God Has a Plan

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.  Eph. 2:10

Do you sometimes wonder what is going on in your life?  You make a commitment to God to follow whatever path He has for you and He gives you a vision for your life.  Looking forward to accomplishing great things for God you head out and may even see some initial success, things are going well.  Then, something happens, as you move further in the journey it seems that no matter how hard you work or what you try to accomplish you can’t seem to make any headway.  In fact it seems like life is conspiring against you and you find yourself in situations you never would have expected.  Sound familiar?

You try to figure out what you are doing wrong that has resulted in you ending up where you are, lost and without any idea how to move forward, or worse yet in a situation that is moving you in a direction totally opposite of where you are trying to go.  You pray, asking God to help you get out of the situations you find yourself in so you can refocus on what you are trying to accomplish in fulfilling the vision given you by God.  You may even begin to wonder if you understood the vision given to you, after all if God gives you a vision and you are pursuing that vision; it should all work out right.  Shouldn’t it?

There are a couple of reasons that things don’t usually go as we expect them.  One, when you go out with the intent of accomplishing what God has set before you; you draw the attention of the enemy.  The last thing he wants is for you to be successful in your endeavors.  He will do whatever he can to hinder you, his intent is to cause you to fail, or at least give up trying.  Yes, I am talking about spiritual warfare.  I am not going to discuss spiritual warfare at this point, that is a topic for another day.  Here I want to look at another reason things don’t go as we expect they should.

First, let me say, I totally believe that if you are faithfully pursuing a vision given to you by God, it will work out, if you keep at it and trust in God’s promises.  I believe part of the problem lies in our perspective concerning what we see happening in our lives.  Too often we head out and, since we are following God’s direction for our lives, we expect immediate results.  When we don’t get the results we expected our response tends to be negative.  We also tend to try and do everything with our own strength, our way, or in the way which we think is the best way to go.

There is a different perspective we need to consider when we look at what is happening in our lives, God’s perspective.  God works sovereignly and providentially in our lives, meaning He is in complete control and He is going to execute His plan for our lives as He knows best fits into His plans for the entirety of creation.  Here is how He relayed this idea to the prophet Isaiah, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.  “For as the Heavens are higher than the earth so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts are higher than your thoughts.” (Is. 55:8-9)

That makes for an all-encompassing and eternally different perspective that we tend to hold.

So how does this relate to when things don’t go the way we expect or want them to go?  In this, when we become Christians we get a new boss, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, aka God.  We now work for Him and He has an assignment for each of us.  Our individual assignments are as unique as we are, but basically it boils down to accomplishing something great for Him.  Most often this assignment is given to us in the form of a dream of what we want to accomplish in life.

Remember, God is in control.  When God puts a dream into our heart, we have everything we need to start the journey; the challenge is that where we are is seldom enough to help us complete the journey.  In order to complete the journey we will need to go through a growth process.  Since we tend to rely too much on our own abilities and overestimate what we can do ourselves we don’t know how much we need to grow and in what areas we need that growth.  The good news is that God knows.

Since God knows, He will make sure we gain the experience we need in order to accomplish our dream.  This experience can come from any number of sources; the job that seems an ill fit for you and where you are trying to go in life, illness, accidents, failed relationships, financial hardships, and any number of other challenges in life. 

Don’t hear what I am not saying here.  God does not cause bad things to happen to us but He will allow those things to happen so we can grow through them.  Also remember, the enemy is out there trying to keep you from accomplishing your assignment, but God has us covered there as well.  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28) God can use anything for our good and sometimes this is an opportunity to grow.

 

Would it help to know that others have had this problem?  Here is one for you to consider, the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50.  Here is a very quick summary:

Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, was sold in slavery by his brothers.  As a slave he attained a position of influence until he was falsely accused and thrown into prison.  After a couple year years in prison Joseph is able to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and is put in charge of preparing for the coming seven years of famine becoming the number two guy in Egypt.

