“Jesus did not develop a plan nor did he cast a vision.  He sought his Father’s will.  Jesus had a vison for himself and for his disciples, but the vision came from his Father…

While not depreciating the value of leadership development or the significance of small group dynamics, leaders would be remiss to infer that the methodology Jesus adopted is the key to spiritual leadership. It is not.  The key to Jesus’ leadership was the relationship he had with his Father…

The salvation plan had always belonged to the Father.  This plan was not the Son’s.  It was the Father’s (John 3:16).

Scripture indicates that as a young man, Jesus ‘grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men’ (Luke 2:52).  In other words, Jesus developed his relationship with God the Father as well as with people.  Since he knew the Father, Jesus recognized his voice and understood his will.  Because he knew his Father’s will, Jesus did not allow people’s opinions to sidetrack him from his mission (Mark 1:37-38)…

Jesus…was never required to develop ministry goals or action plan.  He was sent to follow the Father’s plan, to the letter.  Jesus’ own words say it best:

“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does…By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me’ (John5:19-20, 30).

The setting was Bethesda, a healing pool in Jerusalem.  There, Jesus encountered a multitude of invalids, all vainly surrounding the pool and hoping an angel might come and stir up the waters…Among the crowd that day was a man who had been lame for thirty-eight years.  Of all the people there that day, it appears Jesus chose to heal only this one man.  When the religious leaders challenged Jesus’ actions, he explained that he was doing exactly what the Father showed him to do.  Jesus had cultivated such a close relationship with his Father that he could recognize his Father’s activity even in the midst of a large crowd.  Whenever and wherever he saw his Father at work, Jesus immediately joined him.

Significantly, even choosing his twelve disciples was not Jesus’ idea but his Father’s.  Scripture says Jesus spent an entire night praying before he chose his disciples…This was a crucial juncture in Jesus’ ministry; perhaps it took most of the night to understand clearly the Father’s plan for the Twelve.  Perhaps the Father spent time explaining the role of Judas to his Son during those intimate hours of prayer…

This passage (John 17:6-7) indicates clearly that Jesus did not choose twelve disciples as a matter of strategy.  Nor was there any formula in the number twelve.  Jesus had twelve disciples because that is how many his Father gave him…

According to Jesus even the teaching he gave his disciples came from the Father (John 6:49-50; 14:10; 15:15; 17:8).  Jesus understood that he was to facilitate the relationship between his disciples and his Father.  His task was to bring his disciples face to face with the Father so they could develop the same intimate relationship with him that Jesus enjoyed (John 14:8-11)  When the twelve began to mature in their understanding of spiritual things, they recognized Jesus as the Christ.  Jesus knew this was not the result of his teaching methods, but it was due to the Father’s work in their lives (Matt. 16:17).

Jesus made it clear that when his disciples developed spiritual understanding, it was not due to his efforts, but to his Father’s teaching.  It is incredible that Jesus, the wisest teacher of all time, would recognize his Father’s strategy and not his own as the impetus behind any breakthough in his disciples’ spiritual understanding! 

Further evidence of Christ’s complete dependence on his Father is the fact that Jesus did not know when his own Second Coming would be (Matt 24:36).

Jesus came to fulfill his Father’s plan of salvation.  He spent each day looking for what the Father would reveal about his will.  When he observed the Father at work, Jesus adjusted his life to join him.  When Jesus entered the large city of Jericho, with masses of people crowding along the streets trying to catch a glimpse of him, Jesus did not set the agenda for that day.  He did not strategize: ‘This is the last time I will pass through this great city.  What can I do to make the greatest impact on the crowd and see the most people accept the gospel?’

Instead, Jesus spotted the diminutive Zaccheus in a tree.  Out of the intimate relationship Jesus had with his Father, he recognized the Father’s activity in the despised tax collector’s life, and he invited Zaccheus to spend time with him (Luke 19:1-10). 

Had Jesus entered the city planning to have lunch with the most notorious sinner of that region?  No.  He had simply watched for the first sign of the Father’s activity.  Once he saw where the Father was working, Jesus immediately knew the agenda for his ministry.  Likewise, he trained his disciples to watch for God’s activity rather than to set their own agendas.

Even in the most difficult assignments, including the cross, Jesus accepted his Father’s will unwaveringly.  Jesus left his future, as well as his Second Coming, for the Father to determine.  Jesus characterized his entire ministry with these words: ‘By myself I can do nothing’ (John 5:30).

