Devotionals @ The Mount Church

Therefore prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written “Be holy, because I am holy.”

1 Peter 1:13-16

The dictionary defines “self-control” as meaning “restraint exercised over one’s own impulses, emotions, or desires”. I used to think that this was the least pleasant of the fruits of the Spirit. I mean, love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness…they all seemed so nice and enjoyable to have. But self-control? It seemed like the hard fruit to display. It required me to have to really try at something. And that seemed like a lot of work.

Let me quickly interject that this was my thinking as a teenager, and I have since learned two very important things about the fruit of the Spirit. One is that NONE of them are easy. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world to do is love someone, or be patient with someone, or feel joy or peace in certain circumstances. The second thing I learned is that it is not ME who has to do any of these things. It is the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through me that accomplishes any of these fruits. In my own capacity, I am not capable of producing them. But in my flesh, I am able to stop them from being produced in my life. And that is the “catch” in any of them–especially self-control.

The world is full of excuses for a lack of self-control. We are tempted to live without self-control in the areas of eating, drinking, exercise, gossip, anger, lust, and inappropriate relationships. We are encouraged not to take responsibility for anything we fall to, but instead we are told that we cannot help it because it is a “disease” that we are victims of. But the truth is that if we do fall it is due to a lack of self-control. If we allow the Holy Spirit to fill and empower us, we will have the ability to control ourselves in these areas, and we can have victory over any area of temptation. We can be more like Him, and move closer to “being holy, as He is holy”.

The choice is ours. We are without excuse. We have the command to exercise self-control. We have the power source to use for this self-control. If we choose not to use it, we will fall to sin. It will be our choice, but it will not only affect our lives. If we choose not to exercise self-control, it will without a doubt affect those around us. We can be an encouraging influence on those around us when we use that control, or we can pull them down with our lack of self-control. Will we prepare our minds for action? Or will we conform to the evil desires that we had when we were ignorant? I pray that we will set our hopes on the grace to be given to us when Christ is revealed, and begin to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit in our lives–including self-control.

points to ponder

1. Are you practicing the power of the Holy Spirit in your life to experience the fruit of the Spirit in your life?
2. Do you understand the need for self-control in your life? Do you understand the danger of not exercising self-control in your life?
3. Will you ask God to make you keenly aware of this need, and ask Him to show you how to succeed in this area?

prayer

Lord Jesus, show us the awful effects of a lack of self-control in our lives. Break our hearts with this truth. And then convince us that You can give us the power to see success in this area. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and help us to tap into Your ability to give us self-control. May we never settle for our own weakness in this area, but may we trust You for self-control in every area of our lives. We are Yours alone. Amen.

Helen Brenneman writes: “There was a man who had a heart transplant. But the operation was a total failure. For the man was a mean man and the heart was a kind heart. His body simply rejected it.”

The Bible, however, tells us about a successful heart transplant: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Like the mean man mentioned above, we as humans have a predisposition to be unkind! Unfortunately, even our salvation experience does not make us immune to that temptation. Christians can be terribly cruel, leaving no distinction between them and someone who doesn’t have Christ in their hearts and lives only for themselves. Probably, without meaning to be, most all of us are cruel at times. The Bible teaches us, however, that in order to please God we must cultivate the fruit of kindness. God’s Word is replete with verses that speak to this truth.

Ephesians 4:31-32 state, “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Colossians 3:12-13 tells us to, “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Having a kind demeanor is possible only through the kind of heart transplant described in Ezekiel, one that is the direct result of the power of the Holy Spirit active in one’s life. It is only as we submit ourselves daily to the washing and renewal of the Holy Spirit that we receive this empowerment to be kind through the generous gift of Jesus. (Titus 3:15)

Moses tried to do ministry at times in his own strength. At one point, early on, he was so dependent on himself that he became enraged and killed an Egyptian. Only after long years as a shepherd and then an encounter with Yahweh at the burning bush did Moses become the meekest of men and a powerful leader of God’s people. We, too, can become totally different people when we receive a change of heart that enables us to be kind to others.

You can’t always stop people from hating you, but you don’t have to hate them back. You can’t always make people love you, but you can always love them back.

By way of application, read Romans 12:14-21, asking God to help you receive the heart transplant you need today in order to reflect His kindness to those around you.

