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As dawn was breaking on the horizon of the morning of October the 6th, 1972, sitting alone in his 1947 Chevy parked alongside the Spokane River, a depressed, distraught, emotionally and spiritually lost twenty-year old young man was overwhelmed by the love of God and surrendered his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That guy was me.
Fifty years ago this Thursday my life changed for time and eternity. “For God so loved the world (including me!) that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16 As I write, my heart is overflowing with unspeakable joy while warm tears of humble gratitude flow down my cheeks. Every single day I rejoice remembering that moment when I realized that Jesus shed His life blood on a cruel Cross and rose from the dead to forgive me of my sins and graciously grant me the free gift of eternal life. I am so grateful God gave me the grace to say yes to His Son Jesus! One year later, October 1973, God called me to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ. Are you kidding me? Steve Roll a preacher! God has a hilarious sense of humor! No one who knew me before I became a Christian would have ever imagined or guessed I would be a man of the cloth. I marvel that my heavenly Father put me in the ministry. It has been my priceless privilege, undeserved honor and inexpressible joy of lifting up the name of Jesus to thousands of people for forty years of full-time Christian ministry. The Christian hymn “Amazing Grace” is my all-time favorite worship song. John Newton, once a slave-trader who gave his life to Christ, wrote these immortal words. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. In the movie “Amazing Grace,” which I highly recommend you view, Wilbur Wilberforce asked Mr. Newton, “What do you know about being a Christian?” Newton replied “I know two things; I am a great sinner. Christ is a great Savior.” I get what Newton meant. I, Steve Roll, is a great sinner. Once I was spiritually lost and blind. But now I see what God’s will and plan for my life is because of my great Savior Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus saved Steve Roll from sin and himself. What Salvation Through Faith In Jesus Means To Me
There is so much I still yearn to learn about His saving grace to me. There are two things I choose to do in whatever time I have left on earth. One, I will spend the rest of my life getting to know my Lord and Savior better. Two, I will share my faith with lost souls and do my best with God’s help to win them to Christ! My reader, if you know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, rejoice! Share your faith with others. If you do not know Christ, seek Him right now and receive Him into your heart by faith. Paul’s confession of faith is my confession. “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed in and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him util that day.” II Timothy 2:12 A former wretch like me is now an unashamed, blood bought, born-again, Spirit-filled, heading for heaven son of the Living God! Thanks be to God for so great a salvation! My faith journey continues. Having believed and received salvation through Christ, I long for the day when a once lost twenty-year old but a now found seventy-year-old sees Jesus face to face in heaven (I John 3:1-3). What a glorious day that will be!!!! “Thank You Lord for saving my soul, thank You Lord for making me whole. Thank You Lord for giving to me Thy great salvation so rich and free.” On my 50th spiritual birthday, my spirit cries out Hallelujah! Glory to God! The Early Church in the Bible was confronted with a relationship hindering, unity busting issue in its congregations: Christians complaining against Christians.
Sad to say, it is no different today. Churches are packed with complaining Christians. Everything from the length of the Pastor’s sermon, his personal style, his family’s lifestyle, the worship team’s performance, ministry workers care for children, to campus décor, expenditure of God’s funds, fellow church members apparel, and on and on and on…. all are subject to subjective judgment by self-righteous, sanctimonious believers who take upon themselves the mantle of judge, jury and verdict. The word complain means groan, murmur or bear a grudge. Ouch! Do we really realize what we are doing when we complain against a brother? I think not. For if we did, I think we would think twice before murmuring against our brothers and sisters in Christ. You and I should be deeply ashamed of ourselves. I will admit I have done my share of complaining over the years. I am not proud of my murmuring and complaining. But goodness gracious, how much damage have I, and maybe you, inflicted on our relationships with fellow believers in Christ because we have complained against them? I have concluded there is no biblical justification for me passing judgment on any Christian brother by complaining about them. James had a word from God for the Christians in his day and ours. It is important that you and I heed his admonition. “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.” James 5:9 James might as well as said, let me be perfectly clear, DO NOT COMPLAIN AGAINST ONE OTHER.” Complaining and murmuring was and is out of bounds according to God’s Word. Brothers, do not complain against your brothers. Why? Because when you do, you will be judged. The Judge, God Almighty, the Judge of all judges, will pass judgment on you for passing judgment on others. Note “the Judge is standing right at the door.” The Judge is Johnny on the spot! Right at the door. Listening to our words. Criticizing, complaining, murmuring, gossiping, griping, groaning and moaning against one another is an unholy scourge and demonic curse in the church. Complaining is immature at best, sinful at the worst. James tells us in chapter 3, verse 17 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.” We know as Bible-believing Christians to complain against our brothers is not right. So, if we do it, according to God’s Word, it is sin. Pure and simple. It is sin because we are judging one another and we are commanded not to judge each other. (Matthew 7:1-5). How many of our brothers and sisters have been hurt and disheartened by complaining? How many churches have been torn apart by strife and division because of complainers? How many pastors have been discouraged and burned out having to deal with constant criticism from the people they serve? News Bulletin: Criticizing and complaining is not a spiritual gift. Ten Simple Steps To Cease Complaining 1. Do you like it when others complain against you? Probably not. 2. Take your complaint to God and pray for your brother. 3. Forgive your brother for all offense against you. 4. Control your tongue. Resist the fleshly temptation to murmur against a ` Christian. (James 3:1-12). 5. Never, never tear down your fellow Christians. Always, always build them up. 6. Speak highly of your brother or sister in the presence of others. 7. Check your motivation. Why are you complaining against a brother? 8. Is it Christ-like to complain against fellow Christians? 9. Stop and think. What will my complaining against a brother or sister do to him/her, the body of Christ, and my witness to an unbelieving world? 10. Remember: you are accountable to God for your treatment of your brother. Think with me for a moment. If Christians stopped complaining against one another:
Are you a complaining Christian? Do you have such a critical attitude toward others that you hardly realize that you complain against your fellow Christians? Would those who know you best say you are infected with a complaining spirit? Is there someone you need to go to with a humble heart and ask for forgiveness for complaining against them? If so, go. Maybe, just maybe, spiritual revival and renewal would come to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ if we stopped complaining against our brothers and sisters in Christ. Just a thought. “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against another, just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:12-14 “Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye” and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye? Jesus, Matthew 7:1-5 A Word For Your Week: Stop judging other Christians by complaining about them. How you ever felt like no one cares about you?
I have been there, and it is a scary place to be. The Psalmist David was passing through a deep, dismally dark, depressing valley in his life. Psalm 142:3-4 reveals the depth of his despair: “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Thou didst know my path. There is no escape for me, there is no one who regards me, no one cares for my soul.” Psalm 142:3-4 Overwhelmed in his spirit by circumstances beyond his control, David knew God was watching out for him. But his human heart cried out for someone besides God to care for him in his time of desperate need. Real life enemies had surrounded him. Alone and hemmed in, he felt lonely. David could not find a way of escape from the intense, spirit-crushing pressure he was under. Feeling frustrated that his situation was bigger than his ability to cope with by himself, he called out, wondering if anyone cared for his soul. David needed a friend to care about what he cared about. My friend, have you ever felt overwhelmed by life? Have you ever wondered if anyone cared about your soul…what you think, what you feel, what you need? Despite our 21st century explosion of social networking technology, in every survey, Americans rank LONELINESS at the top of the list of their personal concerns. People can be in a huge crowd and feel desperately alone, unnoticed and uncared for. Our technological toys are impressive and serve a purpose in our society. Admittedly, I do not know how to use most of them. Ask my family. Technology is not my gift! For all the good it does, technology can leave many people feeling alone, isolated and wondering if anyone really cares about them. FaceBook is not face to face. Tweeting is not meeting with someone. Instagram is not spending quality time with another person. MySpace is not sharing mutual space. Cell phones may connect us with an ear and a voice but not always with a heart. Blogging is not jogging with someone down life’s trail sharing who we are and what our life is all about. Texting is not getting next to someone and letting them know that someone cares about them. People, like you and me, and everyone we know, want someone(s) to genuinely care about our lives. We think we may be in touch with people more than ever. But I believe many people feel out of touch and wonder if anyone cares for their soul. “No one cares for my soul.” Say this phrase a few times aloud and let the despair of such a statement sink deep into your soul. Oh my! No one should be left alone to feel that way. No one that you and I know. No one that God may direct us to. As Christians, we are the embodiment of Christ’s love and care for people. If anyone should be