BOLD IN THE SPIRIT
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2
A few months ago a North Korean man successfully waded across the Tumen River into China looking for food, money and work in order to return later to his home country with help for his family. He was befriended by Korean-Chinese Christians (not an uncommon scenario among refugees there). As he sat in Christian meetings, an older woman said to him, “Receive the Holy Spirit or you can’t go back into North Korea; it’s too dangerous!”
After many discussions with believers, he confessed Jesus as Lord of his life and received the Holy Spirit. He packed Bibles along with his food cargo and crossed the river back to North Korea. Though it was a full moon night, there were no guards since everyone was watching North Korea play football (soccer) against Brazil in the World Cup games in South Africa.
As soon as he arrived home, he began talking about his new relationship with God. His family became irate. The young man’s uncle tried to beat this “new idea” of God and Jesus out of him shouting, “How can you believe these things?”
The young man replied, “How can you not? Without God how do the sun and moon rotate?” The Holy Spirit gave words to the surprised young man. Soon the beating was forgotten and the uncle was listening intently. The whole family of this young man ultimately received Jesus as Saviour and Lord.
On returning to China for further training, he commented that unless people are filled with the Holy Spirit they should not go back to North Korea because the spiritual warfare is worse than ever.
He concluded, “Only with the Holy Spirit’s help can we be bold. Pray for me that when I am caught I may be bold in my faith.”
RESPONSE: Today I will rely on the Holy Spirit to make me bold in my witness.
PRAYER: Lord, my soul, my heart, my flesh, cry out to You for the filling and power of Your Holy Spirit.
 | Know When To Hold Your Peace CHRYSTAL EVANS HURST Lee en español |
“Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, ‘So You are the King of the Jews?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say’… And still He did not answer him in regard to even a single charge, so the governor was greatly amazed.” Matthew 27:11,14 (NASB)
Recently, I had a conversation with a volunteer at church. This young woman had previously expressed a desire to grow as a leader and wanted to share some things she felt would help her do a better job.
I was not ready for what was to follow.
The conversation moved from this young woman talking about herself to talking about me. She pointed to quite a few things I actually thought I was doing right, and she suggested I was doing them quite wrong! Honestly, I’m still wrestling with whether or not the observations were correct. I do want to be a person of integrity. However, I hate it when it seems people don’t understand me, and in that moment, I felt anxious to respond and ready to defend. It took great strength to stay quiet.
Actually …
I didn’t totally stay quiet. After the first and second critique, I couldn’t refrain from speaking up when the third criticism rounded the corner.
“Let me tell you why I do that!”
As soon as the words rolled off of my tongue, shame washed over me. I had lost sight of myself by exchanging the priority of being seen by God for the desire to be seen in a good light by another person.
I want to be a person capable of owning the space she is in, resisting the urge to prove myself when words are spoken against me because I know who I am and where I stand. I’d like to say I’ve always been that girl — but that isn’t the case. I’ve often been tripped up by the balancing act of being secure in myself while also taking ownership of the spaces I’ve been invited to occupy. The attempt to measure my words hasn’t always been easy for me.
Discouragement comes quickly when communication is hard and someone seems bent on misunderstanding me. In these moments, I can be tempted to escape by becoming defensive or, conversely, choosing to hold back words when they actually would be useful.
Self-assurance is a whole thing.
Jesus is all too familiar with this struggle as well.
Matthew 27:11-14 tells us that even while Jesus was being accused by chief priests and elders, He did not offer any answer. Even when Pilate asked Him to speak up, He still didn’t speak up to defend Himself.
You would think that, given the circumstances, Jesus’ response would have been anything but silence. I mean, He was in a fight for His life. But instead, something rather fascinating took place.
Jesus chose to answer when it was sensible to do so, and when it wasn’t He held on to what He knew to be true about who He was and maintained His position in connection to His Father.
What would the world look like if we knew when to give an answer or when no explanation was needed? Sometimes we get things reversed, and in some of our attempts to hold on to who we are, we actually end up losing ourselves.
We forget we are fathered by the God who spun the stars into space.
We forget He makes our steps secure.
We forget we are made powerful through our connection with Him.
I want to challenge you to become aware of how you give an answer. Are you more interested in acceptance? Or do you first choose to lean in to what your Father thinks about you and what He requires of you as a result? What does He have to say about who you are?
Ephesians 1:3-14 says …
You are blessed.
You are chosen.
You are adopted.
You are beloved.
You are redeemed.
You are forgiven.
You are loved.
You are known.
You are God’s own possession.
When you and I operate from a place of being loved and belonging, it will change our response to others. When we stand firm in our identity in Christ, we will also know when to answer and when to hold our peace.
Dear God, there are times when I feel defenseless. When my communication with others threatens my sense of self, give me wisdom for how I should respond. Help me to stand firm in You and to be aware of the power I possess because of You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
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FOR DEEPER STUDY
James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (NIV)
What can you do today to invite the Holy Spirit into your thoughts and conversations?
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.
© 2022 by Chrystal Evans Hurst. All rights reserved.
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Promise #214
Promise #214:
I rule the earth and all the kings belong to Me.
Psalm 47:7-9 (WEB)
7 For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises with understanding. 8 God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples are gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God. He is greatly exalted!
God is the King of all the earth. Jesus is proclaimed as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. There is no disputing the absolute and complete power of the living God. He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. While our adversary the devil, has limited power for a short season as the prince of the power of the air, the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it!
When everything around us seems to be shaken… Wars, economies, governments, etc., have no fear! God is seated in the heavens and He rules the earth. May we rise up and worship Him today for His goodness and His mercy and His majesty!
Hollywood often projects the battle of good versus evil as two equal, opposing forces clashing for victory. The truth is that our God is all powerful and ever present. He is so huge, that the universe cannot contain Him. We are not locked in a battle between good and evil that has an uncertain outcome. We win! Jesus has already declared the victory through His death and resurrection!
While we know that in this world we will have trouble, may each one of us be encouraged today in knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and that our Heavenly Dad is the God and Father over all creation (Ephesians 4:4-6).
Be Still and Be Happy
Patient Hope
“If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” — Romans 8:25
Patience is not a common trait. In fact, as technology advances, it is becoming more and more rare. We are so used to instant gratification that waiting patiently is almost a forgotten concept. People grow angry if they are kept waiting and give up easily on anything that takes long-term commitment. The conclusion to our hope is not yet here. We must wait, and wait patiently. As believers in Christ Jesus, one of the characteristics that sets us apart is patience.
Many grow weary of waiting on the Lord, and they will attempt to find solutions for life elsewhere. But this impatience only leads to ruin and frustration. The Bible is filled with examples of people who attempted to force God’s hand early because they didn’t want to wait, and that approach never produced good results. We are to be patient in hope because God’s hope does not fail us.
Oh Lord, I ask that you help me wait for you with thanksgiving and hope. Give me patience to endure the difficult times when I am tempted to move away and seek my own path. I pray this, believing and trusting in your goodness.
Every Hopeful Step of the Way
By DaySpring
Let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us. HEBREWS 12:1 TLB
The difficult places in our lives will often push us in simpler directions. We reassess what’s truly important. We discover how much we can live without and how much weight some things have that should be given a lot less of our energy. We start to notice the birds singing at first daylight, how good the sun feels on our faces, and how amazing it is to see flowers emerge from the frozen ground in early spring. They’re God things calling for our attention. It’s God reminding us we have His full attention, in the hope we start to notice again.
Life can feel like a race a lot of the time. But it doesn’t have to be one we rush through and forget to enjoy. When we trust that God is with us every step of the way—that no matter what, everything will be okay—life takes on the pace it should. It’s a more relaxed rhythm when we realize His ways are the best ways. Darkness, as terrifying as it can feel when we’re in it, will not last and has no power to stay. The light is coming, and it’s going to make things clear.
