The College Ministry

Foot Washing vs. Being Polite

Last night in our small group discussing the spiritual gift of service, we came up with two amazing ideas:  1) When we think we are offering to serve someone and therefore fulfilling our “service quota”, we are really only being polite.  2) If you eat a powdered donut and a strawberry at the same time, it is an explosion of flavor much like a strawberry shortcake po’boy.  Obviously, we just want to talk about #1 right now, but I encourage you to head to the store after to get supplies for a shortcake po’boy.

Have you ever gone up to someone that has recently had a “life event” (recent sickness, family emergency, school issues, etc.) or someone that you know that just has a lot going on and said, “Hey, if you need something or need me to help you, just let me know.  I am here for you.”  Sure you have, we have all said it.  In our small group the other night, we realized something.  We don’t really mean it.  We need to abolish from our rhetoric the phrase, “If you need something (or any help), let me know.”  And I will tell you why.

This phrase is fundamentally flawed due to our culture.  By saying this to someone who is clearly in need, we inadvertently put the responsibility back on them to call for help (no one wants to do that!) and to possibly impose on you.  It’s like the exchange, “How are you?  I’m fine.”  We ask, but we really don’t want to know.  When we tell them to call us for help, it sounds good when we say it. We pat ourselves on the back for how willing we are to serve, but truly, we know they will not call us (and we are really busy anyway).  So, what is the solution?

We came up with the idea that maybe we need to change our approach.  Remember the last supper in John 13, when Jesus asked the disciples, “Hey guys, if you need me to wash your feet, let Me know.”  No? Me either.  In that moment, Jesus truly wanted to serve them, and show them the perfect model of service.  So, He wrapped a towel around His waist and just did it.  He didn’t take no for an answer either, when Peter tried to refuse.

Washing your feet was as much a practical thing as a cultural thing back then.  The dusty roads created dirty feet, and it was a way for them to refresh themselves and relax after being outside walking the roads.  If you were wealthy enough, you had people there to wash your guests’ feet (a very lowly task), but if not, hospitality required that you provide them with a basin of water and a towel for them to do it themselves. (1 Sam. 25:41; Luke 7:40-50; 1 Tim. 5:10)  For a host to wash a guests’ feet would be unheard of as it was not their responsibility, but yet we see Jesus, the Son of God, do it.  The implication here is not that we need to go around asking people to take of their socks and let us wash their feet, but that we need to be able to humble ourselves and perform tasks for our brothers and sisters that need to be done, regardless of what they are.

So, applying this is easier than you may think.  People who need help, need help.  They don’t need our politeness.  So what if we ask them like this:

“When would be a good time for me to come clean your apartment for you?”

“I want to come over and cook you dinner?  I know you are super busy.  What night is good for you?”

“I know your car needs an oil change, when can I take it in for you this week?”

“Hey, I am at the store getting groceries, I’m going to get you some stuff, what can I get you?”

“What are some things that you don’t feel like you can get to this week?  I want to do one of those for you.”

All that instead of saying, “Let me know if I can help you in any way,” because that is just a hollow offer.  Jesus humbled Himself as a servant and led like no other.  He said for those of you who want to be great, must first become like a servant. (Matthew 20:26)  Not just asking to make ourselves feel good or sound caring, but actually serving others.  Just doing it.

So, let’s serve like Jesus.  Let’s stop being polite, and let’s start really seeking to live that out from a heart of gratitude for what Christ has done for us!

“How To Be Ready For Anything”

written by: Caroline Kraft

check out her blog here

“God does not wait for the world to get ready, He enters right into the mess…because He comes for the messy.”

-Katie Davis, missionary to Uganda

Scripture tells us that Jesus came in “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) and yet, when we read the story, the world doesn’t seem ready at all.

The angel didn’t find Mary painting the walls of a nursery blue. Instead, she wasn’t even married yet, much less looking to be a mom. Bethlehem surely wasn’t ready; the inn was full and the townsfolk unhelpful. The King’s entry was greeted by no government officials, no red carpet, no media. Who was ready for Jesus?

