How timely ... In checking out the hundreds of emails, I find this one from Jim Reynolds, former pastor of First Baptist/LaGrange, Mo., who writes the Walk with Jesus column. He and his family have recently moved to a new pastorate in Illinois, but ties remain to LaGrange in more ways than one.
PERSONAL NOTE from Jim: I apologize for the lack of activity lately. I am currently living out of 2 homes as we continue to make this transition to a new place of ministry. And I do not have computer access in my new home yet. Heck, I don’t really even have a new home yet! But, hopefully the decision on a house will be made soon after this weekend.
The February issue of Heartbeat went up last Monday. Click the link to read all kinds of good articles.
My sister-in-law, Debbie Guinn, first offered me the opportunity to write for the magazine. I think she has been with them – as a writer and editor -- since the beginning. Please check out her insight as well; her column is called “Healing The Wounded Heart.” Until things settle in for me a little more – and to give you a taste of Debbie’s powerful testimony -- I’ll be reprinting (in several parts) what I believe to be one of her best articles.
Joy In The Furnace
James 1:2-4 -- Consider it ALL joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be PERFECT and COMPLETE, lacking in NOTHING.”
I don’t know about you, but finding joy in any trial – even the “little” ones – was never an easy task for me. I knew that as a Christian, I “should” look at things that way, but it just seemed to be one of those things that I would never accomplish during my life here on earth.
That all began to change last winter, when I found myself dealing with a debilitating illness. For four months, I was unable to do much of anything from a physical standpoint. However, God used that time to do a work in my spiritual life…mainly teaching me how to find joy in my trials. It was more than simply choosing to be happy IN SPITE OF my trials. It was a time of truly learning to thank God FOR the trials. It was a process of discovering that it IS possible to rejoice in – yes, get excited about – even the toughest, most painful trials.
One day, I was telling God how tired I was of being sick. I was completely overwhelmed with my circumstances. I had so many things that needed done; I couldn’t do anything because of my health; I had nobody to help me with things; I was afraid; I was lonely; I wanted it all to end…. Honesty, I was just having a good pity party that day. I had put on a CD to listen to, hoping to lift my spirits.
A song started playing and two lines from that song really got my attention. It says, “If you lead us to the fire, you will not withdraw your hand; We’ll gaze into the flames and look for you.” God just stopped me in my tracks right there and said, “Debbie, I am IN the flames but you never look for me there.”
He was so right – but then again, He always is. I tend to do one of two things when I am going through trials in my life. Either I look at the “stuff” (situations, circumstances, people) going on in my life – or I decide to ignore all that “stuff” and focus instead on all the good things that God has done/is doing in my life. There is nothing wrong with looking at the good. In fact, God’s Word tells us that we ARE to think on good things. It says in Phil. 4:8, ”Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
It IS good to think on the good – we need to have our thoughts on those things. However, I believe God was telling me that I needed to look to HIM wherever HE is. He doesn’t want me to forget or ignore the good things He has done, but He wants me to follow Him and see Him IN the trials too. If I am looking at the “stuff” – even the good “stuff” -- I can’t focus on HIM and see what He longs to do in and through the trial.
I began to think of trials as being in the fire, comparing the “stuff” to the flames. I was drawn to the story in Daniel of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – the three men who were thrown into the fiery furnace. I began an in-depth study of that story and God showed me so much about what He does during the trials of our lives. I discovered six key principles in this story that have totally changed my outlook on trials. These principles have given me reason to rejoice in the trials and suffering that God brings into my life.