Times and circumstances bring sadness, suffering, and loss. But God never turns His back on our story. He cries with us in the sad parts, celebrates with us in the happy ones, and walks with us through every challenge. When we fall face down on the course without the strength or desire to pull ourselves back up, we learn we don’t have to. God does the lifting and shows us how to keep going. Back on our feet we can know He’s cheering, Don’t give up; live! Look for Me everywhere; I’m there. You’re not alone and you never will be. This journey isn’t yours but yours and God’s—and every breath of it is worth the life of the One who breathed His last for every brave and hopeful step you take.
Dear God, Praise You for Your constant presence. Thank You for the eternal hope You give. Let me live with confidence in Your faithfulness every day and stand firmly in the power of Your love.
This is an excerpt from The Campfire is Calling: 90 Warming Devotions for the Simple Life – a devotional now available on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.
Is God a Feminist?
- Molly Law
- Christianity.com Editor
The word feminist has a lot of connotations to it; some parts of the movement have not been handled biblically. However, the spirit of feminism — to seek equality and respect for women in a patriarchal society — is very biblical indeed.
The definition of feminism, according to Merriam-Webster, is the “belief in and advocacy of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes expressed especially through organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.”
I would like to argue that God was the first feminist. He created male and female. He went to great care to create Eve, just as he did Adam.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh (Genesis 2:20-24).
“They become one flesh.” Two halves equal one. Adam was not considered one nor Eve just a half. They were created equal.
God also created Eve from Adam’s rib, indicating that they were equals in the Bible. She was not created from his head to be above him, nor was she created from the heel of his foot to be below him.
The world that God created had no need for feminism or feminists. This concept only came into existence with the Fall of Man — when sin entered, causing the broken world we all live in.
It came with God’s warning as Adam and Eve were escorted from the Garden. “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16).
So, with this understanding, God provided certain protections in a patriarchal world through Mosaic Law.
He raised women’s voices throughout Scripture — Esther and Ruth are the only women to have chapters in the Bible named after them.
God ensured that women who were labeled as disposable by society were included in the genealogy of his Son Jesus Christ: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.
During his earthly ministry, Jesus revealed his love and respect for women by including a number of women in his ministry, who even provided financial support, as well as being the driving force behind the greatest reveal in history — his resurrection.
Here are just three ways God reveals to us his love for women in a fallen world that will always need feminism until we are all in the New Heaven and New Earth.
1. Mosaic Law Protected Women
As stated, the moment Adam and Eve sinned, the world became patriarchal. Within these confines, God created certain protections for women in Mosaic Law that were not followed by their surrounding neighbors — who treated women much worse.
According to Jewish Encyclopedia, “In some systems of ancient law daughters or sisters were excluded from all rights of inheritance […] the Mosaic law gave the inheritance to the daughter or daughters when there were no sons.”
It also says that “the position of the mother is higher under the Mosaic law than under any other system of antiquity. By the fifth commandment, the mother is to be honored equally with the father, while in the moral law, the command to ‘fear’ the mother, that is, to treat her with respect, is placed even before the duty of ‘fearing’ the father.”
God also protected women who were in polygamous marriages. For women like Leah and Peninnah, whose husbands did not love them, God blessed them with many children, which was the highest honor for women to have.
For the women who had the love of their husbands, Rachel and Hannah, God eventually gave them sons who went on to serve God and bring him glory through his almighty power for his people.
God was also there when Israelite men tried to forgo the law for their own selfish desires and undermine the value of women.
One such woman in the Bible, Tamar, found herself unprotected when Mosaic law specifically provided her a right to be taken care of.
In Genesis 38, Judah disregarded his daughter-in-law’s safety and survival. He did not provide her with another husband after her husband died, as was the law.
When Tamar took matters into her own hands and Judah tried to cover his sins with hers, God protected her and exposed Judah.
Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah” (Genesis 38:16).
There are so many other examples throughout the Old Testament of God’s provision for women, not only provision but progressive acknowledgment beyond the time and place that would keep women down.
I encourage both women and men to read the Old Testament and spot these moments in which God revealed his heart for women, as he intended from the beginning.
2. Jesus’ Treatment of Women
We know that God protected women within Mosaic Law, but just as Jesus came to fulfill the law in a number of human understandings, so did he for women.
For the woman caught in adultery, the Pharisees merely used her for the purpose of trapping Jesus. The fact that they could use a woman in a compromising situation reveals their hearts, but Jesus revealed something far greater.
Whether or not this had been her fault in that time and place, Jesus still revealed to her true sacrificial love. He did not condemn her, even stopping those who did, and forgave her. (John 7:53-8:11).
As 21st-century readers, we can almost skip over the significance of Jesus’ parables. Not their biblical meaning as analogies for the Kingdom of God, but their cultural relevance — how they would have been received by the original audience.
It is fascinating that many of Jesus’ Parables used metaphors that would have been, the majority of the time, things that only women were well-acquainted with in their conventional female roles:
- New Cloth on Old Garment (Matthew 9:16-17); The Lamp (Matthew 5:14-16).
- The Mustard Seed and Leaven Bread (Matthew 13:31-34).
- The Pearl at a Great Price (Matthew 13:45-46); The Marriage Feast (Matthew 22:1-14).
- The Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13); The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8).
Most of these can be found in the Synoptic Gospels, but the Parable of the Persistent Widow is the only one found in the Gospel of Luke.
Not only were there women who followed Jesus and listened to his teachings, but Jesus made it a point to include them in understanding his message of salvation in the context of where society had put women.
He valued the minds of women, whereas, throughout history, we know that women were denied proper education and were kept below the station of men.
More importantly, it reveals that he wants all people with him in the Kingdom of Heaven, not just men.
3. Women and the Message of Salvation
In the Gospel of John, Jesus showed grace to the Samaritan woman at the well who was living with a man who was not her husband (John 4). Jesus revealed to her what the Living Water could do — more than any earthly pleasure.
In revealing himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman, it was she who led her entire community to know the Son of God.
Along with the Samaritan woman, Jesus revealed his resurrected body to the women who came to anoint his dead body in the tomb.
Not only did Jesus trust women with the greatest reveal in human history, but it also solidified the gospel accounts. For if this had never happened, the gospel writers would have followed their literary contemporaries — ensuring that men were the heroes of the story.
In first-century culture, the fact that it was women who were first present at the resurrection only validates Jesus’ resurrection as the truth.
Why Does This Matter?
When I asked if God is a feminist, he was one before the term was ever needed. But because sin altered the world in which he created, God compensated for the broken hierarchy that evil subsequently established.
As Rebecca McLaughlin, cofounder of Vocable Communications and the author of Confronting Christianity puts it, “Jesus’ valuing of women is unmistakable. In a culture in which women were devalued and often exploited, it underscores their equal status before God and his desire for personal relationship with them.”
God did not just compensate for the world’s rules; he revealed his love, and his very heart for women throughout the entire Bible, just as he does today.
God desires all to come to him in Salvation: women and men. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, emphasis mine).
For further reading:
How Did Jesus Treat Women in the Bible?
How Did Jesus Address Negative Feelings toward Women (Misogyny)?
Why Did Only the Women Go to Jesus’ Tomb?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/nito100
Molly Law is the Editor of Christianity.com. She has a Master of Arts in Publishing Studies from the University of Stirling UK, where she studied and lived for a year in Scotland. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Professional Writing and a minor in Biblical Studies from Gardner-Webb University. Her editorial career includes Senior Editor of a bimonthly magazine for the American Correctional Association, Editorial Assistant at Luath Press in Edinburgh, and Freelance Journalist for the News Virginian. She enjoys reading 18th-century British Literature, creative writing, and traveling.