Years later Joseph is reunited with his family when Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy grain during the famine.  Ultimately Jacob is brought to Egypt to be reunited to his son.  After Jacob died the brothers were concerned that Joseph would take his vengeance on them and the families they had brought with them to Egypt.

Here is Joseph’s response to his brothers, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about in this day, to save many people alive.” (Gen 50: 19-20)

Joseph had dreams which he had told to his brothers.  His life definitely did not go as he would have expected for these dreams to come true but God used all of these things to bring about His purpose.  God can do the same thing for you. 

As you move through life and things are not going the way you had planned or expected, look for those things you can learn along the way.  Believe that God is in control and will use these challenges in life to help you grow into the person He wants you to be. 

Claim the promises that God has made, align yourself with God’s purpose for your life.  In his book Dream Thieves, Rick Renner calls it Divine Alignment, when you come to a place where you begin to say the things God says and do things the way God wants it done.

When you enter into divine alignment with the words, plans, and purposes of God, you will see your confession come to pass. "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23)

The Word of God

 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  Eph 6:17

To really understand the references Paul used in describing the Spiritual Armor in his letter to the Ephesians you need to put it in the context of what the people would think about or see in their day-to-day lives.  In order to find an example to use in describing the armor Paul need look no further than the Roman soldiers that were everywhere.

As the sword was their primary offensive weapon, the Roman soldiers exercised and were trained in the use of several swords, and they were trained in a specific use of the swords, that being to thrust with a sword rather than to cut with it.  They even made a point of making fun of those who chose to cut rather than thrust.  This is explained by Roman strategist Flavius Vegetius Renatus in The Military Institutions of the Romans:

For the Romans not only made a jest of those who fought with the edge of that weapon, but always found them an easy conquest.  A stroke with the edges, though made with ever so much force, seldom kills, as the vital parts of the body are defended by both the bones and armor.  On the contrary, a stab, though it penetrates but two inches, is generally fatal…

The soldiers were deadly with any of their swords but there was one in particular Paul was referring to when talking about the sword of the Spirit.  Paul chose the machaira sword.  This was a particularly nasty sword, sharpened on both sides and pointed at the tip (similar to the pictured below).  And the Roman soldiers were so effective with it that they could use it to disembowel an enemy on the battlefield.

 

Why would Paul use the machaira to describe the sword of the Spirit?  Because in doing so he declares that God has given us a weapon can be used with brutal efficiency against our enemy.  Paul wanted to compare and contrast the difference between grazing evil and dealing it a death blow with a deep penetration of the Word into the heart.

In Ephesians Paul tells us “…the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (6:17) That means we have this weapon at our disposal in our fight.  We even have an example to follow.  When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He responded to the temptations with the Word of God. (see Luke 4)  And after that the devil “…departed from Him…” (Luke 4:13)

Paul is not the only one to compare a sword to the Word of God.  The author of Hebrews also does this: “The Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb 4:12)

So what do we do?  We need to study God’s Word, tuck it away in our heart.  This doesn’t mean we need to have the entire bible memorized in order to use the sword of the spirit.  But we do need to study it so we can be immersed in the truth captured there.  Two things happen when we are immersed in truth.

First, it is easier to spot the lie when you know the truth.  Satan will try confusing us by manipulating and twisting the scripture.  Knowledge, as they say, is power.  Knowledge of the Word of God will give you the power you need to keep you from falling for the lie and to fight back.

Second, by keeping the seeds of truth in our hearts, when we desperately need a Word to counter an attack, the Holy Spirit can provide that Word in our heart.  This will release a mighty force of divine power with which we can thrust our sword effectively.

Always use of the sword of the Spirit in conjunction with the rest of the Spiritual Armor whenever you are facing the temptations and lies of the enemy.  Parry the darts sent your way and remember…

THRUST!

Wild Goose Chase

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.  (John 3:8)

In this verse, Jesus is comparing our inability to control and understand the wind with the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  The Holy Spirit cannot be controlled or understood, but where ever He is at work, there is undeniable and unmistakable evidence.

