "Don't you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?" (John 19:10) I'm sure he fully believed that authority was his. Jesus corrected Pilate by telling him that his power was given "from above," which probably shook Pilate just a little. I think at that point Pilate realized that control was slipping away from him, and he did everything he could to regain it.


Blinded by Consequences

Pilate wanted to pretend that he wasn't really responsible for Jesus' death. He made a few feeble attempts to stick up for Jesus before the crowd, which probably counted as a good deed in Pilate's mind. But he ultimately backed down and washed his hands of Jesus' fate, because he "wished to satisfy the crowd." (Mark 15:22) He proclaimed the truth as "not dangerous" but chose not to intervene when it was attacked.

Refusal to See Truth

I think Pilate's most telling statement of all came right in the middle of the dialogue. Jesus says, "For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." (John 18:37) I can just see Pilate throwing up his hands in exasperation and asking a rhetorical question: "What is truth." Face to face with the reality of Jesus, the Son of God, Pilate chose to keep his relativism. The great empire with its power was enough for Pilate. And so he refused the Gospel.

I Am Pilate

How many times have I refused to believe a biblical promise because I don't see how it applies to my worldly situation? How often do I refuse to surrender my circumstances to God's plan for me, pretending I'm in control? How often have I made benign comments when the Gospel is attacked and then retreated? How many times have I refused to draw lines for what is right or to recognize sin for what it is in my life?

Ultimately, these "character flaws"—really, sins—tempt us to believe that Truth isn't Truth. We are tempted to deny that Christ had to die to free us from ourselves. I know that acknowledging the Gospel means my life has to change, and my human nature doesn't want that. But the glory of the cross is that we are changed, and thrown into a life far bigger than anything on this earth - Jesus' incredible love. That's what Pilate refused to see. That's what we can't afford to miss.

Intersection of Faith & Life: Christ went to the cross because of the sin of the world, including Pilate and you and me. How much pain do we bring Him when we refuse to believe as Pilate did? Pray that God will show specific areas where you need to get rid of Pilate's character and apply the Gospel.

Further Reading:

John 18:28-19:16
Luke 23:1-25
Mark 15:1-15
Matthew 27:11-31

[Judy Harder]

July 28, 2010

It's Good for Your Character
by Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Entertainment Editor

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 5:3-5, NIV


I grew up in a very special church back in the '70s and '80s. It was nondenominational, had tremendous traditional worship and congregational singing, and was attended by many seminary professors and students. 

Seeds that were sown in my life in those early years of my spiritual growth are now sprouting, and I'm drawing upon what I have learned as I make my way through adulthood. 

From time to time, I flip through a bound collection of meditations or sayings that my pastor put together. He would regularly refer to these life principles from the pulpit, and today, whenever I hear them (or similar concepts) being said by others, I remember what he preached on them many years ago.

"It's good for your character," he would often say. And here's how he explained that further:

"God uses the routine, the difficult, even the painful to develop in us qualities of Christlike character that can be learned in no other way."

When we begin to see our lives from this perspective, that's when we've turned a corner. But in order to keep thinking in this way, we have to make daily readjustments, as we don't always want to see the routine, the difficult and even the painful in this way.

But it is the right way to look at any uncomfortable situation in our lives. The classic passage regarding trials in James 1:2-4 is wonderfully helpful and instructive:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Let's break down this outlook:

Consider it pure joy. How do you do this when you're going through a divorce? Or in the aftermath of a departed loved one or the loss of a job? What will it take to see the joy despite the circumstances? Only God can give us this joy and change our perspective.

Testing develops perseverance. In order to learn how to persevere, we have to go through some trying times. Think back on the trials in your life. What were the results? Did you make changes in your life? Did God help you get through them? Remember that as you continue to serve him.

Perseverance must finish its work. We can't go from diapers to dungarees in the snap of a fingers.  Living takes time. And there are "pains" that go with it. Sure, it hurts sometimes, but know that the uncomfortable seasons mean that you're growing.