Looking unto Jesus
Looking unto Jesus
“We also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
In the ancient Greek games, a judge would stand at the finish line holding, in plain sight, the laurel leaves that would be rewarded to the victor. As runners came down the final stretch, they were exhausted, perhaps in agony, and feeling as though they couldn’t go another step. But suddenly there was the prize in sight, and a new burst of energy would kick in.
This is the picture behind the phrase looking unto Jesus in Hebrews 12:2. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. And our prize is the privilege of standing before Him and receiving the crown of righteousness that He will give us.
That is why we try to live godly lives and why we try to reach people for Him. It isn’t for brownie points. It isn’t for applause. It isn’t for notoriety. It’s so we can hear Jesus say to us on that final day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” No, we can’t earn our salvation because He has already provided it. But we want to please the One who laid down His life for us. Ultimately, we want to be able to say, “Lord, I took the life You gave me and tried to make a difference. Here it is. I offer it to you.”
Looking unto Jesus. . . . That keeps you going, doesn’t it? After all, you can get discouraged at times. People will let you down. They will disappoint you. They won’t appreciate your hard work or notice your efforts. Not bothering to understand your real motives, they’ll criticize that which they don’t (or won’t) understand. And that is when you need to remind yourself, I am not running my race for this person or that person. I am running for You, Lord. And I will keep running . . . with my eyes fixed on You.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
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20 Rich Mullins Quotes to Think about Today
- G. Connor Salter
- SEO Editor
If you’re of a certain generation, you probably grew up singing Rich Mullins’ song “Awesome God” in church. If you’re younger, you may know him from the biopic Ragamuffin or the multiple documentaries about his life. However you discovered Mullins or his work, you probably have strong memories about how distinct it was. In a time when Contemporary Christian Music had a particular sound, Mullins went for something more instrumental, paired with thought-provoking lyrics. In interviews, he didn’t mind critiquing the Christian music industry, reminding people that there were more important things than selling out concerts.
He was different, like someone out of another time. In the Mullins biography An Arrow Pointed to Heaven, Lynn Prescott observed, “he would best be compared to a medieval troubadour/poet; he was largely a medievalist and not a renaissance man; he was a poet, pure and simple and as changing as the tides…”
Mullins’ willingness to be different, to get past the glamour and focus on what really matters, shows in his many interviews, conversations, and occasional articles. Here are some of the most interesting Rich Mullins quotes about life and faith.
Rich Mullins Quotes about God
“It is possible that He loved lilies because He is love and that He feeds sparrows for the same reason. It is possible that the evidence of His divinity lies in that love—that in light of love, miracles seem sort of unremarkable. If God can love, the rest will follow.”— “Considering the Lilies,” republished in The World As I Remember It
“God is always going to be bigger than what we imagine Him to be. God is always going to be bigger than what we understand Him to be.” — 1997 radio interview with Dick Staub
“I think, in the history of mankind, there has been one really terrifically significant question. And it’s a question that actually is a very theological question. And I think the first person to ask that question was God. God said to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” Which is kind of another way maybe of saying, “Who are you? What are you all about? What are you doing?” And I think people have had to ask themselves that ever since.” — 1989 message for Christ in Youth
“Part of the truth in the Christian faith, is that people are made in the image of God and that they are loved by Him. And if that is true, you cannot love God and treat people with contempt at the same time.” — interview with David Yonke, published 1995 in Toledo Blade
“I think I would rather live on the verge of falling, and let my security be in the all-sufficiency of the grace of God, than to live in some kind of pietistic illusion of moral excellence. Not that I don’t want to be morally excellent, but my faith isn’t in the idea that I am more moral than anybody else. My faith is in the idea that God and his love are great than whatever sins any of us commit.” — archived TV interview, broadcast at 1997 Light Music Tribute
Rich Mullins Quotes about the Christian Life
“Be God’s.” – Mullins’ signature phrase when he wrote autographs
“I am a Christian, not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity to me, but because there were people who were willing to be nuts and bolts, who through their explanation of it, held it together so that I could experience it and be compelled by it to obey. ‘If I be lifted up,’ Jesus said, ‘I will draw all men unto me.’” — “Telling the Joke,” republished in The World As I Remember It
“Proof-texting is a very, very dangerous thing. I think if we were given the Scriptures, it was not so that we could prove that we were right about everything. If we were given the Scriptures, it was to humble us into realizing that God is right, and the rest of us are just guessing.” — comments to the audience, 1997 concert in Lufkin, Texas
“Several years ago, I got to go to Asia for the summer. It was a great opportunity for me to see Christianity from a non-20th-century-American slant. That experience confirmed the truth of the essence of Christianity, and it challenged my opinions about peripheral issues.” — interview with Mike Nappa, published in 1998 in Group
“…I think our real doctrine is doctrine that is borne out in our character. I think you can profess the Apostles’ Creed until Jesus returns, but if you don’t love somebody you never were a Christian.” — quoted in Soul 2 Soul by Christopher Lee Coppernoll
“A lot of times when we look at people we admire spiritually, we think they have arrived at this place where they cease to be tempted. The reality is, our faith may grow stronger over time, but the temptations never go away. It is hard for me to imagine that I will still feel tempted at 60, but when I was 20 I couldn’t imagine I would feel such strong temptation as I do at almost 40.” — interview with Jim Long, published 1994 in Campus Life
“What I’m learning is that my job is to love people—and sometimes that means I have to confront them, and sometimes that means, you know, that whole tough love thing. But the deal is I have to love you whether or not that changes you.” — 1995 radio interview with John J. Thompson
Rich Mullins Quotes about Christian Entertainment
“I hope that you have the opportunity to write something that people are going to read. I hope that you can start thinking about writing more stuff that has something to do with something. That’s always a challenge, because it’s always a little bit scary. If you say something meaningful you’re very likely to turn people off. Let’s face it—we all have to sell product. But I would just like to encourage you to realize, also, that at some point, there isn’t going to be any more product to sell. Someday we’re all going to be dead and the amount of product we sold is not going to be all that important.” — “A Message to the Media,” distributed at Creation 1996 Festival
“But the thing is that sometimes, I think, that when you become too conscientious about being a songwriter, the message becomes a vehicle for the medium. This is a temptation that I think all songwriters have. I think a great songwriter is someone who is able to take a very meaningful piece of wisdom – or of folly or whatever – and say it in a way that is most likely to make people respond. But, what you want them to respond to is not how cleverly you did that; what you want them to respond to is your message.” — interview with Brent Waters, published 1996 in Lighthouse Electronic Magazine
“I think that a lot of people want the Christian music industry to be an evangelistic or nurturing thing. People are looking at the Christian music industry and saying, ‘Feed us! Convert us! Make us what we want to be!’ And that is not the job of any industry. That’s the job of the church. We need to realize that it is wonderful to have songs to listen to while we are doing the housework or driving the car that are going to be positive and uplifting. I don’t really listen to Christian music.” — interview with Brian Smith, published in 1986 in the Cross Examiner
“I think people are people. An exceptional plumber is as exceptional as an exceptional musician. I don’t buy the idea that musicians are a unique breed of people who need to be pampered. I tell them, ‘You know what? I get to make a living doing what I love to do. Isn’t that favor enough?’” — interview with Kim Benson, published 1993 in Rejoice!
