BEING FRIENDS WITH GOD

'I know you by name, and you have found favour with me.' Exodus 33:12 NIV

Moses talked with God like a friend, sharing what he felt and thought. And God wanted it that way. Here is how the conversation went: 'Moses said to the Lord, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,'...You have said, 'I know you by name, and you have found favour with me.''' Moses is mirroring back to God what God had previously said to him. Remember saying to your spouse or your best friend, 'You were the one who said...'? That's what Moses is doing here: reminding God of His own words. And God wants you to remember His Word and to speak it back to Him (see Isaiah 43:26). 

Not because He needs to be reminded but because you do! And because His Word is the only Word that He is committed to fulfill (see Mathew 24:35). When you pray using God's Word, you are praying in His will, and you're guaranteed to get a hearing. So, learn and memorise Scriptures that touch on your needs and desires, and when you talk to God, recall them and pray them back to Him. For example, when you pray, 'Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours' (Mark 11:24 NIV), God will acknowledge it!

The more you learn of His will, the more your prayer time will conform to His will and the more you will feel aligned with Him. Keep your Bible handy when you talk to God so that He can direct your thoughts to the words He wants you to pray. 

YOU CAN'T HAVE A TESTIMONY WITHOUT A TEST

'I will...test them as gold is tested.' Zechariah 13:9 NASB

If you're being tested today, you're in good company! Job, the most righteous man on earth, was tested beyond what most of us will ever have to endure. And when he emerged, he told God, 'I heard about you from others; now I have seen you' (Job 42:5 CEV). In the heat of the furnace, you experience God up close and personal. 

Shelia Schuller Coleman says, 'Some tests are intended to teach. We learn our most profound lessons when we're tested...Like what we're capable of...where we need to grow...and that there's still more to learn! When your faith is being tested, the last thing you're thinking about is learning a lesson...you just want to survive. But the lesson we learn from Job is that when we keep our faith in the most testing of times, we'll "come out as gold" (Job 23:10 NASB). Think about it: did you ever hear a testimony that wasn't about someone surviving a test? James says, "Consider it pure joy...whenever you face trials" (James 1:2 NIV). When we suffer, when people say hateful things, when we lose our homes, when we encounter rifts in our family, when the doctor calls with a dire diagnosis - the last thing we feel is joy...if anyone could speak with authority on praising God in trials, it was Paul. He was beaten, thrown into jail, and run out of town. How does your week compare to his? 

When you get through this test, you will have a testimony to God's strength and faithfulness, and be able to say, 'The Lord is my God.'

KEEP IT SIMPLE

 'I will give you shepherds...who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.' Jeremiah 3:15 NIV

Seeking to impress the congregation, a young seminary graduate incorporated the biggest words he could find into his Sunday-morning sermon. It was a disaster! Stepping down from the pulpit, he met an old preacher who said, Son, you spoke over their heads.' Irritated and defensive, the young seminarian said, 'Then why don't they stretch their necks?' To which the old preacher replied, 'Jesus said, "Feed my sheep," not my giraffes!' 

Whether you're in a pulpit, a classroom, a board meeting, or talking to someone one-to-one over coffee, you must decide whether your goal is to impress people - or help them. God said, 'I will lead you with knowledge and understanding.' Your aim shouldn't be merely to communicate knowledge - but understanding. The measure of a good teacher isn't what he or she knows - it's what the student learns. Making things simple is a necessary skill if you want to connect with people. To put it in the words of Albert Einstein: 'If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it enough.' 

If you're serious about trying to reach people, keep these four words firmly in mind:

1) Heart. To move someone, you must touch them on an emotional level.

2) Hope. By spelling out their potential and their possibilities, you will inspire them to try.

3) Help. Show them how to apply what you're saying tangibly.

4) Humour. By laughing at your mistakes, you let people know their problem isn't unique - and to someone who is struggling, that can be the best feeling in the world.

PICK THE RIGHT PEOPLE

'These were...the mighty men whom David had,' 1 Chronicles 11:10 NKJV

Success in any endeavour calls for surrounding yourself with the right people. That's why you should always seek God's input in your relationships. Rehobam should have listened to the advice of his father Solomon's wise and experienced inner circle. Instead, he heeded the advice of those who agreed with his own opinion - and it proved fatal. 