Be mature and complete. When you were a child, you didn't have a bulging file folder of life experiences to draw from. Now that you're older, hopefully you can see how you have grown closer to the Lord and how he has changed you. Draw from past lessons as you choose to live and think differently today.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Can you look back on "the routine, the difficult, even the painful" times of your life and see how God has developed your character? List some specific trials and the resulting changes that have been made in your character and praise your merciful Savior.

Further Reading

2 Corinthians 4:7-12, The Message
How God Develops Christian Character

[Judy Harder]

July 29, 2010

Is Suffering Inevitable?
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
1 Peter 3:17, NAS

Suffering. It's not standard daily devotional fare, because let's face it, usually we want to begin or end our day being uplifted, or even better, lifting up God, rather than focusing on our pains and problems.

But there's the rub... we all have pains and problems. Christian and non-Christian. Lifelong disciple and baby believer. Red and yellow, black and white. Everyone, from the moment he or she was born, has struggled, tried, failed, hurt, sinned, misunderstood, and reacted. Humanity shares a true brotherhood over suffering, one that we might understand a lot better if suffering weren't also so relative. By which I mean, one person's issues may sound simple, easy-to-solve, even petty to another. "That's nothing compared to what I've had to endure!"

But the fact is, your sorrows and difficulties are real to you. It's one reason why I'm no fan of when people say a certain place or time in their lives isn't "the real world," as if the spot they are currently tucked away at is immune from any degree of difficulty.

Suffering is very real, and there's certainly no reason any Christian would expect life to be otherwise. We purport to follow a "Suffering Savior." His stripes have healed us, and wow do we seem to feel them sometimes, which is as it should be, as we deserved them instead of Him. If we agree that no person but one - no matter where they lived or how easy or hard they had it - has escaped sin's corruption, then how much more must we agree that truly NO person has escaped suffering?

Look at what Peter suggests in today's verse: you can suffer for doing good, or you can suffer for doing bad. By extension, some of the problems in your life may be a result of your own rebellion, while other hurts may naturally result from walking so closely with Christ that you ache at the injustice and hardship around you, with the world despising and persecuting you.

In the classic allegory Hinds' Feet on High Places, Much-Afraid journeys with companions named Sorrow and Suffering, and these two assist her in her climb up the Injury Precipice, which is a part of her transformation into "Grace and Glory."

The same is true for you. Your sufferings have informed you, educated you, helped you along in your journey. You may despise them, but they are yours. And they will be with you whether you are doing right, or not. Of course, the nature of them will be quite different.

There may be one way, though, to avoid suffering. There's a third option, left out here by Peter, but not left out by John in the Revelation. It's the lukewarm response to life, the do-nothing approach. This is the approach that cocoons itself off from life and all of its pain. And make no mistake, "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something," says that famous theologian the Man in Black in The Princess Bride.

You may not feel anything from inside a cocoon; in fact, it may be an abundance of pain and suffering that forced you in there. But remember, no creature that cocoons itself is intended to stay locked up forever. The point is to be rested, healed, matured, transformed. To become more beautiful, useful. Even the emerging process itself carries a degree of struggle, but one that, if the insect did not go through itself, would leave it too weak to fly.

So be lifted up in your suffering today.

It is a companion.

It is designed to transform you.

It gives you a share in the inheritance of Christ and the brotherhood of humanity.

And it gives you empathy, which gives you every excuse for ministry.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Make it your goal to partake, as much as possible, only of the brand of suffering that comes from doing what is right according to God's Word.

Further Reading

God's Undeserved Gift to the World: Christian Sufferers
Trusting God in the Darkness

[Judy Harder]

July 30, 2010

The Attractiveness of a Surrendered Life
by Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:22 NIV


"I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone." St. Francis of Assisi

Have you ever wished you could share your faith with friends or loved ones who do not know Christ, but you don't know how to do so effectively? Or have you ever worried that our culture is slipping farther and farther away from God's truth, but don't know how to turn it around? In past devotionals, several of us have quoted St. Francis of Assisi's approach to evangelism: "Preach the Gospel all times and when necessary, use words."

