Go Tell It!

Today's Verses -- Deuteronomy 4:9-14

9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the
things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.
Teach them to your children and to their children after them. 10 Remember the
day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble
the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as
long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." 11 You came
near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very
heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the LORD spoke to you out
of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a
voice. 13 He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he
commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. 14 And the
LORD directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to
follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

In the Old Testament, God commanded Moses to teach the Israelites about his laws and promises. They in turn were expected to teach these things to their children and their children's children. People were expected to read, memorize, and obey a long list of rules and regulations so that they might see the fulfillment of promises God had made to their forefathers.

I was unable to find any reference to a time in the Old Testament where God told His chosen people to go out and preach or teach those in surrounding communities about His promises and laws. The message was for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone.

There were times when others chose to become Jewish -- Ruth had been a Moabite who converted to Judaism so that she could live with her mother-in-law. She was received by the community (or at least by Boaz) as one of them.

But when Jesus came, He preached to anyone who would listen. There are several examples of times when He healed Gentiles, showing us that his message was for all -- Hebrew or not. As He ascended to Heaven, He told the followers to be his witnesses to Judea and Samaria (Hebrew communities) and to the ends of the earth. This fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah about the Savior:

Isaiah 49:6 "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the
tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you
a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the
earth."

It really isn't fair. The Hebrews struggled for years to obey complex laws about what to eat, what to wear, even how to clean their homes. Millions of cute little lambs and doves were offered as sacrifices to God, showing the failure of His people to follow the rules. No matter what they did, they seemed unable to live up to His expectations.

And then we come along, the Gentiles. All we have to do is to believe, repent, and be baptized! After Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, He opened up the gates of Heaven to anyone and everyone. If we stick closely to Him, He will give us daily instructions that will result in a life that is full of peace and joy. This is the amazing Good News He wants us to share with the world.

Who will you tell today?

Share the Message

Today's Verses -- Acts 8:1b-4
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. 4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. (NIV)

Have you ever thought about what it must be like to be a Christian in a country where Jesus was illegal? I believe God doesn't give us more than we can handle, and that's probably why I live in a country that just makes fun of Christians, doesn't persecute them.

These people packed up what little they could carry with them and left jobs, extended family, and the communities they had grown up in to start a new life somewhere else to avoid persecution. They had seen Stephen stoned to death and many of their friends put in jail just because they knew the truth about Jesus.

Yet, despite that fear of persecution, they were still so convinced that Jesus was the Savior and that he was the only way to salvation that they continued to tell everyone they saw the Good News! No amount of persecution has EVER wiped Christians off the face of the Earth for more than 2000 years!

Many people today face humiliation, being thrown out of their families or societies, imprisonment or death, yet they still tell the Good News. And I hesitate to tell others because I'm concerned about what they may think or that I might get the message wrong.

Shame on me.

Putting our Money Where Our Mouths Are...

Today's Verses -- Acts 4:32-37
32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

If I'm totally honest, I really don't like these verses. I think it's really cool that the believers did this, but I don't want to have to do the same. I unfortunately hold on pretty tightly to lots of things...some of them are totally worthless and only take up space. Some of them I don't even like, but someone special gave them to me so I cling to them. I know that if a disaster occurred I'd get over this stuff, but in the meantime it's mine and I hold on to it.

Things that may come in handy some day, like business books. I might want to use them if I consult or write an article about that topic. In reality, I could get these books from the library with just a day or two notice. Or, worst case, I could purchase them again.

Or children's toys. They have been sitting unused for months, cluttering up the boys bedroom. The aren't played with anymore, but we spent money on them and I hate to see that wasted. Is it better to look at the pile of waste each day than to pass it on to someone who might enjoy them because they don't have any toys?

Unfortunately I could go on...clothes I hope to fit into again, furniture that doesn't get used much, extra cans of food because it was on sale, hobby supplies that I plan to use 'someday' (that one hurts...).

God will supply our every need (and lots of our wants, too). Sometimes it is truly miraculous, like the feast Jesus provided for the 5000. Othertimes is is simply an act of obedience as we give up our stuff so others can have their basic needs met.

It is easy to give a little spare money or a meal here and there...and it is greatly appreciated by others. But what have I done lately that was sacrificial? We've given away things that were in the way or unused, but we seldom change our lifestyle in order to help someone else.

