Tag: obedience

Categories
Christian Living

What Business Do You Have With Me?

In the strange exorcism I mentioned in my last post, we find that Jesus’ great compassion shows how He places much greater value on people than on property. But the men who owned the pigs in the encounter were furious that they lost their property, even though two men were radically healed. In fact the men of the town then came out and asked Jesus to leave their town.

The problem is that the men “preferred their property to the Savior.”

“It is no uncommon thing for men to love the world so much; to love property so much as to see no beauty in religion, and no excellence in the Savior; and, rather than part with their material belongings, to ask Jesus to withdraw from them” (Albert Barnes).

They wanted to have no business with Jesus.

Interestingly enough, at the beginning of this encounter, the demon “spokesman” asks – “What business do you have with me, Jesus?”
question mark die But isn’t this really the question everyone should be asking? In the demonic encounter we find that…
The business Jesus had with the demons was to get them out of the two men.
The business He had with the owners of the pigs was to give them spiritual healing, but they were not willing due to their focus on self.
The business He had with one of the healed men was to send him as a witness to others who lived nearby.

What a great question for us to ask as well – Jesus, What business do you have with me today?

What do you think He would answer and say?
And after you heard His answer, would you be ready to obey?

The gap between peoples’ beliefs & actions seems to be growing wider every day.
We know what to do and yet we don’t do it.
Others have decided to sit and not grow – they still “need milk” and are not yet ready for the “meat” of truths in God’s Word.

If we have committed to making Jesus the Master of our lives, then we will be in the process of asking Him what is the next step He wants us to take and we will be obedient to actually take it.

Too many people are not serving nor are planning to serve in their church; they are not living in joy; not serving God with their marriage; not making disciples of their children; not growing spiritually; they are choosing immorality over purity & obedience.

Maybe today we need to ask – What business do you have with me, Jesus?
And then listen… and obey.

Categories
Worship

I Have Missed You! (And Our Interaction)

What happens when I take a short hiatus from writing? Mainly I miss the interaction I have with you!

A few people have wondered something along the lines of “where did Brian’s devotionals disappear to? Did I get dropped off the email list? Has he stopped writing?” And in the absence of the devotionals, several of you told me that you missed them. Thank you for encouraging me to get back to writing. The truth is that I simply got too busy and my writing had to be “dropped” for a time (it has been almost a month. ouch! that’s way too long).

The situation is that each morning I start my day off with my own Bible reading and prayer. When I get into a situation when I am in a time crunch, it would be quite easy to let my devotional time go, so that I could write something for my blog. Most of the time crunch has come during these last three weeks in the form of our cross-country drive to California and the activities I have been part of in-between the driving (2200 miles there and another 2200 miles back!). It is true that I could have kept up the blog, by letting some of my devotional time go, but I have made a commitment to God that my time with Him will remain a top priority. Not for His sake, but for mine. The more time I spend with Him, the healthier I find that I am – mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

I hope you have made that same commitment to Him. That you will spend time with Him each day in Bible reading and prayer. That your commitment to time with Him will take precedent over the morning newspaper, Good Morning America, and Sportscenter. Or if you use the evening as time to connect with Him, that you won’t allow Duck Dynasty, Fox News, or catching up on all the Facebook status updates to become a higher priority than your daily fellowship with Him. If we are not careful… if we are not intentional in our time with him… then without even realizing it, our time is consumed with all the busyness of each day. To grow in Christ, we have to make a solid commitment to carve out time with Him. And Satan isn’t going to make it easy. The question is whether we will develop the discipline to be the disciples we told Him we would be when we started our journeys with Him. Let’s keep encouraging each other onto deeper discipleship and spiritual maturity!

Let’s go “further up and further in!”

(bonus points if you know where the last quote is from without looking it up!)

Categories
Relationships

The Tragedy and Hell of Racism

red sign reading "No Admittance" symbolizing the prejudice and racism we often hold
Today I want to give you an extended quote from Ravi Zacharias. In case you are wondering where I stand on the issue, I am in full agreement with Ravi. I believe that not only is the issue of racism tragic in general, but the fact that Christians are still wrestling with the issue of loving others across cultural or ethnic or financial or skin-color lines is absolutely atrocious.

Ravi says it well:
“As we look across this globe today; there are few things that are as deeply troubling and volatile as this issue—the tragedy and the hell of racism. The pain of personal rejection by reason of birth alone is one of the deepest pains a human being can ever experience.

“I do not know how many of you heard the tennis great Arthur Ashe interviewed [after] he had contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion…. This greatly admired and mild-mannered gentleman looked into the eyes of the small army of reporters interviewing him & said, ‘As painful as it is to know that I have this dread disease, nothing could be as painful as the rejection I have endured all my life by virtue of my color.”

“Think of the agony encased in those words…. That a man so respected, so talented, so gentlemanly could express that the pain of the disintegration of his body was secondary to the deep, emotional suffering he had endured over a lifetime of personal rejection because of his color—is very sobering (Ravi Z.)”

As a Christian, I am to love my neighbor as myself. The story of the Good Samaritan was a story that attacked prejudice. And yet, too many of us Christians have refused to be obedient to Christ who loved not only those like Him, but also the Samaritan and the Gentile. He reconciled them by the cross. (you can read more about His reconciliation in Ephesians 2:11-22)

I continue to hear people say that prejudice will always exist and that we can’t really do anything about it.
I continue to hear that the issue is too big.
And if that is my belief, then my God is too small.
And if that is your belief, then your God is too small.