If you know Jesus, this question probably makes you smile. When He came to you and redeemed you, did you look ready? Probably not. He died for us while we were still sinners and loved us before we loved Him. (Romans 5:8 and 1 John 4:19) It was no preparation on our part that brought us to Him, and yet, here we are.

And yet, I think we forget. I think we forget that God’s idea of “ready” is vastly different than ours. Now that we’ve been Christians for a while, we begin to drift back to the world’s standards. And then God calls us somewhere or asks us to do something and we’re shocked. How could He think we’re ready for that?

When God asked Moses to lead His children out of Egypt, he was a middle-aged murderer with a stutter. He must have looked over his shoulder, “Who, me?”

Looking through scripture, we find that none of us are really ready, really qualified when God comes. And yet we know that His timing is perfect. We know that His plans are best. We know that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, so if He thinks you’re ready…you’re ready!

In a way, He always comes to the unqualified (see David for an excellent example.) And yet, once He has called, He has qualified us.

But shouldn’t we at least try to be ready? Shouldn’t we try to be like King David’s soldiers who, when the kingdom was turning to Absalom, said, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever the lord the king decides”?

Yes! That is the only thing we can do. Be prepared to say “yes” to God. Be willing to follow Him in any direction.

It seems like a lot to do, at first glance. “Be prepared for anything” gives me visions of first aid kits and fire drills, but I think it is quite the opposite. We don’t need to be prepared to do everything; we need to be prepared to accept anything.

Timothy may have been wondering about the same things, for Paul wrote to him in a letter:

“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.”

(2 Timothy 2:21)

That is how we become ready for any and everything God could possibly think to call us to. We cleanse ourselves from what is dishonorable. Obviously, only God can sanctify us, but this letter was to Christians. This “cleansing” isn’t referring to the initial cleansing from sin. In this passage, Paul goes on to urge Timothy to “flee from youthful passions and pursue righteousness.” I believe that this is the meaning behind “cleansing ourselves.”

Matthew Henry said,

“Sanctification in the heart is our preparation for every good work. The tree must be made good, and the fruit will be good.”

So even if you do need a degree to be qualified for that job or you need that job before you’ll be ready to propose to that girl, you might be perfectly qualified and completely ready for something God has in store for you tomorrow. If we, as vessels, daily set ourselves apart from what is dishonorable, we will be ready to be useful to The Master of the House.

A few months ago, my friend, Aubrey and I were talking about waiting. We both have things we are looking forward to- she and her husband were about to move and she is really looking forward to being a mom one day. I am wondering what the next season will look like while not having a clue when/what it is, looking forward to being a wife one day and, at that time, was looking ahead to recording my first project. As we continued talking about these hopes of ours, we realized that everyone is always in some sort of waiting.

Being in college ministry, I am constantly around students who are waiting on something, someone, security in who they are in Jesus, the walk across the stage, direction on what in the world to do after graduation, etc… I’m around (and am one!) single college grads waiting on jobs, ministry opportunities, feelings of purpose, church community, godly spouses (extremely good looking ones of course ), etc. I’m around young moms- they’re waiting for baby #_ to come, for their child’s first steps/words, waiting on their children to wake up from naps to run errands, opportunities to serve and minister, for date night with their husband, time to rest, etc. I’m around older moms- waiting on retirement, waiting on their children to grow up but not too fast, etc…

You get the point?

Waiting.

It. never. ends.

While this may seem a little bit of a downer, there is joy and hope in waiting. If we’re always going to be waiting on something, it seems like a great idea to learn how to wait well. Why wait well? In hopes that those periods of what seem like endless wait may be unimaginably more life-giving than what we’re even waiting on. I have experienced this over and over throughout different seasons of waiting and asking the Lord for the next season over the years I have known and walked with Him.

