WHO ARE YOU SERVING?

“His lord said unto him, ‘ Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter into the joy of the Lord.'” Matthew 25:21

“What joy it gives, and strength too, to begin each day by feeling, ‘On this day once again I am to live simply as a servant of Jesus Christ:
His will and not my own will is to sway me every hour!’

‘A servant of Jesus Christ!’ Then I dare not be the servant of sin; I must be holy as my Master is holy.

‘A servant of Jesus Christ!’ Then I will not be the servant of men; the maxims of the will not rule me; I will not take my cue from the world; I am under orders only to my Master in heaven.

‘A servant of Jesus Christ!’ Then I must be the servant of men, to help them, to comfort them, and to stoop to the lowest of them in their behalf as my Master did.

‘A servant of Jesus Christ!’ Then, if HIS servant anywhere, I must be HIS servant everywhere; in all society with men I must never forget my servanthood to Him: I must show myself His servant openly as well as confess it secretly.

‘A servant of Jesus Christ!’ Then, if I want to know Him, I have simply to imitate Him, to walk as He walked, to plant my feet in His footprints. As the eyes of the servants look unto the hand of their masters, to see how their work should be done, and copy what they see, so my eyes ‘must wait upon the Lord.’ If His service is sometimes difficult, I must not complain: He may use me as He wills, and at the end of all I will be more than satisfied if I only hear Him say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord.'”
From HIS VICTORIOUS INDWELLING by Nick Harrison (Zondervan)

I needed to be reminded this morning of who it is I am serving. Thanks, Lord for the reminder.

Great quote: Temptation can cause us to succumb, sink, sin, or stand. William Ward

SO HOW DO YOU SMELL?

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us IN triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-15

Her name was Dorie and she was a sweetie. You could tell she was in the room before you ever saw her because you could smell her. She put on so much perfume that you could smell her before she ever got close enough to give you a hug. It was her own mark of distinction.

As a child of God, we are to be that kind of Christian – a fragrance of His knowledge in every place. Listen to what Dr. Henry Blackaby says about this in his daily devotional, EXPERIENCING GOD – The Devotional:

“Whenever the Romans won a major military victory they would celebrate with a spectacular parade. The commanding general would lead the procession in a magnificent chariot, followed by his soldiers, musicians, and other officials. Then, soldiers would lead the defeated enemies through the city in bondage. As a part of the celebration, the Romans would burn fragrances on altars, filling the entire city with a pleasant aroma. Even those who could not witness the triumphal procession could hear the victory music and smell the pleasing incense.
Everyone would know that their army had been victorious. The special fragrance came to symbolize victory to anyone who smelled it.

Paul used vivid imagery to describe the effect that Christians should have in the world. According to Paul, God permeates our lives with the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, our lives should demonstrate to others that Christ is victorious. As unbelievers observe our lives, they should become aware of the victorious power of Christ.
As other Christians witness the victory Christ gives us over our sin, they can rejoice in the triumph of their Lord and gain confidence that Christ will bring victory in their lives as well.

The most compelling evidence that Christ is alive and triumphant is His activity in the lives of His people. It is a privilege to be the fragrance of Christ by which others learn of God’s life-changing power over sin. Your life ought to be convincing proof that God continues to work powerfully in the lives of His people.”

How about you this morning, brothers? How do you smell? Ask Him to be one who diffuses the fragrance of Him in every place you go!

Great quote: Every man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without fear of God? Indeed a humble rustic who serves God is better than a proud intellectual who neglects his soul to study the course of the stars. Thomas a Kempis

LOVING OTHERS REDEMPTIVELY

“And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him.” (1 John 4:16)

I remember a time in my life where I had trouble getting along with a co-worker. I just didn’t like the guy! He grated on my nerves. In fact, I couldn’t even stand to see him walk down the hall! But one morning in my quiet time, the Holy Spirit reminded me that I didn’t have to LIKE him – but I did have to LOVE him.

That kind of love is IMPOSSIBLE apart from Christ living His live through me. Today’s devotional reading from DAILY WITH THE KING helps to put it in perspective:

“God commands me to love others. However, He does not mean I should love them naturally, but REDEMPTIVELY. Redemptive love is the way God loves us, expressed convincingly in the life of Hosea, the prophet. His wife left him and went to live with another man, and Hosea had the humiliating experience of having to buy her back from her adultery (Hosea 3:1-3). Think of buying back what is already yours! Yet that is what God did for us.

