Month: March 2018

The Price of Pride {3.22.18}

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian

Pride. It can be a good thing I guess, but it can turn bad quickly. We say or hear “take pride in what you do, etc.” but what we really should say is “take pride in the God who enables you to do whatever it is.” God cautions us to be humble, not proud. It’s a slippery slope and the evil one can make it appear deserved or earned and very inviting.

Romans 12:3 “… Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

pride

We all have or will struggle with pride at one time or another. It’s one of the temptations put before us. Pride doesn’t just happen with those who don’t know or follow God. Pride can sneak up on us when we are right in the middle of loving and serving God. Such was the case with Moses. God spoke to Moses. He spoke to him in a burning bush. He spoke to him “face to face/presence to presence” as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). They had a close relationship. However, pride crept up on Moses and he found himself missing out on the promised land because of it.

We find the details in Numbers 20:1-13 – “In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!” Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community, so they and their livestock can drink.” So, Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebel, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.

We see at the beginning of these verses that the Israelites looked to Moses, not God. They asked why Moses brought them to the wilderness. No mention of God. Moses and Aaron humbled themselves when they went in before God. They fell facedown before Him.humble But, somewhere between God’s instructions and the gathering of the people, pride set in. Oh, how quickly it can come upon us. He did not honor God by obeying God. He put his own twist on it. They still got water but, Moses paid a price for his pride. He never got to enter the promised land. He only got to see it from a distance. Consequences. Always consequences. If we would only consider them before speaking or acting instead of grieving over them afterwards.

This story of Moses really makes me consider my life. When I reach a goal, do I feel pride in myself or simply thank God for the ability and power He gave me to do it? When I do something good for someone else, do I fill up with pride knowing I did a good thing or praise and thank God for letting me see and act on what He put before me? Something to think about.

1 Corinthians 1:31 “Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Red Rover, Red Rover {3.16.18}

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian1 Comment

Red Rover, Red Rover, send [insert name] right over.

Did you ever play that game when you were a child? It seems to me that we played it a lot during recess at my elementary school. Two lines were formed after selecting teams. These lines faced each other with a fair amount of space between them (allowing for running speed). Then the team members locked arms and called someone from the other line/team “over”. That person had to run and try to break through the linked arms of the opposing line of people. red roverIf they broke through, they could take one person back to their team/line. If not, they became part of the opposing team’s line. On and on it went. However, I couldn’t remember how it ended. Maybe the team with the most people at the end of recess won. I’m not sure. But, for some strange reason, I was thinking about that game the other day. So, I just did a little on-line research and found this for how the game ended:

Play Red Rover until one side has all the team members. (With this method of ending Red Rover, note that all the children are winners, because they all end up on the same side.) If time is short, the team with the most people wins.

I don’t remember that we ever ended up with all members on the same team, but it sure sounds great, doesn’t it?

That’s what God’s goal is for all of us (His creation) – that we all end up on the same team/ same side – His side, Heaven bound, saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12 “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.”

Unfortunately, God has given us all free will and many will not choose Jesus. By the time their life ends, they will want to change their minds, but it will be too late. God tells us there are two paths (teams) – one is a narrow path, leading to life (fulfilled life here and eternal life in Heaven after physical death) the other is a wide road, leading to destruction (self-destruction here on earth leading to full-time, eternal torment in hell). www.thebookofrevelation.net

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” 

If we want our loved ones, friends and neighbors (and yes, even our enemies) to have everlasting life with God in heaven, we must play the game (or run the race) in a way that leads others to Jesus and onto God’s team. 

Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”

I will never think of that game the same way again. I want to be ready to share the hope I have in Jesus to those people God places in my life.  Like God, I want them on His Team. So I say… red rover line

“Red Rover, Red Rover,  Send Unbelievers Right Over!”

True Fulfilling Fellowship {3.5.18}

On By Leslie AnnIn Christian2 Comments

Fellowship is mentioned 94 times in the Bible (NIV version)

Old Testament – 85 times, except for Psalm 55:14, each time refers to a fellowship offering

New Testament – 9 times, relational with each other, fellow believers and with God – 1 John 1:3-7 ”We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make your joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

I quite often fall asleep talking to God. Likewise, I usually wake up and tell Him good morning before getting out of bed. However, while that’s a good thing I’m the one doing all the talking. When God wants to get my attention, He usually does it in the middle of the night. It’s dark and quiet. Nothing is going on to distract me from listening. Last night was one of those nights. I woke up about 2:30 a.m. Wide awake. Then God started taking me through my day yesterday and all that led up to that day. While it may seem insignificant to many, to me it was an “a-ha” moment yesterday in our Sunday school class. And, in the middle of the night God gave me a glimpse of what He has been doing in and with us for the past couple of years (maybe 3, I haven’t kept track). Yes, sometimes it takes time.