For sake of time and space, I am not going to cite the entire story, but I highly encourage you to read the first three chapters of Daniel. The first two chapters give a little background as to who these three men were, where they came from, and their roles in Babylon. They were of the royal family of Judah – worthy of high honor; they were “perfect” from a physical standpoint, handsome, highly intelligent, and “qualified to serve in the king’s palace”. (Daniel 1:3-4). They were highly respected by the king, so much that he appointed them administrators over the province of Babylon. (Daniel 1:19-20; 2:49)
More importantly, though, is the fact that they were men who loved and served God – and ONLY God. When commanded to bow down and worship the king’s golden image, they refused. Even when threatened with death, they stood firm in their convictions, certain that one way or another God would deliver them. (Daniel 3:17-18)
The first principle from this story is that I WILL have trials in my life. It is easy to think that trials only affect certain people – those from a certain social or economic class, race, etc. Many times, we think that trials only come to people who “deserve” them due to sin or “poor choices” in life. Therefore, if I am going through a trial, I must have done something wrong to deserve it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had everything going for them – or so we tend to think. They were high class, smart, had found favor with the king, AND lived their lives committed to God. Yet, they were still thrown into the furnace.
The truth of the matter is that EVERYBODY has trials. NOBODY is exempt from them. It does not matter how wealthy we are; how high up on the socio-economical ladder we are; how good or bad we are. It doesn’t even matter how little or great our faith in God is. Jesus says, “In this world you WILL have trouble.” (John 16:33) He is talking to His disciples here – those who have given up everything to follow Him. This tells me that even if I am totally, 100% sold out to Jesus, I will still have trials in my life. They are simply part of life for EVERYONE.
Showing posts with label Heartbeat the Magazine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heartbeat the Magazine. Show all posts
Friday, February 6, 2009
Friday, August 15, 2008
The Simplicity That is Devotion
The following Walk With Jesus commentary is copyrighted and written by Jim Reynolds, pastor of First Baptist Church, LaGrange, Missouri. I receive e-mails nearly weekly from him. My husband Jim and I worship at First Baptist/LaGrange when in the area.
Sometimes, I just have to tell you what is going on. As you know, I now serve as one of the volunteer staff of writers for the online publication Heartbeat the Magazine. Each month, we are given a theme; we are free to stray from the focus of the month, but it is a nice help. September is the magazine’s second anniversary (didn’t realize I’d gotten in so close to the ground floor!) and we were encouraged to write about “Starting Fresh,” “New Beginnings,” “A New Life” etc… “Straying” a bit, I strongly felt that I should use the opportunity to revisit my first letter. When new subscribers come on board, I send a personal greeting and Letter #1 because it explains everything behind why I do what I do. To be honest though, I hadn’t really read that first letter in quite some time… perhaps not even once since I first sent it to a handful of subscribers almost 4 years ago.
If you have never had the experience, it is quite amusing and a little annoying for God to use your own writing to bring conviction. If you will recall, WWJ refers to a picture God gave me many years ago. To oversimplify (if you want to read the whole thing again, either write prov2525@socket.net and ask for Letter #1 to be re-sent… or wait for the Sept. 7th edition of Heartbeat) I saw myself on a dusty road… trudging along with little purpose or enthusiasm. Looking up, I spied a magnificent city in the distance. From earlier experiences with our Father, I knew this city represented my future, my ministry, my destiny. Like most of us would, I tried to run, but was stopped quite forcefully by an outstretched arm. Frustrated, I started to bat it away, but then noticed the unmistakable scar… and realized that Jesus Himself had stopped me. Then, He began pointing to the ground and showing me diamonds… blessings and experiences I would have missed had I continued to run away. Opening His hand once more, He invited me to “walk WITH Him.” Staying with Him and enjoying His Presence and His guidance is far easier than running ahead, far more fun than lagging behind, and I dare not go against Him. Besides, if I stick with Him, we will get to the city… and I will arrive with my pockets full of diamonds.
There is, as I said, more to the story, but God convicted me that I had abandoned – to some degree – the “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3.) I have become far too “results” oriented… too focused on the city and no longer drawing joy from the Way to the city. John 14 still makes me smirk. When Jesus tells His disciples that they “know the way where He is going,” I think Thomas scratched his head and blurted out, “Wait a minute! We don’t understand what’s going on. You keep talking about leaving us and death and yet You say You’re also unveiling a Kingdom… We have no idea what You are doing or where You are going! How can we possibly know the way?!” Then Jesus speaks those famous words, “I AM the Way…” How quickly we forget that simple truth. Walking WITH Him is how we get where we are supposed to go. Of course, it is not always that simple. We lose sight of our Guide… we question His direction… the path grows fuzzy… the forks in it too numerous… But there are plenty of times when we… okay, I… miss the first joy of being a disciple. Mark 3:14 – “He appointed twelve… that they might BE WITH HIM.”