Redemptive love knows no shame; it is concerned with the loved one, not its own feelings. Jesus did not cry out in self-pity, ‘Poor me’ when He was hanging on the cross. Hosea did not stint when he doled out the shekels for his wife. He took her sin and disgrace as his own and for her sake he paid her debts willingly and brought her safely back home.

Redemptive love binds and makes permanent. Gomer never again left her husband. How could she, after love like that? I am a weak brother indeed if after looking at Calvary and being brought home to God’ house, I steal away and consort with the world. Redemptive love is the most powerful binding force in the world.

I cannot copy God’s redemptive love, no matter how hard I try. I cannot determine to love others. Even loving my wife, Paul says, must be ‘As Christ loved the church …’ (Ephesians 5:25) The moment I fall back to the natural, even in natural relationships, I begin to run out of my supply. My only hope is to RECEIVE and EXPRESS the redemptive love of God. That love is spread abroad in my heart by the Holy Spirit, and even the most natural of my relationships must come under that spiritual, redemptive love. ‘Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. We love him, because He first loved us.’ (1 John 4:11, 19)

Do you have a “someone” in your life that you are having trouble loving today? Is it your spouse? Kids? Co-worker? You can’t love that person redemptively apart from Christ doing that through you!

Great quote: In all the world only one thing really mattered, to do the will of the One she followed and loved, no matter what it involved or cost. Hannah Hurnard

PATIENCE

“And let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and lacking nothing.” James 1:4

The older I am getting the more I realize that my patience level needs work. It might be anything from standing in a line waiting to be served or even in my dealings with people.

My friend, Fenelon, wrote these words over 400 + years ago … they might have been written today just for me:

“Anything that resembles pride or a spirit of ridicule reveals a person that is full of himself. This sort of person doesn’t see his own faults but takes pleasure in the hard times of others. Here is your self-nature at its worst; easily wounded, full of contempt, haughty, jealous, unforgiving, and lacking graciousness.

You and I are not perfect. You must be patient with YOUR faults and with the faults of others. Be practical about your expectations. NO ONE WILL BECOME PERFECT IN A DAY. Even the most perfect people have many imperfections – this means that YOU have many faults, too! If you are impatient with the faults of others it only shows you how imperfect you are. Your faults and my faults make getting along with one another a hard thing! But we can only fulfill the law of Christ by bearing with each other.

On the one hand, do not excuse your faults or the faults of others. Let your love, patience, and willingness to overlook shortcomings flow between you and all you associate with. Do not pick at other’s faults. No one enjoys that and it only pushes people farther away from what is right. You may even cause someone to become so discouraged that they turn back after making their first wobbly steps toward God. Give up your critical nature and stay in touch with Christ within you. Encourage yourself and those around you to give up pride and selfishness.

Live a simple life before God. Accept what God allows in your life. His mercy is what has allowed these events to take place.

Do not let yourself get inwardly irritated by the small troubles and problems that cross your life. Endure them as you would a headache without making them worse than they are. Meanwhile, about your inward prayer as usual. When things are difficult in your life, prayer will be harder, love will be less tender, and God’s presence will be less easily felt. Just learn to be faithful during theses trying times – that is all that God asks.

It is greater strength that carries a boat against the wind for a quarter knot with the wind helping you. Treat the complaints of your self-nature as some people treat their spoiled appetites. Do not listen to them and act as in you did not feel them.” – The Seeking Heart

One of my dear friends and mentors, Howard Bateman, Chairman of our Board, often reminds me when those annoying circumstances come that they are “a tempest in a tea pot!” Rather than get annoyed – allow patience to have its perfect work in you!

Great quote: We know not the matter of the things for which we should pray, neither the object to whom we pray, nor the medium by or through whom we pray; none of these things know we, but by the help and assistance of the Spirit. John Bunyan

RECONCILATION PART 5

Here is the last part (I promise) from Steve Cornell’s article on Forgiveness and Reconciliation. You can now download the entire article http://www.americaskeswick.org/conf/documents/ForgivenessisOneThingRecon
ciliationisAnother.pdf.