“I don’t know if I’m afraid of success; I might be… I tend to think success is overrated, that it’s something everybody goes after until they get it, then nobody knows what to do with it. Your life speaks louder than your music… I can make records for the rest of my life and talk about love, but it won’t mean anything until I love somebody.”—interview with Lou Carlozo, published 1996 in the Chicago Tribune
Rich Mullins Quotes about What Really Matters
“I think the world matures, instead of moves; I don’t think there is such a thing as progress. I think it’s going to be the same muddled mess until the very end. There will be moments of glory and moments of despair. I think we’re in the death throes of the enlightenment… The Information Age is the gasp of a dying era, and we’ll be better off when it’s gone – if you can be better off…” — interview with Jim Long, published 1997 in CCM Magazine
“I think we cry at funerals—even at funerals of people we don’t like—because we realize what a miracle life is. You realize, ‘This will never happen again.’ There will never be this exact combination of genres, there will never again by the things that have created this person to be what he is. God has spoken uniquely here, and it’s gone. It’s over. And think there’s some regret, because we all realize, boy, we didn’t pay enough attention.” — archived TV interview, rebroadcast at 1997 Light Music Tribute
“I have failed enough that I’ve learned that it’s not the end of the world to make mistakes… every morning the sun comes up anyway. I think when you stop being afraid of failing, you become a lot more free.” — 1992 TV interview with Sheila Walsh (republished in In the Middle of the Mess)
5 Inspiring Books about Rich Mullins
If you’re interested in learning more about Rich Mullins’ ideas and life, here are some great books to start with.
1. The World As I Remember It by Rich Mullins. A collection of columns that Mullins wrote for Release magazine about his experiences and spiritual life.
2. An Arrow Pointing to Heaven by James Bryan Smith. This “devotional biography” tells the story of Mullins’ life, organized conceptually to look at Mullins’ most passionate beliefs and themes.
3. Room of Marvels by James Bryan Smith. An homage to C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, this novel features a fictionalized Smith having a spiritual experience where he meets deceased people who influenced his life. One of them is a musician named Wayne (Mullins’ middle name), who talks with the Smith character about grieving when someone goes before their loved ones are ready.
4. Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth edited by Andy Greer and Randy Cox. A collection of reflections on Mullins’ life by old friends, combined with unpublished lyrics and snippets from his writings.
5. Meeting Rich by Caleb J. Kruse. During the last three weeks of his life, Mullins stayed with the Kruse family in Elgin, Illinois. Caleb J. Kruse reflects on what it was like being a teenager and meeting one of the most acclaimed Christian musicians ever.
(This section is excerpted from “What You Should Know about Rich Mullins” by G. Connor Salter)
Further Reading:
Remembering the Influential Life of Rich Mullins
Film Based on Rich Mullins’ Life Explores “Homeless” Christian Hearts
We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are
Reading, Writing, and Music: A Conversation with Andrew Peterson
Photo Credit: Graphic by G. Connor Salter. Background by Unsplash/Kiwihug
G. Connor Salter is a writer and editor, with a Bachelor of Science in Professional Writing from Taylor University. In 2020, he won First Prize for Best Feature Story in a regional contest by the Colorado Press Association Network. He has contributed over 1,000 articles to various publications, including interviews for Christian Communicator and book reviews for The Evangelical Church Library Association. Find out more about his work here.
A Prayer to Give Up Our Need for Recognition
A Prayer to Give Up Our Need for Recognition
By: Tiffany Curtis
“He must become greater; I must become less.” – John 3:30
Being raised in the church and going to a Christian school growing up meant that there were some questions that I always had an answer ready for. One of these classic questions was, “What’s your favorite Bible verse?” to which I always responded, “John 3:30.” I remember the first time I read that verse and how I thought to myself, “That’s the one. That’s my favorite verse.” I remember liking the simplicity of it. Perhaps, as a child, it was just the easy memorization that drew me to it as well. It wasn’t until years and years down the road that I would truly come to understand the gravity of this simple verse.
For many of us, it’s safe to say that we enjoy receiving recognition for the things we do. We naturally desire to be recognized and praised for our accomplishments within our workplace, family, and friend groups. As a child, it was easy for me to look at this verse and think that allowing God to be greater than myself would be a simple task. But as we get older, it becomes easier and easier to justify praising ourselves for our skills and the good things in our lives rather than God.
For me, my top love language by far is words of affirmation. This, of course, isn’t a bad thing; however, it can become a bad thing if I allow my need for affirmation to outweigh my need to glorify God. He calls us to humble ourselves before him (James 4:10) because it is God who works through us.
If we look at the context of this short verse, beginning in John 3:22, John the Baptist is baptizing people when his followers get into an argument with a Jew over ceremonial washing. John’s followers questioned why Jesus was also baptizing people across the countryside. John says to them, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:27-30)
John’s response is humbling. He dedicated his life to baptizing others, but as soon as Jesus dove into his ministry, John was immediately prepared to take a backseat. He made it clear to everyone around him that his gifts and abilities all came from heaven – not from himself. He could have easily tried to attribute this power and recognition to himself, but he gave all the glory to God, where it belonged.
Let us not forget to attribute our skills, our accomplishments, and our blessings to the One who has given it all to us.
Let’s Pray:
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for all the things that you give us. You are generous with your gifts and blessings on our lives. Even when we fail to realize it, you are the giver of every good thing we receive.
Help us to attribute all the praise, honor, and recognition to you rather than claiming it for ourselves. Just as John the Baptist did, let us make you greater and ourselves less so that all those around us can see that you are the one who deserves all the glory. Let our lives be a testimony to your greatness and show others that it is not I, but Christ through me (Galatians 2:20).
Forgive us when we take credit for the things that you give us and try to attribute the praise to ourselves. Help us to recognize this, even when we do it unintentionally. Give us the self-awareness to always look for your hand in all things. Let us not forget that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming from the Father (James 1:17).
You are a powerful, loving, and good Savior. Thank you for all the ways that you bless our lives, both in ways we can see and in the unseen. Thank you for accomplishing your good works through us. We love you, and we give you all the praise, glory, and honor.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Photo credit: ©SalemDesign/BethanyPyle
Tiffany Curtis is the Faith Editor of Crosswalk.com. She has a B.A. in English with a minor in Business from Liberty University. Her goal is to share Christ’s love and help others grow in their faith through her work as a writer and editor.
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Is God Challenging You to Become More Involved in Your Local Church?
| Pastor
“…fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth” (Joshua 24:14).
God loves His Church – His bride!
His Church is the center of His focus; it was created to be salt and light in this dark world. As a whole, we are the Body of Christ, working together, each bringing our specific gifts, talents and finances to do the will of the Father. It is part of the blueprint for the Gospel mission:
“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:22-23).
It’s the way we’re created: we can do more for God together than we can do as individuals. We can accomplish more for God working as a team, than we can by ourselves.
Therefore, God expects us to have love for one another and come together as His Church in service to Him. But as it’s often been said, it seems 20% of the people in the local church do 80% of the work, while the rest sit in the pews like spectators in the bleachers watching a sporting event. Understandably, this makes the church much less effective and hinders the spread of the Gospel.
So, if we want to be “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) like young King David, we have to have a heart for the same things as God – and that includes His house. We do this by cheerfully assuming our position on the “team” of His Church.
Now, if you recognize yourself as a person still sitting in the bleachers, be encouraged! Jesus loves you, believes in you, and has created you with very special abilities that are greatly needed in the Church. And He is challenging every one of us to stand up, come down from the
and get to work.
Photo credit: Unsplash/krispaparo
Consider the Geese
Jesus famously said, “Come, follow Me!” Literally, He was saying in Matthew 4:18, mimic me. That is, do what I do, behave like I behave; love what I love and hate what I hate. Be committed to building what I’m committed to building. To follow Him means laying down our wills, taking up our cross, and doing the will of the Father.
