Unexpected People

No flesh should glory in His presence. - 1 Corinthians 1:29

What kind of qualities does God look for in the man or the woman that He uses? Is He looking for a towering intellect? Is He concerned with how many certificates you have hanging on your wall? Do you have to be a born leader?

Throughout Scripture and throughout the history of the Christian church, we find that God has done unexpected things with unexpected people. He has accomplished extraordinary things through ordinary people.

He chose David, a young shepherd boy, to lead the nation Israel. He wanted someone to lead an army, and He chose a coward, Gideon. It's almost as though the Lord was going out of His way to pick someone and raise him up.

The apostle Paul explained to the church in Corinth that God chooses ordinary people so everyone could see that the glory belongs to God:For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

When I came to Christ, I was not a sports star or a rock musician or somebody important. I was just a mixed up 17-year old kid. Anything good that has come out of my life has been the work of God. It's the truth, anybody can see it plainly. That means we all qualify.

God can use ordinary people to touch the world. Let Him use you, and watch what God can do!

Desperation

About that time David's son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, "I will make myself king."1 Kings 1:5

Life can be unfair in the most aggravating ways! One of the amazing aspects of studying the Bible involves the discovery that ancient lives reflect our experiences. The similarities can be eerie. People and the way they relate to one another have not changed in thousands of years. That's why we can learn so much from their lives.

Adonijah wanted to be king of Judah. After all, he was the oldest living son of David. He was handsome, perhaps regal in appearance. So much so that several of David's advisers (Joab and Abiathar) gave him their support. But David had already promised his throne to Solomon. Adonijah's dreams and plans were in vain. Unfortunately, that didn't stop his attempt to take the throne.

David was an absent father in Adonijah's life. He never guided or questioned his son's actions or attitudes. Consequently, Adonijah never learned to recognize limits or how to work within them. He was spoiled into thinking he could always have his own way. He was unable to respect the wishes of others or to acknowledge God's will. Even though David thwarted Adonijah's attempt to take the throne, he failed to deal directly with his son. Adonijah's life was an example of the fact that although David was an outstanding leader and king, he was a poor model as a father. Adonijah's willfulness led to his own death.

Parents do not love their children by letting them do whatever they want or by giving them whatever they desire. Gifts can be an expression of love but so can limits. Self-centered children grow into self-destructive adults. Teaching our children how to respond correctly to the word no can be difficult. But failing to teach them that lesson will do them great harm.

How well have you learned to respond to limits? The word no can be a priceless gift. Knowing how to respond to no is a priceless lesson.

Adapted from 365 Life Lessons from Bible People (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1996).Tyndale House Publishers

In the Twinkling of an Eye

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet . . . we shall be changed. - 1 Corinthians 15:52


Jesus tells us that there is coming a day when He will return. He will come quickly for all of His people and we will be taken to be with Him in heaven.

If you are not a Christian, that means you will be left. Remember Jesus said, " 'Two will be in the field: the one will be taken, and the other left' " (Luke 17:36).

If you are a Christian you will go immediately into the presence of God. But if you are not a Christian, and by that I mean if you have not asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and be your Savior and Lord, then you will be left. Don't let that happen to you. It can happen so quickly.

I read that archaeologists uncovered extraordinary ruins in the town of Herculaneum, which is close to the ancient city of Pompeii. In 79 A.D., the violent volcano Vesuvius erupted there so suddenly, so quickly, that the scientists found people literally frozen in time. They uncovered Roman soldiers with swords in hand who had been killed instantly.

Think about that. These soldiers didn't even know what was about to happen. Then boom! They just stopped-dead in their tracks.

That is how quick the Lord's return could be. Suddenly, Jesus will return. Will you be like that one person in the field who was left behind? Maybe you are on the verge of accepting Christ.

It's time to decide now. This could be your last opportunity.