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

James 5:7-9

I was far away from here, felt like a million miles
Under unfamiliar skies, in more than one way far from dreams I’d dreamed
I’d seen the blinding light, there was hope but was there time
Slow trigger starting line, and each day of waiting seemed eternity

You never left my side
You never left my mind …Keep waiting, I’ll be right on time. — “Keeping Waiting,” Stavesacre (band)

Perhaps in no other time in the recent history of our church has our need for patience in the face of trying times been so clear. I don’t write in the first person too much, but I’m going to “break character” this week, given what I think is a very important topic, particularly at this time in the life of our church.

So here’s a story for you. Admittedly, in a hasty preference to the New Testament and selected portions of the Old, I have not spent much time studying the book of Job and knew little of the narrative or basic themes. Little did I know that this week when I sat down to write about “patience” for this devotional, God wasn’t interested in me spitting out an easy 500-word devotional lickity-split. He wasn’t interested in brevity or what other plans I had for that day. Those things could wait.

“It’s peculiar,” I thought to myself about a week ago: “Why did my wife begin reading Job out of the blue. He was kind of a gloomy guy, right? Aren’t there happier books in the Bible she can read before bedtime? If she has to go ‘Old Testament’ on me, why not Psalm? Now, that’s good pre-sleep reading.”

But it turns out God had something else planned. When I sat down to think about what to write this week, I was a blank slate and didn’t know what specifically I would write about regarding patience. “I wonder if this Job guy ever had a redemptive moment,” I thought to myself about Job. “Or was it all just doom and gloom?” Before my studies, I honestly didn’t know about the expression: “The patience of Job.” Turns out, Job is one of, if not the shining pictures of patience in the entire Bible!

Turns out, God is still in the business of revealing himself to us today, right where we are, if we would only open his word and be receptive. His revelations aren’t just the stuff of the Old Testament or New thing. The annotated version of Job is this: God allows Satan to test Job by first removing all that he owns and loves. His children are killed when their house falls on them during a storm. His livestock are killed. Later, he’s inflicted with boils. After calamities that would lead most of us to throw up our hands, shake our fist at the sky and say, I “curse God, and die,” as his wife suggests he do, Job simply refuses. After his children are killed, Job says, “‘Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Suppose your son or daughter were killed tomorrow, could you then say, “blessed be the name of the Lord?” We want to believe our faith is that strong, but is it really? The word “patient” in the Greek means, in part, “long suffering” and “slow to anger.” Indeed, God displays this of himself time and time again in the Bible. Despite their constant missteps, he was infinitely patient with the Israelites. Jesus was infinitely patient with his disciples, who at times, were exceeding slow to learn. And he, likewise, is infinitely patient with us. So then, we should learn from his example and from examples like Job and display that patience to the world around us. Ultimately, God is teaching us through Job that sometimes in this imperfect earth and in these imperfect vessels, we can be made more perfect by displaying His patience.

I think our church has been bruised a bit by recent events; feelings and relationships perhaps need to be mended. Hearts need to be healed. And it’s precisely in this time that we can display the stuff we are made of, the stuff Christ is made of, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. It’s at this time that we need to look back at Job’s example and God’s ultimate example and be exceedingly patient, kind and gentle to those around us. Look at this as an opportunity. A chance to be infinitely patient in trying times, to be still and know that, even though we may not think it sometimes, God is still in control and will bring us through to the other side, perhaps kicking and screaming, but nonetheless, stronger in Him and more centered on his will.

As I write this, Chris Tomlin’s “Your Grace Is Enough” is playing in my headphones. Just be reminded this week that He really is all we need in good times and bad.

“Great is your faithfulness, oh God. You wrestle with the sinner’s heart. You lead us by still waters into mercy, and nothing can keep us apart so remember your people. Remember your children. Remember your promise, oh God.

“Your grace is enough. Your grace is enough. You grace is enough for me …”

prayer

Today, simply pray in your own words for fellow brothers and sisters at The Mount. Pray for focus to be directly centered on God’s will. Pray for our leadership and pray that in the coming months and years, God would do something at The Mount that we can’t explain. Pray that lives would be changes and that our community would be changed because of our unbending commitment to be more like Christ.