caring for people who think no one cares, it is us. So, let us start to care and share God’s love with someone who thinks no one cares. How about a simple acrostic to get us started? Connect with the person you care about. Touch base. Especially if you have not heard from them for awhile. Make that call. Set up an appointment to meet. Turn off your cell phone when you get together. Give them your sincere, undivided attention. Listen. Respond with an understanding heart and an appropriate human touch. Assist them with their situation. Focus on their life. Find out what they need. Serve them. Offer to help them with practical things that will relieve the pressure they feel. Do something for them that demonstrates that you really care. Go out of your way to do whatever they need you to do to communicate that you care for their soul. Renew your personal relationship. Catch up on each other’s lives. Resolve to keep your friendship relationship up to date. Make regular contact. Inquire how they are doing. Show interest in what interests them. Be honest and open. Gently but purposefully push their buttons once in a while to find out what is going on with them. Let them know that they matter to you. Encourage your friend to call upon you when they need to. Encourage this by demonstrating to them that you will respond. Assure them you will be there anytime, any where, for any reason. You will not leave them alone. You can be counted on to show up when they throw up their hands in frustration. Rubber meets the road: Who do you know that is struggling with whether anyone cares for them or not? If you are award of their emotional despair, are you praying for them? Have you contacted them? Are you willing to spend time with them on their turf? Are you willing to listen to them and show them the love and compassion of the Lord? Would it not be wonderful if we knew that there was no one in our circle of relationships that felt like no one cared for their soul? You and I can make that happen by caring for someone today in Jesus’ name! “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:14-15 A Word For Your Week: Take care to care for someone who needs to know you care. Today I share with you an outstanding devotion by Oswald Chambers in His devotional “My Utmost For His Highest” for August 31.
It is simply, incredibly powerful and worth meditating upon. I will make a few personal comments and share some insights after you read it. “That My joy may remain in you, and that you joy might be full.” John 15:11 “What was the joy that Jesus had? It is an insult to use the word happiness in connection with Jesus Christ. The joy of Jesus was the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of Himself to His Father, the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do “I delight to do Thy will.” Jesus prayed that our joy might go on fulfilling itself until it was the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me? The full flood of my life is not in bodily health, not in external happiness, not in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the communion with Him that Jesus Himself had. The first thing that will hinder this joy is the captious irritation of thinking out circumstances. The cares of the world, said Jesus, will choke God’s word. Before we know where we are, we are caught up in the shows of things. All that God has done for us is the mere threshold; He wants to get us to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is. Be rightly related to God. Find your joy there. Then out of you will flow rivers of living water. Be a center for Jesus Christ to pour living water through. Stop being self-conscious. Stop being a sanctified prig (archaic: one who offends or irritates) and live the life hid with Christ. The life that is rightly related to God is as natural as breathing wherever it goes. The lives that have been of most blessing to you are those who were unconscious of it.” Observations Concerning Chamber’s Thoughts
Jesus’ joy is not just for me. His joy is yours too if you have surrendered yourself to Him and you follow Him as your Lord and Savior. His joy that is my joy and yours is to be shared with joyless people who do not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. My friends, joyless, unhappy, depressed, anxious, fearful people are everywhere. Sadly, many of them attend church. Most never darken the door of God’s house. Where will joyless folks find joy if they do not see the joy of the Lord in Christians? How about you? Do people see the joy of the Lord on your face? In your attitude and words? Are you a joyful Christian that people who know you are blessed by and drawn to Jesus who you love and serve? A genuinely joyful countenance will get people’s attention! My fellow follower of Jesus, please do not be a professing Christian whose face looks like you were baptized in lemon juice! A sourpuss never wins anyone to the Christ. Why in the world would a person looking for the answer to life hook up with someone who says they serve a risen Savior but looks and lives like the walking dead? Just saying. Is Jesus’ joy your joy every day? Do people see Jesus’ joy in you? “Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat; drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 “Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.” John 16:24 “Therefore, you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.” John 16:22 A Word For Your Week: Jesus’ joy is our joy. Hallelujah! Whose pleasure are you living for…. yours or God’s?