Henry Blackaby, “Spiritual Leadership” (pgs 24-28)

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“When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. ⁷ Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. ⁸ He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. ⁹ So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. ¹⁰ Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

¹¹ “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, ¹² I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

¹³ “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”


1 Samuel 13:6-14



“A lot can go through your head while you’re waiting.  What are some of the thoughts that have bombarded you during one of your latest waiting experiences?

What do you think God is most wanting to purge out of us when He forces us to wait on Him?



Any serious student of Israel, or of David, must face why God rejected Saul as king of Israel.  We begin to comprehend the reason by examining the time when Saul mustered an army for war against the Philistines, but the Israelite army was so badly outnumbered that they hid in caves.

God gave Saul a chance to shine.  He could have taken his place among the great men and women of faith.  According to verse 8, he ‘waited seven days, the time set by Samuel.’  God was teaching his new king to wait on the Lord.

Imagine the strain on the fledgling king as watched his army melt away before his eyes.  The prophet told Saul to wait until he came to offer the sacrifice before battle.  By the seventh day, Saul’s patience snapped.  He could no longer stand to see his army disintegrate.  No doubt he chafed under the criticism of his men.  He dared not go into battle without making an offering to God, so he offered the sacrifice himself.

Have you noticed the truth of the old statement that God is seldom in a hurry but He’s never late?  How often do we give up on God and on obedience just five minutes before deliverance?  As Saul made the offering, Samuel arrived.  At first glance Saul’s infraction may seem minor and Samuel’s reaction harsh, but we must remember, Saul was king of God’s people.  If you aspire to greater authority, you must accept greater accountability that goes with it.

Samuel demanded to know what Saul had done.  The king’s response reflected his fear of public opinion, his lack of trust in God, and his cavalier attitude toward obedience.  Saul said when he saw the men scattering and Samuel didn’t come, he ‘felt compelled to offer the burnt offering’ (vs. 12).

We dare not minimize disobedience to God.  The prophet responded to Saul’s excuses and blaming with harsh words.  Saul had a clear command from God.  He disobeyed, an it cost him the kingdom.



Lord God, as David declared, may I be certain of seeing Your goodness come to pass in my current situation, whether in triumph and victory or in loss and turmoil, as I experience Your mighty supply of grace and power sustaining me.  Because of Your Spirit’s life at work in me, I will wait for You, Lord, courageous and with a strong heart.  Yes, Lord, I will wait on You (Ps 27:13-14).”

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/450/

“God’s great generosity to us sets us free to model that generosity toward others.  Because He gave, we are enabled to give.

This celebration of the generosity of God and freedom to give in return is clearly seen in the year of Jubilee (Lev 25).  The Jubilee was a call to a divinely enabled freedom from possessions and an equitable restructuring of social arrangements.

Once every fifty years, on the Day of Atonement, the loud trumpet was to sound, proclaiming, ‘liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants’ (Lev 25:10).  All slaves were to be set free.  All debts were to be canceled.  All land was to be returned to the original owner.

Inherent in the concept of the Jubilee was a carefree spirit of joyous trust.  God could be relied upon to provide what was needed.  He had promised, ‘I will command my blessing upon you’ (Lev 25:21).  It was this inner spirit of trust that gave the ability to meet the stipulations of the Jubilee.

There was an important social principle in the Jubilee.  If it had been faithfully executed (which it was not), it would have utterly eliminated the age-old problem of the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer.  It was, in effect, legislative justice on behalf of the poor – and institutionalized legal mechanism for solving the social and spiritual problem.  The vicious cycle of poverty could be broken.  Parents who had lost everything and were forced to sell themselves into slavery to survive knew that their children need not be crushed with their economic legacy.  They could have a fresh start.  Conversely, the wealthy could not forever lord it over those less fortunate.  Their advantaged position was not perpetual.”

(Foster, pg. 24)

My sister and I often talk about poverty.  She is the CFO of a not-for-profit in downtown KC that helps get housing for those without homes.  One time she told me, “The average homeless person is 8.  This is not the ‘bum on the street who needs to get a job.’  These are children.”