David, on the other hand, chose people who helped make him great. 'These were...the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in this kingdom, with all Israel' (v. 10 NKJV). Notice four important things here:

1) David built a strong inner circle before he needed it. He started building his team long before he needed it. He started building his team long before he was crowned.

2) He attracted people with varied gifts. He reached for them, rewarded them, and wasn't intimidated by those who had skills that differed from his. With the help of these 'mighty men', David felt ready for anything.

3) He cultivated loyalty. He drew people close to him, shared his life with them, and, in the end, they were willing to lay their lives on the line for him. 

4) He delegated responsibility based on ability. Because he was secure in his own identity and calling, David wasn't afraid to delegate authority and responsibility to those around him. In the beginning, some of his mighty men were misfits, but he transformed this ragtag group into a winning team. (see 1 Samuel 22:1-2).

David made his inner circle great, and in turn his inner circle made him great. So the word is  - pick the right people!

DON'T BURN OUT

 'Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?' Proverbs 20:6 NIV

Pastor Rowland Croucher writes: 'The children had gone to school, my wife was off to work, and I did something I'd never done before. I turned the phone down, put a note on the door, and went back to bed. I was burned out. Within two months, I had resigned my ministry...Three out of four pastors report anger, depression, fear, and alienation. The reasons include...a disparity between idealistic expectations and hard reality...lack of boundaries...workaholism...feelings of incompetence...conflict between being a leader and being a servant at the same time..."playing it safe" to avoid upsetting powerful parishioners...and loneliness (pastors are less likely to have a close friend than almost anybody).'

Ministering in your own strength virtually guarantees you will end up as another statistic. Paul was able to go the distance and finish strong because he depended on God to give him the needed strength. One Bible teacher says avoiding burnout means

a) having a definite call on your life and a strong relationship with Jesus,

b) seeking His vision and being willing to do whatever He asks, 

c) never losing sight of the people behind the work, 

d) never taking your position for granted, 

e) respecting the guy above you, and submitting willingly to authority, 

f) knowing that you're fulfilling God's will and your reward is laid up in heaven, 

g)having a servant's heart, 

h) putting loyalty above personal feelings, and 

i) never being too big to do small things, or too small to do big things. 

Practice these principles, and you won't burn out.

KEEP YOUR HOPE ALIVE

'Grab ...hope with both hands and never let go.' Hebrews 6:18 MSG

Does your situation look impossible? Are you getting ready to give up? Don't! Emilie Batisse was seventy-nine when she was injured in a hit-and-run accident and wasn't expected to live. When Norman Vincent Peale went to visit her, he noticed a row of brand-new poetry books that hadn't been opened. When he asked her about them, she said, 'I love poetry, but I haven't read those... I'm saving them for my old age.' 

Mrs Batisse lived to read those books many times, and when she eventually died at ninety-one, she was planning a trip to Europe. Hope is wishing for something to come true; faith is believing it will happen. Hope is wanting something so desperately that, despite all evidence to the contrary, you keep believing God for it. And the remarkable thing is that the act of hoping produces a strength ot its own. When Cornell University conducted a study on the effects of hope, Dr Harold G. Wolff reported that people with hope can endure incredible burdens. One group comprised twenty-five thousand soldiers imprisoned during World War II. Subjected to forced labour, bad food, and filth, many died while others showed only slight damage. Interviews with survivors revealed a far-above-average ability to hope! 

How were they able to keep their hope alive? By drawing pictures of the girls they planned to marry, designing their future homes, and organising business management seminars. Hope not only kept them well, it kept them alive! It's easy to see why Paul describes hope as 'an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past... appearances... to the very presence of God' (v.19). 

GOOD IS GOOD - ALL THE TIME!

 'O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him'. Psalm 34:8

What you believe about God is crucial to the quality of your life, especially in difficult times. So, starting today, tell yourself, 'God is good- all the time,' and keep saying it until it gets down into your spirit. What does it mean to be 'good'? It means living up to the best and highest; His goodness is beyond question. If God is good - genuinely, practically, consistently good - then your cup of well-being, security, peace, confidence and joy should be overflowing!

 A good God can't break His promise, abandon His children, or fail to love and provide for them. In every trial and circumstance, you can be sure He will treat you in the best possible way. When things seem to be falling apart, when you stumble confused in the dark, it's hard to see God's goodness or feel that things will get better. That's when you must draw on the faith God has deposited in you (see Romans 12:3), and by an act of your will, trust Him. A troubled parishoner once asked his pastor, 'Does the world look like a wreck to you too? He replied, 'Yes, like the wreck of a bursting seed! Without the "wreck" stage when its world appears to be falling apart, the acorn could never give birth to an oak tree.' 