Good question that needs answered. The other day I read some comments by Oswald Chambers in his classic devotional My Utmost For His Highest that rocked my spiritual boat, shaking and re-awakening me regarding the purpose of my personal relationship with the Lord. It was one of those “Oh my goodness” moments! “Am I spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Am I full of the little things that cheer His heart over me, or am I whimpering because things are going hardly for me? There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what God prizes. It is a wonderful thing to think that Jesus Christ has need of me.” Give Me to drink.” How much kindness have I shown Him this past week? Have I been kind to His reputation in my life?” I believe Chambers is saying something like this: When is the last time you or I gave Jesus a drink, showed Him kindness, served, blessed, pleased and delighted Him because of our lifestyle? Paul addresses the Christian’s priority to please God in I Corinthians 1:9-10. “For this reason also since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” I Corinthians 1:9-10 The Apostle of grace prayed for believers in Christ to walk, live their faith life, in such a way to please Jesus in everything they do. Christ followers are to bear fruit in every good work, to increase in knowledge of God and be filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding. I believe that what Paul prays for you and me brings pleasure to God. Pleasing God brings Him glory! God is pleased, takes pleasure in, is glorified when I worship and adore Him. When I praise Him. When I pray. When I serve, give and sacrifice. When I obey His Word. When I share His love with others. When I encourage and build up fellow Christians. When I stand up boldly before an unbelieving world, unashamed of His holy name. This being so, what shook me up about Chamber’s statement? I do my best, with the Lord’s help to do the above Christian stuff. Granted, I am still learning, stretching and growing in grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. (II Peter 3:18). Unfortunately, too often, confessing Christians. including Steve Roll, get caught up in things like personal image, reputation, whether we are noticed or not, popularity etc. Even our faith seems to somehow be about us and what Jesus does for us. Pretty shortsighted. News bulletin: As Christians who follow Jesus Christ, life is not about us and what the Lord can do for us. It is about Jesus and how we can live for His pleasure and glory. Let’s get gut level honest. So many of our petitions, prayers and requests of the Lord are flat out self- centered. About us, not Him. Do not get me wrong. The Lord invites us to ask, seek and knock concerning our needs. He joyfully moves heaven and earth to meet the sincere requests of His children. But God is not an eternal blessing machine, a heavenly ATM, a cosmic errand boy or our spiritual guru that is at our beck and call twenty-four seven. Indeed, our Father in heaven is for us and works on our behalf according to the promises of His holy Word in the Bible. But, and this is a BIG BUT, you and I are here for Him, not just Him for us. How often do you or I think about how we can be a blessing to God today? How we can please Him? How may we bring joy, delight and pleasure to Him as His sons and daughters? How can we exalt His name and bring Him glory? When, where and how does God get a little attention from us? An hour or two at church? Sporadic, hurried devotions? Empty prayer closet time? Too busy to serve and give in His name? Excuses and justification for living below God’s standards? OUCH!!! Thinking about how little I think about pleasing Him in my life and bringing pleasure to my Lord and Savior stings. Hurts. Shames me. Motivates me to shift my focus from Steve to Jesus. I am seriously asking myself is Steve living for Steve or is Steve living for Jesus? Am I living for my pleasure or His? My glory or God’s glory? That is where I am at. It is a good place for making a course adjustment in my faith journey. I am refocusing on what God prizes. He prizes me as His son! He takes immense pleasure in me. I am treasured by my heavenly Father because of what Jesus did for me on the Cross. Because my Father in heaven prizes me, I am going to work harder on prizing Him. Treasuring Him. Pleasing Him. Bringing pleasure to Him because He looks at me and says “There goes my son Steve. He makes my heart happy. I am so proud of him.” Why don’t you and I consider how to give Jesus a drink today? (See John 4:7-38). “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”: I John 3:22 A Word For Your Week: Live your life for the pleasure and glory of God. It seems like every time you turn around, something matters.
