Life Changing Moments

Imagine with me, if you will, the following scenarios: You placed an ad in Craig’s List to sell your Jeep. Weeks pass and no one comes but then there’s a phone call from a man who wants to come look at it. He comes with his wife, they buy the Jeep and in the process you learn that she is someone you met over 30 years earlier. Her mother had opened her home to your cowboy Bible studies. A friendship renewed!

Then there was the time you stopped in a restaurant in a small town in norther California. As your husband comes through the door and approaches the counter, a man sitting there sees the words on his belt buckle “Jesus Is Lord”, falls to his knees and repents because he has been running from God.

One other time, you find yourself stopping in a pharmacy and meet a young woman who is obviously upset. You ask to pray for her and she bursts into tears. You pray, the Lord lifts her burden and you leave.

All of these, and others, were life changing moments for us and for those we encountered. They were divine appointments that the Lord orchestrated and we were blessed to be a part of.

I’ve been looking at people who encountered Jesus. Each one started out as a normal day, normal routine but they encountered a divine appointment. Some were moved by what Jesus did and others by what Jesus said.

Remember the Samaritan woman? Her life and the life of her town were changed by the words of Jesus. Jesus had stopped on His journey at the town well when He met a woman.

“Many of the Samaritan people in that town believed in Jesus. They believed because of what the woman had told them about him. She had told them, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40 The Samaritans went to Jesus. They begged him to stay with them. So he stayed there two days. 41 Many more people became believers because of the things he said.42 The people said to the woman, “First we believed in Jesus because of what you told us. But now we believe because we heard him ourselves. We know now that he really is the one who will save the world.” John 4:39-42 ERV

And then there was the man at the pool who had been lame – His life was changed by the words “take up your bed and walk”. Jesus was just walking through town when he met this man.

“Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, … One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”…Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath” John 5:1-9 NLT

And then there was Zacchaeus. He started his day by attending a parade; he heard that there was a famous man coming through town that day and he wanted to see what He looked like. It was a life changing event.

“Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled…Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Luke 19:1-10 NLT

We are here to be an ambassador, a representative for Christ. Be open to divine set-ups. These are life changing moments for you and those you meet.

A Good Example to Follow

Yesterday I reminded you of the example our Father has set for us. He is loving and gracious, ready to help and never too busy to be there for us. These verses of instruction from the Apostle Paul on following a good example seem to fit right in with yesterday’s thoughts.

“Follow my way of thinking as I follow Christ. I think you have done well because you always remember me and have followed the things I taught you.” I Corinthians 11:1-2 NLV

Paul tells the church at Corinth to follow him in the same way he is following Christ. This is the man who went many years being religious but not following Christ. He persecuted the Christians, stood at the stoning of Stephen, and was a member of the Pharisees (religious zealots). But then Paul met the Lord on the road to Damascus and was converted. He learned from the Holy Spirit the truth of the Scriptures. He was given a mandate from God to share the truth of the Gospel and the good news of grace with the world.

He had learned that following Christ would lead him before the most prominent men of his day and that it would also lead him into the depths of the dungeons, leave him in chains, subject him to beatings and stoning but in all things he would be victorious as he followed Christ.

In all the persecution, he never harbored a grudge. He loved those who persecuted him and ministered to those who held him captive. His imprisonment wasn’t a detriment but instead it became the solitude that allowed him to write over half of the New Testament.

His letters were the instruction and encouragement that the Christians needed. Life in prison allowed him to focus on his writings and to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In Paul’s life as a Christian he didn’t complain but he offered praise. In his physical weakness he depended on God’s ever enduring strength. He wasn’t afraid of death but saw it as an opportunity to “be absent from the body and present with the Lord”. However, he chose to stay so that he could continue to teach and encourage those who were his children in the faith. And we are in that group.

Paul gives us insight on God’s plan of authority. The head of every man is Christ. Jesus brought peace between God and man – he brought reconciliation. He brought authority to replace defeat. Through Christ’s sinless life He was a living example of godliness. A true example of the Father, an example to follow.

There is one leader, God the Father. Christ followed His example of love and self-sacrifice. We’ll never go wrong when we follow the Father by following Christ.

A Living Example

I think it’s every loving father’s desire to see his children grow up to act and look like him. He teaches them things when they are young and spends time with them as they grow and develop. It’s great when his kids like the things he likes and mirror him in their life decisions. No, he doesn’t want puppets – he wants kids that make good quality decisions and that mature into respectable young people and adults.

You know, our heavenly Father wants the same. So many times we read in the Bible that we are to follow our Father’s example and be like him. This is what Jesus was saying at the Sermon on the Mount.

“You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” 44 But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. 45 Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. 46 If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors love their friends. 47 If you greet only your friends, what’s so great about that? Don’t even unbelievers do that? 48 But you must always act like your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:43-48 CEV

God, the Father, brings good to all – rain and sunshine. He has freely offered new life to everyone. He desires a deep relationship with all of us.

“Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 CEB

Let’s model His character today and reach out to all, even those who aren’t as nice to us as we would like. In doing so we are letting the love of the Father shine through us.

There’s no better example to follow than His!

All Good Things

You know how the old saying goes when making comparisons “Apples to Apples, Oranges to Oranges”. I’m sure I have used it before some where in my teachings so it should come as no surprise to you that I will be using it again this morning.

Last week I heard a very good teaching on the character of God. I have been mulling it over all week. I keep going back to it because it isn’t what some prophet or Bible character is saying about God, it’s what God is saying about Himself.

Moses wanted to see God. God had been giving him messages of provision for the Israelite people and Moses had seen the burning bush, all the plagues and the Red Sea part. He had seen the cloud covering by day and the fire covering each night but he hadn’t seen God.

“Then the Lord came down to him in a cloud, stood there with Moses, and spoke his own name. That is, the Lord passed in front of Moses and said, “Yahweh, the Lord, is a kind and merciful God. He is slow to become angry. He is full of great love. He can be trusted. He shows his faithful love to thousands of people. He forgives people for the wrong things they do, but he does not forget to punish guilty people…” Exodus 34:5-7 ERV

Look at what God says about Himself. I am merciful, kind, gracious, good tempered, loving, trustworthy, faithful, forgiving and just! Sounds very similar to the Apostle Paul’s description of what Love is.

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. Love will never end…” I Corinthians 13:4-8 ERV

These are love’s characteristics and since God is love then these are His characteristics too. Love is patient, kind, unselfish, good tempered, forgiving, loyal, trustworthy, hopeful, committed and eternal.

As I was studying these verses together I realized that these are also the characteristics that the Holy Spirit brings out in our lives, the fruit of the Spirit. That was the focus of yesterday’s blog and it also ties in with the teaching on our spiritual DNA that I wrote about a week ago. Because we are children of the Father, his DNA shapes our lives. God’s word always dove-tails together giving us a true perspective of His character.

God’s Character Love’s Character Fruit of the Spirit  
Faithful Hopeful Faithful
Forgiving Supportive Gentle
Good Faithful Good
Gracious Forgiving Joy
Loving Truthful Kind
Merciful Not Rude Love
Patient Patient Patient
Trustworthy Selfless Peaceful
  Kind  
  Not Boastful  
  Good Tempered  

God wants His character to overflow in our lives so that we look and act like Him. The Father is pleased when people look at us and say “Oh they must be a Christian, they look and act just like their Father”.

“Whatever you say or do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give thanks to God the Father through the Lord Jesus.” Colossians 3: 17 NLV

May our lives be an “apples to apples” comparison with Father as we grow in our daily walk with Him.