I just finished reading Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson.  The premise of the book is based on the name the Celtic Christians called the Holy Spirit.  They called Him An Geadh-Glas, or the Wild Goose.  Mark related this to our pursuit of the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives, hence Wild Goose chase.  Very good book, I highly recommend it.

Here are a few of the points he shared in the book.

-We start dying when we have nothing worth living for. And we don’t really start living until we find something worth dying for.  Ironically, discovering something worth dying for is what makes life worth living.

-Pursuing a God-ordained passion, no matter how crazy it seems, is the most responsible thing you can do.

-One of the great mistakes we make is asking God to do for us what God wants us to do for Him.

-We need people who are more afraid of missing opportunities than making mistakes.  People who are more afraid of lifelong regrets than temporary failure.  People who dare to dream the unthinkable and attempt the impossible

-Remember, ultimately it’s not about you.  It’s about the One who wants to write His-story though your life.  A world in desperate need can’t do without what you will bring when you become part of something that is bigger that you and more important than you: the cause of Christ in this generation.

We need to open ourselves up to the possibilities and stop over thinking the process.  Remember God is in control and things will work out much better if we get out of our own way and let the Holy Spirit work in our lives.

God's Promises

I will never leave you, nor forsake you.  Heb.13:5

God is so amazing.  He knows what we need, even when we don’t.  Little things or big things, it doesn’t matter, He knows.  And it doesn’t stop there.  He loves each of us so much that He will surprise you with something that will lift your heart and help understand Him better, and I think He loves to do it when you aren’t expecting it.

As I was reading in Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon the other day, God used it to lift my spirit and remind me of the promises He has made to me. Here is how Spurgeon put it.

“No promise is of private interpretation. Whatever God has said to any one saint, He has said to all.  When He opens a well for one, it is that all may drink.  When He opens the granary door to give out food, there may be one starving man who is the occasion of it being opened, but all hungry saints may come and feed, too.  Whether He gave the word to Abraham or to Moses does not matter, believer; He has given it to you as one of the covenanted seed.”

Isn’t that awesome?  Promised made to one of His people is a promise we can all be blessed through.  This prompted me to take a look at some of the promises in scripture.  Here are a few:

God uses rainbows to symbolize His promise to never again send a flood to destroy the earth. (Gen 9:8-17)

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.  (Is 41:10)

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. (Mt 11:28)

Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.  (Mark 11:24)

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Gal 6:9)

The Psalms are a great place to find promises.  Two of my favorites are Psalm 1 and 23.  Here are a few more:

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  (Ps 37:4)  

Cast your burdens on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.  (Ps 55:22)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  (Ps 46:1)

 

When you really think about it, the bible itself is one big promise ultimately pointing us toward eternity and the promises held there for us.  As the inspired Word of God we can hold every word near to our heart and stand in complete confidence of the promises held within.  Jesus told us of the accuracy and authority of scripture and that it would all be fulfilled, every jot and tittle (Mt 5:18).

Even the attributes of God work to our advantage.  Look at the various attributes of God, each one in and of itself a blessing to us.  God promising to never leave us or forsake us is an all-encompassing promise which engages His attributes on our behalf in order that this promise be fulfilled.

Spurgeon finished with this:

“To sum it up, there is nothing you can lack, nothing you can ask for, nothing you can need in time or in eternity, nothing living, nothing dying, nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, nothing now, nothing at the Resurrection morning, nothing that is in heaven that is not contained in this text: I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”

Take some time to think about the promises God has made to you, either directly or through the bible.  Lift them up in prayer and talk to Him about them.  It would be a great way to re-establish contact if you have not talked to Him in a while.   I think we all tend to forget about His promises to us when we don’t see it come into fruition in the time frame we want or expect it to.  We need to remember that His timing is perfect and He will follow through on every single promise.

Praying Outside the Box

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  (1 Thess 5:16-18)

Prayer is one of those topics that usually generates quite a few questions.  How, What, Where, When, Why?  I’m not going to claim to have answers to any of these questions; I have plenty of questions of my own.  My hope here is that I can give you an idea or two you can use to renew your prayer life or maybe get you to think about prayer in a way you may not have in the past.

