Lifespring!s In Touch With God's Character

 

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In the book “Deliver Us From Evil?, Ravi Zachariahs writes:

Joseph Damien was a nineteenth-century missionary who ministered to people with leprosy on the island of Moloka’i, Hawai’i. Those suffering grew to love him and revered the sacrificial life he lived out before them.

One morning before Damien was to lead daily worship, he was pouring some hot water into a cup when the water swirled out and fell onto his bare foot. It took him a moment to realize that he had not felt any sensation. Gripped by the sudden fear of what this could mean, he poured more hot water on the same spot. No feeling whatsoever.

Damien immediately knew what had happened. As he walked tearfully to deliver his sermon, no one at first noticed the difference in his opening line. He normally began every sermon with, “My fellow believers.” But this morning he began with, “My fellow lepers.”

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I most certainly do not know for sure, but it would not surprise me if Damien thought of Jeremiah 16:19′s description of God on this day. In that scripture, the prophet called upon God as, “my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction”

Yes, even as dedicated and sacrificial believers, affliction is bound to come our way. It is in those times where we must not lean on our own strength, because sooner or later, it will fail us. We must turn to God as our strength, our stronghold and our refuge.

God says in Joshua 1:5 (NIV) “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

So, in the day of your affliction, be strengthened. Be encouraged. Know that you are not alone. You have His promise. He is with you.

Paul said in Romans, “If God is for us, who can be against us” Indeed. Affliction may come, but it cannot defeat us.

God is “my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction”

 

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“When you fall, pick up something.” ~Oswald Avery

Wise words from a very smart man. Oswald Avery was one of the scientists who discovered that DNA is the material of which genes and chromosomes are made, back in 1944.

We usually think of falling in a negative light. We associate falling with pain, or failure. No one wants to fall.

But Dr. Avery throws a different light on falling with this six word sentence  “Whenever you fall, pick something up. Now we are challenged to look for something useful while we’re down in this new “fallen” position. We might as well take advantage of the new view of things given us by our lower vantage point. Most successful people will attest that they have learned valuable lessons from such setbacks.

So, given the idea that falling can be a good thing, what of the object that caused the fall? This is the characteristic of God I want to focus on in todays In Touch With God’s Character.

 

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We cannot know God? He works in mysterious ways? Can we really know God? Does He want us to know Him?

 

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U2’s Bono and his statement of faith is the jumping-off point of this look at one of God’s attributes.

 

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Skiing, shells, for you.

 

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I love a good steak. A nice, thick, juicy, medium rare filet mignon is one of the great pleasures of life, in my opinion. When you partner that beef with a nice hot baked potato, slathered with butter, sour cream and chives, a crispy fresh salad and cold, freshly brewed iced tea, you’ve got the perfect meal. Not a meal that should be indulged in very often, but as a treat, it can’t be beat.

I used to live in a ski town. Mammoth Lakes, CA. Home to one of the world’s best ski areas, Mammoth Mountain. There is a restaurant in town that is very popular with the skiers. It’s called The Mogul, and the steaks there are out of this world. When I lived in town, besides having fantastic steaks, what really made the Mogul unique was that you cooked your own. There was a big wood fired grill in the middle of the dining room, and they would bring whatever cut of beef you ordered to your table, after which you would take it to the grill and cook it yourself. That’s great, if you like to cook, and if you don’t mess it up. But if you don’t know what you’re doing, you have ruined it. You know, if I’m paying restaurant prices, I’d really rather have someone who is an expert cook my filet. I want it to be perfect.

Let the expert do it.

Turning our attention to the spiritual realm, there is the matter of faith. Would you like to have more faith? Is your faith strong, or is it weak? If it is weak, I have a guaranteed seven step program that if you will just follow my instructions, you will have more faith than you ever thought possible. Nah. I’m kidding. I can’t do that for you. Why? Because faith doesn’t come from me. I am not the source of faith. And neither are you! You are not responsible for the faith you have! “Well if it’s my faith, Steve, who is responsible?”

Heb 12:2 (NIV) “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,”

Now, don’t get me wrong, it is up to us to choose to follow His lead, but the building up of our faith comes as He leads us through the events of our lives. As we see Him working, as we see His promises fulfilled, as we see lives changed, as we see how He brings us through difficult circumstances, our faith is built up. Not because of my performance, but because of His.

He is the author, or the one who begins your faith. And He is the finisher of your faith. He is the one who is constantly working in your life, allowing you to face situations that require faith, and giving you the faith to make it through. He brings it to the table, not you.

Just as I would rather have an expert chef cook my filet mignon, I am so glad that in spiritual things, my faith will be completed by the one who began it. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

 

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I took the family to see “Superman Returns” yesterday. It’s a really good movie. The story line is about what you expect from a Superman movie…Lex Luthor wants to take over the world, and the romantic angle with Lois Lane is there, and Superman gets to perform many amazing and heroic feats.

By the way…I’m not going to give away anything critical to your enjoyment of the movie, so if you’re planning to see it, you can relax.

Basically, the story is that Superman has been away from the earth for the last five years. He left without saying goodbye, no one knew why he left or if he would ever return, including Lois Lane.

During his absence, many of earth’s inhabitants moved on…they got used to Superman not being there. Lois went so far as to write an article for the Daily Planet about Superman’s absence. The title? “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.”