I jumped on the “matter” bandwagon last week with #wisdommatters. I am going to ride the matter band wagon again today. This blog is written specifically for my fellow Christians. Convictions Matter. A conviction is something of which I am convinced. Webster defines conviction as “a strong persuasion or belief, the state of being convinced, certain.” In our scripture for this week Paul, a Christian serving God in a pagan, heathen, anti-Christian world, was personally persuaded, certain, absolutely convinced, that Jesus Christ was the answer to life. “For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” II Timothy 1:12 Under daily pressure to conform to a secular culture, Paul suffered for Christ and was not ashamed. Why? Because he was convinced (conviction matters) that the Lord would guard, keep safe his life which Paul had entrusted to His Lord and Savior. Take note of the words of commitment Paul uses: “not ashamed”, “know”, “believed”, “convinced” and “entrusted”. No compromise of convictions for Paul! The gospel trailblazer of the New Testament church was fully convinced that Jesus was the truth, the only truth. Paul was persuaded that the one and only Son of the Living God who died on a cross and rose again to save us from our sins can be trusted to keep His Word to His followers up to the very last day. Convictions Matter. As a devoted, sincere, certainly imperfect, wholehearted follower of Jesus Christ, I am deeply concerned and alarmed that many professing Christians, unlike Paul, are compromising biblical convictions because of cultural pressure to erase Judeo-Christian values and traditions from the fabric of our nation. It is incredible to me and troubles my heart greatly that some Christians are now declaring acceptable values, beliefs and behaviors that are unacceptable in the Bible, the Word of God. Is it wise for you and me to compromise what Jesus Christ shed His precious blood for? Thoughts About convictions
I ask myself how does a Christian get to a place where man’s opinion, political polls, agenda pushing pundits, popular personalities and celebrities overrule personal convictions? I am scratching my head and asking the Holy Spirit to console the grief in my heart as to why so many of my professed brothers and sisters in Christ are compromising convictions, selling out to secular society. And for what? Man’s approval? Satan’s lies? If you are a professing Christian who compromises biblical convictions, I believe you are crucifying Christ again. I know what my core Christian convictions are. I have held them for almost fifty years and have not altered, adjusted or abandoned them. I never will. Like Paul, I am not ashamed of Jesus and my Christian faith. I will stand boldly for truth and righteousness no matter what cultural pressure tries to do to get me to compromise what I believe. I know the Lord is taking care of business on my behalf. I am thankful for His faithfulness to me every single day of my life. What do you believe? What are your core convictions? Why do you believe what you believe? Are you willing to take a stand for what you believe? Are you willing to defend your faith and values? At any price? Or have you compromised convictions that you say you believe in? Are you waffling with God’s holy Word? Sitting on the fence regarding your faith? A word from me regarding election of leaders in America. I love my country. Leadership will dictate our future. Take time and make the effort to check out the convictions of candidates. What about their personal convictions, character and conduct? Does their belief and behavior line up with your personal core convictions based on the Bible? Listen very carefully to their words. More importantly, research their lives and track records. Why would you even consider voting for someone to lead our nation whose convictions are contrary to Christian truth and principles? Please think about it. If believers in Christ continue to compromise convictions, soon the America you and I have live in will be unrecognizable. Are you sure you want your children and grandchildren to live in a morally rudderless culture that openly rejects Jesus Christ and Christian values, purposely brainwashing the impressionable minds of your loved ones with anti-Christian propaganda? Never, ever compromise your faith. “And so having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place, that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He should be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” Acts 26:22-23 A Word For Your Week: Choose uncompromising convictions for the cause of Christ. Do you find yourself scratching your head wondering if there is any wisdom in our world today?
I do daily. You and I are unceasingly inundated and relentlessly bombarded with ideas, concepts, opinions, views, theories, algorithms and whatever crazy idea finds its way to the Internet and is deemed trending! Some things people propose are preposterous, off the wall, silly, outrageous, senseless, utterly ridiculous and downright dumb! A wisdom-less world makes me uncomfortable. Wisdom comes from God. Take God out of life and wisdom flies out the window. A world devoid of God’s wisdom is a scary, insecure, unstable, extremely dangerous place. Remove God’s wisdom, wise men and women from the world, and self-destruction is inevitable. I counsel with hurting, broken people who are seeking God’s healing, restoration and renewal. I never ceased to be amazed at how unwise some people can be. Lack of wisdom inevitably leads to decisions and behaviors that hurt rather than heal. Divide rather than unite. It baffles me that even professing Christians cannot figure out what to do God’s way, which is the wise way. Wisdom is looking at life and doing life God’s way. Wisdom is found in God’s Word, the Holy Bible Solomon, the son of King David of Israel, during his lifetime was the