ODJ: precious marks
November 23, 2009
READ: 1 Timothy 1:12-17
He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him (v.12).
Maybe no one will notice. I turned the coffee table so that the flaw would be less visible to the members of our Bible study. Still, my friend Wendy spotted the little notches and I had to admit our son had cut his first teeth there earlier that week. She smiled and said, “Oh, now you’ll never be able to get rid of that table; those marks are precious.”
Most of us live with dents, scratches, and other “marks” on our hearts and minds—you know, the embarrassing stuff from past mistakes. The problem is, sometimes we think God can’t or won’t use us in ministry because of these imperfections.
Paul openly recounted his dark past in a letter to his protégé, Timothy. He said, “Christ Jesus . . . appointed me to serve Him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted His people” (1:12-13).
Although Paul was aware of these prior offenses, he understood that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This new life is a product of God’s mercy, which is available to all of us who know Him through Christ. God transforms lives that are marked with addiction, immorality, and even abuse. He does this so that He can use us “as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners” (1 Timothy 1:16).
Did you ever stop and think that God wants to use you in ministry specifically because of your past, not in spite of it? In His eyes, our marks are precious. “He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can go and do the good things He planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Have you allowed feelings of inadequacy to prevent you from serving Christ? Why could God view past mistakes as precious marks to be shared, rather than imperfections to be hidden?
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Loading ...My Way, Your Way, or His Way? (Part 2)
By Eugene Seah, Singapore
In His Word I’ll stand.
We are sometimes affected by other people’s persuasion. In order to be accepted—be it accepted as an obedient child or as a true friend, we live according to the measures of others. We allow our decisions, values, and identity to be blown around like a falling leaf.
Decision-making is not about proving to anybody our worth and goodness. It is also not about appeasing the majority. Our Father has made us good. Thus, our decision should ultimately be about seeking His ways, surrendering to and accepting His control and leadership over our lives.
While we may want to obtain consent from whomever around us for whatever reason, we ought to want so much more to do what is right in our Heavenly Father’s sight. For “joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1).
This does not mean that we switch off from wise counsel and play god to ourselves. Rather, it is a conscious turning away from the ways of this world, and to daily seek Him through prayer and the study of His Word. God has given us a beautiful identity—we are His children made in His likeness. We need to turn to His Word to learn more about this identity.
We ought to turn to His advice (Word) that stands in every season and transcends time. For grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord remains forever (1 Peter 1:24-25). Though we may or may not get obvious “yes” or “no” from God like we get from people, let’s trust that God will show us the right way to go if we seek Him with all our hearts.
Yes, it takes heaps of courage and determination to live according to God’s Word than to cowardly live up to the dares and standards of this world. However, it’s well worth it!
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: preventing regret
November 23, 2009
READ: 2 Samuel 18:31-19:4
The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. —2 Samuel 18:33
In the 1980s, the British band Mike and the Mechanics recorded a powerful song titled, “The Living Years.” The songwriter mourns his father’s death, because their relationship had been strained and marked by silence rather than sharing. The singer remorsefully says, “I didn’t get to tell him all the things I had to say.” Struggling with regret over words unsaid and love unexpressed, he laments, “I just wish I could have told him in the living years.”
King David similarly regretted his broken relationship with his son Absalom. Angered over David’s refusal to punish Amnon for raping his sister Tamar, Absalom killed Amnon and fled (2 Sam. 13:21-34). David’s servant Joab knew that he longed to go to his fugitive son, so he arranged for Absalom to be brought to him. But their relationship was never the same again. Absalom’s bitterness sparked a conflict that ended with his death (18:14). It was a bitter victory for King David, causing him to lament his lost son and their failed relationship (18:33). No amount of grieving, however, could undo David’s heartache.
We can learn from David’s regret when dealing with broken relationships. The pain of trying to make things right can be hard. But it’s much better to do what we can to make things right “in the living years.” — Bill Crowder
A broken relationship can be repaired— but only if you’re willing to try.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
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