We regularly toss back and forth reasons for poverty, the poverty cycle and whose problem it is.  And, of course, what our duty is as followers of Jesus.  We’ve chatted about the following from Generous Justice:

One of the main reasons we cannot fit the Bible’s approach [in poverty and social reform] into a liberal or conservative economic model is the Scripture’s highly nuanced understanding of the causes of poverty.  Liberal theorists believe the “root causes” of poverty are always social forces beyond the control of the poor, such as racial prejudice, economic deprivation, joblessness, and other inequities.  Conservative theorists put the blame on the breakdown of the family, the loss of character qualities such as self-control and discipline, and other habits and practices of the poor themselves.

By contrast, the causes of poverty as put forth in the Bible are remarkably balanced.  The Bible gives us a matrix of causes.  One factor is oppression, which includes a judicial system weighted in favor of the powerful (Lev 19:15), or loans with excessive interest (Exodus 22:25-27), or unjustly low wages (Jer 22:13; James 5:1-6).

Ultimately, however, the prophets blame the rich when extremes of wealth and poverty in society appear (Amos5:11-12; Ex 22:29; Micah 2:2; Isaiah 5:8).

As we have seen , a great deal of the Mosaic legislation was designed to keep the ordinary disparities between the wealthy and the poor from becoming aggravated and extreme.  Therefore, whenever great disparities arose, the prophets assumed that to some degree it was the result of selfish individualism rather than concern with the common good.

If this were all that the Bible had to say about poverty, we might be tempted to assume that the liberals were right, that poverty comes from only unjust social conditions.  But there are other factors. One is what we could call “natural disasters.”  This refers to any natural circumstances that brings or keeps a person in poverty, such as famine (Genesis 47), disabling injury, floods, or fires.  It may be fair to say, also, that some people lack the ability to make wise decisions.  It is not a moral failing, they are simply unable to make good choices because they lack insight.

Another cause of poverty, according to the Bible, is what we could call “personal moral failures,” such as indolence (Prov 6:6-7), and other problems with self-discipline (Prov 23:21).  The book of Proverbs is particularly forceful in its insistence that hard work can lead to economic prosperity (Prov 12:11; 14:23; 20:13), though there are exceptions (Prov 13:23).

Poverty, therefore, is seen in the Bible as a very complex phenomenon.  Several factors are usually intertwined.  Poverty cannot be eliminated simply by personal initiative or by merely changing the tax structure.  Multiple factors are usually interactively present in the life of a poor family.  For example: A person raised in a racial/economic ghetto (factor #1) is likely to have poor health (factor #2) and also learn many habits that do not fit with material/social advancement (factors #2 and 3).  Any large-scale improvement in a society’s level of poverty will come through a comprehensive array of public and private, spiritual, personal and corporate measure.  There are many indications that scholars are coming to have a more balanced, complex view of poverty and are breaking through the older Right-Left deadlock.

The three causes of poverty, according to the Bible, are oppression, calamity, and personal moral failure.  Having surveyed the Bible on these texts numerous times, I have concluded that the emphasis is usually on the larger structural factors.  In many countries of the world, corrupt governments, oppressive economic orders, and natural disasters keep hundreds of millions of people in poverty.  In our own country, the weak educational system that society provides for inner city youth sets them up for failure.  But when we add personal wrongdoing and crime to the larger forces of exclusion and oppression, we have a potent mixture that locks people into poverty.  Taken in isolation, no one factor – government programs, public policy, calls to personal responsibility, or private charity – is sufficient to address the problem.

(Keller, pgs 33-35)

We were talking the other day about all the prejudices and misconceptions Christians have regarding poverty.  My sissy had heard a quote that went something like “If you want to get into heaven, you’re gonna need a letter of reference from the poor.”

Now, we know the only way we can even think of standing before the just Judge is the covering of the Spotless Lamb.  But I think it would do us well to remember, again, that this Lamb – from Genesis to Revelation – shows a special concern for the poor, widow, orphan and marginalized.  In fact, He closely identifies with them. 

Do not deprive the alien or fatherless of justice. (Deut 24:17)

“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.” (Prov 22:22)

“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.” (Prov 29:7)

“He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.” (Prov 17:5)

“If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.” (Prov 21:13)

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Prov 31:8)

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. (Deut 15:7)

Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says the LORD, I will protect them from those who malign them (Ps 12:5)

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling (Ps 68:5)

He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. (Prov 14:31)

He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses (Prov 28:27)

It seems to me we should tread very lightly and humbly in this area.  We cannot afford any other way.

Oh, Righteous Creator, You are the One we want to please.  Break our hearts for what breaks Yours.