Devotion by: Greg Laurie

We Are In This Together

But now I said to them, "You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!"Nehemiah 2:17

Did you notice the words we and us in this verse? In order to motivate the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the wall, Nehemiah had to identify with their problem, their need, and their future. It was no longer their problem. Now Nehemiah saw the broken wall as our problem. Imagine the kind of response Nehemiah would have received if he had said, "You folks have gotten yourselves into a bad mess. You know what you need to do? You need to rebuild that wall. If you need me, I'll be in my office. After all, I wasn't part of the problem. You people will have to get it on and do the work. Let me know how it turns out." Identifying with the problem encourages motivation.

When Lee Iacocca became chairman and CEO of Chrysler at the height of the auto giant's problems in 1979, he knew he would have to ask employees to take a pay cut to keep the company out of bankruptcy. Although he persuaded Congress to guarantee the company loans, he was still deeply distrusted by Chrysler's union members. He knew that he had to find a way to persuade these workers that he had Chrysler's best interests at heart.

Iacocca called a meeting of key management and union executives. He announced that for the next year his salary would be $1. The gambit worked. By sacrificing his own salary, Iacocca proved that he placed the welfare of the company over personal gain. He identified with the workers. He was saying, "We are in this together. And, together we can make it through." He knew that people will accept a lot of pain when everybody is going through the trial together. If the followers know that the leader's in with them, together they can move a mountain or, in Nehemiah's case, build a wall.


In what ways can you identify with the people you lead? How can you say to them, "We are in this together"?

Devotion by: Tyndale House Publishers

Alpha and Omega

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." - Revelation 1:8

There are some who follow Jesus because they want God to conform to their plans instead of them conforming to His. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone. (John 6:14-15)

They wanted to take Him by force and make Him the king. They saw the Messiah as a political liberator. They didn't understand that before He will come to reign as Lord of lords and King of kings and establish His kingdom, He would first suffer and die for the sins of humanity.

Sometimes people are that way with God today. They expect the Lord to conform to their conception of Him. They expect God to conform to their plans. They decide, and He is supposed to cooperate.

It doesn't work that way. He doesn't conform to your plans. You conform to His plans.

The only thing that is going to turn us around, conform us, is a change of heart, a spiritual awakening, and that can only happen through prayer and the proclamation of the gospel.

Jesus Christ is not a means to an end. He is the end. He is the all in all. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

Devotion by: Greg Laurie

People Do Things for Their Reasons, Not Yours

But now I said to them, "You know very well what trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire. Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and end this disgrace!"Nehemiah 2:17

Gordon Bethune took over Continental Airlines as CEO when it was in a free fall in 1994. The airline had one of the worst on-time records in the business. Customer service almost didn't exist. Planes were dirty. Workers lost luggage.

The first problem Bethune tackled was the on-time record. He pledged non-manager workers $65 bonuses every month the airline's on-time rate put it in the top five nationwide. Baggage handlers, gate and reservation clerks, flight attendants, and secretaries were all part of the pool.He arrived at the $65 by determining what it cost the company each month to run flights late. At $5 million per month, Bethune was willing to give half of that back to the employees ($65 times 40,000 employees) if they turned their on-time record around. He announced the program in January 1995. In February of 1999, 80% of Continental's flights landed on time.

By providing a financial windfall to the employees, all of a sudden, planes were clean. Motivation was up. So were profits. People were doing things for their reasons. During Nehemiah's time, the city walls encircling Jerusalem, God's holy city, lay in ruins. It was a disgrace. A city's walls were for protection. Without the stone barricade and nothing to stop their enemies, the inhabitants were defenseless and vulnerable to attack.

People are experts in cost-benefit analysis. Everybody asks, "What's in it for me?" Constructed walls around Jerusalem would benefit the residents of the city. Nehemiah knew this and acted on it. He led the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the wall, not for his sake (he lived a thousand miles away) but for their sake. And, it wasn't an extra $65 a month in their paycheck; it was for the protection of their very lives and their families.

One can poke, prod, and push people, and they don't move. But give them a good reason-one of their reasons-a way in which they will benefit, and they will follow where you lead.People do things for their reasons, not your reasons. Their reasons.

