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Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
This may be more a ‘guy’ thing than a trait of the human race, but have you ever noticed how hard it is to ask for help on some project? If something is too heavy for you but you can ‘manage to move it’ you risk hurting your back before asking for help. You make due with the wrong tool before going to the neighbor to borrow his when you know he has just what you need and will be happy to loan it to you. You struggle with some problem at home or at work for hours before asking for advice on how to get it done. Come on now, admit it. You’ve done it. We all have.
Why is that? What is it within our human psyche that makes us risk our very lives before asking for help? It could be that we think the job is too small to ask for help. Even though it’s more than we can handle we don’t want to bother someone else with our problems. Perhaps it’s a question of image. We feel like we’ll look bad, inadequate or stupid for seeking out assistance, or that we aren’t worthy of anyone’s help.
What’s true in our physical lives is true in the spiritual realm as well. When a severe crisis happens like cancer or job loss or relational destruction, we ask for prayer. We even pray ourselves. Usually people pray more often in crisis than any other time.
We read verses like Hebrews 4:16 and may be misled into thinking that the verse is telling us that we can (or should) only approach God in our time of need. However, we may insert ‘great need’ in there without thinking.
We look at our lives and think we shouldn’t bother God with trivial things in life, only the big things. We remember our failings and hesitate to come to him because there is sin in our lives. We look at people who don’t believe in prayer and take the attitude that ‘if they don’t need help, I don’t need help.’
Here’s a tidbit of advice for all of us as we go about our day; as we encounter the little annoyances of our life. Don’t believe the lie that God is only interested in hearing from you in crisis. He wants to hear about everything going on.
Have a problem with a co-worker talking too much at work? Tell your Father in heaven about it. Can’t quite figure out how to finish that project at home? Tell him that too. As Christ-follower we need to constantly remind ourselves that God isn’t in heaven. He’s here! We pray the Lord’s Prayer and ask his Kingdom to be here on earth but live as though he’s far away.
Your Heavenly Father is with you 24/7. No problem is too large or too small for him to handle. Nothing you can do or say to him will be considered unimportant or uninteresting. After all. YOU are HIS child! What loving father doesn’t look forward to hearing about his child’s day? He cherishes the time he can have with you.
PRAYER: Father I confess that this verse is one I think of often when I’m in crisis. There are so many times I avoid asking for help because of my own feelings of inadequacy, guilt or because I don’t think it’s important enough to bother you. Forgive me for thinking you aren’t interested or willing to help me in the mundane things of life. Empower me to see you as a constant, present and interested friend. In Jesus name, Amen.
Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:2
Try as we might to avoid it, we put labels on people. We judge them by the way they dress; the work they do; the church they go to; whether they go to church; their sexual orientation; their marital status and a whole list of other things. We don’t even realize it half the time!
I wonder how much anger would be removed from the world if we could just grasp the truth of Proverbs 22:2.
“The Lord is maker of us all.” It’s not our education that makes us. It’s not the government or unions or social status that makes us what we are. It’s the Lord God of heaven that determines the important things about us. I don’t buy into the idea that we are ‘all God’s children’ in the spiritual sense. Spiritually speaking there are plenty of passages in the Bible that tell us that a child of God is one who has accepted Christ as Savior and repented of their sin and called Jesus Lord.
But the Bible also says we are all made in God’s image, male and female, rich and poor, Christian or non-Christian. We don’t always understand the big ‘why’ questions. For example, why are some people rich and some poor? Is it because rich people are smarter? No. Is it because they try harder? Sometimes, but certainly not always. Is it because they were born into a situation that gave them their wealth? Again, sometimes but there are many people who have risen from poverty to wealth.
What is it then that makes us rich? The answer is really two-fold. First of all we need to re-define wealth. Wealth isn’t determined by what you have in your bank account, the size of your pension plan or your social standing. True wealth comes from within. It’s an attitude. So, in one sense we can all be wealthy in the things of the heart.
Secondly, anything we consider of value: money, talents, spiritual gifts, etc. comes directly from God. True wealth is not a government option. True wealth is not a result of unions or political action. God determines, for whatever reason, who is wealthy. Period.
Seek to grow wealthy in the important areas of your life. Seek to show mercy. Sow love. Cultivate compassion. Grow in the riches of Godliness through reading God’s Word, prayer and fellowshipping with others. Stop looking at what other people make or do or have. Focus on what God has given you. He is the true source of all wealth and His wealth lasts for eternity.
PRAYER: Another day Father where your word has cut me to the bone. So much of my anger, frustration and anxiety comes from what I have physically or what I want. I so often forget that anything I have or others have is directly a result of you. Forgive me for judging what others have as though it’s unfair or greedy. Empower me to seek True Wealth through you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
A few years ago the then-governor of Minnesota made the statement that “Faith is for weak-minded people.” However, weak-minded faith is faith in something that isn’t true. Weak-minded faith is faith in a lie, a system, a human, a philosophy.
Faith in the one and only triune God isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength and courage. It’s faith with a capital ‘F’.
A person with this kind of Faith has the strength to face the challenges of life with the attitude that says I’ll do what I can to make my world better, knowing all the while that the success of my venture isn’t dependent on me but on God.
