Tag: New Testament

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Another Chance? 

In life, some of us need a mentor to guide our steps and to be our advocates. Some learn slowly. we learn lessons the hard way. Others are stubborn and mess up easily.  

Mark in the bible messed up too. He had gone with Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey, but along the way, he had given up and deserted them. Paul thought it would be unwise to take him on another journey. But Barnabas was willing to mentor Mark. Barnabas advocated for giving him another chance.  

Paul and Barnabas had such a sharp disagreement over this that they parted ways. Paul left with Silas, and Barnabas left with Mark. Even so, God continued to work through them to take the gospel to different places.  

Today we learn that Mark in the New Testament benefited from being ­given another chance, and so did others. We see later that Paul also reconciled with Mark, saying to Timothy, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry” In addition, the Spirit of God led Mark to write an account of Jesus’ life and ministry. We know it as the gospel of Mark. Who in your life needs forgiveness and another chance? For whom could you be an advocate today? Let’s offer grace and give others a second chance.  

They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus… — Acts 15:39 

Let’s Pray Yahweh, thank you for a second chance. Father, sometimes it is hard to forgive. Please help us to remember how we have been forgiven and help us to extend your grace to others. In the name of Christ, our forgiver. Amen.

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The Kingdom OF God is Like…

Lord, Prepare Me to Be a Godly Parent

While at seminary school I was told “you are what you’re becoming”. And in the new testament we are reminded that we are kingdom people now. So what’s God’s kingdom like? In God’s kingdom, when you give, it comes back to you pressed down, shaken together and running over. In God’s kingdom, you can have peace and prosperity in your spirit, soul and body, no matter what’s happening around you. If the economy crashes, God’s kingdom is still strong. If the housing market goes down, God’s kingdom is still strong. If petrol prices rise, God’s kingdom is still strong. Hallelujah! 

Scripture says that we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken! The kingdom is simply God’s system, principles and promises. It’s His way of doing things. The Bible tells us over and over what God’s kingdom on earth is like,  that His kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

Today, be thankful for the system of God’s kingdom which orders the Christian’s life. Thank Him for His system of blessing that cannot be shaken by the drama of this world. As you keep an attitude of gratitude and walk in God’s kingdom ways, you’ll experience His hand of blessing all your days! 

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28, NIV)

Let’s Pray

Yahweh, thank You for Your kingdom, not just to come but now! Father, thank You for Your system that blesses my life. God, I open my heart to You. Please show me Your ways so that I can be a kingdom person now, and walk-in Your kingdom way’s all the days of my life, in Christ’s Name! Amen.  

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Don’t Be Afraid No More

How to Deal with Chronic Fear and Anxiety

In these uncertain times, it’s easy to feel afraid. Maybe you are afraid at this very moment. What has made you afraid? The pandemic, your unemployment, or maybe you’re overwhelmed by what God has called you to do? Maybe you were pursuing a dream or goal, and things didn’t turn out the way you planned. 

In the New Testament of the Bible, Joseph had planned to take Mary as his wife, but when he found out she was pregnant, he didn’t know what to think. He was afraid that he might be making a mistake because things didn’t turn out the way he planned. But God sent an angel in a dream to reassure Joseph that he was on the right path. 

Today, be reassured God knows right where you are, and He knows how to get you where you need to be. Even when things don’t go the way you planned; His hand is on you. Do not be afraid. Trust that God is working things out on your behalf, and He will lead you into the life of blessing that He has prepared for you. So don’t be afraid.

“…an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.’” (Matthew 1:20, NLT)

Let’s Pray 

Yahweh, I have decided to trust You because You have never failed. Father, even when things don’t go the way I’ve planned, I know that You are at work in my life every moment of every day. God, thank You for taking away my fear, now I will move forward in the plans You have for me, in Christ’s Name! Amen.

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What It Means To Be A Genuine Prisoner of The Lord?

What It Means To Be A Genuine Prisoner of The Lord?

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,  2  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,  3  being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  4  There is  one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;  5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  6  one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6 NASB)

Paul considered that his imprisonment was from the Lord. He wasn’t bitter, but he was concerned for those Believers with whom he had interacted, to walk in a manner worthy of their calling. Why is this? I believe that it is because Paul could no longer walk among them. God had imprisoned Paul for the purpose of writing the Epistles which would ultimately become a large portion of the New Testament. Now Paul didn’t know that while he was writing them. Perhaps his imprisonment perplexed him, made him feel trapped and useless a bit. But Paul did not become bitter and began to do his “walking in a manner worthy,” through the writing of letters to all the Churches he had helped establish.