St. Francis' entire life was one of radical conversion that led to many giving their lives to Christ. Let's see what we can apply from his medieval story to modern times.

Francis' story takes place in the early 1200's - an era when Christianity enjoyed prominence in Europe. But sadly, even with widespread power and acceptance of the Church, many Christians did not lead lives in keeping with their faith. Francis was no exception. He came from a wealthy Italian family; his father earned a comfortable life as a successful cloth merchant, and his mother was of noble birth. The handsome, witty Francis was spoiled rotten by his parents, showing more interest in playing than in his academics or his father's career.

Francis' life of ease and play received a rude but life-changing interruption in 1201. After being captured in a small battle between rival cities, Francis spent a year sick and alone. His time of weakness and contemplation made him realize how useless his life had been up to that point.

But transformation for Francis was slow. After he regained his health, Francis desired personal glory. He signed up for the military, even fancying one day he'd be a great prince. But illness and a sense that God was calling him back to Assisi brought him home again.

It was around this time friends began to notice a lasting change in this attractive, party guy. Friends asked if he had a woman on his mind. He responded, "I am about to take a wife of surpassing fairness." But this wife was not a mortal woman. Instead, Francis renounced his inheritance, gave what he had to the poor, and wedded himself to "Lady Poverty" (much to his father's fury).

Not long after taking his vow of poverty, Francis heard Christ speak to him while he was praying in a small, shabby chapel. The voice said, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." At first, Francis thought he needed to repair the actual building he was praying in. But soon it became clear Francis' mission was really to restore genuine faith among the church - God's people.

So Francis began spending most of his time praying, serving the sick and preaching repentance throughout the region. He had no intentions of starting a community of religious, but single men of diverse backgrounds became intrigued by Francis' humility and wholehearted devotion to the Gospel. And not long after men began joining his mission, a privileged young woman named Clare left her riches behind, bringing women alongside Francis to restore genuine faith among the people.

With so many joining in, Francis realized he was becoming the leader of a monastic movement. So, he sought to keep their focus on Christ by establishing a rule of life on Scripture. In short, the mission of the Franciscan monks and Poor Clare nuns would be to "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff" (Luke 9:1-3). They imitated the early disciples by traveling in twos, owning few personal possessions, and serving those in need while sharing the Gospel to all. Their spiritual legacy continues with Franciscan and Poor Clare communities in regions all over the world today.

Some other little-known facts of how God worked through this influential Christian:

Did you know Francis once challenged a Muslim sultan to consider the truth of Christianity - and the sultan actually considered it?

Did you know Francis is credited with creating the first living Nativity scene at Christmas?

Did you know that, centuries before the Reformation, Francis taught and wrote about the faith in local dialects so commoners could understand?

Francis' story gives us encouragement today. After all, we too live in a culture where Christianity was the dominant religion for a long time but sadly, it's now common for good people to lose sight of the faith. But God worked through a spoiled, wealthy young man to show the surrounding community that even worldly comforts could not satisfy the deepest yearnings of their souls - and He can do the same today.

While most of us are not called to take vows of poverty, it was Francis' unwavering, single-minded devotion to the Gospel that most attracted others to him. And this is something we can - and should - aspire to imitate. As we seek to surrender our lives to Christ more completely, God will work through each one of us in unique ways to inspire others to join us on the faith journey.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Sometimes, the idea of giving everything to God is scary. I personally used to dislike reading stories like Francis of Assisi's because I was afraid I'd have to leave my life behind and become a nun in a foreign country. But the truth is, God will never disappoint those who surrender all to Him. Are you holding anything back from God? Ask God to give you the faith to surrender whatever fears, sins, or idols to Him.

Further Reading

Mark 8: 34

"Pulling an Assisi" - Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Devotional, Sept. 12th

References: St. Francis of Assisi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi), St. Francis of Assisi (http://www.americancatholic.org/features/Francis/), Catholic Encyclopedia (http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/CEASSISI.HTM)

 

[Judy Harder]

Editor's Note: Today we are pleased to announce the launch of the audio/podcast version of the Crosswalk Devotional. Email subscribers will continue to receive this text version, but please note the links that will also allow you the options to listen online or subscribe to the audio podcast! You can also visit our Facebook page. We hope you enjoy!