Since it seems I have some work to do along these lines, I turned to another man’s writing. He has since joined the God he served for so many years, but his son, Rob, continues to publish his Dad’s writings. (If you would like to read more, go to http://www.todayseries.org/ To read the entire article I quote from below, go to http://todayseries.org/archives/2008/07/the-simplicity-that-is-in-chri-1.html Jeff Floyd was always an inspiration… and these words really ministered to my “conviction.”
The Christian life can become so complicated and mundane that we lose sight of the simplicity that is in Christ. In the early years of my ministry He was all I knew. It was never my desire to be philosophical, psychological or even theological.
(Might I, Jim, add, it was also never my primary desire to be known, “successful,” or influential.) I just wanted to know Him. I could relax in Him and draw from His wonderful love and benevolent care as I heard His voice saying: "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy ladened and I will give you rest."
Men are rarely satisfied with the simplicity that is in Christ. It is a quirk of human nature that men design a Jesus which fulfills their own specifications, expectations, and imaginations. Jesus once asked the disciples who men said that He was. Their answers were
interesting. The most common answer had Jesus being the reincarnation of one of the prophets. It seems inevitable that men will have Jesus to be different from He is or less than He is. This will always be true when men view Him with eyes other than what the Holy Spirit gives them.
It is human nature to make the simple complicated. We preachers can turn a single word into a three point message--complete with introduction, exposition, poem and conclusion. When we get through we may have educated the mind but until Christ is revealed that is all that happens. I am convinced that much of what we write and speak would be unnecessary if men were made more aware of the presence of Christ. Long forgotten practices of piety need to be restored to the Christian life.
Generally speaking, probably the least practiced part of piety is that of prayer. Many questions of understanding, faith and obedience are answered when we spend quality time with Jesus. It is much easier to talk about prayer--to read and write books about it--than it is to practice it. Without
the continual practice of prayer our faith becomes a definition rather than a practice and our walk a struggle of human will rather than one of divine enablement. God loves us enough, however, to use whatever method it takes to bring us back to the simplicity that is in Jesus. Now is the time and today is the day. Let us seek Him with all of our hearts, forgetting all complicated notions of religion---simply clinging to Christ in His simplicity.
In the middle of all this “heart work,” God showed me yet another WWJ type verse. I close with this… and pray that these words again become the “desire” of my heart: Isaiah 26:8 -- Yes, LORD, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. I like part of it even better in a different translation: We’re in no hurry, God. We’re content to linger... Who You are and what You’ve done is all we’ll ever want.
Walk WITH Jesus,
Jim
Sometimes, I just have to tell you what is going on. As you know, I now serve as one of the volunteer staff of writers for the online publication Heartbeat the Magazine. Each month, we are given a theme; we are free to stray from the focus of the month, but it is a nice help. September is the magazine’s second anniversary (didn’t realize I’d gotten in so close to the ground floor!) and we were encouraged to write about “Starting Fresh,” “New Beginnings,” “A New Life” etc… “Straying” a bit, I strongly felt that I should use the opportunity to revisit my first letter. When new subscribers come on board, I send a personal greeting and Letter #1 because it explains everything behind why I do what I do. To be honest though, I hadn’t really read that first letter in quite some time… perhaps not even once since I first sent it to a handful of subscribers almost 4 years ago.
