Keeping Good Company

"Dear friend, if bad companions tempt you, don't go along with them." -Proverbs 1:10

I'm sure you've heard the saying, you are what you eat. Well, you could say the same is true for the type of company we keep.

I've noticed in my own life that if I hang out with someone long enough, I may start to develop some of their characteristics.  For instance, if I'm hanging out with my husband a lot, I might get to sounding a little more southern! 

But the Bible makes clear mention to be careful who we hang out with, and to chose our friends wisely.  "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray." Proverbs 12:26  Do you hang out with people who build you up?  Do they have characteristics you admire, or do they encourage you in the right direction? If so, you are blessed!  If not, perhaps you haven't struck gold yet.

I remember of a time in my life that was very lonely.  That was when God was working out some things in my heart.  But then, as God kept leading me, I found my way to some great relationships.  I know some of these friendships will be there through thick and thin - they already been proven!  

When times get tough, you need positive, God-fearing people who can help you along the way.  Church is a great place to foster these relationships, although it's not the only place.  We need to remember that the type of company we keep directly relates to the type of person we will be.  This doesn't excuse us to reach out to those who need a hand up or who may not know Jesus yet.  But we also shouldn't have too many of those types of relationships so we don't get pulled back down.

Are you hanging out with the right crowd? May God continue to bring you authentic friendships that are lasting, and may He grow those relationships into fruitfulness to impact the lives of others.

Hearing God’s Voice

"Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track." -Proverbs 3:6

It was Monday morning, during our staff bible study time.  My dad asked, “How do you hear God?”  Out came a myriad of responses.

“A thought pops into my mind of someone, and that’s how I know I’m supposed to pray for them.”

“I get a sense of His Spirit, then I get a word or a phrase.” 

“I hear Him when I’m driving in the car.  It mostly comes in pieces throughout the day, but then all the pieces link together to form a picture.” 

“When I’m talking to someone, I get a certain emotion.  It’s like God gives me empathy for that person and I know what to pray on their behalf.” 

Have you ever thought about the fact that we all hear God differently? 

Because each of us is wired uniquely, with different gifts and talents, we will not all hear God the same way.  God speaks to each of us in a way that we can understand Him, often through our gifts or love language.

Learning to hear God’s voice is a unique process of reading the word, perceiving God around us, and “opening our ears”, so to speak, to be able to hear what He’s saying to us.  It took me a while to learn to hear God, because I didn’t know what was me and what was Him.  But, after we learn God’s character and how He operates, through reading the Word and being discipled, we begin to discern His voice from ours. 

Are you able to hear God’s voice in your life?  Seek this out – it is the most valuable attribute of a Christian – to be able to hear the voice of our heavenly Father in our lives.

Two-Faced

"When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the 'sinners' and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: 'Why does he eat with tax collectors and "sinners"?' On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" Mark 2:16-18

I love the character of Two-face in Batman movies. I know it may sound a little morbid, but to me he identifies with the reality and compromise of life in the flesh. "I do what I don't want to do!" Paul cries, identifying with the human condition. But although we are in desperate need of God's grace to live a life of holiness and love, did you know that God created us this way with His very purpose in mind, to be "two-faced?"
 
There is a pastor in Singapore who, after several years of being in ministry felt called to the Arts. "God, are you for real?" he quiried, quite perplexed by his awkward predicament. No sane Baptist pastor would try to pursue this avenue, it was of the devil!
 
But still, he felt the Holy Spirit's promptings. He and his daughter decided to start to rehearse magic shows they had put on for friends and family but on a grander scale. Soon, they had opportunities to perform in auditoriums. And not long after, they sold out the largest venue in downtown Singapore for their magic show, "The Magic of Love."
 
Thousands came to Singapore to see them perform. And although this loving pastor did not directly share the gospel during the show, his faith was evident in the way he conducted himself, and he was able to share with fans afterward.
 
His story is a great testimony for how God can use all of us to be two-faced to reach the world for Him.
 
 
 


*If you feel called to the arts and the media world, you might enjoy this book. It's called Give Me the Multitudes by Lawrence Khong.

Understanding Covenant

David asked the men standing near him, “…Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” -1 Samuel 17:26

David was the youngest of 8 sons.  His 3 oldest brothers were off to war in King Saul’s camp.  During this time, the Philistine army had been camped at Sokoh in Judah.  The Israelites were camped in the valley of Elah, with just a valley between them and the Philistine army.

David was young, probably around 17.  From time to time he went back and forth to the Israelite army to bring food to his brothers and see how they were doing. This particular time, when David went to bring food to his brothers, he heard the giant Goliath from the Philistine camp shouting at the Israelites and challenging them.  He had been doing this for 40 days.  The Israelites were all afraid of him because he was so big.  No one had yet had the courage to challenge him, and when the Israelites saw him, “They all fled in great fear.”  (v.24)

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” (1 Sam 17:8-9)  It’s interesting to note that Goliath wanted to make the Israelites think they were just serving their leader, Saul.  But David had a different perspective. As people overheard him asking questions about what would be done for the man who killed Goliath, word was sent to king Saul who sent for him.  “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him,” David said. He explained to Saul that he had good training killing lions and bears tending sheep, and this would be no different.  Probably because he had run out of options by this time, Saul let David try. 