wisest and wealthiest man on earth. He penned a Holy Spirit inspired letter (31 chapters in the book of Proverbs) to his son. This wise father exhorted his son in Proverbs 1:2-3 “To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding. To receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity.” In Proverbs 9:10 this godly Dad writes “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” In Proverbs 4:7 it is written “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom and with all your getting get understanding. Wisdom. Instruction. Discernment. Understanding. Wise behavior. Righteousness. Justice. Equity. What a rich legacy/inheritance Solomon desired to leave with his son. If “wisdom is the principal thing,” which it is, where does is come from, what does it look like and how can you and I receive it? First, wisdom comes from God. HE IS WISDOM. If you want to know what is wise, get to know God. You can get to know Him by studying Genesis to Revelation, meditating on scripture, praying over God’s Word and obeying His truth and wisdom. Do you know Him? Secondly, wisdom comes from God in heaven. The Holy Spirit wrote it down in the pages of the Bible. James calls it “wisdom from above.” It is available to you, me and everyone who seeks it. “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” James 3:17. Imagine what our world would look like if people everywhere lived their lives according to the above characteristics of God’s wisdom? Heaven on earth? Sort of! Thirdly, God’s wisdom is given to all who ask for it. “But if any of you lack wisdom, LET HIM ASK OF GOD, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO HIM.” James 1:5 Oh my, Steve Roll loves this invitation and promise. How do I receive God’s wisdom? Simply ask with faith. Then receive the Lord’s generous, no respecter of persons wisdom from above! Ask and it will be given. Can it be that simple? Yes, it is because God says so! I am signing up for that. How about you? Wisdom makes one wise and understanding what life is about. The older I get, the more and more I desire to live my life that way every day God gives to me. Just a thought: Why would anyone choose to be unwise when they can walk by faith with the wisdom of God? My father-in-law, who is now in heaven, had a bumper sticker plastered on the back of his 1960 Ford that read “Wise Men Still Seek Him”. Enough said. Are you a wise man or woman faithfully seeking the Lord’s wisdom in your daily life? The world you and I live in desperately needs us Christians to be wise. “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him now show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.” James 3:13 A Word For Your Week: Be wise. Seek God’s wisdom. Receive it. Walk in it every day. How can you and I go somewhere when we do not know where we are going?
Intriguing question. In the Bible we have the true story of Abraham who went out not knowing where he was going. “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8 Abraham is listed in the Who’s Who Hall of Fame of Faith in Hebrews 11. The writer of Hebrews says of Abraham “and he went out, not knowing where he was going?” Did you catch what was just said? When God told Abraham to go, he got up and went. Without question or hesitation, Abraham left family, friends, familiarity, wealth, support and relationships to go somewhere he had never been. Upon departure, he had no earthly idea where that destination might be! His family must have thought he had lost a few of his marbles! Marbles all accounted for, Abraham stepped out in faith and obedience to go even though God did not make it clear where he was going. No address. No map. No GPS. No Siri. No mile markers. No definitive destination. Abraham packed up his stuff and set out for the Promised Land when God said go. Abraham went. That blows me away! For a directionally challenged guy like me (who my wife has quipped Steve could get lost on his own driveway) going out without knowing where to go borders on frightening, if not a little crazy! A close friend of mine commented that he likes to step out in faith when he has every step planned out. We chuckled together, as so many of us approach our Christian journey that way. We believe we have faith when we know where we are going. But we struggle with faith when we do not know where we are going. Abraham did not know where he was going, but God did. God knew exactly where Abraham’s destination was located. It was a fantastic destination that dreamers dream of. A land of promise called the Promised Land. Abraham would receive his inheritance there. Think about this for a moment. Wouldn’t we be in real trouble if we went out, not knowing where we were going, and God had no idea what He was doing or where He was leading us either? That is trouble with a capital T. But the good news is this: God does know and we need to know that He knows. During life adjustments, transition times, course changes, or new beginnings it is comforting to know that God knows where He is taking us. Uncertain times and unknown destinations test our faith because they seldom paint a clear picture of the next phase, chapter, stop or destination. I have been in situations like Abraham’s which tested my faith. I stepped out when the Holy Spirit directed me to when I had little information about next steps. Of course, the Lord always came through. Oftentimes in nothing short of miraculous ways. But I must admit in the initial stages of going without knowing I questioned my sanity a time or two! Abraham’s response is exemplary, inspiring and challenging. Accepting God’s call on his life, he responded with faith and obedience. No prideful presumption or flaky faith for Abraham. He placed his faith firmly in the promises of a God whose word could be trusted. (Read Genesis 12-22). God’s promises were good enough for Abraham to go ahead and go. Abraham discovered that God leads and guides as we go. Guidance is in the going. Departure preceeds directions. Location appears after looking to the Lord. Unknown destinations can be unsettling until we remember that knowing is God’s business. Going is our business. In the going will come knowing. As we go, God will show us what we need to know (see Jeremiah 33:3). Going out by faith and not knowing where we are going forces us to depend on God. A word of caution: Immature Christians often get all fired-up, believing they should take a big leap of faith by going when God did not call them to go. Psalm 37:23 states our steps (not leaps!) are ordered by the Lord. Presumption and assumption on our part always leads to crash, burn, heartache, disillusionment and discouragement. When God has called you and you want to go, but do not know where you are going, take these steps of faith. 