Geese certainly know how to follow! Have you ever seen a flock of geese migrating in Spring or Fall, how they fly one after another in a V-formation with one lead goose at the point. In a very real sense, the lead goose breaks the air, and the others in V-formation “draft” aerodynamically, like cars in a speed race. They not only honk as a kind of encouraging rally cry for the entire group, but they also rotate the lead position each in turn. They seem to know that in order for their flock to get to their desired destination and maintain its vitality, they must take their turn at the helm and distribute the burden equally. You might say, the geese realize that they can’t just stay in the bleachers!
Today, there is a lot of “honking” going on in the Body of Christ, some of it good, encouraging and healthy; some of it is not good, but dangerous and destructive. And sadly, the “honking” that is destructive usually comes from the people who have decided to make the bleachers their dwelling place.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Paul Levesley
Called Out from the Bleachers
“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’ But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost’” (Luke 19:1-6).
In one day, Zacchaeus went from being a guy who was watching from the sidelines to being a guy who was absolutely in the game. He was a fan, a spectator in a tree, but when Jesus called, he became a fully devoted follower of Christ.
When it comes to having a relationship with God, everyone spends at least some time observing from the bleachers. It’s good to take some time to learn the game, but don’t stay there too long.
That’s what the bleachers are; they are like the tree Zacchaeus climbed – a place of observation from a distance without participation. Safe and uncommitted. But the bleachers are also a place of unfulfilled destiny and unrealized purpose. You just can’t fulfill your destiny in life, or in God, by staying in the seat of comfort and complacency.
Ships are never at risk while sitting in a safe harbor, where they are safe from winds, storms, waves, and icebergs. But ships were not built to remain in a harbor; ships were built to travel the seas.
Child of God, you and I have not been called to live our lives spectating from the bleachers!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/piranka
Jesus Loves the People in the Bleachers
Zacchaeus was on the top of everyone’s unlovable list. Although his name means “pure” “innocent” or “righteous,” he was anything but righteous.
Zacchaeus, a Jew, worked for the enemy Roman government. The Romans kept the Jewish people in bondage by extorting unusually high and unfair taxes from them.
And Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector of that area. He would not only collect for the Romans, but he took a little extra for himself as well. He was a weasel, a thief and was hated by the whole community. But he was also drawn to Jesus and watched from afar. And suddenly, while walking down the streets of Jericho one day, Jesus called out to Zacchaeus to break bread with Him. In ancient Israel, this act represented the deepest form of personal relationship.
The people with Jesus were all shocked as this teacher and healer, who claimed to be God, reached out in friendship to a hardened sinner. Clearly this account shows that Jesus loves even the people hiding in the bleachers! He knows them all by name, and He’s got a powerful plan for their lives. Even those that try to keep a safe distance from Jesus are still on His radar.
Remember, God’s love is not earned; it’s free. He loves us when we deserve it and when we don’t, when we are serving Him and when we aren’t.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
God’s love is unconditional, indiscriminate, everlasting and underserving!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/shuang paul wang
Jesus Believes in the People in the Bleachers
When you are hated and rejected by everyone, no matter how happy you may seem on the outside, you can’t possibly be happy on the inside. Zacchaeus knew who he was and what he had done. Presumably he felt ashamed, or undeserving, so he stayed a safe distance away from Jesus and the disciples, observing from the “bleachers” of his tree branch.
Maybe some of you who are currently hiding in the bleachers feel this way too.
I’ve done too many bad things, that I can’t be used by God as part of the team.
I’m too far gone to be used by God as part of the team.
I don’t deserve to be part of the team.
You’ve lost belief in yourself. But despite all that, notice that Jesus called Zacchaeus anyway. With that one, simple invitation, Jesus communicated a powerful and life-changing message:
Zacchaeus, I believe in you enough to come to your home, to have a meal with you, to sit down and talk with you. Even though you deserve the scorn of your city – I believe in you enough to take time out of My busy schedule to spend with you. And I believe in you enough to choose you out of all these other people.
Jesus’ message to Zacchaeus was I believe in you!
And the same is true of all of us, especially those of us still sitting in the bleachers. God believes in us, even when we don’t believe in ourselves.
Remember fearful and hiding Gideon? Remember overlooked and despised David? Remember stuttering and humbled Moses?
God looks past our tattered exteriors, low self-esteem and battered souls. He knows what you are created to be, and will not just give up on you because of your past. God believes in the people in the bleachers and wants them to join the team!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Jair Ferreira Belafacce
Jesus Calls Everyone to Come Out of the Bleachers
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
There are some who remain in the bleachers despite the love that God has for them, or the call of God on them, because other things are more important to them than God.
Some are not in the game because they’re just comfortable sitting, and they don’t really see the point of changing. They’re stuck in the bleachers, and have been there for years.
Some won’t commit because they feel the “church” is a man-made organization and so, why do anything more than just attend occasionally. So, they spectate from the bleachers… occasionally.
Some won’t join the team because they were offended in the last church they attended, have not forgiven them yet, and prefer to remain aloof, alone, and quite deceived.
Some are so busy with daily pursuits, they just don’t have time to do any more than be a fan for a couple of hours on Sunday morning.
Some are still hoping to find a better team with better worship, friendlier people, a younger pastor.
It’s past time for everyone to set aside the excuses, and get in the game. Once we do, Jesus challenges us (like Zacchaeus), to deal with those issues and to do what is right. He calls us to be more than a spectator or a fan, but to be part of His team, serving cheerfully and pulling our weight. When we do, we will experience the blessings of being part of the greatest mission on the planet – seeing people come to Jesus Christ – and will grow up into everything He has destined us to be!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Digital Vision.
Frank Santora is Lead Pastor of Faith Church, a multi-site church with locations in Connecticut and New York. Pastor Frank hosts a weekly television show, “Destined to Win,” which airs weekly on the Hillsong Channel and TBN. He has authored thirteen books, including the most recent, Modern Day Psalms and Good Good Father. To learn more about Pastor Frank and this ministry, please visit www.franksantora.cc. Photo by Michele Roman.
The Differences Between Tithing and Giving
Jen Jabbour
Contributing Writer
As you deepen your relationship with God, you may feel stirrings in your heart to give back to God as a way to say thank you for all He has done for you, but you aren’t sure how you are supposed to do this. As you dig into the Scriptures, you’ll discover that the Bible presents two different ways to give back.
Tithing and giving are actions we do as a direct result of what God has given us. We do both in faith and trust, as we recognize that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV
What is Tithing?
“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’” Malachi 3:10 NIV
Tithing has been around before the time of Moses. God commanded the Israelites to tithe for three reasons:
- To celebrate all that God had provided for them (Deuteronomy 14:22-26).
- To support the Levites, who had no inheritance or land because their role was to serve in the Tabernacle (Numbers 20-24).
- To care for the poor and needy—foreigners, fatherless, and widows (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).
In the Old Testament, the Israelites tithed in obedience to God, and God made it very clear that choosing not to tithe was going against His commands. In essence, they were robbing God, the church, and the poor (Leviticus 27:30, Malachi 3:8-9).
Yet, when they obeyed him, He blessed them even more.
“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV
What Is Giving?
Believers today are not bound to the Old Testament law of tithing, but that doesn’t mean the principles do not apply. Jesus and his disciples made it very clear that giving a portion of our earnings back to God is one of the ways we should worship Him.
Like tithing, giving is something we do out of faith and trust; we choose to give not because we have been commanded to but because of an outpouring of gratitude for what God has done for us. We ultimately put God’s love on display when we give to the church and those in need.
As God rewarded the Israelites for their obedience with their tithes, he also rewards us for our generosity.
“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 NIV
The Differences Between Tithing and Giving
Tithing and giving share quite a few similarities, yet there are some key differences.
Some of the ways they are alike are that they both:
- Celebrate what God has done for us.
- Display our faith and obedience to God.
- Help support those who cannot provide for themselves.
