God Said Wait

God Said WaitTrust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths…Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 7:7One of the very best things about serving the Lord in His Compassion ministry are the opportunities for fellowship; specifically the exchanges that occur while serving behind a Compassion sign-up table. I had one such encounter the other night.The table traffic was sluggish when *Judy strolled up. I could tell almost immediately that Judy was one of Ocean Grove’s ‘challenged’ inhabitants. I cannot relate precisely her affliction, but to suffice it to say the more we conversed, the more evident it became she struggled with something cerebral.“I want to sponsor a child, ” she began, “how much does it cost?” I explained to her the ministry and how for about one dollar-a-day a sponsorship provides educational opportunities, food, healthcare, and of course, the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ.Judy listened, interrupted often, and eventually explained how she could not sponsor a child at this time due to her financial situation. Then, the conversation began again.Groundhog DayReminiscent of the classic Bill Murray movie, Judy started again, “I want to sponsor a child, ” and then actually upped the ante by declaring she wanted to sponsor two, or maybe three children.Judy now finished every sentence with a probing question to me, “What should I do?” and regardless of what I suggested, her response to me was always the same, “what should I do?”Frustrated But in LoveHave you ever been there? Anyway, “Judy, ” I said, “are you saved?”“Yes, ” she said with a huge smile on her face!“Awesome, ” I said, “we need to bring God in on this one. Will you pray and ask God to tell you what you should do?”I then asked if she was here to listen to Duffy Robbins (the evening’s speaker). She said she was. I told her to go in and find a seat, listen to Duffy’s message and to ask God to give her the answer she desperately needed. She said she would and she walked away to find a seat.Did I Believe?Did I believe God would respond to Judy? Did I believe Judy would reach-out for God in prayer? Well all I can tell you is that this was my hope and prayer. Thirty minutes later Judy made her return.“God Said Wait!”“What!” I said, “God spoke to you?”“Yes, ” she told me excitedly, “God said wait!”“Well praise be to God Judy, ” I replied.To which she responded, “So what should I do?”I laughed. She laughed. We laughed together“I have an idea, ” she said, “I’ll have my cable TV turned off and use that money to sponsor these three children, ” pointing to three child packets on the table.“Judy, ” I said sternly, but lovingly, “God said wait.”“But…”“Judy, we should not disobey God.”The irony is that usually these conversations are the other way around; God is leading someone to sponsor a child and they are looking for every excuse not to obey—in an extreme contrast, Judy desires to be disobedient to God in order that she might save the lives of three children.Judy agreed that listening to God was most important, but not before jotting down the names of the three children she hoped to sponsor one day. I saw Judy later that night sitting alone in the park. She called out to remind me, “I have the names written down, I have the names written down!”And Jesus has your name written down too Judy.Will You Sponsor a Child?Compassion dave PS. Please visit the official Compassion Blog(*Not her real name)

You Need to STOP Praying

…We ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God…
2 Thessalonians 1:4-5

Stop Praying?

Well not entirely. I simply want to draw attention to our need to stop asking God to release us from things that He has allowed to happen in the first place. I can think of at least two good reasons why. First, these trials are confirmation from God Himself that we are, a) in His will and, b) being obedient to His directives. If we were not, these things would likely not be occurring. In that very sense, they identify us as godly Christians. Suffering of this type is proof you are in Christ and He is in you.

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 2 Timothy 3:12

In that truth alone we should rejoice, but wait, there’s more! As we face these trials, God is with us. In fact, it is in these situations He chooses to mold and refine us. These words in James 1:2-4 give illumination:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Perfection? Completion? Without Lack?

Why in Heaven’s name would anyone desire to pray against these things? I am not proposing a Christian go looking for trouble (Heaven forbid), but when trouble has found us we need to see it as the refining process (of God) that it is. While all believers delight in mountain-top experiences, obedient Christians know that the real fruit of our faith grows in the valleys.

Blessed For a Reason

I’m stepping out on a limb here, but I’m saying it anyway, “You KNOW you’re blessed.” I defy any Christian to deny that statement (although I’ll entertain your argument if you like). So as always, the question remains, “Why are you so blessed?” The answer of course is that so God may bless others by way of your obedience—you are blessed to be a blessing.

Sponsor a Compassion Child

And if you do, I’ll send you a free copy of "Hope Lives: a Journey of Restoration" by Amber Van Schooneveld.

Compassion dave

PS. Please visit the official Compassion Blog

Wasting God’s Time

'And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ Matthew 25:25

“I believe that a balanced diet is a chocolate-chip cookie in each hand.”

Can you believe it--that statement actually made me mad yesterday. I’ll explain. The remark was uttered by the host of our local Christian radio station as part of a feature they were calling; “Complete the sentence, ‘I believe…’.”

Listeners phoned in with their responses and the station played back the recording on the air. For the most part people shared comments that were both wonderful and spiritual; but then the host chimed in with…

“I believe that a balanced diet is a chocolate-chip cookie in each hand.”What?Why do I care?

Well, I don’t care…r-e-a-l-l-y. But the event did serve as a reminder to me. When I am in position to share anything that is Godly in character, especially when the Lord has blessed me with both the ‘ability’ and ‘opportunity’ to do so, I must take full advantage. To not do so is akin to burying my blessings in the backyard; to not do so is sinful.

Blessed to Be a Blessing

God blesses us so that He might bless others through us—it really is the only explanation as to why we are so blessed. Oh sure, God loves us, but He doesn’t love us more than anyone one else. Therefore, He must desire to use us as tools in His hands in order that others might know His love as well. Let us be mindful to never waste an occasion to bless another person when we have been given the ability and opportunity to do so

Opportunity.