As we move through life, we all fall into habits that get us through our daily grind.  For most of us prayer is no exception.  This applies to each of the how, what, where, when and whys we have when we pray.  It is because of habit that I think most of us have prayer that is not as effective as it could be.

Even starting with the best of intentions we can slip into bad habits and if we aren’t paying attention it can adversely affect our prayer life.  It really doesn’t matter how or why; the important thing is to get back on track when we stray.  That is why we have to stay vigilant against busyness, laziness, distraction, and complacency.

Take some time to think about your prayer life.  Does it look anything like this?  “Prayer must not be our accidental work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation.  As artists give themselves to their models and poets to their classical pursuits, so we must addict ourselves to prayer.  We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so ‘pray without ceasing’ (1 Thess 5:17).”  I read this the other day in Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon and had to pause and take some time to think about my prayers.  How about you, is yours like this?  If it is, great!  Keep going.  If not, that’s ok, you can turn it around and make it right.

There is good news!  First, we have an intercessor, stepping in to pray for us when we don’t know what to say or how to express ourselves, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us the groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom 8:26).  Second and I think even better.  God gives us grace.  No matter how stale our prayer life gets, God is always there waiting for us.  “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefor He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.” (Is 30:18)

So why do we want to have a vibrant prayer life?  Prayer is how we interact with God.  God wants to spend time with us.  He wants us to bring Him our joys and our sorrows, to openly share every aspect of our lives with Him.  Yes, He already knows all of these things, but that is not the point.  Sharing the hurts helps bring healing.  Sharing the victories makes them better (think about it, how do you feel after you share a victory with a friend?).  The more you share with God, the greater the bond and the deeper the relationship you can have with Him. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

In practice, prayer should not have starting or stopping points, appropriate or inappropriate settings, or even set times.  If you search through scripture, you will not find any boundaries in which prayer fits in.  In fact when you read about prayer in the bible the idea is one of praying everywhere and at anytime.  Paul tells us this in 1 Thessalonians 5 (see above), Ephesians 6:8 “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit…”, and in Colossians 4:2 “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.”  Jesus also relayed the need for continual prayer with a parable, see Luke 18.

Something else to remember.  We are all unique.  This means that the relationship each of us has with God is going to be different. This includes our prayer life.  Although there may be similarities in how you and other people pray, it is still as different and unique as you are.  Don’t think that if your prayer life doesn’t look like someone else’s that you are doing it wrong.  Prayer is a matter of the heart.  God doesn’t want a copy of another person’s heart, He wants your.

If your prayer life is good right now, I pray it continues to grow stronger.  Always look for ways to keep it strong and vibrant.  Keep it outside the box.  Don’t let complacency disrupt the blessing you have in this area of your life.  If you feel it has fallen flat, take the time to see if you can figure out where you are stumbling.  Step outside the box, change your approach, and look for ways you can renew your connection with God.  He loves you and is there waiting. Reach out to Him.

Unique, One and All

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.  (Ps. 139:14)

 

We are all unique, every single one of us.  Even identical twins are not completely identical.  If you searched through the approximately seven billion on the Earth today and all of the people who have ever lived, you would not find another person just like you.  It is in this uniqueness we can find something special.

 

Our uniqueness is a testament to our God who created us.  Using Himself as a template He created man in such a way that in the fullness of time, each individual who ever walks the Earth will be a completely and totally unique.  Because each of us is unique, His love for each of us is also unique.  Sure there are commonalities in how His love is expressed in the world, but it is in the differences, our uniqueness that our relationship with Him becomes something bigger and better.

Does this surprise you?  If so, why?  Are all of your relationships exactly the same?  I’m going step out on a limb and say that they aren’t.  Regardless of whom the other person is, co-worker, friend, family member, etc., we experience each of the relationships differently.  If that is true in the relationships we have with others, why would God be any different? (Remember, created in His image.)