- Lead to continued blessings.
To help you gain a greater understanding, I have outlined four major differences between tithing and giving:
Why We Would Choose Tithe or Give (Law vs. Spirit)
The Old Testament law is specific regarding tithing. The Israelites were not only encouraged to tithe but were commanded to. Furthermore, they had rules to follow regarding how they were to do so. It was not a choice but a law with many layers they were required to follow.
In the New Testament, not much is said about tithing; rather, the focus shifts away from the law of tithing and to the heart of giving. The law of the land no longer leads us in how we are to give back to God; instead, we are led by the Holy Spirit that lives inside us.
While tithing and giving are tied to giving back to God a portion of what he gave to us, they are different because when the Israelites gave, it was because they were required to do so. This law ensured that those who could not support themselves would be taken care of through the tithes of those that could.
Not much has changed in the modern-day church. In my church, we are called every service to give tithes and offerings; the difference is we don’t tithe because it is law but because we feel compelled and convicted in our hearts to do so. As God blesses us in our work, we are to be generous to those less fortunate than us and to the church to support those who work in ministry.
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 NIV
How Much We Should Give?
If you were an Israelite in the Old Testament, you would’ve been bound by the law, which specifically stated that you were to give back ten percent of your firstfruits.
“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.” Deuteronomy 14:22 NIV
Since we aren’t held to the old law of tithing anymore, and since giving is a matter of the heart, does it really matter how much and what we give?
As the Spirit leads us to give, we should listen to the prompting in our hearts and obey. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NIV
Jesus observed people putting money in the offering box. The rich people put in large amounts of money, but He wasn’t impressed until a poor widow placed two small coins in the box. He said, “This poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:43-44 ESV
Rich or poor, it doesn’t matter since we are to give as we feel led; but there’s something to be said about those who give even when they have very little to give. Although the widow had little to her name, she felt compelled to give what she had, and because of this, Jesus took notice.
Though the law requiring the Israelites to give ten percent of their income is a good place to start, it seems that when a specific amount doesn’t bind us, we are able to prove what our hearts are truly made of. Being less fixated on a number, we can instead focus on convictions in our hearts through the Holy Spirit and discern how much we are to give.
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer, another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” Proverbs 11:24
What We Should Give
The Israelites didn’t give by way of money. In fact, maybe you caught the word “first fruits.” Rather than selling their produce and livestock for money to give to God, they were instructed to bring the first tenth of what they grew and raised into the storehouse or to the city gates to be distributed directly to the ones that needed it.
“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.” Deuteronomy 14:22-23 NIV
Sometimes, they had to travel a long way to deliver their tithes, so God made a plan for them:
“But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish.” Deuteronomy 14:24-26 NIV
Today, we have it easy. We go to work, we get a paycheck, and then we write a check to the church. The act of giving couldn’t be more simple. Giving monetarily just makes sense in our society.
There are also several other ways to give, depending on how we feel compelled. The church provides many opportunities for us to help others through tithes and offerings, community fundraisers, backpack and school supplies drives, feeding the homeless, sponsoring a child in a third-world country, and so much more.
However you are led to give, you should give. Many people cannot provide for themselves, so remember that you truly give to the Lord as you aid others.
“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:35-40 NIV
Whether you feel inclined to follow the law or the promptings of the Holy Spirit, the main point is that we give back a portion of our earnings to the church and those in need.
Tithing and giving each allow us to celebrate all God has done for us, bless those who have less than we do and are unable to provide for themselves, and is an act of obedience and faith, knowing that everything we have was given to us by God.
If you aren’t sure what to do, ask God to allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and show you how you can give back.
Above all else, be wary of giving with the wrong heart. As you are led to give, do so with a cheerful and willing heart.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17 NIV
For more on tithing, check out Four Principles of Tithing I Discovered.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/NoLiMiT_Bkk
Jennifer Jabbour resides in the scenic San Diego countryside with her husband, teenage son and daughter, and their hilarious English Bulldog. Jennifer has a B.A. in Integrated Business Communications and a life-long desire to share her faith with others so they can also experience the joy of having a relationship with God. She has finally decided it’s time to go after her lifelong dream of writing and publishing her first book, and hopefully many, many more thereafter. Besides being a writer, Jennifer is also a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a photographer, and an avid outdoors-woman. She loves camping, hiking, running, and playing the piano in her free time.
You can keep up with Jennifer on her website https://www.jenniferjabbour.com.
What It Looks Like to Walk In Union with Jesus
Let me tell you a story about what it looks like to hang on to Jesus. It just might be what you need to do today.
Blondin” was the stage name for Frenchman Jean-Francois Gravelet. He was a young man who migrated to the United States with a troupe of acrobats employed by Master Showman P.T. Barnum. In 1858, the thirty-five-year-old Blondin visited Niagara Falls as a tourist and there conceived the preposterous idea of walking across it. In his mind’s eye, he saw himself walking between the two countries, the United States and Canada over the great gorge on nothing more than a rope pathway taut between the two.
Harry Colcord became Blondin’s agent and promoter, selling his product, “The Great Blondin!” On June 30, 1859, Blondin planned to make his first historic trek across the falls.
A 1,300-foot long, three-inch diameter manila rope stretched from one side of the gorge to the other. It sagged about twenty feet in the middle of the span and bounced about with the constant wind.
Hundreds of men and women gathered to watch this incredible act of bravery or madness, they didn’t know which. With mingled emotions of fear and faith, the crowd watched as the acrobat stepped out in silk tights and a smile. A quarter of the way out over the great expanse, Blondin stopped, laid down on the rope, then appeared to take a quick nap.
Then he bounced up handlessly and proceeded to walk the rope. At one point, he even did a backflip and landed soundly on the rope to continue his jaunt. When he arrived triumphant on the Canadian side twenty minutes later, applause from both banks momentarily drowned out the roar of the Falls.
Blondin accepted a glass of champagne, did a little dance on the rope, and walked back across to the American side in a mere eight minutes. Those watching noted that Blondin appeared to be one with the rope. If the rope bounced, he bounced. If the rope swayed, he swayed.
As time passed, Blondin made many more crossings over Niagara Falls. Each crossing promised more aggressive and daring stunts: walking backwards, walking on stilts, riding a bicycle, pushing a small stove in a wheelbarrow while cooking an omelet, and standing on his head in a chair. One day Blondin announced to his agent his intention to perform his most grand and daring stunt yet—taking a man across on his back.
Harry thought that was an ingenious idea, but no one volunteered, not even for a hefty sum. So Blondin had the idea that he would carry his agent, Harry!
Blondin took the terrified Harry by the hand and led him to the rope as 100,000 spectators looked on. Mechanically, Colcord mounted Blondin’s back, wrapped his arms around his neck, and placed his feet into harnessed stirrups on either side of Blondin’s hips.
As Blondin stepped out onto the rope, Colcord grasped him so tightly he could barely breathe. Harry later remembered the moment:
“Out over that horrible gulf I heard the roar of the water below and the hum which ran through the crowd…Blondin halted at the last resting point before the middle span and yelled above the roar of water and wind, “Harry, you are no longer Colcord; you are Blondin. Until I clear this place, be a part of me—mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do we shall both go down to our death.’”[1]
The good news is that the two men made it to the other side.
Why did I tell you this story? Because we are in a similar situation as we walk the tightrope of life. Just as Blondin carried Harry, so Jesus carries us—from earth’s soil to heaven’s gate. When we try to balance on our own, we run the risk of tipping over into various Niagara Falls of circumstances. We struggle for balance when the real work is clinging to Jesus.
Jesus whispers, “Lean into me. Become one with me. Trust me to get you there.”