6. Be objective about your hesitancy -Perhaps you have good reasons for being hesitant to

reconcile, but they must be objectively stated. Sometimes, for example, repeated confessions and

offenses of the same nature make it understandably hard for trust to be rebuilt. This is an

objective concern. Clearly define your reasons for doubting your offender’s sincerity.

_

7. Be clear about the guidelines for restoration -Establish clear guidelines for restoration.

Requirements like restitution can be clearly understood. Others include financial accountability,

holding down a job, and putting away substances. _

8. Be realistic about the process -Change often requires time and hard work. Periodic failure

by an offender does not always indicate an unrepentant heart. Behavior patterns often run in deep

channels. They can place a powerful grip on a person’s life. A key indicator for change is the

attitude of the offender. While you may proceed with some caution, be careful about demanding

guarantees from a person who has truly expressed repentance. If the person stumbles, the process

of loving confrontation, confession, and forgiveness may need to be repeated . Setbacks and

disappointments are often part of the process of change. Don’t give up too easily on process of

reconciliation. Keep the goal of a fully restored relationship open.

9. Be mindful of God’s control -“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to

man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but

with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (1

Corinthians 10:13). “We know that God works all things together for good for those who love

him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). “When you are having a hard time

forgiving someone (i.e. being restored), take time to note how God may be using that offense for

good. Is this an unusual opportunity to glorify God? How can you serve others and help them

grow in their faith? What sins and weaknesses of yours are being exposed? What character

qualities are you being challenged to exercise? When you perceive that the person who has

wronged you is being used as an instrument in God’s hand to help you mature, serve others, and

glorify him, it may be easier for you to move ahead with forgiveness (i.e. restoration)” (Ken

Sande, p.165;cf. Hebrews 12:7;I Pet.2:23b; 4:19). (Italicized words added). _

10. Be alert to Satan’s schemes -In Ephesians 4:27, the apostle warns about the possibility of

giving Satan an opportunity in our lives. Significantly, this warning is given in the context of

unchecked anger. A few verses later, the Apostle wrote, ” Let all bitterness and wrath and anger

and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another,

tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be

imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave

Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 4:29-5:2). Meditate on these

words and put them into practice! (See also: II Corinthians 2:14; Hebrews 12:15). _

Steve Cornell_ –Senior Pastor of Millersville Bible Church

Great Quote – If God abides in my home, His presence cannot be hidden. Anonymous

FORGIVENESS IS ONE THING – RECONCILIATION IS ANOTHER – Part #4

Here is the last part of this great article written by my friend, Pastor Steve Cornell, senior pastor of Millersville Bible Church.

For those who are hesitant to reconcile: Ten Guidelines to consider (Here are the first five …)

It is common for those who have been seriously hurt to feel hesitant about reconciling with their offenders. When your offender is genuinely repentant, however, it is important to open yourself to the possibility of restoration. Remember, Jesus spoke about reconciliation with a sense of urgency (see Matthew 5:23-24). If you are hesitant to reconcile, work through the ten guidelines on the next pages.

1. Be honest about your motives -Make sure that your desire is to do
what pleases God and not to get revenge. Settle the matter of forgiveness (as Joseph did) in the context of your relationship with God. Guidelines for reconciliation should not be retaliatory.

2. Be humble in your attitude -Do not let pride ruin everything.
Renounce all vengeful attitudes toward your offender. We are not, for example, to demand that a person earn our forgiveness. The issue is not earning forgiveness, but working toward true reconciliation. This demands humility. Those who focus on retaliation and revenge have allowed self-serving pride to control them.

3. Be prayerful about the situation -Jesus taught his disciples to
pray for those who mistreat them (Luke 6:28). It is amazing how our attitude toward another person can change when we pray for him. Pray also for strength to follow through with reconciliation (see: Hebrews 4:16).

4. Be willing to admit ways you might have contributed to the
problem -“Even if you did not start the dispute, your lack of understanding, careless words, impatience, or failure to respond in a loving manner may have aggravated the situation. When this happens, it is easy to behave as though the other person’s sins more than cancel yours, which leaves you with a self- righteous attitude that can retard forgiveness (i.e. relational forgiveness). The best way to overcome this tendency is to prayerfully examine your role in the conflict and then write down everything you have done or failed to do that may have been a factor.” (Ken Sande, The PeaceMaker, p. 168). Such a step, however, is not suggested to promote the idea of equal blame for all situations. (See: Matthew 7:1-6) (Italicized words added).

