Showing posts with label Jeremiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jeremiah. Show all posts

Am I Looking for God Today?

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Our Life Group met last night (Tuesday night), and we got to talking about how often God says "remember." He tells us in the Lord's Supper to remember. God was always telling the Jews to remember how He had led them out of Egypt. Someone once told me that Christianity is an "historic" religion, because the easiest way we can see God's hand working is when we look back across our lives or the life of the church.

Some of you may know that my desks at home and at the church are a mess, covered with piles of stuff. I'm not particularly happy or proud of that, but there's at least a little method to my madness. What I've discovered over the years is that I forget things I don't readily see. Out of sight - out of mind, as the old saying goes. And it's certainly true for me.

And what I've discovered is that this is also often true for us in our faith journeys with God. Out of sight - out of mind. We remember on Sundays, when we're at church, but for a lot of the rest of the week, for a lot of us, God doesn't have a very active role in our lives.

In Acts 3, the Apostles Peter and John go to the Temple one afternoon not long after Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit into the lives of Christ followers. It's the mid-afternoon prayer service, and as they arrive, a man crippled from birth is being carried in so he can beg from those coming and going at the Temple. He sees Peter and John and begs for money from them. Peter tells him he has no money to give him, but he'll give him what he can. And what that, he commands the beggar to get up and walk in the name of Jesus.

Verse 7 says, "Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened." (NLT2) Everyone around was absolutely astounded by this miracle. Then, in verse 12 it says, "Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd, 'People of Israel,' he said, 'what is so surprising about this?'" (italics added)

People didn't expect to see God work. They were at the Temple, the center of the Jewish faith, but they were surprised to see God show up. How often do we live our lives not expecting God to show up. Would we be just as astounded to see God working? And it wouldn't even have to be a physical miracle. It might be a person choosing to forgive someone who has hurt them. It might be some words of encouragement at a low moment. It might be a helping hand that comes just as we pray for help. Are we looking to see God at work around us today? Do we believe He's active in our world, or does He just stand back and watch as the world goes by?

I believe we need to re-examine our faith if we're not routinely seeing God at work all around us. We need to see if we've parked it for the week, and only take it out of the garage on Sunday mornings. We need to ask ourselves if we really believe God still works in the lives of people today - in my life. Would an act of God be "so surprising" to me?

Sometimes I feel like what I need is a "God" radar that is constantly scanning my surroundings, scanning the people with me, scanning what I'm reading - the Bible or otherwise - , to watch for God at work. To remember that He is always with us and at work in our world. To see Him all around us in creation and people and love. I need to be looking for Him, because as God said, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)

This is one reason why worship is important - it's a weekly reminder of God and how great He is. But even worship one day a week is not that much. And that's why a daily time with God, reading our Bibles, praying, etc., is critical. Each day I begin it with my personal time with God, and among other things, that time with Him keeps Him on my mind, helps me remember Him and watch where He's working. It's harder for Him to be out of sight, out of mind. And when I'm watching for Him and actively seeking Him in my life, I will see Him at work. I will experience Him in my life - each day. In fact, I need to be watching for Him in every moment of my life, because we never know when He's going to do something to get our attention.

Seeing God work today shouldn't be a surprise. Seeing God heal or forgive, or even simply love us, needs to be a part of our daily lives. We see what we look for. Seek God will all your heart, and you will find Him, perhaps even in ways you never expected. Look for Him today!

The Holy Spirit Changes Everything

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , | Posted On Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 12:01 AM

Acts 2 is one of the great chapters of the Bible. In it we see the coming of the Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus, and the birth of his church. Both of these related events have great significance for you and me.

In Old Testament times it was rare for a person to receive the Holy Spirit. God typically did this for specific reasons for specific periods of time. It was not an ongoing experience, even of the prophets. But, the prophet Jeremiah foresaw a time when things would be different:

"'The day is coming,' says the LORD, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,' says the LORD. 'But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,' says the LORD. 'I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.'" (Jeremiah 31:31-33 NLT2)


A new covenant through Jesus Christ was established, and on Pentecost (originally, the Jewish Feast of Weeks or Harvest, coming 50 days after Passover) the mark and power of this new covenant was given to the followers of Christ - the presence of the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit. This new covenant wouldn't be recognized through external laws and rules but through an individual, personal relationship with Jesus Christ through His Spirit residing "deep within" the follower of Christ. The prophet Joel heard God say that He would pour out His Spirit to empower His people: "…I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions." (Joel 2:28) The coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost marked the birth of the church, and it continues to be the sign of God's church today.


The Holy Spirit enables Christ followers, forgiven by God through Jesus' death on the cross, to live new lives. He comes to live within us to actually change us, to change our hearts and desires. I remember thinking at one point in my life that there were a lot of things about being a Christian that didn't seem very appealing or interesting to me. I didn't want to give up some things that I was doing in my life. However, when Jesus entered my life, his Spirit didn't condemn me, but He did begin to transform me from the inside out. And a few years later I discovered that the things I used to think were such a big deal, that I would never want to do, had become some of the things I most wanted to do. The Holy Spirit, living in me, changed my heart through this new covenant.


We receive God's Spirit not simply as a place-holder so that someday we can get into heaven - we receive God's Spirit to begin changing us now! He has the power to do it, as we see in Acts 2. Here was Peter, who fifty days earlier was afraid to stand up to servants and admit he knew Jesus, now preaching about Jesus before a crowd so large that three thousand of them committed their lives to Jesus Christ, received His Spirit, and became "charter members" of the church. Verses 42-47 paint an amazing picture of Christian faith and community. And it was because of the Holy Spirit.


Of course, the Holy Spirit can't make any of us do anything we don't want to do. Which is why we see a lot of folks who talk about being followers of Christ who really don't look much like followers of Christ. We have to cooperate with the Spirit and trust Him as He leads us forward. We have to have faith that what God teaches us through the Bible is best for us and allow His Spirit to lead us to be obedient. Yet, it's never obedience to earn God's favor - it's obedience in gratitude to Jesus for what he's done for us. It becomes our joyful duty to serve Christ, by the power of his Spirit, and we do that by loving God, our neighbors, and ourselves. In fact, the presence of the Holy Spirit in a follower of Christ is one of the greatest affirmations we can ever receive - Jesus cares so much for us that His Spirit comes to live within us.



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