So Many Voices in My Head

So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help. O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.

He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.

Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes. Your own ears will hear him.

Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. Then you will destroy all your silver idols and your precious gold images. You will throw them out like filthy rags, saying to them, “Good riddance!”

Then the LORD will bless you with rain at planting time. There will be wonderful harvests and plenty of pastureland for your livestock.

Isaiah 30:18-22 (NLT)

This morning - while sipping coffee and reading through our devotional materials - Missy and I came across a statement that caused us to read it again. You know, when you read something and then read it again just to make sure what you just read is exactly what you just read.

“Even Christian voices can lead me astray, saying, ‘Do this!’ ‘Don’t do that!’ ‘Pray this way!’ ‘Don’t pray that way!’”

“Even Christian voices can lead me astray.”

Now, at first reading, we are sure - like us - you are saying to yourself, “Self, that can’t be true! Christians follow Jesus! They couldn’t lead anyone astray!”

Then what do we do with Paul’s statement: “Follow me…as I follow Christ,” (I Corinthians 11:1). Paul himself is here pointing out the fact that it is possible for him to lead people astray - if he is not following Christ Jesus.

From Jesus: “Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves,” Matthew 7:15 (Amplified Bible).

This past week at the Mission where Steve works, a person of the community was teaching a Bible class and made the following statement: “When he was forty days in the desert, Jesus wasn’t really tempted by the Devil. What happened was all of these temptations took place in his mind…in his head. You know, he was thinking about killing himself by throwing himself down from the high rock but he knew that if he did kill himself he could just bring himself back to life. It wasn’t the Devil. It was all in Jesus’ head.”

Even Christian voices can lead me astray…indeed.

And the voices just won’t stop…
    Kenneth Copeland says "I am a billionaire, because the assignment that the Lord gave me. I want you to begin to confess the billion flow.'" (Too bad for those disciples in the Bible who forsook everything to follow Jesus.)
    John Hagee stated: ”Jesus did not come to Earth to be the Messiah ... since Jesus refused by word and deed to claim to be the Messiah…” (Whew, and here we thought he came to set the captives free…glad that’s all cleared up!)
    Chuck Smith, of Calvary Chapel, trying to predict the Second Coming of Jesus, in one of his books, End Times: A Report on Future Survival, predicted Jesus' coming claiming 1981 as the date. “From my understanding of biblical prophecies, I'm convinced that the Lord is coming for His Church before the end of 1981…I could be wrong…” (Wait, what year is it?)

The world, it could be argued, is all about one thing: getting its message out. It is always trying to tell you what to do, what to look like, how to behave, how to think, where you should work, and whom you should love. And, unfortunately, there are some Christians who will do the same.

DON’T LISTEN TO ANY OF THEM!

Rather, like Elijah, stand and listen to that One voice. “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper,” I Kings 19:11-12 (NLT).

God is whispering. You know that, right? As Jesus claims in John 10: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” There’s a lot of wind, but only One voice.

Can you hear him speaking to you? If not, why? What changes do you need to make in order to “drown out” the world, and listen to that small, gentle, yet life-changing whisper which echoes from heaven to your heart.

As Sarah Young prays: “When I listen to all of those voices, I become increasingly confused. Please help me be content to be a simple ‘sheep,’ listening for Your voice and following You - my faithful Shepherd. You lead me beside quiet waters and make me lie down in green pastures. You guide me in paths of righteousness.”

Guide us, oh God, by You voice this day and always.

Share Your Story

 Heart to Heart from the Housewrights

Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” - John 4:39-42 (NLT)

Some people are natural storytellers. They can make you laugh, cry, think, forget, and hope all at the same time. 

We often forget how important a story can be. For those of us who love to read - it’s because we love a good story. But, what’s involved in a good story? 

Stories may differ in one way or another, yet there are commonalities which apply in every scenario. You must have at least one character, a plot, want and need, conflict and resolution, and some sort of structure. At least that’s what we’ve been taught…

But, there is something missing from the above list. 

Subject.

In other words, what is the story about?

That really is the driving force in what we read. What is the story about?

And there are no more interesting stories than those about you.  You know, your story.

As a Christian, however, your story can truly only be told through the life of Jesus Christ. After all, he is the Subject, or the Foundation, for every one of our stories.

When we share the Good News of Jesus Christ, we are telling a story that has been told and retold hundreds of millions of times over the last two millennia.  Each of us, however, in our own unique way, makes it personal. 

When we tell the story of Jesus, we are telling how the story of Jesus affected us. What it meant to us. What it means to us. And, what it can mean for the person who hears it.

Most people (Christians) think that evangelizing is beyond them. It’s for the pastor. It’s for the missionary. It’s for those who have had training.  “It’s not for me.”