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 10:39

I’ve often heard said that the safest place to be is in God’s will. God’s will, however, rarely feels as if it is a safe place. Perhaps it is because it is just that-God’s will, not your own. The name itself encompasses a giving up of control and a deep trust in another’s, a letting go of personal desires in order to pursue His desire. This in and of itself is terrifying. Combined then with the job description Christ gives to a missionary, it is a wonder anyone willingly leaves the home front.

In his book, The Barbarian Way, Erwin McManus describes one who is called to missions as having lost their sanity. And it is a good thing. It is a good thing because it demonstrates a deeper trust in the Creator than in what the world believes brings security; there is a greater love for the Father than for the family, and a clearer vision of eternity than immediacy. Life (as we tend to think of it) must not be sought after-it is imperative that one die to this concept, and in the end, truly live.

I feel that this is a true concept for the entire Christian life, no matter what vocation-as you grow in your faith, the things that you once found “life” in are slowly stripped away, and a greater joy, a greater life is found in Christ. This is the Christian life. Our prayer today, however, focuses on the specific vocation of missions, and just as Christ commanded in Matthew 9:38, so we pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers into His harvest.

pray that we might hear His call

Following Christ’s prayer that laborers might be sent out, Christ commissions his disciples. In Matthew 10:1-4, the disciples were named and given authority to do the work of the Lord. Those He calls, He also equips to do the work of the Lord. Piper warns that one’s calling is never beyond question-you will not find a verse with your name on it and God’s detailed plan for your life, and it is doubtful that He would write your calling on the wall or in the sky.

Instead, we must cultivate a heart that is sensitive to His Spirit, that knows His word (and therefore His heart), and that is faithful with what He entrusts us. A sweet friend of mine often reminded me that if the sheep long to stay near the Shepherd, He will not allow them to stray far. With a heart fully surrendered to the Lord, and a mind saturated with His word, we can then begin to look at ourselves as He’s designed us. What are your spiritual gifts? How has the Lord equipped you? What are you passionate about? Is there a particular group of people you have a heart to reach (nationality, age group, socioeconomic status, etc.)? These are not tell tale signs that this IS God’s will for your life, but it is important to be aware of how the Lord has made you-there is always a purpose! Pray that the Lord would give you insight into your own heart, and that he would open each of our eyes to His will. Pray that we would be sensitive to His calling and to His word.

pray that we might count the cost

Christ gave his disciples instructions before he sent them out. He prepared them for the ministry they were about to undertake, and gave them great insight into what they would encounter, challenges both on a heart level and from others. They would have to rely on the Lord to provide for their physical needs-Christ instructed them to trust Him rather than store up their own provisions for the journey (v. 9-10). They were to risk rejection, and commended to persevere through it (v. 11-15). Interrogations and beatings were to be expected (Christ uses when, not if, in v. 16-19). Betrayal and hatred would be encountered (v. 21-22). The suffering that Christ endured, you are not beyond (v. 24-25). What the disciples were warned of, we also face today.

I have never met a missionary who did not have to rely on the Lord to provide for their needs, nor one who did not face rejection by at least some, if not all, of the people they were ministering to. I have friends who have been interrogated for hours on end, whose homes have been watched by secret police, who have had to flee their cities under cover of night. I have worked with girls who could not disclose their true jobs to their parents for fear of being disowned, or turned in. Others whose parents berate and belittle them for not pursuing a “real” job and success. And more have been killed as they faithfully serve.

Only a fool would enter into missions without first counting the costs: can you imagine arriving at your ministry site and encountering even one of these trials unexpectedly? One would return home in great fear, frustration, having been completely disheartened. Pray that we might have a realistic understanding of what it means to serve in missions. Pray that those God is calling to missions would understand the costs, and would not be paralyzed by the fear.

pray that we might remember the “but…”

“But God” might be my favorite phrase in the entire Bible. Any sentence that begins with this, carries with it a message of hope in spite of circumstance, justice in the face of adversity, and the absolute greatness of God over all things. While this passage does not contain this exact phrase, the concept remains the same. When warned of interrogations, we are also told not to worry, God will give you the words to say (v.19). Christ speaks of God’s care for the sparrows, “but even the hairs on your head are numbered. Fear not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows” (v. 29-31).