Devotion by: Tyndale House Publishers

Remember Lot's Wife

But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. - Genesis 19:26


Who was Lot's wife? We don't really know a lot about her, not even her name. We assume that she met Lot in Sodom. We can safely conclude that Lot's wife was not a believer. It's clear she did not want to leave Sodom. She wanted to steal one last glance, and it cost her everything.

The book of Genesis tells us what happened that day. While they were fleeing, she looked back and became a pillar of salt. When Jesus said to His disciples, " 'Remember Lot's wife' " (Luke 17:32), it was a warning to not look back.

Why was looking back such a horrible sin, causing the judgment of God to fall upon Lot's wife? Doesn't it seem a little harsh? All she did was steal a quick glance.

But it wasn't just one last look. It was a lingering, a desire to stay there. You see, looking back is a step toward going back.The devil will come to you and say, "Hey, Christian! Remember the old days?" Let's be honest. We all had some fun in this world. But the devil doesn't remind you of the other things. He doesn't say, "Remember when you were miserable and empty, lonely, and terrified of death." He will remind you of a few good times because he knows that the first step to going back is looking back.

Then, like Lot's wife, you start to look over your shoulder. That is why Jesus said, " 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God' " (Luke 9:62).

If you are going to follow Christ, you need to look forward, not over your shoulder. Remember Lot's wife: you don't want to be turned into a pillar of salt.

Devotion by: Greg Laurie

Is Your Life Balanced?

Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.Luke 2:52

A balanced life is characterized by order, peace, and wholeness. The various parts of life are as they should be and where they should be. Each part of the balanced life gets the right amount of time and effort at the right time. It's not giving each part of life the same amount of time that makes life balanced; it's giving each part the necessary allotment of time.

The life of Jesus is an excellent model concerning balance. Throughout his life, Jesus was under constant pressure. Friend and enemy alike pursued him. Yet, when examining his life as recorded in Scripture, one sees that he never hurried, that he never had to play catch up, and that he was never taken by surprise. He managed time well, bringing it under control, because he knew the importance of balance. Jesus' life was well rounded. He grew intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially.Does your life reflect a balance? Do you make time for intellectual growth? If you are too busy to read a book or engage in study that stimulates the mind, you are too busy. Do you make time for physical health? Many people burn out because of improper personal maintenance. Don't be another fatality on the emotional highway. Take care of your physical self. Do you make time for your relationship with God? Do you feel too busy for prayer, Bible study, meditation, or devotions? Psalms 46:10 can be translated, "Take time and know that I am God." A popular hymn gives this advice: "Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord . . . Take time to be holy, the world rushes on," but do we do it? Do you make time for primary relationships? Is adequate time provided for your spouse, family, and friends?

Only you can answer those questions honestly. And, only you can take the necessary steps to bring order, harmony, and balance back in your life. Start today.
Devotion by: Tyndale House Publishers

Make a Choice

Devotion by Greg Laurie
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. - James 4:4

Lot was the nephew of the only man identified in the Bible as the intimate friend of God, Abraham.

Abraham essentially wanted to walk with God, but Lot did not. Abraham was a man who possessed a deep friendship with God. Lot was interested in a friendship with God, but he was also very interested in a friendship with the world.

The apostle James asked the question, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (James 4:4).

James is saying that if you are going to follow Jesus Christ, you can't be a friend of this world. And "the world" means this world system that is hostile to the truth of God.

In case you haven't noticed it, this culture we are living in does not promote Christian values. In fact, if anything, this culture promotes the opposite.

It seems at every turn there is hostility toward those of us who believe there is right and wrong, morality and immorality. In a day when anything goes, people don't like those who hold to a set of standards and are unshakeable in them.

So if I want to be a friend to this world, if I want to go out there and do whatever my little heart desires, and engage in any pleasure that interests me, I cannot be the friend of God.

It's like having a foot on the dock and a foot in a rowboat that is beginning to drift away. You are going to have to make a choice. You can't live in two worlds.

You need to walk with God, as Abraham did.