5. Be honest with the offender -If you need time to absorb the
reality of what was said or done, express this honestly to the one who hurt you. Yet we must not use time as a means of manipulation and punishment.

I will try and have the article posted on the website later this morning. It will be available for you to print out in its entirety. Please also note that I gave the wrong date for the Twila concert – at least I know you are reading FF! The date is Thursday, August 9th!

Great Quote: “Sinners are not saved until they trust the Savior, and saints are not delivered until they trust the Deliverer. God has made both possible through the Cross of His Son.” Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer

RECONCILIATION PART 3

Good morning. I had trouble sending the whole file to you yesterday, so here is part 3 of the Forgiveness/Reconciliation devotional from Steve Cornell:

The offender:

1. Accepts full responsibility for his or her actions. (Instead of: “Since you think I’ve done something wrong…” or “If have done anything to offend you…”).

2. Accepts accountability from others.

3. Does not continue in the hurtful behavior or anything associated with it.

4. Does not have a defensive attitude about his or her being in the
wrong.

5. Does not have a light attitude toward his or her hurtful behavior.

6. Does not resent doubts about his or her sincerity- nor the need to demonstrate sincerity. (Especially in cases involving repeated offenses)

7. Makes restitution wherever necessary.

This was good stuff, wasn’t it? I trust it will be helpful to you. I will try and post the entire article on our website so that you can print it out in its entirety.

Great quote: I am indifferent to God’s love, even to Him, except when I’ve been freshly convicted of my sin. Then, I’m temporarily overwhelmed by His love for me, undone in an Isaiah-6-sort of way, and Jesus is everything to me, and everything else, pales by comparison:
especially my own righteousness/performance/somebodiness. Who really cares? He who has a sense of having been forgiven little, loves little. And. Has little sense of being loved by God. And. Is likely to suppress anger with God, for hard circumstances, instead of being thankful. – Dave McCarty – Gospel Friendships

FORGIVENESS IS ONE THING; RECONCILIATION IS ANOTHER

Here is part two of what I shared with you yesterday. This was written by my good friend, Pastor Steve Cornell, who will be speaking at America’s KESWICK in 2009!!!

Reconciliation:

Differing from forgiveness, reconciliation is a process that is conditioned on the attitude and actions of the offender. Its aim is restoration of a broken relationship-which is often a process. Those who commit significant and repeated offenses must be willing to recognize that reconciliation is a process. In many cases, even if the offender confessed his wrong to the one he hurt, and appealed for forgiveness, the offended person could justifiably say, “I forgive you, but it might take some time for me to regain trust and restore our relationship.” The evidence of genuine forgiveness is freedom from a vindictive or vengeful response (see: Romans 12:17-21).

But such forgiveness does not always automatically grant the same level of relationship back-especially when trust has been deeply betrayed.
Even when God forgives our sins, He does not promise to remove all consequences created by our actions. Being forgiven, restored, and trusted again is a great experience. Yet it is important for those who hurt others to understand that their attitude and actions will affect the process of rebuilding trust. Words alone are not enough.

When someone has been significantly hurt, and feels hesitant about restoration with her offender, it is right and wise to look for changes in the offender before allowing reconciliation to begin. This is especially true when the offense has been repeated. Reconciliation requires us to offer a repentant person an opportunity to demonstrate repentance and to regain trust. However, when a person has consistently behaved in a harmful and irresponsible manner, he must accept the fact that reconciliation will be a slow and difficult process. Three main considerations affect the timing of the process of restoration:

1. The attitude of the offender

2. The depth of the betrayal or violation

3. The pattern of the offense (e.g. often repeated offenses)

When an offended party works toward reconciliation, the first and most important step is the confirmation of genuine repentance on the part of the offender (Luke 17:3). A disingenuous and unrepentant offender will resent your desire to confirm the genuineness of his confession and repentance. He may resort to lines of manipulation. “I guess you can’t find it in yourself to be forgiving.” “You just want to rub it in my face.” “I guess I should expect that you want your revenge.” “Some Christian you are, I thought Christians believed in love and compassion.”