If you have never had the experience, it is quite amusing and a little annoying for God to use your own writing to bring conviction. If you will recall, WWJ refers to a picture God gave me many years ago. To oversimplify (if you want to read the whole thing again, either write prov2525@socket.net and ask for Letter #1 to be re-sent… or wait for the Sept. 7th edition of Heartbeat) I saw myself on a dusty road… trudging along with little purpose or enthusiasm. Looking up, I spied a magnificent city in the distance. From earlier experiences with our Father, I knew this city represented my future, my ministry, my destiny. Like most of us would, I tried to run, but was stopped quite forcefully by an outstretched arm. Frustrated, I started to bat it away, but then noticed the unmistakable scar… and realized that Jesus Himself had stopped me. Then, He began pointing to the ground and showing me diamonds… blessings and experiences I would have missed had I continued to run away. Opening His hand once more, He invited me to “walk WITH Him.” Staying with Him and enjoying His Presence and His guidance is far easier than running ahead, far more fun than lagging behind, and I dare not go against Him. Besides, if I stick with Him, we will get to the city… and I will arrive with my pockets full of diamonds.
There is, as I said, more to the story, but God convicted me that I had abandoned – to some degree – the “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3.) I have become far too “results” oriented… too focused on the city and no longer drawing joy from the Way to the city. John 14 still makes me smirk. When Jesus tells His disciples that they “know the way where He is going,” I think Thomas scratched his head and blurted out, “Wait a minute! We don’t understand what’s going on. You keep talking about leaving us and death and yet You say You’re also unveiling a Kingdom… We have no idea what You are doing or where You are going! How can we possibly know the way?!” Then Jesus speaks those famous words, “I AM the Way…” How quickly we forget that simple truth. Walking WITH Him is how we get where we are supposed to go. Of course, it is not always that simple. We lose sight of our Guide… we question His direction… the path grows fuzzy… the forks in it too numerous… But there are plenty of times when we… okay, I… miss the first joy of being a disciple. Mark 3:14 – “He appointed twelve… that they might BE WITH HIM.”
Since it seems I have some work to do along these lines, I turned to another man’s writing. He has since joined the God he served for so many years, but his son, Rob, continues to publish his Dad’s writings. (If you would like to read more, go to http://www.todayseries.org/ To read the entire article I quote from below, go to http://todayseries.org/archives/2008/07/the-simplicity-that-is-in-chri-1.html Jeff Floyd was always an inspiration… and these words really ministered to my “conviction.”
The Christian life can become so complicated and mundane that we lose sight of the simplicity that is in Christ. In the early years of my ministry He was all I knew. It was never my desire to be philosophical, psychological or even theological.
(Might I, Jim, add, it was also never my primary desire to be known, “successful,” or influential.) I just wanted to know Him. I could relax in Him and draw from His wonderful love and benevolent care as I heard His voice saying: "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy ladened and I will give you rest."
Men are rarely satisfied with the simplicity that is in Christ. It is a quirk of human nature that men design a Jesus which fulfills their own specifications, expectations, and imaginations. Jesus once asked the disciples who men said that He was. Their answers were
interesting. The most common answer had Jesus being the reincarnation of one of the prophets. It seems inevitable that men will have Jesus to be different from He is or less than He is. This will always be true when men view Him with eyes other than what the Holy Spirit gives them.
It is human nature to make the simple complicated. We preachers can turn a single word into a three point message--complete with introduction, exposition, poem and conclusion. When we get through we may have educated the mind but until Christ is revealed that is all that happens. I am convinced that much of what we write and speak would be unnecessary if men were made more aware of the presence of Christ. Long forgotten practices of piety need to be restored to the Christian life.
Generally speaking, probably the least practiced part of piety is that of prayer. Many questions of understanding, faith and obedience are answered when we spend quality time with Jesus. It is much easier to talk about prayer--to read and write books about it--than it is to practice it. Without
the continual practice of prayer our faith becomes a definition rather than a practice and our walk a struggle of human will rather than one of divine enablement. God loves us enough, however, to use whatever method it takes to bring us back to the simplicity that is in Jesus. Now is the time and today is the day. Let us seek Him with all of our hearts, forgetting all complicated notions of religion---simply clinging to Christ in His simplicity.
In the middle of all this “heart work,” God showed me yet another WWJ type verse. I close with this… and pray that these words again become the “desire” of my heart: Isaiah 26:8 -- Yes, LORD, walking in the way of Your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. I like part of it even better in a different translation: We’re in no hurry, God. We’re content to linger... Who You are and what You’ve done is all we’ll ever want.
Walk WITH Jesus,
Jim
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