Ready for the next one?  Because you are unique, no one who has ever lived can worship God like you can.  No one!  This is more than going to church and singing a few songs on Sunday.  This is living life in such a way that you become the best version of who God created you to be. Finding your purpose in life, pursuing it with all your heart and bring God glory through your actions.

 

We also have a unique name.  This name is mentioned in Revelations 2:17b, “And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”  We can only speculate as to what this name could be but God knows the true you, the person you were created to become.  In this He has a unique name for each of us that will be special and will encompass all of who we are and were created to be. And though we don’t know it now, we will immediately recognize it when we hear it for the first time.

Our uniqueness is one way in which we are fearfully and wonderfully made, embrace it as the gift from God that it is and open yourself up to all God wants to do in you and through you.  He has a purpose for all of us that is as unique as we are.  Seek out that purpose and thank God for your uniqueness.  Praise Him in thought and deed as only you can.

Wise Men from the East

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”  (Mt 2: 1-2)

Christmas is just around the corner.  It is a time of stores full of shoppers, festive lights, snow, tasty treats, and Christmas music on the radio.  One of those songs most of us are familiar with is We Three Kings.  This Christmas Carol tells us of travelling kings bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.  This is based on the story in Matthew chapter 2, but who were these men? 

Besides being mentioned in song, a Nativity Scene would be incomplete without the three kings with their gift boxes.  Traditionally they are given the names Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar and they are bearing the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Most of us are familiar with the tradition surrounding these men but let’s take a look at parts of the story that maybe you have not heard or thought of before.


These men were not actually kings; scripture tells us they were wise men (Mt 2:1).  It is commonly held that these men were Magi, magicians and astrologers, and most bible scholars believe they were from Persia.  But why would Magi from Persia be looking for Jesus, and how would they know?

I touched on this in my previous post, LIVE by Example, and it relates to the time of Daniel and his presence in Babylon approximately 500 years prior.  Daniel, along with three others, was taken into the king’s service because of the wisdom and knowledge he displayed.  In his time there Daniel repeatedly demonstrated the use of this wisdom and knowledge, along with an unwavering faith in God. (Dan 1-6)  This would have provided persuasive evidence of the authenticity of Daniel’s faith so it is not surprising that his peers took notice of the prophecies Daniel wrote, especially concerning the timing of the arrival of the Messiah (Dan 9:25).

Since Daniel enjoyed credibility with his peers in Babylon, it is easy to see him taking the opportunity to share at least some stories and prophecies from Hebrew Scripture.  One such story may have been one concerning another Babylonian seer named Balaam. (Num. 22-24)  Though he had been instructed to pronounce a curse on Israel, Balaam pronounced a blessing instead.  This included a prophecy concerning both a king and a star rising out of Israel (Num. 24:17).  Combine this with Daniel’s timetable and they would have known when to look and the sign to look for regarding the arrival of the Jewish king.


Tradition holds that there were three wise men but their number is not listed in scripture other than to say there was more than one.  Tradition also shows three men travelling on three camels, showing up at the stable where Christ was born.  In all reality there would have been an entire caravan of people travelling with the Magi.  The caravan would have consisted of the Magi themselves, however many there actually were; servants of the Magi and other “staff” (entourage, students, assistants, what have you); possibly merchants and other travelers headed in the same direction; and most likely some type of security or soldiers (travel would have been very dangerous and a caravan would be seen as a source of supplies needed for survival). 

They also arrived much later than the night Jesus was born.  It would have taken time to gather supplies, put the caravan together, and travel the several hundred miles from Babylon to Bethlehem.  Matthew 2:11 tells us they arrived at a house to find a “young Child with His mother Mary.”  This is also supported by Herod's response in Mt 2:16.  I would imagine this large caravan arriving in the small town of Bethlehem would cause a bit of a stir among the locals as well.