I have a challenge for you...and we'll take it too. During the month of February, see if you can adjust your eating habits so you spend no more than $100 on food during the month...that is at the grocery store AND eating out! Use your grocery money for the rest of this month to stock up on basics, and in February only buy fresh produce, bread, and dairy products. For the rest of your needs, clean out your pantries and freezers! Donate your savings to a needy family or TEAM (The Emergency Assistance Ministry).

We did this last year, so I know it's possible. You can see what lessons we learned on my blog. Click on 'frugal February' in the list on the left. Hopefully we'll do better this year.

If that doesn't work for you, see what you could give up for the month...your morning Starbucks, eating out, going to the movies, soda...you name it. Let's see how much we could collect in just one month! Leave a comment below and share your plans!

Giving When it Hurts

Today's Verses -- Luke 21:1-4
1As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.[a] 3"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." (NIV)
Footnotes:
Luke 21:2 Greek two lepta
taken from www.biblegateway.com

Have you ever had to really trust God for your daily bread? I read a book about Brother Lawrence, a man who decided to put his full trust in God (sorry, I can't remember the name of the book). He left his home in the same manner as the disciples -- with nothing but his cloak -- and he put full faith in God's provision. God never failed to deliver.

Compared with those who put their lives and livelihoods on the line in missionary roles, my level of trust is almost non-existent. I know that God has blessed us immeasurably and that everything we have is his, but I didn't have to consciously rely on him last night to keep our home warm.

As financial counselors, Doug and I see a lot of difficult, seemingly impossible situations. Unfortunately one of the first things people 'give up' is tithing or any level of giving...even before giving up cable, internet, or fancy cars.

I wonder if Jesus watched those in fancy robes cut back on their giving because they needed extra money that month to buy gifts for their family? Or so they could keep their membership at the local baths? It is so easy to justify that we'll get back to giving as soon as our financial situation improves. In Malachi 3:8, God calls this robbery.

God asks us to give regardless of our situation, and he never fails to return by "throwing open the floodgates of heaven and pouring out so much blessing that we will not have room enough for it." Have you committed to let him bless you this year, regardless of your situation?

Good Reminder

Today's Verses -- Matthew 25:34-46

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by
my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited
me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after
me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous
will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in,
or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and
go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for
me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you
who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed
clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look
after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry
or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not
help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did
not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then
they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
(NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

What have you done for Jesus lately? What has he done for you?

The Early Church

Today's Text -- Acts 2:42-47

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many
wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were
together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods,
they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together
in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad
and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And
the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (NIV)

Taken from www.biblegateway.com

When is the last time you talked with your neighbors? Really talked -- about how life was going and what issues and occasions they were facing. To be honest, I have to think hard to remember the first and last names of all of our neighbors. We wave as we pass and shout out an occasional "Hello", but for the most part we are all busy with our own lives.

It wasn't always like this. When we first moved onto our court, all the families were new to the neighborhood and we all had young children. The kids would ride their Big Wheels around the court at breakneck speed while we sat on the curb and talked. We knew each others birthdays, extended family members, backgrounds, hopes, and dreams. Often one of us would pull our barbeque pit out to the street, everyone would bring meat and a side dish, and we played, ate, and talked the night away.

As the kids grew large enough not to need immediate supervision and some of our neighbors moved away, we grew apart. We waved and pushed our garage door openers, talked occasionally about how the grass and weeds were doing, and we slowly turned our lives inward. As new families moved into the court, we didn't really have any reason to get together and now we are polite, but we aren't even aware when someone is ill or grieved.

The same thing seems to be happening in our churches. Our busy lifestyles, technology, and stresses cause us to keep to ourselves. We say we will pray for each other, but often we don't really even remember to do that.

The early church members were initimately involved in each others lives. They ate together, worshipped together daily, and compared spiritual growth. They discussed the difficulties in their lives and they helped each other make it through physically, emotionally, and financially.

How can we as a class regain the spirit of the early church? How can we not only carve time out of our busy schedules, but dedicate ourselves to loving each other as much as we love ourselves (and our stuff...)? Who can you help today?

In case you were wondering...

Our Sunday School class is studying Ephesians right now...verse by verse. It's really difficult to create devotions without either repeating or stealing the thunder of the instructor, so we'll take a break until January.

Please check back then!