These lines reveal an unrepentant attitude. Don’t be manipulated into avoiding the step of confirming the authenticity of your offender’s confession and repentance. Carefully and prayerfully use the seven signs of true repentance listed below. It is advisable (in difficult cases) to seek the help of a wise counselor (only one who understands the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation).

You must be as certain as you can of your offender’s repentance-especially in cases involving repeated offences. It is hard to genuinely restore a broken relationship when the offender is unclear about his confession and repentance. Even God will not grant forgiveness to one who is insincere about his confession and repentance.
The person who is unwilling to forsake his sin will not find forgiveness with God (Proverbs 28:13).

Of course, only God can read hearts- we must evaluate actions. Jesus said, “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16a). We must not allow superficial appearances of repentance to control our responses. Displays of tears or appearing to be sorry must not become substitutes for clear changes in attitude and behavior. Carefully consider the seven signs of genuine repentance:

Great Quote: Our love for God is tested by the question of whether we seek Him or His gifts. Ralph W. Sockman

Good morning, brothers. One of my good friends, Pastor Steve Cornell, Senior Pastor of Millersville Bible Church, sent me this and it was too good to not pass on to you. This is part one, tomorrow will be part two.

Forgiveness is one thing; Reconciliation is another
By Steve Cornell

“He said I am sorry but this is at least the tenth time! I don’t know what to do. I am told that it’s my Christian duty to forgive so I try to do it. But each time I forgive him, he changes for a little while and then returns to the same behavior. I have a gut feeling that I am handling things the wrong way. He never really changes and I just get angry. What should I do?”

Sound familiar? People facing circumstances like this must learn to distinguish forgiveness from reconciliation. Forgiveness is always required by God. Jesus clearly warned that God will not forgive our sins if we do not forgive those who sin against us (see: Matthew 6:14-15; Mark 11:25).

It’s not that we earn God’s forgiveness by forgiving others; instead, God expects forgiven people to forgive (See: Matthew 18:21-35). Yet forgiveness is different from reconciliation. It’s possible to forgive someone without offering immediate reconciliation. It’s possible for forgiveness to occur in the context of one’s relationship with God apart from contact with an offender.

An excellent example of this is found in the Old Testament character Joseph. After being betrayed and sold as a slave by his brothers, Joseph was separated from his father for many years. We can be certain that Joseph struggled in prayer over his hardships. “How could my brothers do such an evil thing against me?” “Why did God allow all of it to happen?”
Joseph probably worked through several dark nights of the soul. But he arrived at the right conclusion.

Whenever faced with mistreatment, we also have options about how we respond to it. Our choices (bitterness or forgiveness) will then have generational affects! (See: Genesis 50:20). Since Joseph did not have access to his brothers, evidently he had forgiven them long before they confessed their wrongs. If he had not forgiven them, he would have allowed bitterness to destroy his effectiveness for God (Hebrews 12:15).

So Joseph forgave his brothers in the context of his relationship with God based on two things:

1) God’s authority as the Judge: “God is judge, not me.”

Joseph’s brothers were fearful that he would seek retaliation for the wrong they had done to him. But Joseph said to them: “Do not be afraid, am I in the place of God?” This truth is stated in Romans 12:19, “Do not take revenge my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is
written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay says the Lord.” (See also:
Genesis 45:1-7;50:15-20).

2) God’s control of His life: “God is in control, not my offender.”

Joseph said to his brothers, “You intended to harm me but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Gen. 50:20). Here Joseph confessed that God (not his offenders) is the Lord of his circumstances. This truth is echoed in Romans 8:28, “
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. ” Joseph accepted the mystery of God’s providence by faith. A third basis for forgiveness emphasized repeatedly in the New Testament is:

3) God’s forgiveness of our sins: “God has forgiven me, I must forgive”

“Forgive each other just as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).When offended, forgiveness means I surrender attitudes of revenge to God in recognition of his authority, providential purpose and forgiveness of my sins. But this can take place in the context of my relationship with God apart from my offender. Forgiveness can occur apart from the confession and repentance of the offender.

I will share Part 2 tomorrow.

Great Quote: Knowledge is vain and fruitless which is not reduced to practice.

Matthew Henry