Of course, Superman does return, and is told by a hurt and angry Lois, who now has a five year old son and a fiancé with whom she is living, that the world does not need a savior.

His reply? “You wrote that the world doesn’t need a saviour, but every day I hear people crying for one.”

Of course, the rest of the movie serves to demonstrate that, yes, the earth does need a savior, and that savior’s name is Superman.

I told you I wouldn’t spoil the movie for you, so I will only say this: This savior, invented by Hollywood, falls as far short as you and I when it comes to sinlessness.

Yes, the world needs a savior, but that savior must be perfect, blameless, without sin. There is one, and that one is Jesus.

Jesus is not a comic book hero. He lived a real life, died a painful death in your place, and mine, and was resurrected on the third day. That’s not fiction. That happened. There are eyewitness accounts, and his life, death and resurrection are documented better than is Socrates, Aristotle or William Shakespeare.

John 4:39 – 42 (NIV) ³⁹Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. ⁴¹And because of his words many more became believers. ⁴²They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Go ahead, go see Superman Returns. Enjoy the story and the heroism and the special effects. Lose yourself in the fairy tale for two and a half hours.

But when the lights come back on, be thankful that the real savior of the world knows you by name, and he wants to have you know him.

His name is Jesus.

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“He who watches over you…”

Here in the United States, one of the largest insurance companies is Allstate Insurance. I remember when I was a boy, the TV spokesman was a very distinguished looking gray haired fellow. At the end of every commercial, after telling about how strong and reliable and friendly the Allstate company was, he would turn the palms of his hands upward and put his hands together, forming a kind of cup. You know what I mean. Then the camera would zoom in on his cupped hands, and he would say, “You’re in good hands with Allstate.”

Of course the idea they wanted to convey is that Allstate would keep you safe, that they would protect you.

To this day, the logo for Allstate bears the words “You’re In Good Hands”.

Now, as good as Allstate may or may not be, and this is not an endorsement for Allstate insurance, there is One whose hands I would rather be in.

In Psalms chapter 121, we read,

I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

God, the creator, God the sustainer, God the almighty, is also the God who watches over you.

Actually, the Bible even says that God holds us in his hand. How about this from Ps. 63:8 “Your strong right hand holds me securely.” How very cool is that? Do you think that any force or any power or any circumstance could take you from God’s strong right hand? Of course not. There is incredible security in the hand of he who watches over you. Rest there. He who watches over you never sleeps, never takes a vacation, is never caught looking in the other direction.

He cares for you, he loves you, and will always be there for you.

You are truly in good hands with Him.

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Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness

In the New Testament book of Revelation, Jesus is called the faithful witness. Now, that means many things, but the meaning that I’d like to focus on is revealed to us in the following three verses of scripture…

Rom 8:34 (NIV) …Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Matt 10:32 (NIV) Jesus said: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.

Prov 14:5 (KJV) A faithful witness will not lie…

Did you get that? Right now, Jesus is standing with us, identifying with us, representing us to God the Father. If you have taken on Jesus’ name, if you represent Him unashamedly to the people around you, if you give Him your time and energy and most of all your heart, He will do the same for you when He represents you to the Father.

He is our faithful witness in the courts of heaven! There will come a day of reckoning for each of us. A day when we be required to give a final statement, an accounting for our life. This is a time when you do not want to be your own attorney, because just one infraction is enough to cause the gavel to fall with the announcement of a “Guilty” verdict.

There is one way, and one way only, to receive a “not guilty” verdict on that day, and that is if you are identified with Jesus; if He is there to testify on your behalf. He must be a witness to the fact that, yes, you are one of His beloved. Yes, your sins have already been paid for with His own sacrifice, on the day of his crucifixion.

If you aren’t sure if Jesus will be able to be your faithful witness when it is your turn to stand and give an account, let me assure you that you can change that. You can be sure, if you will only ask Him now to become your faithful witness. Ask Him to forgive you for the times you have, well, sinned. Sin is not a popular word today, but that doesn’t change the reality of its existence, nor its effects.
Sin has to be dealt with, and the only safe way to deal with it is with the ultimate hazmat team…it’s a one-man team, and that man is Jesus. Only He can dispose of the sin that threatens your eternal existence. Ask Him to do that. Accept his gift, begin a new life with Him today, and you will gain Him as your faithful witness. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The God of All Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:3-6 (NIV) says: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.

Sometimes the pressures and difficulties of life become almost too much to bear. How wonderful it is to know that God cares enough to comfort us.

Have you felt the hurt that makes you forget what it feels like to have no pain? Do you know the heartache of being abandoned? Have you felt the loss of a beloved friend or relative? Do you know the despair that comes when all of your resources seem to be exhausted? Jesus felt all of those, and he knows how to comfort you.

Don’t isolate yourself when these times come. Run to him, and feel the comfort of his love as he fills you with his spirit.

As our scripture tells us, he often comforts us through other believers…who have themselves suffered, and then received comfort from God. Let them into your life as they pass on to you the comfort they received. So often, our tendency is to try to appear strong, even when inside, we feel as if all it would take is one more thing to cause our façade to collapse like a house of cards. Let God comfort you through other believers. And then, when the dark time passes, as God allows it, be prepared for God to use you to comfort another. Be willing to be a blessing to the next hurting heart.

And then, give “praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.”

I’m Steve Webb, one who has needed and received the comfort of God countless times.

May God bless you richly.

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