Paul wrote: “But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him,” (1 Corinthians 6:17 NLT). Jesus doesn’t want us simply to follow after Him. He wants us to be in union with Him as we live and move and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28).
Today, as Blondin carried Harry across the tightrope spanning the Niagara Falls, picture Jesus carrying you across the tightrope of life. Hear Him saying, “Until I clear this place, be a part of me—mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself.”
Then when we get to the other side called heaven, we will hear the roar of applause!
God, I don’t know why I think I can do life on my own. Help me to remember to cling to Jesus and always move in union with Him. Show me what it means to abide in Him as I walk through each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
What do you think it would look like to hang on to Jesus as we go through life? Leave a comment and let’s share.
Today’s devotion was adapted from my book, A Sudden Glory: God’s Lavish Response to Your Ache for Something More. If you’d like to learn about how to live in sacred union with Jesus every day, all day, then this book is for you! Sometimes we just make it too hard, when it was never meant to be.
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© 2022 by Sharon Jaynes. All rights reserved.
would you risk it all for Him?
Hopeless — Then Jesus Arrived
Today’s inspiration comes from:
by Tom & JoAnn Doyle
Author’s note: Ever wondered what it was like to live in a country so dangerous for believers that you were forced to go to an Underground Church? For 20 over years, we’ve had the privilege to visit churches like that! Talk about a mind blower. Meeting in the middle of the night in Saudi Arabia, Syria, or the Gaza Strip, with passionate believers who are former Muslims and willing to die for Jesus will elevate your faith to a new level.
Meet Jamilla from Syria. She’s from a fundamentalist Muslim family in the middle of a war zone. She should’ve died, and would’ve died, but then Jesus arrived. He specializes in the impossible. Jamilla wants you to hear her story. Ever wonder what it’s like to go to an Underground Church? C’mon, let’s go there now.
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The dead bolt clicked loudly in a heavy metal door. Curtains slid shut. One by one, women in drab hijabs entered furtively from a side entrance.
They exchanged enthusiastic hugs and cheek kisses. Then, after a head count, padlocks snapped into place on the door they had entered. Lights dimmed, and the weekly women’s Bible study meeting for former Muslims was ready to begin. In a fundamentalist city renowned for its honor killings, no security precaution was too extreme.
Roughly a dozen women settled into chairs. Nervous excitement rippled through the group at the presence of a special guest. Naima, the group leader, smiled and asked each participant to introduce herself to the American woman named JoAnn.
When my turn came for an introduction, I asked if they felt comfortable removing their hijabs. As the ladies gently unwrapped the coverings from around their faces, I tried not to let my jaw drop at the beauty disclosed before my eyes. Radiant smiles widened even further as the women were seen for who they are.
I asked if we could hear their stories because I knew each one had endured more than I could imagine, and I was right. The evening produced more firsthand accounts of Jesus’ miracles than I’ve ever heard in any one meeting. Jamila spoke first while Naima translated for us.
Jamila Speaks About Defying the Death Sentence
My fate was clear. It was too late for any reprieve. I was set to die, and there was nothing I could do about it. Even if I could have moved, it was no use.
I would shortly depart this world from Deir ez-Zor, Syria, like so many others during our miserable war, but it wasn’t the Islamic State that pronounced my death sentence. It was Dr. Basil Hussein, one of the most respected neurologists in Syria. He explained to my family the end that he believed was inevitable.
“I’m sorry to tell the Darwish family this news, but a blood vessel ruptured, and Jamila experienced a massive stroke. If only she could have had her blood pressure medicine.” He spoke wistfully.
“I know medical supplies and prescriptions are scarce and too expensive for most people, but this was prevent- able.” His voice was sad. “But then, maybe these days, it is not preventable in Deir ez-Zor.
“Jamila is paralyzed on her right side, and I just don’t see how she can come out of this coma. Her vitals are extremely erratic. My best guess is that she may have a day or two left — unless Allah intervenes, of course. I apologize for saying this to you, but it’s time to plan her funeral.”
What no one in my hospital room knew was that I had clearly heard every one of the doctor’s words. My mother and sisters burst into tears at my bedside.
I couldn’t talk, couldn’t move. Alone in my mind, I cried at my hopeless, helpless situation. The isolation crushed me.
But then, suddenly, I was not alone. The room erupted in dazzling light, and a Man stood at the foot of my bed.
He smiled and called my name. Jamila, I am Jesus! I hear you’ve been looking for Me.
In my most extreme dreams, I could not have imagined this, but Jesus stood in my room. Even though I was a practicing Muslim, I knew who He was. The Qur’an speaks of Jesus. And I’d also heard that He had been appearing miraculously to people during the Syrian war.
In fact, I remembered thinking one day previously when life was beyond hard that I wished Jesus would visit me. There was so much hate all around. But Jesus was about love — so I had heard. And we needed some of that in Syria.
Evidently He knew I had wished for His presence because He said to me, Jamila, I know you’re longing for Me to visit you. I’ve heard your cries. Here I am. I’ve come to heal you for My glory.
I wondered if this was really happening or if it was a hallucination brought on by my medications, or maybe it was just a crazy dream. Then… Jesus touched my hand — my paralyzed hand — and heat instantly diffused through my whole body.
I heard my mother shout, “Dr. Hussein! Jamila’s hand just moved! Did you see it?”
I could hear her jump out of the chair next to my bed.
Dr. Hussein stepped next to the bed and hovered above me with my family, looking for signs of movement. He was skeptical.
“I didn’t see her move. Are you sure, Mrs. Darwish? I just don’t think so.”
I could hear nurses checking monitors. Dr. Hussein was telling family members that my vitals did not show anything indicating improvement when, suddenly, I felt like reaching out to Jesus. My right hand lifted in worship, and Jesus, still at the foot of my bed, smiled lovingly at me.
I heard screams in the room and a thud on the floor as my mother passed out cold.
Dr. Hussein yelled through the chaos, “Is she trying to grab someone’s hand?”
I actually was! I desperately wanted to touch Jesus — like the woman with the issue of blood who touched the hem of His garment.
I know Jesus could have healed me instantaneously. He has the power to do that. But it’s possible that my family might have thought I just snapped out of the coma, and Dr. Hussein had simply been wrong in his diagnosis. So over the next few days, Jesus healed me progressively. Each time, He touched a different part of my body. After my hand, it was my right leg. Jesus came in a vision the following morning, and with just one finger He touched my knee. The paralysis left instantly.
The next day I gained a full range of motion in my neck and shoulders. My face muscles began to work, except that my eyes would not open, and I still could not speak. But then, another day later, my eyes and mouth opened while my whole family watched. I looked straight up, my eyes staring toward the ceiling, as Jesus faded from the room.
The first words I heard my father say were “Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar!”* But my first words were “Jesus, Jesus, don’t leave me! I love You.”
That certainly quieted the room. My shocked family could not comprehend the words that hung in the air.
Then… boom! A massive explosion in the street interrupted the stunned silence.
In Deir ez-Zor, peace is short lived. Even after a great miracle like I experienced, the brutal reality of war set in. Oil fields — and the massive Conoco oil facility — along our part of the Euphrates River means that in eastern Syria no city is more coveted by international powers. Iran, Russia, and America are all there.
Our morbid history includes the slaughter of Armenians by the Turks in 1915 to show that Islam triumphed over Christianity. And at the time of my healing, the Islamic State maintained a strong presence in the city to prove that they were the new champions of the Muslim faith. Chaos, carnage, and confusion were normal in Deir ez-Zor.
After Jesus healed me, the war worsened, and my family fled Syria. We could go either north to Turkey or south to Jordan, but the border in northern Syria was nearly impassable because of Turkey’s battle against the Kurds. So we headed south.