COMPASSION dave

Walking Responsively

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called... Ephesians 4:1

Therefore

I don’t know about your pastor, but my pastor always says, “Whenever you see the word ‘therefore’ in the Bible, you must always ask yourself, ‘what’s it there for?’” It’s here (this time) because Paul wants to remind us to sit down before we walk. More accurately he is saying that before we can walk-out our faith we need to remember where we are seated and how we came to be there. Two chapters earlier (in Ephesians 2:5-6) Paul writes…

When we were dead in trespasses, (He) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…

Walking effectively in Christ begins when we understand what He has already done for us, realizing that we had nothing to do with it, and that He finished the work on the cross. When we can appreciate this truth, our walks become a response to the love He has already displayed. When we fail to comprehend these facts, our walks become sidetracked as we search for things which are not missing. I like the summary outlined in 2 Corinthians 5:14a and 1 John 4:19:

For the love of Christ compels us…We love Him because He first loved us.

Therefore

Our Christian walk is a response of gratitude--our reward is not so much what we do as we walk, but the walk itself. I am so thankful that the Lord plucked me from the pig-sty that was my life, gave me a seat in Heavenly places, and now allows me to walk-the-walk. My need to share Him with others is not an obligation, but a reaction to His love.

COMPASSION dave

Your Last Prayer

Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers… Ephesians 1:15:16

Your Last Prayer

Reflect upon your last prayer a moment. Did you pray for those in dire need, those who are sick and weary, the poor and the down trodden, the addicted and the unsaved? Praise be to God – you did well. But what about the spiritually fit…Did you pray for them? I submit to you that they need your prayers as well?

Think about it. Who is satan most interested in attacking and bringing down? Your alcoholic brother-in-law who isn’t walking with the Lord or that person you know who is walking according to God’s will? Obviously satan is most interested in destroying the obedient Christian.

Stop Praying For the Needy

That is NOT what I am saying. Of course we should be bringing those requests before the Lord. However let us not fail to remember those who are doing well in God’s sight, for arguably, they are in a hazardous position. And how should we pray for them? The next verse from Ephesians informs us……

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him… Ephesians 1:15:16

Stop Praying For the NeedyI have reconsidered my response to the previous statement. While prayer is always a good course of action, it is not always a necessity. I remember hearing Matt Rindge speak once and he said, “My biggest fear in life is that I’ll be in a horrible car accident and Christians will come to help--instead of administering first aid, they’ll choose to pray over me as I bleed out.” (Paraphrase mine) Let us learn to trust in God’s provision in regards to the prayers we have already prayed.

Let trust in God be evident by our actions...

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. Proverbs 3:27

COMPASSION dave

God’s Grace and Chuck E Cheese

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace… Ephesians 1:7

One of things I like about Chuck E Cheese’s is that when you (or your child) is finished playing a game, the machines spits out coupons, which can then be exchanged for a prize. In a small way it is symbolic of the redemption process spoken of in the Bible, for like those coupons, we have little or no face value; it could be said we are worthless.

Enter the Redeemer

You might say that the prize you get in exchange for your tickets (at Chuck E Cheese) is also without worth, and that’s of course where the similarity ends. For we see the blessing Christ provides is beyond the value; it’s worth being incalculable. This would not be possible if God were not rich in grace.

Riches of Grace

Imagine for a moment we’re back at Chuck E's. We’ve counted up our tickets and we announce to the prize-giver-outer guy, “We have three hundred and ninety-two tickets. What do we get?”

“Well, it seems you have just enough for the Mercedes convertible, ” he says.

Now imagine the reaction of your friends and family when you pull up in that shiny new car. That’s grace and it’s just a small glimpse of what our redemption, through Christ’s blood, looks like. What we have to offer the Lord is without worth, but what He desires to give us in exchange is beyond worldly explanation. When we show up at Heaven’s gate, surely every jaw will drop and it will be heard from one end of Heaven to the other, “That is one gracious God we serve!”

Might you be so bold as to share some of that grace?

COMPASSION dave

Sustaining Praise

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ… Ephesians 1:3

Just Another Salutation

Isn’t it incredible that Paul would start out this letter to the church at Ephesus by praising the Lord? “Not really dave, ” you might say, “it’s not really that incredible; wonderful perhaps, but not incredible.” Ok, ok, I’ll tell you what makes it incredible.

Paul’s in Jail

When Paul writes, ‘Blessed be God the Father who has blessed us, ’ he is sitting in a Roman prison; he breaks out in praise despite the fact he’s in lock-down. Folks, that is incredible. Do want to know how he can do it?

I submit to you there are at least two reasons. First, Paul fully comprehends that blessings do not come from Jesus, but are realized in Jesus. Jesus is not a genie we go to when we have wants, but a Savior we live in who knows our needs.

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
2 Corinthians 1:20

Secondly, Paul has seen the future in Christ, and to say it is ‘bright’ would be a gross understatement. Speaking of himself in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul wrote…

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows--how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Reconsider Your PositionTake another look at your problems. Regardless of what they are, if you are in Christ, there is reason to praise the Lord. If for no other reason, others will look at you and say, “That must be some awesome God he (or she) worships!”

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

He IS Awesome!

Have you shared that news—have you shared the blessing? Are you an Acts 1:8 kind of believer? Do those under your roof know Him? Do your neighbors know Him? Do both your friends and enemies know Him? Has your witness reached the ends of the earth?I present to you the ends of the earth…

COMPASSION dave