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel  (v.45-46).  And so, David used a stone in a slingshot, and killed him. 

Often the story of David and Goliath is taught with reference to having courage in God.  But, it was because David understood God’s covenant with the Israelites that he knew he could defeat him and had courage. Like marriage, a covenant is a promise broken only by death, whereas in a contract, the obligations of that contract must be met by both parties for the contract to remain in effect.  In David's day, covenants were very serious matters.  No one broke a covenant, even if the other party didn't fulfill their end of the bargain.

When we serve God, we have God’s protection. We should therefore place our trust in God’s faithfulness and promises, as His word is true and can never return void.  Have you recognized the power in God’s covenant with his sons and daughters?  May it be a reminder and an encouragement that we can overcome anything that comes in our path, because we are sons and daughters of the living God. 

Know Your Worth

"Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?" Matthew 6:26

Sometimes in life we may feel undervalued, unappreciated, and understated. Things happen which make us think that other people don't care about us, and we do not feel valued us as a human being, employee, friend, son or daughter, or brother or sister. We take it upon ourselves to think that we are not worth enough to them whatever the circumstance may be.
 
We sell ourselves short. We think we are not worth the effort, the money, the resolve, or the energy. We think somehow that by playing the miser or self-denier we will make our humanity right. That perhaps, in some way, we will justify ourselves to the world. That our reason for being will be, well? explained.
 
But why do we keep on making excuses for ourselves? Why do we have to be explained? If God destined for us to enter this world, then surely there must be a reason for it. Jesus said, "If I care so much for sparrows, how much more do I care for you? The hairs on your head are numbered." (Matt 10:30)
 
The fact is we are not worthy. We are not worthy of anything that is given to us. It is through His grace that we are made worthy. Worthy of our calling, worthy of His mercy, and worthy of His best for us, personally. We may mess up, yes. We may hurt others, yes. We may choose wrongly, yes. And others may hurt us, too. But at the end of the day, when all is said and done, when we've renounced our mistakes, and asked to start over, God is faithful to forgive us, see us as the children that we are, and love us no matter what. We are worth that much to him.
 
You didn't have to do anything to be somebody. God has already made you a somebody. There is a great quote that says, "God didn't have one of you, and he wanted one of you, so he made one of you." Choose to believe that today.

Make It Right

"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." -Romans 3:23

Have you ever done something you've regretted? Have you ever said something, and wished you could have captured your words before they entered the atmosphere? We've all done things we're not proud of. Regret is a part of being human.
 
When we do things we regret, what should we do? How do we make things right? We can apologize, we can be sorry, we can go above and beyond the call of duty to try and "pay-back" the people we've wronged. But in the end, what's said has been said, what's done has been done, and there is no way to erase the damage it may have caused.
 
When we do things we regret, there is no possible way to make it right. No way, that is, apart from God.
God can turn circumstances into good. He can erase them like they never happened.
 
I am continually amazed by the grace of God. He gives so much grace, it covers every sin, every bad thing said, and every regret we've ever had. Anything I try to do by myself is stifled by the message of trusting God for the outcome, no matter what my wrong has been. Sometimes our wrongs separate us from others. Sometimes they may have painful consequences. But we can trust our God to make whatever it is right and to make our hearts clean again.
 
What needs to be made right in your life? Are there circumstances, events, or situations you've regretted? Turn to God and ask him for forgiveness. And then trust him for the outcome. He is more than able to right any wrong.

Countering Excuses

"When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, 'Come, the banquet is ready.' But they all began making excuses. One said, 'I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.' Another said, 'I now have a wife, so I can't come.' " ~Luke 14:17-21

If God asked you to a party, would you come? I mean, really... would you? I'm sure you're saying yes, because that would be a the best party ever! But if God asked you to do something, would you do it? Sometimes we feel the gentle nudging of his hand, sometimes we feel the slight conviction as we know we're called to more. But yet we just settle for mediocrity and explain ourselves with excuses.
 
But, you know what? God has not called us to live behind excuses. He has called us to be great men and women of God who accomplish great things. He does not call us to live in the molds of the past - He destines us for something new.
 
It has been the hardest thing for me to stay on a consistent workout schedule and loose my "freshman 20" I gained in Bible college. It has been a constant struggle that I never thought would be! I know what the right thing is; I just have a hard time focusing enough to get it to happen. The same is true of a mission with God. If the desire He's placed in your heart is to earn money, to bless the church and to bless others, then you must focus on it. If He's placed it on your heart to be a musician in the house of God, then you need to focus on that. Focuses require consistency. And people who are consistent aren't in the habit of making excuses.

Tell God today what you're going to do. Write it down. Take a step of faith. You'll see amazing things happen when you do.