Tag: Finishing

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Face to Face Encounters

“Where else can you go and talk about Jesus to people who are coming to learn about Jesus?” my wife pondered aloud. Peggy was speaking about our weekly International Friendships (IFI) Bible study with students from other countries attending college here in the United States. She was right—it is a group made for each other. As I considered her observation, it occurred to me that Kairos Prison Ministry is similar in that regard—people come to hear about the love of God from people coming to share the love of God, an encounter ripe for spiritual birth and spiritual growth.

The two ministries share this in common as well: when participants receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus, no single volunteer can “take credit” for it, for in the wisdom of God, the love of Christ shines through the gifts and callings of all His people in a collective beacon of hope to others. When new believers speak of their faith in Christ, it is common to hear them recall the hospitality and love of Christians. “When I came to America, these people welcomed me into their home. I can’t imagine what it would have been like without them,” we often hear, or “I couldn’t believe people would take four days away from their families to be with us in prison.” These simple acts of kindness in Christ are turning points for many and cornerstones for future faith.

This is God’s matrixed design. He gives each of us spiritual gifts “just as He determines”1 and then works through all of us together to draw to Himself a people He calls His own. Jesus taught His disciples, “One sows and another reaps,”2 and Paul likewise used an agrarian analogy to assert the same: some plant, some water, but only God makes things grow.3 So what does it look like to encounter Christ face to face through His people? To some, it looks like hospitality in a welcoming home; to others, it sounds like true words, gently spoken. To some, it feels like open arms embracing a broken heart; to others it is the sound of their own voice finding sanctuary in a listening ear. To all, it is the good news of life in Christ—“the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”4 So Paul encourages us, “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”5 For people who seek to find Him will do so through people who seek to share Him.

Father, you are always drawing people to yourself. Open our eyes to see them, and open our hearts to share You with them however you call us to today. In Christ I pray. Amen.

1 1 Corinthians 12:11
2 John 4:37
3 1 Corinthians 3:7
4 2 Corinthians 2:14 ESV
5 Colossians 3:17 ESV

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A Heart for Yes

Have you felt “that nudge” lately—you know, the call of God to act or speak on His behalf? He probably prompts us more often than we know. The fact we sense His Spirit’s leading is a great thing, for it shows God knows us personally and delights in accomplishing His will through little ol’ us. It also confirms that we can and do hear Him. What a joy! And how humbling! He is faithful to honor us this way and to involve us in meaningful work of eternal impact, which leaves us to consider how we will RSVP to His invitation to join Him today. For instance, when God asked Isaiah, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” the prophet eagerly volunteered, “Here I am! Send me.”1 Perhaps we have had similar encounters and still savor the joy of heeding the call. Then there are the less stellar moments, such as when God called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. “Who am I that I should go . . .?”2 he objected, adding, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”3 Surely, we can relate to both of these men, for certainly we have responded at times like each.

Responses come from the heart, so how do we become more faithful in our spiritual “yes” and less inclined toward our natural “no”? Several things come to mind. I share them not as a burdensome checklist, but as liberating truths to contemplate.

Know God has meaningful work for you. He has “created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”5 He has His plans for each of us, so we look to Him for direction.

Stay close. Christ lives in us, and no one loves us more intimately. It is safe to trust, rest and rejoice in His presence. So as James promises, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”4 The closer we are to Him through prayer and His Word, the more clearly we’ll hear His voice.

Embrace humble tasks. Paul counsels us: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves,”6 and he ushers us toward the mindset of Christ, who “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”7

Remember God blesses us as we bless others. In washing His disciples’ feet, Jesus modeled in mere minutes what He had taught for three years, adding, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”8

Prepare your heart to respond His voice. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”9 This is our daily call to trust and obey.

Take heart. “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”10

Father, Here I am! Send me. In Christ I pray. Amen.

1 Isaiah 6:8 ESV
2 Exodus 3:11 ESV
3 Exodus 4:13 ESV
4 James 4:8 ESV
5 Ephesians 2:10 NLT
6 Philippians 2:3
7 Philippians 2:8 ESV
8 John 13:17
9 Hebrews 4:7 ESV
10 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (emphasis added)

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To Be One Again

One-year-olds bring their own brand of entertainment to Christmastime. We place before them armloads of presents adorned with paper and bows, then we patiently watch them (and then impatiently help them) meander their way through the giftwrap to the treasures inside. When they finally free their presents from their colorful confines, what do these little ones do? They play joyfully and contentedly with the paper, package, and bow! If young parents would just hand them a cheerfully decorated box, they would save a whole lot of money and their tiny tots would be every bit as happy. I say this in jest, of course, but there is a life lesson to be gained from these youngest among us.

In the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus taught the gathered crowd, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [life’s necessities] will be added to you.”1 Now, I must confess that for most of my life I naturally regarded this verse from the perspective of “all these things” inside the box. I “sought first,” of course, but the “added to you” was more of a motivator than perhaps it should have been. True to His word, God has always provided whatever I have needed, and I have been genuinely grateful along the way. Yet with age, I find myself returning to my one-year-old roots, captivated by the package itself: the bright “paper” that is God’s rule in the heart and the “ribbon and bow” of the righteousness—the right standing before a holy God—that Jesus gifts to us. The necessities of this life will be important as long as we are here, but the horizon seems nearer now, and these things that last forever shine brighter in its light. It’s a beautiful thing.

Where do we find true contentment, in things, or in open conversation with God? Where do we find true peace, in endless lists of dos and don’ts, or in entrusting our entire self to the life and love we find in Christ? Which is more deeply satisfying, the necessities of life—the things inside the box—that appear when we need them most, or the personal love and care of the God who provides them through the means of His choosing and to our humble delight? Don’t the eternal things that satisfy most deeply captivate us more completely with age?

Oh, to be a one-year-old again. Someday maybe.

Father, You are above all things. Lead me today in Your ways. Grace me to live and breathe before You in joy and in the confidence that Christ has taken away all my guilt and shame. He is Your greatest gift. Thank you. In Christ I pray. Amen.

1 Matthew 6:33 ESV