Develpment and Destiny

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” - Matthew 4:19

You should expect some development on your way to your destiny.  That should be a given.

Jesus offered something unique to His disciples.  He invited them to follow Him, to leave their nets for fishing men and to become "fishers of men." Jesus had something to offer these fishermen.

Jesus has something to offer every single Christian beyond a divine destination.  Jesus offers each and every one of us some development on the way to our destination.  He wants to make more out of us than we could ever imagine.

Let Jesus work on you.  Let Him develop you on your way to your destination.

From Eden to Egypt Day 25

1Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. -Genesis 20:1-2 (NIV)



Have you ever repeated a mistake? You have gone through it at least once before, but you repeat it anyhow.  Rather than rely upon God, you start relying upon instinct and intuition.  yet, you find yourself back in the same situation that you once experienced and should have learned from some time ago.

Abraham did just that.  He had done similarly as to when he entered into Egypt.  He  told his wife to tell those they encountered that she was his sister (Gen. 12:13; Gen. 20:2).  He was different in Genesis 12.  He was still Abram then, but now he had a new name.  He was uncertain of what God wanted to do with him, but now he had been assured by God.  He was unsure of this land that God would show him, but now he had already seen the land of promise. 

What gives?

We really don't know.  If we knew, we most probably wouldn't repeat mistakes like that ourselves.  If it was so easy, we could condemn Abraham.  However, it is not so easy and we surely don't have an easy answer that we can just slip in and suggest as a rationale for repeating mistakes.

What we can do is simply try our best to avoid making repeated mistakes.  Is there a lesson that we should learn in it? Learn in it and grow from there.  Cut down the number of repeat mistakes by seeking the counsel of God.  Pray before you make a major move.  Ask of God before making transitions and shifts in your plan.  Listen to God's Spirit.  Hear what the Lord has to say to you, then make a move.  Possibly, if you are attentive and act accordingly, you will see yourself making fewer and fewer repeated mistakes.

Giving More or Giving Up

But if I say, "I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name," Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.

- Jeremiah 20:9 (NASB)

Few seek to quietly endure the pain and agony that comes with being chosen by God for a special task.  Moses sought for the Lord to give it to someone else.  Elijah was at the brink of breaking down.  Peter had gone so far as to deny knowing the very Christ who he had confessed as the son of the living God.  Jonah had done it in both a physical and spiritual sense, running away from God.  Yet, when we look at Jeremiah, we see the weeping prophet ready to call it quits on God.

Jeremiah felt that he had been given a raw deal.  He felt he had been swindled or tricked.  He was not feeling it, especially after all of the ridicule and his calling becoming like a "reproach" for him.  He was done.  He had it.  He was ready to quit.

However, in the same breath of his resignation, Jeremiah found resolve.  In the midst of his departure, he discovered a new devotion to the Divine.  Right when he was ready to give in, he emerged with a way and a means by which to give more.  He could give more because of all that had been taken away from him and all that God was still willing to see him through.  Jeremiah found a way to give even more than what he cried out about losing.  He decided that he had enough within him for him to give more and more.

When you are ready to quit, dig deep. Take a moment and search the very depths of your soul for a little bit more to give.  Scrape the bottom of your well and see if you do not come up with something more to offer.  Don't just get back in the race.  Get back in the running.
Give another sermon.  Teach another Sunday school class.  Stay on as ministry leader.  Train someone else to serve in your capacity. Give more. Don't give up. Just give a little more.

Action or Activity

“Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.”- Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Many times we confuse activity with action.  We think of being active- simply doing something- doing what needs to be done, although doing something may not lead to accomplishing anything productive.  Activity just means that something is taking place.  Taking action is an entirely different definition.


One definition for "activity" that works here is : any specific behavior,  while "action" is  a deed; something done or accomplished.  Given those two definitions,  it is safe to say that we need to rethink our activities and actions.  They are not synonymous at all.  As we plan our daily activities, we need to ensure that we include particular actions that need to be accomplished throughout the day rather than simply taking up time doing and vegging.  

Will your actions make a difference in the lives of broken people?
Can you see yourself becoming more missional as you become more intentional?
Will you submit to His leading and your personal calling to take action?
See where he leads you and see how it feels.
Check yourself... If God thinks you are ready for the responsibility, then maybe you should stick to praying on your relationship with God, not your decision to do it or not.

Bonhoeffer spoke of responsibility, not simply thoughts.  He was a Lutheran pastor in WWII Germany.  He spoke of readiness.  He shared this openly.  Are you ready to take personal responsibility as you take action? Dietrich Bonhoeffer's involvement in a plot to overthrow Adolf Hitler led to his imprisonment and execution. 1906-1945)

An Ever-Present Enemy

When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. - Luke 4:13 (NIV)

Luke provides an account of the devil, Satan, Lucifer, the prince of the earth, the fallen angel, completing his attempts to tempt Jesus in the wilderness and departing from Him. James spoke of submitting ourselves to the Lord and having the devil flee from us. The NIV ends Luke 4:13 with "... he left him until an opportune time." He wasn't done with Jesus then.  He's not done with us now.

If his main job is to steal and destroy, he's not even close to being done with us. He wants our joy.  Do we still have children? He wants to steal our joy. Are we still smiling and laughing in spite of the tears and the heartache? He wants our joy. He won't be done until we are left with nothing and no one. He still seeks that opportune time to sneak up and snatch our joy.

Watch out. He's not done.