And if we are still holding prejudicial attitudes toward others based on skin color and yet call ourselves Christians, we are in sin. Read 1 John for a good discussion of how we who are called Christians are to love all other people (and especially our Christian brothers and sisters).

I know that prejudice does exist and will continue to exist in society, but tragically it still exists in the church – the one group that Jesus prayed would be perfected in unity. It is time for me to be obedient in stamping out any prejudice within me and helping others (especially within my church family) to do the same. To refuse to do so is to refuse to allow Jesus to have complete Lordship in my life.

God, Help Us To Change Our Conversations, Our Hearts, & Our Minds!

— brian rushing

Categories
Christian Living

The Need for Transformation

Autobots…Roll Out! That famous line of Optimus Prime! Oh how I used to love the Transformers!adapted logo to represent transformation “Transformers, More than meets the eye…(go ahead and sing the rest…“Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons…!”) The Transformers were robots “hidden in plain sight,” and interestingly enough, so am I. What I mean is that no one knows just by glancing at me whether I am a follower of Christ or not.

I would hope that given some time, if someone studied my life, my habits, or my actions, that they could figure it out. But more important than wanting people just to see me or know me as a Christian, I want to be a Transformer – one in the habit of transforming society.

Jesus calls me to be a transformer when He calls me salt & light. salt shakerThe ideas of being salt in a decaying world and light in a dark world – these are transformational ideas. Changing something dark into something light – transformation. Changing something rotten into something delicious – that’s a hard one to stomach when you think of the image – but that is true transformation. And that type of transformation truly is the power of God – to take something putrid (my sin-filled unrighteous life) and turn it into something to savor (righteous holy living).

Our role as Transformers is to raise the moral level of society – not by dictating new laws, but by helping more people to experience a transformation like us. The problem is that… “Religion today is not transforming people; rather it is being transformed by the people. It is not raising the moral level of society; it is descending to society’s own level, and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smilingly accepting its surrender” (A. W. Tozer).

Transformation is serious business and is not just about being in the right place at the right time. Because “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to the garage makes you a car” (L. J. Peter).

“What is God looking for in the world? Assistants? No. The gospel is not a help-wanted ad. It is a help-available ad. God is not looking for people to work for Him but people who let Him work mightily in and through them” (J.Piper). When we allow God to work in us, we will see the transforming power of God accomplishing impossible things through us. Join me as we get out there and function as transformers! (you can even sing the song to help “energize” yourself.)

How have you seen godly people that you know transforming their world?
Today would be a good day to encourage someone who you think has done a great job of transforming their world – as we need to encourage each other more often!

— brian rushing

Categories
Christian Living

A Step In The Right Direction

In Honduras, I met several young men who were wrestling with a commitment to Christianity. The want to take a step in the right direction, but haven’t yet taken that first step. I wonder if they ever have these internal thoughts:

“How do I fathom what life is all about? Here are all these great philosophers across the centuries with better minds than I have, and one religion says this and another religion says that. Maybe one religion is as good as another. Who knows?…How can a person like me be sure?”

To that question, Catherine Marshall writes:
“Somebody very wise anticipated your question. All thoughtful men ask the same question sooner or later. So He left us a way so that we can be sure. It’s as specific as a doctor‘s prescription or as an algebraic equation. Here, I’ll write it down for you.

“Miss Alice went over to a little desk in the corner, sat down, opened one of the desk’s cubbyholes, took out a piece of notepaper, and began to write.… she folded it, and handed it to me. “Whenever you receive a written prescription from your doctor,” she said, “the first step after that is yours. You move on this,” she indicated the folded paper she had given me, “and then God will move.close-up of a person's shoes as they are taking a step in the right direction I‘ll guarantee it. And as for religion being vague—well, it isn’t. It’s been the delight of my life to find God far more common-sense and practical than any human I know. The only time I ever find my dealings with God less than clear-cut is when I’m not being honest with Him. The fuzziness is always on my side, not His.”

The piece of paper lay warm in my hand. I wanted to look at it but Miss Alice had not quite finished; “More people than not think religion dull. Some religions are dull. But believe me, Christianity isn’t. It‘s the most fascinating, delightful thing I know. You‘re standing poised on the threshold of great adventure. Now, you’re dying to see what I wrote…. Go—and take that first step.”

Maybe some of those Honduran guys are having these same thoughts.
Maybe you are too.
Maybe you would love to know what was on that piece of paper.
You might find yourself disappointed… When Christy opened the paper, it read:

“If any man will do the Father’s will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

She then states – “I read the words over two, three times trying to comprehend. I felt let down. Why did the Bible always disappoint me this way? Other people seemed to get meaning out of it. Why couldn’t I? What had I expected? Some magic, obviously. Then I tried to recall her exact words. “Go and take the first step.”

To take that first step… that is the secret – a step in the right direction. Seek to do His will and to know Him. He tells us in His Word:
“You will seek Me & find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Have you taken the first step today to seek Him, or are you passively waiting for something to happen?

— brian rushing

(Quotes from the book “Christy” by Catherine Marshall)