“‘As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found.  And to whom is all the desire of Israel turned, if not to you and all your father’s family?’ (1 Samuel 9:20)

Saul’s response gives us a glimpse of a root problem in his life.  The future king replied,

‘But am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?’ (vs 11).

How do we distinguish between godly humility and low self-esteem?  Which did Saul display?  One key lies in our focus.  A person with godly humility looks to the Master.  He or she neither exalts nor denigrates self, because to do either is to make self the center of our universe.  When we’re really serving Christ, our reputations and abilities simply cease to be so important.  We must decrease that He may increase.

Saul exhibited the core sin of all self-centered people: he focused on himself.  We need to recognize that a lack of confidence does not equal humility.  In fact, genuinely humble people have enormous confidence because it rests in a great God.  Saul’s self-centeredness eventually cost him dearly, as a self-focus always does.

Father, faithfully reveal to me every bastion of pride in my heart, even those that mask themselves in the guise of false humility and anxiety  May I boast only in this: that I know You as Lord, who delights in showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth (Jer. 9:24), and the cross of Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14).”

Oh my. My word for today.

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For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12 NLT

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I am full of earth

 You are heaven’s worth

 I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity

 You are everything that is bright and clean

 The antonym of me

 You are Divinity

 But a certain sign of grace is this

 From the broken earth flowers come up

 Pushing through the dirt

 You are holy, holy, holy

 All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”

 You are holy, holy, holy

 I want to be holy like You are

 You are everything that is bright and clean

 And You’re covering me with Your majesty

 And the truest sign of grace was this

 From wounded hands redemption fell down

 Liberating man

 But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel

 The depth of our fall and the weight of it all

 And so this might could be the most impossible thing

 Your grandness in me making me clean!

 So here I am, all of me

 Finally everything

 Wholly, wholly, wholly

 I am wholly, wholly

 Yours

 I am full of earth and dirt and You

David Crowder, “Wholly Yours”

I used to listen to this on my earphones over and over as I walked the streets of our city overseas. 

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Sometimes I think

 What will people say of me

 When I’m only just a memory

 When I’m home where my soul belongs?

 Was I love

 When no one else would show up?

 Was I Jesus to the least of us?

 Was my worship more than just a song?

 I want to live like that

 And give it all I have

 So that everything I say and do

 Points to You!

 If love is who I am

 Then this is where I’ll stand

 Recklessly abandoned

 Never holding back

I want to live like that!

 Am I proof

 That You are who you say You are?

 That grace can really change a heart?

 Do I live like Your love is true?

 People pass

 And even if they don’t know my name

 Is there evidence that I’ve been changed?

 When they see me, do they see You?

 I want to show the world the love You gave for me!

 I’m longing for the world to know the glory of the King!

 I want to live like that

 And give it all I have

 So that everything I say and do

 Points to You!

 If love is who I am

 Then this is where I’ll stand

 Recklessly abandoned

 Never holding back

I want to live like that!

Sidewalk Prophets, “Live Like That”

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Staycations rock.

The boys left last night for the grandparents’ for the whole weekend!

My man and I had a Groupon for one of those Japanese steak houses where they cook the food in front of you (hibachi?).  So we had a late dinner last night.  Then we wandered around Old Town.  We had just missed the concert that had been going on, so we settled for a little wine bar that had outdoor seating with a guy playing a guitar and another one on the djembe.  They played fun songs like Brown Eyed Girl, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and something by Johnny Cash.  It was such a beautiful evening.

This morning I taught an 8:00 class, which ruined my dream of sleeping past 6 am.  But, I got to drink my coffee while it was still hot.  Lovely.

Dan wanted to work out and make a Lowe’s run after.  So he shooed me off to the salon (he likes to shoo me there).  I lost my mind and went blonder.  Meh.  It’s alright, I think it looks fake.  Plus it’ll be higher maintenance.  Can I get an amen that I’m already high maintenance enough? 

Dan’s been working hard getting our living room painted before his helpers get back tomorrow night.  I’m going to a girls-only birthday dinner, then we’re gonna go see some manly movie.  (We try to only see action-type movies on the big screen; there is no reason to see a rom com in the theater.)  Pacific Rim it is.  (At least there are no zombies in it.)

Next week is our last week of vacation.  Dan has meetings starting back up and soon my first born will break my heart and go off to Kindergarten all day.  So we’re gonna do lots of fun end-of-the-summer stuff. 

I have felt like He’s been pouring, just drenching us in blessings lately. 