Something else we don’t think much about is the gifts the Magi brought Jesus.  Each was valuable in its own right (each worthy for a king), but each also had a symbolic significance as well.  Gold, aside from its obvious value, represents Christ’s kingship.  Frankincense is an aromatic resin praised for its fragrance and is often burned as incense, this represents His priesthood.  Myrrh is also an aromatic resin, commonly used in embalming, represents Christ’s substitutionary death.

It should also be noted that aside from the gifts, the Magi, “fell down and worshipped Him.” (Mt 2:11)  There is significance in the fact that they were from a pagan culture and they are listed as some of the first people to worship Jesus.  And this is years before Jesus started His ministry and at this time very few people knew who He was.


I hope this gives you something to think about when you read the story of Christmas, and even a new way of looking at the stories in the bible. Look beyond what we normally think the story says and find some nugget you have not seen before.  Look at what happened and not just what has become tradition surrounding the story.


I pray you and your families have a very merry and blessed Christmas.

LIVE by Example

Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.  (Dan 6:3)

In my previous post I talked about the impact Jesus has had on the world.  How He lived that example.  There are a number of other people in the bible we can learn from, here are a few:

·         Joseph didn’t give up despite being sold into slavery by his bothers, being sent to prison after being falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and being forgotten by the butler until Pharaoh had a dream. (Gen 37-41)

·         Peter, James, John and the other apostles sat at the feet of Jesus before being instrumental in the growth of the early church. (The 4 Gospels and the Book of Acts)

·         Paul, even with all the difficulties he faced, shared the gospel with the gentiles of his day. (Book of Acts and the Pauline Epistles)

·         Gideon led a small army. (Judges 6-8)

·         Noah built a boat. (Gen 6-8)

·         Moses led God’s people out of Egypt, for 40 years in the wilderness, and to the Promised Land. (Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)

·         Nehemiah went home to rebuild a wall. (Book of Nehemiah) 

We know more about some of them than others, some had humble beginnings, and others had positions of influence before they heard God’s call.  All of them displayed faith in what they accomplished for God and gave us examples of how to live our lives.  They also made an impact on those around them and even an impact on the world.

There is one person in particular I would like to highlight as an example and the power a good example can have on the world.  That is the prophet Daniel.

After taking over the nation of Israel, King Nebuchadnezzar had several young men taken to serve in his palace.  Daniel was among these men.  These men were to be indoctrinated and trained in Babylonian affairs of state.

Daniel stood out early on when he made the decision not to defile himself and requested a different diet than was supplied by the king for himself and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who we know by their Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach and, Abed-Nego. (Dan 1:8-12)

Daniel is later able to not only interpret a dream of Nebuchadnezzar; he is able to tell the king what the dream was, which none of the kings other astrologers, magicians, or sorcerers were able to figure out, even under the threat of death for failing to do so.  After Daniel did this, Nebuchadnezzar told him, “Truly Your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the revealer of secrets, since you could reveal the secret.” (Dan 2:47)

Nebuchadnezzar again praises God after Shadrach, Meshach and, Abed-Nego are saved from the fiery furnace. (Dan 3:28-29)  How’s that for influence?  When the king (a pagan king at that) of a country that took over your own, and took you to serve in his court, is praising your God.

 

Daniel served under several leaders over his lifetime.  First Nebuchadnezzar, then his son Belshazzar mentioned in Daniel 5.  Daniel then served under Darius the Mede when he took over Babylon.  Throughout this time Daniel was blessed by God and continually distinguished himself amongst the other governors and satraps. (Dan 6: 3)

Jealousy from his peers led them to plot against Daniel by manipulating the king which resulted in Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den. (Dan 6:1-17)  After seeing that Daniel survived the night in the lion’s den, Darius had those that had accused Daniel, and their families, thrown into the lion’s den and then honored God (Dan 6:24-27) even decreeing that “men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.” (vs. 26)

 

We can see how Daniel had an impact on those around him and set a great example for us by not compromising himself and serving God.  Now, are you ready to take it to another level?