August 2, 2010

Insider Access

John UpChurch, Editor, Jesus.org

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16, NASB

I hung up the phone when the code-blue alarm blared. Nurses poured out from every direction with stethoscopes flapping behind them. Equipment and carts squeaked and squealed and converged on a single room only feet from where I worked.


I'd never felt so out of place. Someone might have been suffering a heart attack, and all I could do was fix computers.

After graduating with a degree in English, I took a detour through the world of IT. My first job kept me safely within the walls of a corporate office, but the second and third propelled me into the antiseptic rooms of mental health wards, surgery centers, and ERs.

The funny thing about computers is that they open doors. No matter how secure or locked down the facility, my ability to fix broken equipment or install software gave me access. With accustomed grace (I'd like to think so, anyway), I scanned my ID badge and confidently strolled through the halls closed to the public. Bored nurse after bored nurse buzzed me into locked-down areas when I told them who I was. True, I did occasionally have to don surgical garb (complete with hairnets and masks), but I could be confident in my credentials, my right to be a room away from people being sliced open or mere feet from chilled bodies in the morgue—even if I wasn't so confident in what I had to wear (of which there are no pictures).

What set me apart from those who couldn't enter such areas had little to do with me personally. After all, even though I'm still the same person, I no longer have the right to waltz into the medical records office. Instead, my pass stemmed from borrowed authority. By working for the IT department, I could cash in that authority to move into protected areas.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  The writer of Hebrews tells us that we have the same type of access to God. Because Jesus took the nails for us, the thick veil once separating humanity from the Most Holy Place ripped completely apart. And we're not talking about a thin sheet barely held together. According to Alfred Edersheim, the veil was "40 cubits (60 feet) long, and 20 [cubits] (30 feet) wide, of the thickness of the palm of a hand, and wrought in 72 squares, which were joined together; and these Veils were so heavy, that, in the exaggerated language of the time, it needed 300 priests to manipulate each" (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, p. 611).

But that thick barrier no longer exists.

Living in the post-crucifixion world, we may not always consider how amazing our access—our confident access—really is. Jesus tore through the separation that had existed since the fall of humanity. Because of His authority, we have a direct line of communication with the Father because of the authority of our ever-present and sympathetic High Priest.

No ID badge or surgical garb required.

Further Reading

Hebrews 4
Hebrews 10

[Judy Harder]

  SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST | LISTEN TO DEVOTIONAL
Editor's Note: This week we are pleased to announce the launch of the audio/podcast version of the Crosswalk Devotional. Email subscribers will continue to receive this text version, but please note the links that will also allow you the options to listen online or subscribe to the audio podcast! You can also visit our Facebook page. We hope you enjoy!

August 3, 2010

Taking a Long-Term Missions Trip
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor


Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Matthew 9:37-38, NIV



This week, I've been praying for a group of friends who are on a short-term missions trip in Japan. 


I even have this handy-dandy little rubberized bracelet I can wear each day that's inscribed with a reminder to "Pray for Japan."  Actually, I'm not sporting it on my wrist right at the moment (gasp!), but I've got it prominently positioned on my office desk so that I will see it and pray as I am able throughout my work day.


As the team members post entries on their blog each day, I have been able to follow along with other supporters and know what the team is doing, who they're meeting with and even how much or how little sleep they've gotten the night before (seriously).  It's showing me how I can pray specifically as they share the Gospel during their 10-day assignment.


That almost instantaneous reporting from an overseas mission field is something that even just a decade or so ago wasn't really happening—if even at all possible.  In fact, I don't how long it took Paul's letters from his missionary journeys to get back to the various supporting churches in Bible times, but I have a feeling he might have tapped in to the advantages of the latest communications technology of our day.  Getting out the good news of what God is doing today to as many people as possible in just one click?  That's genius!