The word He kept giving me was “fellowship”. Of course, I had my own idea of what that meant. Getting together with others in a social setting. Usually food is involved or some type of activity. Something (sporting event, concert, charity) or some person (birthday party, anniversary) is usually the center of attention or the reason for the gathering.

  • Wikipedia: NOUN: friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interests:

fellowship growthHowever, God showed me what true, fulfilling fellowship looks like. In true fellowship, God is the gracious host, guest of honor and center of attention. All focus is on Him and we share together for His glory.

  • Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary: Bond of common purpose and devotion that binds Christians to one another and to Christ.

Several years ago, I was part of a Bible study group that met one evening a week. It was a really good group and we enjoyed the studies. However, it was hard for some to come to an evening meeting. So, we decided to move it to a Sunday school class instead. Of course, we now had only one hour instead of one and a half so it might take more than one week to complete a lesson. But, that was ok. Our group started out small but has grown over the years to more than double it’s original size. That’s a good thing but the really good thing is how we have all grown together in the process. We decided to give ourselves a name “Ladies Learning Together”. We knew that we were all on the same path (narrow road) and none of us had all the answers. We were literally learning together. We knew that God would teach us through His word. What I don’t think we realized though was how much God would grow us through our fellowship in these classes. He has a plan for us and He had some work to do in us before His plan could be revealed and implemented. God showed me last night what true fellowship means. It is the learning and growing together while openly sharing our lives with one another. We truly love one another and we have allowed ourselves to be vulnerable and transparent, not only before God but with each other. When we humbled ourselves and looked to each other’s best interest rather than just our own, then…God could work in us. We have shared sorrows and blessings, heartaches and joy, ups and downs. We have encouraged each other and when necessary, held each other accountable to God’s Word. But, God really got a hold of us when we started to pray. He led a lady in our church to begin a prayer team ministry. Then, he led our class to study and participate in prayer (we actually did three Bible studies on prayer and I would recommend them all – “War Room”, “Battle Plan of Prayer and “Fervent”). We just finished a study titled “Called and Accountable”. That one was really eye opening, personal and pointed. We learned a lot about ourselves and grew in our understanding of God’s call on our lives and the consequences of not obeying His call. One important thing we learned was that a “call” does not necessarily mean a call to pastor, go on the mission field, something high profile or what we might deem important. It could mean the encounter with someone at the grocery that God orchestrated so we could encourage them. It might mean the encounter with a neighbor who is cranky and just needs a friend. When we allow God to open our eyes, the opportunities are always there. We just need to see them and seize them.

Okay, now to what really got me excited… As our class is getting ready to begin a new study, we realized that we had a financial need – a DVD player and projector. We have a couple of them at our church but others need them as well and we can’t hog one every week. So, we brainstormed ideas on how to raise the money. We came up with some good ideas but that’s not the exciting part. The exciting part is that we are dreaming big (our God is able) and are now brainstorming what we can do with the extra money we raise by serving our community. communityWe have so many ideas that we ran out of time before we could post them all on the chalkboard. That’s what God showed me in the middle of last night. He has been preparing us these past few years to be ready and willing to go forth and share His message and His love with others. Joining together with like minds, in unity, we can now make a difference together in our community. It’s exciting and I think it’s going to be contagious! I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us. It’s such a humble honor and blessing to serve Him, especially with my “fellowship partners”.

Thanks for allowing me to ramble on. I’m still excited and I want to encourage you to persevere. Sometimes, like with us, it takes time. True fellowship comes with like-minded people truly sharing life and all its ups and downs together with Christ in the center. What a joy it is to get together with friends not just for food and social events, but to share what Christ is doing in our lives. That’s the most exciting fellowship there is aside from the personal relationship with Christ.

Who might we encounter today that needs a touch from Christ’s love – through us?