God has a purpose for all the happenings in our lives, whether we are walking in freedom, or we feel imprisoned within our circumstances. God has a perfect plan. God promises us that He will work all things together for our good and calls us to love Him and trust His purpose for our lives (Romans 8:28). There were times that I felt imprisoned at home with three little ones under my feet, but I knew I was called to raise them up. Looking back now, I see how important that really was, and what an awesome privilege it was. I work in a learning center with young children now, and I see mothers every day, who wish they could stay home with their little ones. I was blessed, and enjoyed that blessing immensely, even on the days I felt trapped. I love what Henry Blackaby says about our circumstances in his book Experiencing God.

“Never allow your heart to question God’s love. Settle it on the front end of your quest to know Him and experience Him: He loves you. Every dealing He has with you is an expression of His love for you. God would not be God if He expressed Himself in any way other than perfect love! What you believe about God’s love for you will be reflected in how you relate to Him. If you really believe God is love, you will also accept that His will is always best.”’- Henry T. Blackaby, Experiencing God

God was using Paul’s imprisonment, to help us learn to walk in a manner worthy. If Paul had not been imprisoned, he would have just gone to the Churches in person and shared his heart. Because of his imprisonment, we have the writings that God accomplished through Paul to teach us how to live the life of faith we have, and to glorify God in all we are.

So yes, at times we are all “the prisoners of the Lord,” for a purpose, and that purpose cannot necessarily be known while we walk the earth. Trust God in your circumstances. He has reason for all He does, and He promises to work it all for good, as we love and trust Him and His purposes for our lives.

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5 Truths about God’s Design for Sex in Marriage

5 Truths about God’s Design for Sex in Marriage

Living in an over-sexualized culture, we hear messages about sex, wrong messages.   These messages become more a part of us than God’s truth because we hear them repetitively and churches are scared to address sexuality.

For too long, I believed the world’s message about sex.   That it’s a superficial, feel-good avenue to self-satisfaction.   Wrong, partly.   God did design sex to feel good!

But, there is more than that.   He designed it for profound spiritual, physical, and emotional connection.   It is just a shadow of things to come.

God’s design of sex is too amazing to keep silent about.

Here are five truths about God’s design of sex in marriage.

God designed sex to be bonding.

Not only spiritually bonding, but emotionally and physically.   When the two become one flesh, biochemicals are released in our bodies like oxytocin and dopamine.   Oxytocin, especially, is a bonding chemical.   When I embraced this truth and started engaging in the marriage bed more, the tone of our marriage completely changed.

“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh,” Genesis 2:24 (NIV).

God designed sex for both husband and wife to experience pleasure.

It’s an equal opportunity activity.   Why else would there be a clitoris?   It’s only function is for pleasure.   The Song of Solomon is full of beautiful poetic language about the pleasures of physical love for both spouses.

If one spouse struggles with the ultimate moment, there are Christian resources available to help the couple understand how to achieve mutual enjoyment.

“The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my beloved,” Song of Solomon 7:13 (NIV).

God designed sex so that we would know yearning.

Before you were married, you yearned for your fianc.   Not only did you crave your fiance’s touch, you craved his/her presence and knowing him/her better.  Even after years of marriage, it is good to remember this yearning.  It mirrors how God desires us to yearn for him.   I believe this is one reason he frequently uses the marriage as a symbol of his relationship with us throughout the Bible.

“Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?” James 4:5 (NIV).

God designed the marriage bed to be a place to show the fruit of the Spirit.

Peace, patience, love, joy, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control are the foundation of all Christian life, especially the marriage bed.   All conflict surrounding the marriage bed can be managed through employing these key traits.

My own marriage endured a long season of mismatched sex drives.   It was through these qualities and some wise communication tools that we overcame our conflict.

God designed sex as a powerful mystery.

Biblical stories of sex often confused me when I was young.   There was some nasty stuff in the old testament, the rape of Dinah, Lot and his daughters, the men of Gibeah  clammering for the male visitor, Leviticus 20.   And yet, there is the beautiful Song of Solomon.   The New Testament seemed to prefer celibacy, to be honest.   As a teenager, I couldn’t understand why I liked thinking about sex if it was disgraceful and violent.