When I first heard the Japan missions team explain the purposes of their trip before they left, I must confess that I felt a little jealous.  I wanted to be a part of an exciting endeavor such as this.  I wanted the opportunity to travel abroad and to get that kind of life-changing, mountain-top experience that I hear a lot of people talking about when they come home from trips like these. 


But then some of the words they used to describe their goals came to the fore in my mind.  "It's a relational type of missions trip.  We are building relationships with students and young professionals—engaging them in conversations and sharing our testimonies with them—so that seeds might be planted and friendships might be developed that will aid in opening hearts and minds to Jesus Christ."


Hey, I don't have to travel to do that.  I can make a difference right where I live!  Can't I?

Yes, we all surely can.


But if I don't go somewhere exotic or that requires a passport, then it's not "real" missions work, is it?

Nonsense. 


Missions isn't only for career missionaries or those who embark on short-term trips like these—at least my Bible doesn't tell me so.  As Christians—as "Christ followers"—we are all charged with delivering a message to others, wherever we or they may live:


In Mark 16:15, Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation."


All the world.  Huh.  That would include right where I live, right?  My neighborhood.  My community.  People at work.  People at church.  People in the grocery store.  People driving past me.  People soliciting at my front door.  Every day, I have many, many opportunities to share this news.  Or not.


Jesus said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men."  Or in other words, "Fish or cut bait."  Right?


Some of us may be called to move away from our homes, to travel to distant lands to share the Good News.  Others will be led to reach out to those where we live.  But regardless of the geography or the people group, we are all called to take long-term (and life-long!) missions trips to seek out and reach the lost for Christ. 


I'm ready to go.  Are you?


Intersecting Faith & Life:  J. Hudson Taylor said, "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supplies."  As a Christ follower, how has God supplied you to do his work?  And how does he want to work through your life today to reach others?  Could he be calling you to reach out to people involved in a particular industry or niche which you belong to or have an affinity for?  Think outside of the box and see how God wants to use you in missionary work for his purposes and his kingdom today.

Further Reading

Romans 1:16-17
1 Peter 3:15

[Judy Harder]

August 4, 2010

Why Does God Bless Us?
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture

For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 
Matthew 5:45, NIV

Data on U.S. jobs numbers might be less dismal recently, but that doesn't mean finding a job is getting easier. In my church's experience, disappearing industries have shaken out long-time workers, and other industries are crawling back at a pitiful pace.

As I see hard times hitting friends, I feel something like survivors' guilt. My family has taken some hits, but our boat hasn't sprung any severe leaks. We're weathering the storm pretty well - other faithful believers are struggling just to stay afloat. Life is going pretty well right now. The storm makes me look to heaven and wonder, Why God? Why them and not us? Why us and not them?

The particulars of why life goes easy for some believers while others experiencing suffering remains a divine mystery. None of us know God's mind or his unique purpose in our lives. Christ clearly told his disciples that suffering does not imply sin in every instance, or even discipline. Likewise, we can't say blessing comes from great obedience. Both conclusions dispense with humility and assume we know the plans of an infinite God. So how do we view earthly blessings without making undue assumptions?

One of my favorite bloggers, Jon Acuff, recently wrote about his fear of too much blessing. He described it as the moment when everything is "too quiet" in the horror movie and the bad guy jumps from behind the door. God doesn't push us into the mire just because we've exceeded his blessing quota. Acuff put it this way:

"It's the idea that if good things happen to you, God will also allow something bad to happen in order to balance the scale. At the heart of this is some sort of corrupted form of Karma and justice...[but when] you doubt God's goodness, you doubt the very core of who he is."

Looking at this fallen world, I can mistake it for God's perfect design. I look at job loss as a medieval purgatory, a necessary evil we all must suffer before true redemption. But that perspective negates the greatest truth in Scripture: Christ loved us absolutely even in our fallen state. He's not walking around with a big stick to correct our form. He's providing glimpses through the earthly muck into a sweeter grace.

Instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop or feeling guilty, we need to turn the focus back on God. That means seeing blessing as evidence of God's goodness, pure and simple. Like the Psalm says, just "taste and see that the Lord is good." No strings attached.

We can point to good times in our life just as surely as we can point to the bad, testifying that we serve a good God. The good times didn't slip through as a fluke. They are reminders to praise, not to fear.

Experiencing blessing today should also remind us that there is a greater blessing to come. For the Christian, good things are like the reflection in a mirror - a one-dimensional representation of the real thing. Consider Romans 8:32: "He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" We've already received the greatest goodness in spite of our unworthiness. If it's all grace, no room remains for guilt or fear.

The real question isn't why God blesses us. The real question is what blessing says about God's character and our response to him. How do we react to a God who has given us the "inexpressible gift" (2 Corinthian 9:15) of his Son? The first reaction is directing praise upward. The second reaction should be directing blessing outward. We're not blessed so we can hoard like the rich man with all his barns. We're called to give our time and efforts in every circumstance - how much more when we experience tremendous blessing?

As Paul tells the well-to-do Corinthians that they were made rich "so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." As the phrase goes, we're blessed to be a blessing, to show God's goodness to others.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  Our response to blessing - whether we take it for granted, feel guilty for not having "earned" it, or use it as a means to praise a good God - reveals what we really believe about our Heavenly Father. How will you respond today?

[Judy Harder]

August 5, 2010

Different Gifts for the Common Good
Sarah Jennings, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same LORD. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.   
1 Cor 12: 4- 7, NIV

I can hardly believe how quickly our engagement is flying by. Our wedding takes place November 6th of this year. This may sound like plenty of time, but Fiance and I are doing more than planning the ceremony. We're also working with a spiritual director to prepare for marriage.

The first reading our spiritual director assigned us is the profound and influential book Love & Responsibility by Fr. Karol Wojtyla. You may recognize this author under his more famous name, Pope John Paul II. 

I'm not going to lie. Reading through hundreds of pages of philosophical thought is a bit of a sacrifice for us. But I am so thankful our pastor gave us this project. So often couples get caught up in the emotional highs of wedding planning, they fail to plan for the marriage. As the Family Editor here at Crosswalk, I receive countless heartbreaking emails from couples struggling to live out their vows.

Of course, some may ask what a celibate man could know about married love? Fr. Wojtyla doesn't dodge this question. In his introduction, he shares:

"[Priests' and celibates'] lack of direct personal experience is no handicap because they possess a great deal of experience at second-hand, derived from their pastoral work. For in their pastoral work they encounter these particular problems so often and in such a variety of circumstances and situations, that a different type of experience is created, which is certainly less immediate, and certainly 'second-hand,' but at the same time very much wider."

Fr. Wojtyla's words remind me of another famous marriage expert: St. Paul. His words on Christian marriage and love rank among some of the most-quoted scriptures. Yet Paul, in imitation of Christ, embraced the celibate life. After giving some of his famous "marital advice" to those already married, Paul writes to those who are unmarried and encourages them to embrace celibacy:

I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the LORD's affairs--how he can please the LORD. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world--how he can please his wife--  and his interests are divided. (1 Cor 7: 32  -34)

I believe it is the undivided devotion available to the celibate believer that allows a special perspective on those of us called to marriage. And the more I ponder this, the more I realize how illogical it is to claim a chaste believer knows little of love! After all, celibacy for the sake of the kingdom requires commitment, strength, sacrifice, and godly love for individuals - traits needed for successful marriages, even if these traits are manifested differently in married life.

We have to put these scripture verses in context, of course, and recognize that while Paul preferred celibacy, marriage is also a holy calling. I know Christian marriage is where my fiance and I belong. But the more my fiancé and I receive guidance from both married's and unmarried's, the more we appreciate the strength in God's decision to unite believers with different callings under the umbrella of His Church. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:  When you need godly counsel, do you always turn to those who will agree with you or who live just like you? Do you think you could benefit from a different perspective?

Further Reading

1 Cor 7