Do you know where the wise men who delivered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to Jesus in Matthew 2 came from?  It is commonly held that they came from Persia and their knowledge of Hebrew scripture talking of a coming King can be traced back to the time of Daniel in Babylon.

I had heard about the wise men coming because of knowledge they had gained due to Daniel being in Babylon.  But it wasn’t until I received the following text from a friend talking about the wise men that really got me thinking.

“Imagine this… Live your life in such a way that 500 years after you die the weight of your vision motivates the descendants of your peers to travel hundreds of miles to see… THE KING OF KINGS.”

Talk about having an impact!  Living such a strong example that it leads others to act, several generations removed. That will blow your mind when you really think about it.

 

As we serve God, we will impact people’s lives.  In some cases we will witness the affect our actions have, in others we won’t.  But it really doesn’t matter if we see the results or not.  Allowing God to use us is more important than keeping score.  Let God take care of those details because you never know how and where He is going to use what you do to impact others.

One Solitary Life

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

 

I came across this several years ago and found it again while doing some research.  It is called One Solitary Life and was taken from a sermon by Dr. James Allen Francis in 1926.

He was born in an obscure village

The child of a peasant woman

He grew up in another obscure village

Where he worked in a carpenter shop

Until he was thirty  

He never wrote a book

He never held an office

He never went to college

He never visited a big city

He never travelled more than two hundred miles

From the place where he was born

He did none of the things

Usually associated with greatness

He had no credentials but himself  

He was only thirty three  

His friends ran away

One of them denied him

He was turned over to his enemies

And went through the mockery of a trial

He was nailed to a cross between two thieves

While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing

The only property he had on earth  

When he was dead

He was laid in a borrowed grave

Through the pity of a friend  

Nineteen centuries have come and gone

And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race

And the leader of mankind's progress

All the armies that have ever marched

All the navies that have ever sailed

All the parliaments that have ever sat

All the kings that ever reigned put together

Have not affected the life of mankind on earth

As powerfully as that one solitary life

 Definitely a different way to look at Jesus.  When we think about people that have impacted the world I think it is safe to say this is not usually what we look for in what they did or didn’t do.  In today’s society we look too much toward athletes, movie stars, musicians and the like but one has to ask, do they really make that much of an impact?  Yes, they are popular for a time due to their accomplishments in their field, but it doesn’t last.

Don’t believe me?  Without looking on the internet, list the top five most popular athletes, movie stars, and musicians from 10 years ago.  How many can you come up with?  Most of us might be able to come up with a couple.  Those that are big fans in a particular area might be able to come up with more, but not by much.  Too easy?  How about 20 years ago?  30?  Gets harder the further back you go doesn’t it?

True, some of these people have used their influence in a positive way to help with various charities and other organizations but I think most would agree it is not the majority.  Even with those that do, most of that influence gets diluted or even completely washed away by time.  Ultimately very few have a very far reaching effect on people’s lives, much less the world.

Why does Jesus have influence today, almost 2,000 years after He walked the Earth?  I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that some of this influence is definitely because of who He is, the Son of God.  But I think it is much more than that.

Jesus taught us how to love one another and how to serve each other.  He demonstrated obedience to God’s will in His life and, through His death, fulfilled His purpose for coming to dwell with us.  Jesus showed us there is a better way to live our lives.  He also showed us we could have a relationship with Him.  And He did this not by just telling us how to do it, Jesus lived it.  Everywhere He went, in everything He did.

Jesus has had more impact on mankind for good than any other person.  Jesus changes lives because it is not just about serving God and those around us, it is about relationships that make us better people.

Jesus lived servant leadership and we are called to following His footsteps.  Allow Jesus to come in and change your life.  Live the life you were meant to live and have an impact.

A Bondservant of Christ

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle… (Rom 1:1a)

As part of his greeting to the Romans, we see Paul refer to himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ.  What did Paul mean by this? You don’t see the term bondservant used very often in scripture and in some translations they just use the word servant.  Is there a difference between being a servant and being a bondservant? 