But nothing could be further from the truth. You need to tell your story. 

One word of caution, however. Don’t let your story be about you. 

“Huh?” you ask?

Simple - your story is His story. Tell the “great things he has done.”

After all, 

• 
  

• We’ve a story to tell to the nations, that shall turn their hearts to the right,
  A story of truth and mercy, a story of peace and light, a story of peace and light.

• We’ve a song to be sung to the nations, that shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
  A song that shall conquer evil and shatter the spear and sword, and shatter the spear and sword.

• We’ve a message to give to the nations, that the Lord who reigns up above
  Has sent us His Son to save us and show us that God is love, and show us that God is love.

• We’ve a Savior to show to the nations, Who the path of sorrow has trod,
  That all of the world’s great peoples might come to the truth of God, might come to the truth of God.
  For the darkness shall turn to dawning, and the dawning to noonday bright;
  And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth, the kingdom of love and light.

The world is listening…watching…waiting. Will you share your story?

Take An Interest In Others

 

May 24, 2022

Never give up praying. And when you pray, keep alert and be thankful. Be sure to pray that God will make a way for us to spread his message and explain the mystery about Christ, even though I am in jail for doing this. Please pray that I will make the message as clear as possible. When you are with unbelievers, always make good use of the time (Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders). Be pleasant and hold their interest when you speak the message. Choose your words carefully and be ready to give answers to anyone who asks questions. Colossians 4:2-6 (CEV)

Dale Carnegie wrote one of our culture’s most famous books: How to Win Friends and Influence People. You may recall one of his salient points: “Become genuinely interested in other people.”

Or, as Paul put it 2,000 years ago: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders,” (v. 5a). If there were ever a verse needed for Christians today it is that one.

Why in the world can we not treat people nice? After all, we sure are good at treating ourselves well. Pedicures. Manicures. Selfies. Buying stuff for ourselves. Manipulating others to get what we want. Self-promoting. Self-absorbed. We even have a sense of entitlement.

We love ourselves so much we have forgotten how to love one another. And, ironically, that is what the world preaches and teaches: Me! Me! Me! Love yourself!

The word of God, in direct contrast, continually reminds us: “Love one another;” “Love your neighbor as yourself;” “Love your enemies;” “The greatest of these is love.”

And that is what Paul is truly pointing at, we think, in these verses from Colossians - love. Specifically, loving those who do not believe. Which is what Jesus was speaking about when he said, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” Matthew 5:44-46).

The story is told of Gordon Maxwell, missionary to India, that when he asked a Hindu scholar to teach him the language, the Hindu replied: “No, Sahib, I will not teach you my language. You would make me a Christian.” Gordon Maxwell replied, “You misunderstand me. I am simply asking you to teach me your language.” Again the Hindu responded, “No, Sahib, I will not teach you. No person can live with you and not become a Christian.”

“No person can live with you and not become a Christian.”

Let us ask you a question: Do the people living around you know you love them? Not put clothes on their back and feed them love them. Not “go shopping or fishing with someone” love. Not “Here’s something you need” love. We are talking about loving someone in a way that reflects your desire for them to hear the Good News of Jesus. Can anyone live with you and “not become a Christian?” 

How do we express this love? How do we live with others in such a way that they will have no choice but to become a Christian?

You make the time you spend with unbelievers count.

Listen to them. Ask about them. Be interested in them. Be focused on them. Spend yourself on them. Let them know - without words - that you love them…by the way you treat them.

In The Grace of Giving, Stephen Olford tells of a Baptist pastor during the American Revolution, Peter Miller, who lived in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed the friendship of George Washington.

In Ephrata there also lived Michael Wittman, who for whatever reason did all he could to oppose, deride and humiliate Preacher Miller. In an incredible turn of events, one day Michael Wittman was arrested for treason - a crime for which the only punishment was death.

Once he found out about the unfortunate situation, Peter Miller did the unthinkable: he traveled seventy miles on foot to Philadelphia to plead for the life of his enemy, the traitor.

"No, Peter," General Washington said. "I cannot grant you the life of your friend."

"My friend!?" exclaimed the old preacher. "He's the most bitter enemy I have."

"What?" cried Washington. "You've walked seventy miles to save the life of an enemy? That puts the matter in a different light. Wittman, I'll grant your pardon."

Peter Miller took Michael Wittman back home to Ephrata--no longer an enemy but a friend.

That is being interested in someone else. That is truly loving them. Sure, most of us will never have to walk the path of Preacher Miller. However, don’t we all have people around us who we are not friends with? Don’t we all have people who refuse to have anything to do with us?

Still, shouldn’t we be interested in them? In their lives? In their eternal destination? If we love them we will…