So, embrace God's will in your time of testing because it's 'good, and acceptable, and perfect' (Romans 12:2). Ultimately, you will 'see how good the Lord is' and that 'happy is the person who trusts him.'

'WILL THE REAL JESUS PLEASE STAND UP?'

'By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.' John 13:35 KJV

Have you seen the poster depicting three men, each representing a different version of Jesus? The first looks like an uncouth mountain man, the second is tanned and athletic, the third is a slight, meek-mannered character. The caption underneath says, 'Will the real Jesus please stand up?' In John 13, the real Jesus stands up. He tells us what He is all about and what He wants us to be all about - and it's love! 

In the upper room, Jesus recognised that His time was short. The cross was looming, Judas was about to betray Him, and He had to prepare His disciples to continue without Him. It's like asking a pastor, 'If you had one last sermon, what would it be?' Or asking a teacher, 'What great truth would you most like to convey to your students?' Or asking parents, 'If you could tell your kids only one thing, what would it be?' Jesus spells it out: 'I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you...By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another' (vv 34-35 KJV). Like a last will and testament, Jesus' final message is important not only because of its content but because of its tone and timing. It sums up His life and our responsibility to God and to others - to love them!

 Now, since love isn't what you say but what you do - today go out and find practical ways to express God's love to those you meet. They will feel good, and you will too.

START LIVING ON PURPOSE

"Those who help others are helped." Proverbs 11:25 MSG

One of the best ways to keep your life in balance and stay on track spiritually is to share what you know with others. The Bible says, 'Those who help others are helped.' As you pass along your insights, you will get more insights from God. Paul challenges Timothy, 'Now I want you to tell these same things to followers who can be trusted to tell others' (2 Timothy 2:2 CEV).

If you know people who haven't yet discovered their God-given purpose in life, it's your job to share with them what has been shared with you. For example, don't just read this devotional and keep it to yourself; share it with friends. The more you know, the more God expects you to use that knowledge to help others. That's how things are supposed to work in His Kingdom. James writes, 'Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning' (James 4:17 NCV). In other words, increased knowledge brings increased responsibility. Passing along the purpose of life to others is more than just an obligation; it's one of our greatest privileges. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone knew their calling. That's why Paul writes, 'If you teach these things to other followers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus' (1 Timothy 4:6 CEV). 

Not only does God want us to live out His purpose, but He also wants us to help others do the same. That is what assignment-centred living is all about. Regardless of your age, the rest of your life can be the best of your life if you will do this one thing - start living on purpose!

GOD CAN CANCEL YOUR PAST

"He cancelled the record of the charges against us." Colossians 2:14 NLT

Jesus 'cancelled the record of the charges against us...by nailing it to the cross.' The word 'cancel' means to remove, to neutralise, to offset something. Have you ever got most of the way through a project and wished you could start over? Suppose you were painting the lounge, and you stepped back and looked at the colour on the sample chart. On the wall, however, it doesn't look the same. You wish you could redo it.

Many of us feel that way about life, as one author describes it: 'I've made so many mistakes. I wish I could just wipe them out and start over.' Failures, problems, bad decisions - we have all suffered from them. But some people can't let go of the past and, as a result, they let their past limit their present opportunities. They live in a constant state of regret, continually lamenting, "If only I hadn't done that" or "If only I had made these changes." They repeatedly second-guess themselves. And they are tormented by painful memories. "I blew it, and I'm going to be paying for it for the rest of my life." You may choose to carry guilt, but you don't have to! The moment you put your trust in Christ. He 'cancels the record' of your past. Actually, you no longer have a past; you only have a future! You can lay down, once and for all, your heavy load of guilt, old hurts, and memories of mistakes.

Jesus 'took it away by nailing it to the cross'. God has promised to 'blot out your sins...and will never think of them again' (Isaiah 43:25 NLT). You must too!

DON'T COMPETE, AND DON'T COMPARE

 "He alone decides which gift each person should have." 1 Corinthians 12:11 (NLT)

In Scripture, the church is never described as a democracy. Certainly, every person deserves equal treatment in terms of kindness, love, and respect; but as our God-given assignments differ, so do our gifts. 'It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. ' Pay close attention to the words 'He alone decides.' Parents want to see all their children succeed in life. But they also need to recognise that just as children's individual talents differ, so do their unique destinies. That's why it's a mistake to compete with or compare yourself to somebody else. 