Just as I have never known a missionary who does not have to trust God to provide, I have never known one who has gone without. And in the end, “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (v. 39). Pray that above all else, we will keep our focus on Who we serve, and that our trust would reside in Him alone. Pray that we would know Him to be greater than the costs, and far more worthy of pursuit than anything this world has to offer.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Colossians 3:23,24

When I think of the church impacting the community around them, the first thoughts I have are concerning what actions need to take place. We need to feed the hungry. We need to clothe the poor. We need to give counsel to those in bondage. We need to offer help for hurting marriages and broken homes. We need to visit the sick and help the widows. The list goes on and on. And I can get tired and overwhelmed just thinking of all the needs around us in the community that we should try to address. It can be disheartening from the start because there are SO many needs in the community around us. Where do we start?

The first place we start is in our hearts. We ask God to give us a call to our place of service, and the commitment to work there. If our hearts are not responding to a call from God, then we will give a flurry of service to some aspect of need, and then it will be over. If our drive is our own, and not provided by God’s Holy Spirit empowering our lives, it will soon run out and we will leave our service unfinished. Our hearts are the starting place. Only when we are responding in obedience to God’s call will we know where and how to serve others. We start with prayer, and time in His word, and a heart that is quietly listening to His voice. And He will give us direction. He will move us to the place He wants us to serve. He will give us a passion for that one area of service that He wants us to use us in the lives of those around us.

The second place we start is with our heads. Once God has led our hearts to a place of service, we use our heads to decide that we will serve. It is interesting to note that the verse above is addressed to slaves. Wouldn’t a slave already have to work hard? Wouldn’t a slave know that complete dedication was required of him? Yes, he would. But the point of the verse is the motivation for that work. The slave is not to do it for his earthly master, he is to do it as unto the Lord. And that outlook requires a change of mind-an act of the will. When we respond like the slave is told to, by doing all our work with all our hearts for the Lord, then we will have an impact on the community around us. This choice we make to live and work for the glory of Christ will become a part of everything we do.

In Chip Ingram’s book “Good to Great in God’s Eyes” he tells of an incident where he was watching one of his friends pick up the floor, wipe out the sink, and wipe off the toilet seat in a dirty public restroom. When he asked why this friend was doing all this work in a place he would never return to, the friend’s reply was “A disciple of Christ always leaves everything better than he found it. Someone is going to sit on that seat later. Someone is going to wash his hands in that sink. I don’t know them, but I don’t need to . I just need to serve them. If Jesus where here, he would want something better for them.” Just think what our community would be like if we adopted that mindset. What would Clemson be like if we all left everything better than we found it? It sounds like such a small thing, but if it were done collectively, it would make a noticeable difference. And I am not just talking about cleaning public restrooms…I am talking about having this attitude in everything you do. Employees with this attitude would be noticed. Volunteers with this attitude would be noticed. Shoppers with this attitude would be noticed. Servers with this attitude would be noticed. It starts with your heart (God leading you to a place of service), then moves to you head (you choosing to work hard as unto the Lord), and then it ends with a team.

God very rarely uses lone rangers. Jesus sent his disciples out in twos. Paul took co-workers with him on his mission trips. It just makes sense that for fellowship, accountability, and sharing of the load, it is a good thing to work alongside others. In another chapter of Chip Ingram’s book, he tells of the philosophy of his church to “dream a dream and form a team”. He encouraged his congregation to ask God to give them a dream for ministry. This could have been within the church or outside in the community. Then they were to find others that shared that passion with them and write out a plan of how they desired to minister to their area of calling. In a team setting, there is encouragement, excitement and a wealth of ideas. There is fellowship, strengthening of faith, and someone to lift you up when you are down (Ecclesiastes 4:10). A team with a vision, a passion, and a servant mindset can make an unbelievable impact on our community. Lives would be affected, hearts would be healed, and Jesus would be seen in us through everything we did. That is an impact that the world cannot ignore.

ask yourself this

1. Have you asked God to lead your heart to a ministry He wants you to serve in through our church or community?
2. Have you decided with your will to do all the work that God calls you to do with all your heart so that He is glorified in all you do?
3. Will you step out in faith, dream and dream, and look for a team to help you serve?

prayer

Lord Jesus, it is with your power and leading that we want to serve those around us. We want to leave everything better than we found it. We want to show you to the world around us through the way we work and serve everyday. Empower us with your Holy Spirit. Give us your passion for those who are hurting. Lead us to each other as we look to minister together. And in all, be glorified by our lives surrendered to you alone. We love you, Amen.