Marching Orders

1 Peter 4:7-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204%3A7-11&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

Back in the day, about 1971, I lived in a house of Christian guys across from the campus of Michigan State University. There were five of us, and each person had their own unique individuality.

 

One of my roommates was kind of an anti-establishment type guy; a bit of a rebel. He had long hair and a bushy beard, but beyond that, he seemed to think of himself as a philosophical and theological thinker.  Someone who thought outside of the box; who marched to the beat of his own drum.

 

He also had a heart for the down and out. As a result, there were a few times when he brought a stranger back to our house to eat a meal, and even to stay overnight. Most of these people were not from the mainstream - if you get my drift.

 

But for him, this was how he reached out to others and shared the Good News of Christ with them. He stretched the faith of all of us in the house, and set an example for us to follow. Maybe not by doing exactly what he did, but to follow the principle of what he did. It’s the same principle that Peter wrote about.

 

⁸ Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. ¹⁰ God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. NLT

 

In reality, my roommate wasn’t marching to the beat of his own drum. He was marching to the beat of his Lord and Savior. That’s the same beat that you and I as followers of Christ need to follow. And when we do, then we will be in line with these words of Peter.

 

… ^11bDo it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.            NLT

 

Do you hear the beat of the drum? Of His drum? Then I guess that means you have your marching orders.

 

 

 

 

The Big Picture

Ephesians 3

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+3&version=NIV;ESV

 

You may be familiar with the “parable of the talents” in Matthew 25. A land owner gives one of his servants five talents; to another 2; and to another 1 talent. Each servant was a steward over the talent(s) they were given.



However, you may not be as familiar with the concept of being a steward of God’s grace. Paul was. He wrote about it in Ephesians 3.

² …assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, ³ how the mystery was made known to me… ⁶ This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ESV

 

Paul is taking a Big Picture look at his life and his ministry. He didn’t focus on his past, feeling guilty about how he aggressively persecuted the church to the extreme of imprisonment and even death. And he didn’t focus on his current circumstances while writing this letter in prison potentially feeling powerless or sorry for himself.

 

Instead, Paul focused on the calling he had from God to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. Paul was a steward of all that God had given him which included his calling.

 

In the same way, God has given each of us, you and I, a calling on our life. It is up to us

to look at the Big Picture, not the past or the present, and to be good stewards of His Grace.

 

In looking at the Big Picture of your life, ask yourself, what are the “talents” that God has given you to be a steward over? How can you use those “talents” to spread the Gospel of Christ? To build the Kingdom of God? What desires has He given you to touch the lives of others?

 

Paul concludes his look at the Big Picture in Ephesians with a powerful prayer for the Gentile believers. His prayer is just as powerful for you and me today.

 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power,

together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and  deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all fullness of God.   NIV

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this blog, please feel free to share the link with others.)

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

It’s Mine!

Acts 4:32-35

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%204%3A32-35&version=NIV;NLT

 

What parent hasn’t told their child in a firm, authoritative voice, “You need to share with your brother or sister!”? And conversely, what parent hasn’t heard their child respond in a defiant, angry voice, “It’s mine!”?

 

Sharing doesn’t come easy for many of us. In fact, the old adage, “The one who dies with the most toys wins”, would seem to apply to America as a whole.

 

For the most part though, the first century church in Jerusalem didn’t have a problem with sharing. They pooled their resources so that everybody’s needs were met. Some even went to the point of selling their property or possessions and turning the proceeds over to the apostles.

 

There’s a familiar verse in Psalm 50 that states, ^“For all the animals of the forest are

mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.” This reminds us that God owns everything. He is the creator and sustainer of all that was and is and will be. But is that all there is to it?

The context of Psalm 50 is not that God owns everything, but that His people are more interested in looking good by making showy displays of religious righteousness, rather than getting things right in their relationship with God. It’s the same complaint that Jesus had with the religious leaders of his day. And if we’re honest, the same issue continues today.

 

Therefore, you and I need to answer these questions. Am I the lord of my life, or is Christ the Lord of my life? How am I using the resources that God has given me; my time, talent and treasure? Am I helping to meet the needs of those less fortunate? Or am I in the competition to see who has the most toys?

 

³² All the believers were one in heart and mind… And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them.           NIV

 

The first century church has set an example for us to follow. The resources that God has given to us are intended to build His Kingdom; to meet the needs of others; to share God’s grace. Think of the impact we could have if we were all “one in heart and mind”.

 

 

 

(If God has spoken to you through this blog, please feel free to share the link with others.)

http://lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com/