Know Better and Do Better

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. -Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

We used to hear a lot about knowing better as kids.  My mom and dad would tell say that I ought to  know better, while my teacher would state in the correct English grammar how I should know better.  The point of it all was that somewhere along the line I should have picked up on right and wrong, what to do and what not to do.  As Christians, we learn that knowing better in Christianity comes from knowing Christ first.  As we learn of Him, we learn from him to live like Him.

Knowing better should lead to us doing better.  That's the assumption and expectation.  That's the thing that is behind the remark: "And you call yourself a Christian..." or "Ain't you a child of God?" In the case where someone else forgot, your best option is to forgive.  You are not sure why.  That's understandable.  How about doing so because Christ forgave you? It's been hard and people sure don't make it easy.  Do what He calls you to do.  After all, you claim to know Christ as your personal Savior and Lord in your life. 

I know. I know.  You ought to know better.

Discipleship Inside Out

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.-1 Corinthians 11:1

Paul outlines the dynamics of discipleship that most church leaders should take today. He doesn't offer a do-as-I-say-not as-I-do leadership credo. He simply shares truth with a church that had numerous internal struggles a way for getting on the right track and simply following another follower of Christ. Such an approach echoes much of what Jesus shared after offering the parable of the Good Samaritan when He stated: "Go and do likewise."

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"
The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Church leaders have to see themselves leading others down the right path of Christian living. Just as Paul shared, an example of faithful Christian living should be provided to the Christian newcomer in the form of a living, breathing believer who can mentor others as the embark on their personal journey with Jesus. Every pastoral leader should have a body of people he has trained and taught for leadership roles that may or may not fit into the church's organizational chart. If you can't find anyone you have taught and trained for leadership, then your first move may be to pray to the Lord for insight and ideas on how to identify and start training others for future leadership roles. Here is where vision serves as a key ingredient. You'll have to see where you want to go and design a pathway for getting there.

Paul demonstrates another key component of discipleship. Discipleship is personal. You have to be willing to allow someone to examine you up close and personal as you seek to disciple them. They'll hear you more as they come to know and understand you more. They need to know that you are still flesh and blood behind all of that saintly speaking and righteous rhetoric.

Don't expect to be perfect. Try with all your might, but don't simply expect it. We are all imperfect people privileged to be working on God's perfect plan. The journey is worth telling others because they can look forward with hope to the joy that they will experience when their Bible students get a grasp of their weekly small group lesson on righteous redemption or when the man who struggled with his identity in Christ becomes at peace with striving to be more like Him. Discipleship is exactly that; a journey that you have agreed to go on with someone else as you serve as their tour guide. Yep. That's what it is.

End the Hate

Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough to cut off the chain of hate.

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shared that we should love our enemies. Gandhi fought off the British Empire without fighting a war. In the struggle for Civil Rights, Dr. King preached nonviolence. What we need to do today is look at how we can conquer hate. Hate is destructive.

Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:21

Let us seek to do good and keep doing good. Let us do good to our neighbors (Romans 15:2). Overcome the hatred with a love that goes beyond the norm.

Be sure to visit: http://revbruce.wordpress.com/2010/01/08/truth/
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Changed for the Better

Lord, I know I've been changed. . .

Negro spiritual

What do you think is going to happen when Christians start "walking" according to the change that the Lord has made in their lives? Will we see a difference in one another? Will our perspective on the world be altered? Will we have a new view on life?

I imagine that many Christians feel that they are in a sanctified slump at times. What I am getting at is that nagging feeling that you know the Lord but you just aren't growing closer to the Lord. It's not that you don't have the desire to get closer to Him. It's not like you have left your "first love." It's just that you don't feel that you are growing in your spiritual walk with the Lord. I've been there. I think, if most of us were truly honest about it, most of us have been there, too.

The problem is with us, not God. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Heb. 13:8). We need to change. We need to give up our worldly perspective for a kingdom perspective. We must go from our nature that was in the likeness of Adam to a new birth that alows us to be fashioned after Christ. It's that same put off the old man and put on the new man (Eph. 4:22). In essence, we must embrace being changed as part of the change. Otherwise, we find ourselves straddling the fence of acceptance and tolerance, still being led by our sinful nature and not fully submitting to our new nature in Christ. drop your old ways and determine to live in the newness of Christian joy.

Count It All Joy (James 1:2-3)

James, the brother of the Lord, shared something real deep in James 1:2-3. He simply told people to "count it all joy" when faced with various trials. His words make me think of the many things that bring me joy (parenthood, marriage, CHristian service, . . .), but trials? Temptations? Tests? That doesn't seem to spark much joy in me, James. There's got to be more to it than that.

James does share that we should take on this perspective because "the testing of your faith produces patience." When you get taken through it for the sake of the Lord, your patience is actually being built up. After all the hell you catch for being a person of faith, there is some development that occurs in the aftermath. Out of all that mess that you just got dragged through in the name of Jesus, some new strength has been added to your spiritual arsenal. You gain patience.

You may wonder about patience. You may even question why patience. I would simply add this small bit of commentary from the sidelines; because you are going to need more and more patience the longer you stay in the faith. As we go further, we will be tested even more. We will face bigger giants than Goliath. We will face bigger challenges than those found in the wilderness. Yes, we will need patience to make our faith enduring to the end. We just have to hold on through the testing and simply count it all joy.
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"Prayer is humbling work." -E.M. Bounds
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Check out Saved2Serve on http://urbanministry.org/blogs/saved2serve/2009/09/01/let-god-use-you/ !! Leave a reply.