1. Decide to trust God for the destination. 2. Commit yourself to the Holy Spirit’s leading every step of the way. 3. Obey the specific directions God gives you for each day. 4. Stir up your faith to go forward when the path is unclear. 5. Keep going when you know you should keep going. 6. Be ready to receive your inheritance along the way. 7. Rejoice in the journey as well as the destination! You and I will never get to where God wants us to go if we think we must have all our ducks in a row. If we do not go, we will never know where we could have gone! “And He was saying, “The Kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows—how, he himself does not know.” Mark 4:26-27 A Word For Your Week: When God says go, go, even if you do not know exactly where to go. What is unknown can be extremely frustrating for those of us who want to know.
I heard a hearty amen from my readers! Fact: Much of life is unknown. I wish at times I could change that annoying, perplexing fact. But I cannot. Neither can you. Nobody can. Not possible. Unknown is built into the fabric of the human experience. Unknown is part of creation. Our Creator is familiar with the unknown. Now, do not go blame-shifting your current circumstances on the Lord. You may have created some unknown for yourself because of your behavior. Just saying! When unknown crosses their path, people react in diverse ways. Panic buttons are pushed by some. Worry warts pop up on others. Anxiety attacks assault and paralyze emotions. Negative attitudes overshadow positive thinking. “What if” clouds minds with questions and doubt. Fear of the future takes center stage. Knee jerk reactions to the unknown cause us to lose perspective. Rash, unwise decisions often lead to irrational behavior. Negative reactions to unknown situations can make other people feel uncomfortable around us. Many people in our culture today are fearful of the unknown. A spirit of paranoia runs deep in many souls who choose not to look to God to meet their needs. During their self-imposed panic tantrums they make some downright dumb decisions! Fear-mongers love to take advantage of and manipulate gullible folks by selling them a bill of goods that the unknown is our doom. Unknown must be faced with faith, not fear. Faith in God who is not afraid of the unknown. I have wrestled with ”unknown” numerous times throughout my lifetime. In the past I have reacted with negative thinking and anxiety. God’s lesson for me: “Steve, as a born-again, Spirit-filled Christian, have you forgotten that I was there with you in the land of unknown every single time? When you looked to Me with simple trust, I led you through unknown to known. I will do it again when unknown confronts you.” Thank you Father for reminding me of Your faithfulness. I am doing my best with the Holy Spirit’s help to manage unknown much better than I used to. What is your typical “go-to” response to the unknown? How would you like to change your responses to the unknown? Bottom line: Faith is tested when unknown comes calling. I have good news for you and me: With God’s help, we can understand unknown from His perspective and order our lives accordingly. I encourage you to read and meditate on Psalm 46. Verses 1 and 10-11 are bookends for the other eight which describe potential, serious life-threatening scenarios that reek of the unknown. The Psalmist assures us that when all hell breaks loose, we need not fear. The unknown need not frighten us. Why? Because God is our help, our refuge, our strength and our stronghold in trouble. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Verse 1). “Be still, cease striving, know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” (Verses 10-11). God is omniscient, all knowing. Gods loves us in the known and unknown times of our lives. He alone knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. There is nothing unknown to Him. He knows what I do not know, sees what I cannot see. I may not know, but God always knows. Unknown is not unknown to Him. WOW! Unknown does not stand a chance when God is with us and we choose to stop striving and be still before Him. Therefore, you and I should focus our faith on Who we know (the Lord) and what we know (His Word). The God of the Bible is who He says He is and does what He says He will do. Period! No exceptions concerning any unknown situation or season you or I may be experiencing. Just a thought: If we know everything, including the unknown, why would we need faith? May we quiet our soul in unknown times. Focus our faith on God who knows. Know with confidence that He is God. He knows how to guide you and me through the unknown. My friend, surrender the unknown to the One who knows. Trust Him to show you what you need to know, when you need to know it and what to do to pass through unknown to known. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 A Word For Your Week: Unknown is opportunity to know God better and live life successfully. Revelation from God comes in many ways.