A servant is a person who performs duties for others; this may be domestic duties, acting as a personal assistant, or something as simple as rendering assistance when someone needs a helping hand.  We are definitely called to serve others.  Jesus told us this much in Mark 9:35, “Sitting down, Jesus called the twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and servant to all.””  Jesus also provided multiple examples for us to follow in serving others.  One prominent example is when Jesus washed the disciple’s feet in John 13:1-20. 

How about a bondservant?  In order to understand the difference we need to look at the word Paul used in the Greek to express what he wanted to convey here.  The word Paul used and is actually used in many places in the New Testament is doulos.

The translation of doulos from the Greek is slave.  Some theologians even say it was actually the most wretched expression for slave in the ancient Greek language. Describing a servant so totally sold into slavery that he had no destiny of his own, that he was perpetually obligated to do the bidding of his owner.  And this is the word Paul used in Romans 1:1.

Does it seem strange that Paul would refer to himself as a slave?  People generally don’t take it lightly when you talk about slavery today.  Especially in reference to themselves.  That wasn’t the case in the early church.  They were called Christians but they referred to themselves as slaves of Christ (1 Cor 7:22, Gal 1:10, Eph 6:6, and Col 4:12).  Peter and Jude also make the same reference to themselves (2 Ptr 1:1 and Jude 1).  John MacArthur, in his book Slave, summed up our relationship with Christ this way, “He is the Master and Owner.  We are His possession.  He is King, the Lord, and the Son of God.  We are His subjects and His subordinates.  In a word, we are His slaves.”^[1]   This is how the early church saw it.

Although doulos is used about 124 times in the original text, it is not translated well in modern bible translations.  Current translations consistently substitute doulos with the word ‘servant’.  Ironically, there are at least half a dozen words that can be used for servant in the Greek; doulos is not one of them.  It does not matter if you are looking at the New Testament or in secular Greek literature, doulos always means slave.

So, what is the difference between a servant and a slave?  Put simply, a servant is hired, a slave is owned.  We have been told we are to serve, and Jesus set the example for us.  Most of us have no problem there.  But being a slave of Jesus Christ takes things to a whole new level.  True Christianity is not about adding Jesus to our lives, it is about devoting ourselves completely to Him and Him alone.  We are to submit our whole being to His will.  Seeking to please Him above all else.  Dying to self and following our Master’s call, no matter the cost.

This is not just blind devotion or following for the sake of following.  Looking back into the Old Testament you can see a perspective that, I believe, takes it to a higher level and is fundamental for our beliefs.  Go back to Ex21: 5-6, here we see a slave who willingly commits himself to serve a master he loves and respects.

One other thing that is important to note. Slavery in the Roman Empire was different than what we normally think of when we think of slavery today.  Today we usually think of people in chains, abuse, poor living conditions, and other such circumstances.  It is estimated that approximately one-fifth of the population of the Roman Empire was a slave.  Initially most of these slaves we taken in military conquest, eventually most slaves inherited their place in Roman society by being born into slavery.

Slaves worked in a variety of positions with varying levels of responsibility depending on their training and their master’s needs.  On the street it may have been difficult to distinguish between slaves and non-slaves.  There wasn’t any difference in dress or even the responsibilities in what you might find a slave or a free person doing on a daily basis.  Slaves could even be held in high regard due to the position held by their master in society. 

Not to say it was all wine and roses for slaves, they were considered property, not a person.  They had no legal rights, basically no legal status whatsoever.  If their master was abusive or cruel, they would have lived a life of pain and misery.  However, if their master was gracious, they could be provided some level of social and economic protection, they would not have to worry about their next meal or even where they would sleep.  In return for their good service they were taken care of.

So it’s more than just a master and slave.  It is a Master who paid the full and complete price for us and His slaves who totally devote their entire being to Him, not because they have to, but because they want to.  As part of the relationship the Master provides for the needs of the slaves, looking out for them and taking care of them.

 

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^[1]MacArthur, J. (2010). Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity in Christ (1). Nashville, TN: W Pub. Group.