He’s so generous.

I tend to be busier than I should be

 And I tend to think that time is gonna wait for me

 Sometimes I forget and take for granted

 That it’s a beautiful life we live

 I don’t wanna miss the moments like this

 This is a beautiful life You give

 You’re the reason for every good thing, every heartbeat

 Every day we get to breathe

 You’re the reason for anything that lasts, every second chance

 Every laugh, life is so sweet

 You’re the reason for every good thing, every good thing

 Every good thing, every good thing…

There will be days that give me more than I can take

 But I know that You always make beauty from my heartache

 Don’t wanna forget or take for granted

 That it’s a beautiful life we live

 I’m not gonna miss the moments like this

This is a beautiful life You give

 It’s our family, it’s our friends

 It’s the feeling that I get when I see my children smile

 You’re the reason for this life, everything we love

 It’s You alive in us

 You’re alive in us

The Afters, “Every Good Thing”

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What an evening.

We sold Dan’s car.  As in, people gave us money in exchange for his car.  (The hubs was a mechanic and we were totally honest about its issues, so we don’t feel guilty.  Because, listen.  Dan’s car dies.  A lot.  Like, you’ll be driving down the road and it’ll stop running.  Or as my friend said last night, “You know how the point of a car is to get you from point A to point B?  That doesn’t always happen dependably with this one.”)

So anyway.  Down to one car.

I had agreed to sub an afternoon class today from 4:00 – 4:45.  Well, turns out, that’s when Zumba is.  My class was to be from 4:45 – 5:30.  This is a problem.  Because Dan has a class at 5:30 across town.  So we were in a pickle.  (Dan loves when I do stuff like this.)

Anyway, we decided he should take the car and we’d get a ride home after the second class I was to teach, since his class doesn’t get out until after the boys’ bedtime. 

So into the gym we traipse with two car seats and one boy dressed as a Ninja and the other a cross between Spiderman and Iron Man – and both carrying swords.  (Because a huge church in town had a massive garage sale today…the boys love garage sales because Mommy actually says yes to buying stuff.  Because it’s fifty cents.) 

I do my thing and then remember we have no ride home.  So I call my good friend to rescue us because she has a van that can fit us all.  She’s out picking up dinner so she swings by.  On the way to drop her dinner at her house, my oldest goes, “Mommy, do you have the garage door opener?”

Dang.

We can’t get into the house without it cause all the screen doors are locked from the inside.  So we drop friend off so she can eat dinner with her family and borrow her van to head across town to find our parked car with the garage door opener.  As we pull off, I see another friend walking.  I do a U-turn in the street (in the middle of which my son asks, “Mommy, do you know how to drive a van?”) to talk her into joining us on the cross-town ride.

This friend acts like this happens everyday, hops in and off we go.  Good chatting and laughing.

We finally retrieve the garage door opener and head back to the first friend’s house.  Second friend thanks us for the interesting evening.  First friend hops back in the van to drive us across town the other way to take us home.

And in the middle of all this, first friend is preparing to go out of town tomorrow morning!

I love our community.

 

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/457/

I’ve been working through this study with Jesus.

It’s much more of a devotional/journal type exercise than a deep text study.  I’m loving learning more about David, but she immediately applies everything to my daily life in journal exercises.  Which means I don’t feel much need to work it through on here.  (Oooh, she also has us pray His Words back to Him at the end of each daily section.  Love it.)

But today the reading was from 1 Samuel 4:1-11, where the Israelites treat the ark of the covenant like a good luck charm in battle and are whooped up on as a result.

She asks:

“In what ways do we well-meaning Christians sometimes use our faith like a good-luck charm, thinking that if we handle it just right, it will grant our wishes?

What’s the real danger in this?  How have you seen this cause other people’s expectations of God (or perhaps even your own expectations of Him) to stray from biblical truth?”

Almost immediately my thoughts went to James, where the Spirit’s words have kicked my tail a time or two in my faith walk.

James 3:13-16:

“Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”

Oh man.  If I could only recount all the times I’ve been driven by bitter envy and selfish ambition.  The next set of verses are my prayer:

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” (vs 17-18)

Jesus, make us peacemakers.  Give us the wisdom that comes from heaven.  Rid us of all bitter envy and selfish ambition.  May we never treat you or your expressions of goodness as good luck charms or idols.  Give us holy fear of You. 

https://www.intentionalkingdomliving.com/458/