A person of Faith makes mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are huge. Sometimes those mistakes are willful choices to take the easy way. But in the end the person of faith is secure in knowing that they are loved by God. This person of faith, even when far from where he/she wants to be continues to battle back. Knowing all the while that their ‘righteousness’ isn’t based on their actions but on their hearts desire for a fulfilling relationship with God.
A person of Faith sees the social ills of the world around him/her and works to make them better all the while making the sacrifices needed to show the love and grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. Even to those people who they disagree with. Even to those people who abuse the system. This person knows that true justice will never come to this world at the hands of mankind but still works towards that end.
A person of Faith looks at family and friends who are living apart from God and loves them back into the kingdom. They realize that restoration of the soul takes time and effort and prayer. They realize that relationship is more important than condemnation and that restoration is done better with gentle hands and patience than a sledge hammer and duct tape.
A person of Faith thinks before he/she talks. Puts themselves in the other person’s shoes before taking action to change things. Loves in the midst of hatred. Brings an attitude of calm in the midst of the storm. A person of Faith realizes that the still quiet voice based on Godly principles is much louder that a beating drum and blaring speakers or legalism.
PRAYER: Father God. I want to be a person of Faith. I’m so frustrated right now with where I find myself on the journey of life. I’m angered and frightened by what I see going on around me both on the world-wide scale and in my own corner of the world. Empower me with your spirit to practice strong faith. Faith that says no matter what happens I know you are in complete control. Help my actions be the change-agent my loved ones need. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. John 13:15 (NLT)
“And Jesus had compassion…”
Those words spring up throughout the ministry of Jesus while he was on earth. He had compassion on the woman caught red-handed in bed with a man she wasn’t married to.
He had compassion on the parent whose child had just died or was very sick.
He had compassion on the rich young ruler who, tried as he might, just couldn’t do what was necessary to receive the gift of eternal life. He just couldn’t let go.
He had compassion on the traitor who sold out to the enemy and, as a result, was a social outcast.
He had compassion on the person so steeped in religion that he couldn’t comprehend the simple steps it took to receive eternal life.
He had compassion on those who were his closest friends and yet were more concerned about their own status than they were their brother.
He had compassion on the guard that beat him nearly to death and then pounded huge spikes into his already pain-filled flesh.
“He had compassion….”
Why did Jesus have compassion on so many people that rejected him, either openly, or unintentionally? What drove him so such lengths to give his very life for the very people who thought they took it from him?
Jesus had compassion because he knew the Father and knew that the Father was, in his very essence, compassion. That is what drove Jesus to reach out to the weak, the frail, the sick and the rebellious. And that’s what drives Jesus to reach out to you. Not a single deserved the touch of Jesus compassion. Not a single person can repay him for what he did. Neither can you.
Jesus says to us, “Follow my example”, and when he does so he is asking…commanding us rather, to show compassion in the same way that he did.
Our reaction to those around us is a reflection of our view of God. If we see a god of revenge we will seek justice rather than mercy. If we see a god of anger we will respond to those who have hurt us in anger. If we see an unforgiving god we will refuse to forgive those who have hurt us. But if we see a God of compassion, we will respond to those around us as Jesus did.
PRAYER: Father, once again I am humbled as I approach your throne today. I confess that it is easy to show compassion to those I don’t know, or those who are like me and who are kind to me. It’s hard to show compassion to the ‘bad people’ around me, yet that is what you would do. Fill me today with the power from your Spirit to show compassion to those who need it the most. Thank you for the example you gave us in Jesus. In his name I pray, Amen.
“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” Matthew 5:3 (NLT)
Ever wondered what it would be like to be a member of one of those exclusive Country Clubs? You know the kind. Expensive, fancy cars packing the parking lot. Valets making sure you don’t have to bother with parking your car, or going to find it. Great food. Well kept gardens complete with pools. Beautiful scenery. Excellent service always delivered with a smile and a Mr. or Ms. and, of course, red carpet treatment.
Most of us will never experience that kind of treatment. We wouldn’t meet the entrance qualifications, or wouldn’t have the money it would take to purchase those benefits. At least not in this world.
That’s not the case in God’s Kingdom. In God’s kingdom it’s the poor who are elevated because they are the ones who are most aware of their need for God.
It’s the person who constantly struggles with life who is uplifted because they know how much they need God’s grace.
It’s those who suffer the injustice of broken relationships, addictions and persecution who will feel the warmth of Jesus’ arms as they endure the pain of life.
It’s those who are merciful to those who mistreat them or don’t deserve their generosity that are clothed in the satisfaction only Christ can give. Satisfaction in knowing someone is better because they gave.
It is those who give up their own rights to make sure the rights of others are protected that enjoy the peace that passes all understanding.
The elite Country Club has a long list of qualifications. God has one: Love me and in so doing love yourself and others.
The elite Country Club has membership dues that need to be paid. God paid your dues through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The elite Country Club offers many benefits to make your life comfortable while on earth. God promises and eternal life in heaven with Him, free of pain and heartache, and all because of Jesus.
Because of Jesus you meet the qualifications, the membership dues have been paid, and the benefits will last for eternity.
PRAYER: Holy God. I thank you for the promises of blessings far above what the world offers. There are so many times I feel insecure. So many times I worry. So many times I feel completely inadequate for the task before me. Thank you for Jesus and the comfort, forgiveness and hope for eternity I have in Him. In Jesus name I pray, Amen
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 