He reveals truth and wisdom to us through nature, the Bible, Jesus’ teachings, the Holy Spirit, fellow Christians, people, circumstances and friends. Recently my good friend and faithful prayer partner Jim and I were talking about life. Discussing current situations we were facing in our personal lives. Then he looked at me and stated in a manner of fact manner “everybody has something.” The Holy Spirit used Jim’s statement to hit me right between my spiritual eyes. Steve Roll you are not the only one with some “stuff” going on. Humble pie time. Other people have “stuff” going on too! Years ago I heard a preacher declare “I got problems, you got problems, all God’s children got problems.” Isn’t that the truth! Your problems, concerns and needs are important to you, but not that important to others. They have their own needs and many of them are far more serious and significant than yours. So, Steve, stop focusing so much on what you need. What you think and feel others need to know about your needs. Take your eyes off yourself. Focus on others who would benefit from your help and encouragement. I realize that I am too self-centered at times. Admittedly I want life to be about Steve. I want others to care about me and my stuff. What is going on in my life is what matters most. Or does it? You and I need to be less self-centered and more other-centered. Not so self-absorbed and self-focused that we neglect to understand what others are dealing with in their lives In the Bible, Paul writes to the Galatians “Bear one another’s burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” (Galatians 6:2-3 Simple. Bear other’s burdens. Sounds like less of Steve, and more of others. Burden bearers show God’s love. They help carry a hurting person’s load. He picture is of a soldier who is wounded and unable to carry his pack. He is assisted by a fellow soldier who carries his pack for him until the wounded man can carry his own pack once again. To bear we must care. To care we must share. Caring, bearing and sharing means we have to be there for others regardless of our needs. I have served in full-time Christian ministry as a pastor for over forty years. I have had the privilege and opportunity to minister to thousands of precious people from every imaginable walk of life. I believe I have poured my heart into many sharing the love of Christ in their time of need. But I wonder. How selfish have I been? I did not set out to be self-centered. Never to be the center of everybody’s universe. But I am certain that Steve got in the way of Steve, other people and maybe even the Lord when I thought more highly of myself than I should think. Too easy to do. Ouch! Does Steve’s stuff matter? Of course. But it should never take center stage! Most times personal and private is the best course of action dealing with life issues. Taking our stuff to the Lord and one or two trusted, mature Christians is the way to deal with our “somethings.” At seventy years young, I am rethinking who I want to be in the last laps of my faith race. I do know I do not want my life to be about Steve. I want my life to be about Christ in and through Steve to reach people for the Kingdom of God. Especially wounded warriors who need someone to come alongside and carry their pack. Remember no one person, including you, is more important than others. Jesus died for everyone. His unconditional love is the same for all. We all carry life’s pack on our back that becomes heavy at times. Love lightens the load when “something” is weighing us down. My friends, hurting people surround us. Every person you pass by or meet has something(s) to deal with. Most Americans are exceptionally good at covering their pain. Many, many people in our culture have no one to share their “something” with. No one who will take the time and initiative to listen to them. Isolation. Depression. Brokenness. Low self-esteem. Guilt, shame and failure haunt people and cause them to keep their guard up. Look into people’s empty eyes. Watch their halting, uncertain gait. Their facial expressions and posture reveal much about their struggles. Listen closely to their words that reveal their “something.” Always remember people like you are carrying a load every day. Why not be someone who helps them with their something? I want to say it again: Everybody has something. Ask the Lord to make you sensitive to the needs of others. Be a “something” of His love to people who need to know that God and His people genuinely care about them and the burdens they bear. The Christian life is not about you, me or our somethings. It is about Jesus in and through us to minister to those struggling with their somethings. “And seeing the multitudes, Jesus felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples” The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38 A Word For Your Week: Somebody going through something needs you to care about them today. |
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