The Bible says, 'God was validating it with gifts...as he saw fit' (Hebrews 2:4 MSG). Don't question and second-guess God; He knows what He is doing and never makes mistakes. Even among His twelve disciples, Jesus had an inner circle. He took Peter, James, and John up the Mount of Transfiguration and sent the others into town to work. He didn't feel obligated to take everybody up the mountain so nobody would feel slighted. Does that mean He loves one person more than another? No, the experience Peter, James, and John had on the mountaintop that day was part of their training for the assignment Jesus was calling them to.

There is a lesson here. You have to move beyond other people's opinion. God made you for a special purpose; He has a job for you that nobody else can do as well as you. When you know that something is right for you, do it and trust God to vindicate you in the eyes of others.

STAND IN FAITH

 "All things are possible to him who believes." Mark 9:23

One day a distraught father came to Jesus and said, 'My son...frequently...he falls into the fire and...the water...I brought him to your disciples, and they were not able to cure him' (Matthew 17:15-16). Notice, he never once said, 'Maybe my son inherited this problem from me' or 'Perhaps if I had raised him differently.' No, he dumped the responsibility onto the disciples, who were themselves in training. Whenever we're in trouble, we like to blame the pastor, the church, our spouse, our boss, our family, our looks, our social status, or find some other excuse. We're unable or unwilling to admit that we stuck our own hand in the fire or almost drowned by jumping in headfirst when we couldn't swim.

After Jesus healed the boy, His disciples asked Him, 'Why can't we do the things you do? (Mathew 17:19). That's like asking, 'Why isn't my situation changing?' when we haven't brought the problem to God, prayed about it, and trusted in His transformative power. Jesus replied, 'Because your faith is too small' (Mathew 17:20). Sometimes you need the kind of faith that makes you seem a little weird; the kind that doesn't care whether or not you fit in. That's the kind of faith that made Noah say, 'Even though there has never been rain and nobody in my generation believes, I'm still going to do what God said.' As a result, he came out on top! Paul writes, 'Having done all...stand' (Ephesians 6:13). Stand on what? Stand on what God has told you in His word, because ultimately, it's the thing that will work.

DON'T BE A MUDSLINGER

"The slinger surrounded and attacked it." 2 Kings 3:25

In the Old Testament times, 'slingers' were people who defeated others by slinging stones, blocking their wells by throwing mud and rocks into them - wells of water that were essential to their survival. Today, mudslingers are people who make malicious attacks against others. Now chances are that you may have encountered some 'mudslingers' yourself, and even suffered at their hands. What should you do? Avoid them because they're dangerous. You can't mud wrestle with a pig without getting dirty. Not only will the pig win - he will enjoy the fight! And if you yourself have become a slinger, here is a portion of Scripture you would do well to read and keep in mind: "Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." Isaiah 58:9-11.

Now there is a benefit package worth working for! So, guard your thoughts because they become your words. Guard your words because they become your actions. Guard your actions because they become your character. And guard your character because it determines the level of God's blessing in your life. So, here is the word: don't be a mudslinger.

SHEPHERD YOUR PEOPLE

 

Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands (Micah 7:14). You and I are called to be shepherds in the workplace. Your "staff" (vocation) represents your calling to your work life ministry. Moses’ staff represented his calling as a shepherd. God’s first words to Moses were: "Remove your shoes. For this is Holy ground." God came to Moses during his workday. His work became holy because God’s presence was there. God used Moses’ staff to perform miracles and deliver the people of Israel from bondage. (Ex. 4:17). He is still issuing this same call today to you and I in the workplace. For most of us, this is where our inheritance lies. As we minister through our work life call, our inheritance will come as a result of letting God use our abilities. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:23,24: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." What makes our work holy is the motivation by which we do it. If we work to glorify God in it and serve others in the process, that is what makes it ministry. The word ministry and service are derived from the same Greek word, diakonia. Those in the workplace are like a remnant of a wayward people in a forest awaiting harvest. It is a fertile pasture awaiting a shepherd who can lead them into a life of purpose and destiny. Will you be the instrument of God to shepherd His people out of bondage? Ask the Lord to use your "staff" to perform miracles and to become a shepherd to those He has called you to lead. Why not start today?