But, as an adult, I realized the stories were teaching me that sexual intimacy is powerful and mysterious.   It’s OK not to have it all figured out, as long as you respect the power it holds to do good when it is aligned with God’s perfect design.

“For my thoughts  are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the  Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways  and my thoughts than your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:8-9.

Final Thoughts

Don’t let the world’s message of cheap sex destroy the meaningful sex in your marriage.   Sex may only be a small portion of the whole of your marriage.   However, sex matters.   It especially matters if one spouse is more interested than the other.   When we ignore its power and importance in marriage, the relationship suffers.

Now, granted chronic health issues can affect sexual function and that’s a more complicated story.

 

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Jesus Christ as a Project Leader

You’re the Project Leader,  congrats. However, have you ever asked yourself, “Am I a good Project Leader?”  and felt unsure of the answer? or what makes a project leader great? Are you a truly amazing project leader or just a mediocre  one?

But what can project leaders learn about project management from Jesus of Nazareth?

In the four gospels describing the life and work of Jesus, one sees that his life was to spark widespread interest in the goal of both personal and social transformation.

When given very difficult questions – even questions designed to make him look bad – he finds a way to express the truth so that even his enemies respect him.

Being a project leader is hard. People don’t naturally wish to have one.  And not everyone wants  to be one.  But most people are anxious to follow a good leader, and all projects  live or  die on the quality of the leaders who run them.

“It’s not a stretch at all to say that Jesus was the greatest leader the world has ever seen. There’s a reason why you see all those churches in your town.”

Surely  by adopting the habits of Jesus and shunning the sins of bad project leaders, anyone can do a better job of managing projects. Just as  long as the leader has  a growth mindset.

Not sure how you stack up? Here are some  key beliefs that are held by the best Christ-like project leaders, but that is often  rejected by the worst.

  1. You treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
  2. You  put the human before the project and understand that life sometimes gets in the way.
  3. The  success of the project  depends largely on you being the master of obvious and mundane things, not  obscure, or breakthrough ideas or methods.
  4. People  you manage  feel comfortable bouncing ideas off you, sharing  feedback, saying ‘I don’t know’ and admitting mistakes.
  5. You are  aware of what motivates you  and your  decision-making.
  6. You  strive to be confident enough to convince people that you are the project leader, but humble enough to realize that you  are  often going to be wrong.
  7. You always  roll up your  sleeves and pitch in when needed right alongside your team.
  8. You  give feedback — “the good, the bad and the ugly”.
  9. You  shepherd your people through every hard turn.
  10. Your rewards for success are keeping your job and receiving, even more, responsibilities and challenges.
  11. You are  aware of your  own blind spots and challenge  yourself  to step out of your  comfort zone in order to build trust and motivate  the team.
  12. You realize that  most difficult part of  being a project leader is striking the balance between being too assertive and not assertive enough.
  13. You leave your ego at the door and are  able to surround yourself  with people that are more knowledgeable and more skilled than  you  are to complete the project tasks.
  14. You are  transparent.
  15. You  inspire.
  16. You  aim to fight as if you  are  right, but  listen as if you  are wrong.
  17. You admit to having a inaccurate understanding of what it feels like to work for you.
  18. You understand that how you  do things is as important as what you  do.
  19. You understand that because you  wield power over others, you  are at great risk of being  insensitive and not knowing  it.
  20. You  create clear structures for each team member  and ensure  that they know what their responsibilities are.
  21. You are  approachable and show real  concern to the issues facing  the people on your team.
  22. You use your  status for the greater good of the company and treat the team members  with respect.

In God’s project of reconciling man with God, Jesus Christ is the “man in charge”. He kept the elements of God’s Salvation project together and as the project leader, worked within the elements of scope (reconciliation of all mankind unto God; 2 Peter 3:9),  time (when the fullness of time has come, God sent forth Jesus, his Son to be born of a woman to redeem and Save all mankind who were under the law; Galatians 4:4-5) and cost (willingly laying down his very own life; John 10:18).

Learn to inspire, teach, protect, remove obstacles  and be human and you’ll become the unforgettable project leader  that your people will remember for the rest of their life’s.

 

 

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