The streets in Jerash, Jordan, didn’t look much different than the streets of Deir ez-Zor. Refugees have nothing to do, so even many of the men had no work to go to during the day. But I was on a mission. I wanted to find Jesus — somehow.
Where could I go, I wondered, to find out more about the Man who had healed me? Obviously I couldn’t talk openly to anyone with my family present. Although they often discussed the healing in my life, they gave credit to Allah, not to Jesus. Yet I knew the truth.
Then one day in the outdoor market, I saw a woman wearing a cross necklace. In Deir ez-Zor, you could get killed for doing that, but I guessed Jordan must be a little laxer.
I followed her, working up the courage to ask a question. When she stopped at a vegetable stand, I saw my chance as she was picking out cucumbers.
“Jesus healed me of paralysis when I was in a coma.”
I blurted out the words and could see that I’d startled the woman. Who is this mysterious person in a burka talking about Jesus? she must have wondered.
“Do you know how I can find out more information about Jesus? I’m a Muslim, so I think I have a lot to learn. And marhaba. My name is Jamila. What’s yours?”
The woman just looked at me for a moment, then introduced herself as Maria. And had Jesus ever led me to the right person!
Despite my abrupt, awkward self-introduction, Maria was warm and gracious. Over tea during the next couple of weeks, we became good friends. I asked her every question I could think of about Jesus. Although I was already convinced that Jesus had all power and was the Savior of the world, I had to know what it would be like to become a believer in a radical Muslim family.
When Maria told me that I was the one sent by God to reach my family, I was ready. I gave my life to Jesus; it was a day I will never forget!
The glorious thing is that Maria was right. Over time, every single person in my family — including my father — came to faith in Christ. What a miracle! It’s rare that a family of people who practice fundamentalist Islam all become believers. So I am privileged and blessed beyond anything I could have imagined. Jesus used the miracle of my healing to open the hearts of my family.
Still, it wasn’t easy. The process took a long time, and we faced spiritual warfare all the way, but my mother, father, and siblings are now in the family of God. We’re a Muslim family from Deir ez-Zor that loves Jesus!
My healing was the key. How could they deny what had happened? Everyone saw the miracle, and how could they deny the transformation in my life? I used to be negative and caustic, but today, I’m filled with the love of God.
I let Jamila’s story sink in. Then the group began worshiping Jesus, and I encouraged them by reading Scripture. We prayed for Jamila and her family. They’re believers now, but they’re also still refugees. And after years of streaming into the country, displaced Syrians are often despised and rejected. Yet you would never know that by looking at Jamila’s joy-filled face.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. — Psalm 34:18-19 ESV
*Allahu akbar is Arabic for “God is great! God is great!”
Excerpted with permission from Women Who Risk – Secret Agents for Jesus in the Muslim World by Tom and JoAnn Doyle, copyright Thomas James Doyle and JoAnn Marie Doyle.
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Your Turn
Jesus specializes in the impossible. And, He specializes in reaching and rescuing His beloved ones in impossible situations! He is near the brokenhearted! Join the conversation on the blog. ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full
are you Kingdom-minded?
Am I a Kingdom-Minded Leader?
Today’s inspiration comes from:
by Craig Groeschel
What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. ~ Albert Pike
A while back, I bumped into an older lady who recognized me as the pastor of Life.Church. She explained that she was a member of another church in town. Although I didn’t know her pastor well, I said that I’d heard a lot of great things about him. She responded, “Wow! I can’t believe you’re speaking well of the competition.” Shocked, I explained that in no way did I view her church as a competitor. She shot back, “Well, your church is definitely our competition. We’re fighting to make sure we get as many members as we can before you and other churches get them all.”
God’s heart must break over that kind of attitude. Jesus said in Luke 11:17,
Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall.
Seventeenth-century Puritan minister Richard Baxter echoed Jesus’ sentiment when he lamented, “Is it not enough that all the world is against us, but we must also be against one another? O happy days of persecution, which drove us together in love, whom the sunshine of liberty and prosperity crumbles into dust by our contentions!”
The more possessive and competitive we are, the more divided we become. Virtually every ministry I’ve ever known that had it was not divisive. The leaders were Kingdom minded.
What do I mean by Kingdom minded?
A Kingdom-minded ministry is one whose leaders care more about what God is doing everywhere than what God is doing right here. Kingdom-minded leaders know it’s not just about their own ministry. A Kingdom-minded ministry is generous and eager to partner with others to get more done for the glory of God.
It’s hard to have it without desiring that other ministries succeed. When you have it, you know that it doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to God. He gives it. And since it is his and not yours, you’re grateful to have it and willing to share it.
Those who have it know it is not about them. It is not about their personal names. It is not about North Point, Elevation Church, Transformation Church, Gateway Church, Wesley United Methodist, First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First Christian, Calvary Chapel, Hope City, Redeemer Covenant, Fresh Life, Lord of Life Lutheran, Holy Ghost Temple of Righteous Praise, or whatever your church is called. It is not about your student ministry, your children’s ministry, your YouTube presence, your church app, your new logo or website. And it is certainly not about your name.
- It is about Jesus.
There’s no other name under Heaven by which we can be saved, and so no other name really matters. It’s all about Him.
I learned this the hard way. There was one particular year in our church when we definitely didn’t have it. This happened to be the year our church didn’t grow. I think we didn’t grow because we had lost focus — I had lost focus — and it blurred, faded, and disappeared.
One weekend that year, I was driving between our two campuses to speak. Each time I made that trip, I passed several churches. By the looks of one’s empty parking lot, very few people were attending. With a combination of pride and pity, I prayed, God, help this little church. I pray you would bless them and they’d reach a ton of new people.
As I was praying, I felt like God asked me a question. Craig, would you be excited if their growth exceeded yours?
My honest answer was no.
That’s hard to admit. No, I wouldn’t have been happy if this church outgrew ours. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them reaching people. I just wanted to reach more. No matter how you slice that apple, I was territorial, insecure, and self-centered. While I had a heart for God’s Kingdom, my biggest desire was to build my kingdom, and God simply won’t bless that. He shouldn’t. I think that’s why we weren’t growing. If I were God, I wouldn’t have grown our church either.
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their Kingdom is not of this world and yet they lay their hands on everything they can get.” Do you know any pastors like that? We say our church or ministry is not about us. But for many of us, “us” is all we can talk or think about. Not only is our Kingdom not of this world but to build our kingdoms is surely one of the grossest sins. After I recognized my sinful attitude, my prayers changed. God, make me more generous. Expand my heart for others. Make me a Kingdom-minded leader.
As pastors and Christian leaders, we should be thrilled when other ministries succeed. You may think you are, but have you noticed how much easier it is to be pumped for those who are growing in another town? Yeah, God! I’m thrilled their ministry in that other state is growing! But if they’re in my town, it’s easy to feel threatened or competitive. What? The church down the street is doing well? They must be preaching a feel-good message.
That attitude is wrong.
It’s dangerous.
I’d go so far as to say that God won’t let a ministry keep it for long if they won’t give it away. Keeping it to yourself is a sure way to kill it. Ministries that don’t have much of it often work hard to guard what little of it they have. What’s funny about it is that the more you try to hoard it, the less of it you tend to have. The more you’re willing to give it away, the more of it God seems to give.
Adapted from Lead Like IT Matters: 7 Leadership Principles for a Church That Lasts by Craig Groeschel.
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Your Turn
We’re not here to compete with other Christians. We, the Church — capital C, is ONE Body, a connected force, intended to work in complementary ways that build the whole, not the individual. Are you Kingdom-minded? What would need to change in order to be wholly devoted as one family?
Words of Encouragement
Dear God, Show me where I can slow down the pace of my day and sit quietly with You. My strength and hope are in You alone.
Dose of Devotion 