A few things that have helped me wait well (or been absent in my waiting, resulting in some rough days):

Knowing and believing He is a good Dad and always does what is best for His kingdom.

He never grows tired or weary and that Spirit is alive in us who know Him as Lord. Isaiah 40:30&31

His power is made perfect in our weakness- 2 Cor. 12:9

Wisdom and understanding come from the mouth of the Lord and He gives without finding fault. Proverbs 2:6 and James 1:5

I have been so encouraged through the life of King David. He is someone that knew how to wait well. He was anointed at a very young age to be king, but would not fill that role for several years to follow. He had to trust the calling that God placed on his life and trust His timing in it. During his waiting, God prepared his heart into one that would give him the name “the man after God’s own heart.” During these years of wait, God was readying and ministering to David so he would be ready to lead his kingdom well. I long to be like David in times of waiting, but often find myself more of an Abraham- wanting to take things into my owns hands, resulting in an Ishmael. Thankfully, our God is a gracious one. Our mess-ups can be taken to Him, with a dose of humility, and He will carry it.

As I have thought more about waiting, I began thinking of people I know (through their readings or people I know personally) that have waited well. With each one of them, trust, prayer, community, and serving and learning in whatever ways they can in the present are all woven in their everyday lives. They trust God to be the Good Shepherd that He is. They trust that He is always working out everything for the good of those who love Him. They are honest when it hurts, they’re sad, and when they are tired of waiting. They don’t ignore their hopes and desires…they take them to Jesus but serve Him where they’re at in the moment. They know how to rest and dwell with Jesus. They love the Scriptures and live them out to the fullest.

I am really thankful for the different times of waiting I’ve gone through and the one I’m currently in. Throughout all of them, there were times when it was so hard to wait and not constantly think about the next thing (i.e…sitting through accounting and finance when I knew I wouldn’t be using it…ever). But there were also, and I’m currently in a very sweet time of waiting. There are hard days, but ultimately I love where I am and what I’m getting to do right now. He’s made it very easy to wait. I absolutely love what my days are full of right now. Days full of sweet college girls that are really wanting to know Jesus, getting to learn from the wives and moms around me, playing with their kids, learning how to cook healthier (a constant state of learning for me), and playing/writing music. What a fun season God has me in! I’m trying to soak it up, knowing my life will be different in a few years…there will never be another day like this one. Every day is different and the same goes for seasons and years.

So, if you’re waiting on direction about what to do when you graduate, waiting for a ring to show up on your left hand, waiting for peace in your family, or anything else: rest. Rest in the Truth of the Gospel and the Father that holds you. Look for areas you can be growing and learning in right now that may not be available when you reach the next season. There is a reason you are in this time of your life- there is purpose in every season we go through.

Right now I am in a seminary class called Christian Ethics, and despite the fact that it is eating my lunch in its heady discussions of metaphysics and epistemology, I have learned a thing or two. When talking faith with friends and podcasting guys that are smarter than me, I often hear people mention a couple of trains of thought that I never really paid much attention to: Modernism and Post-Modernism. I didn’t pay attention, because, well, I didn’t really know what they meant, I simply thought it meant something like “before the microwave” and “after the computer”. But when you look at the guts of the two eras, you can see much of it reflected in our culture today, and this can give us a healthy dose of caution as Christians.
So, let me quickly define the terms here. Modernism (1600s-1950s) is the time in which science became king. Man began to lean heavily on science and the human understanding (reason) of what was going on around him. Because science was placed above theology, there was not a lot of room for God, or his miracles from the Bible. The people living in this period believed truth came from science and man’s reason. Post-Modernism (1950s-now), on the other hand, we see science lessen in its influence and usurped by the authority of the community. The community determines truth, your belief set is formed from what community you belong to and truth is whatever works for them.
It is interesting to see the great interest we are beginning to have in history, and how we got to where we are now. We see countless “prequel” movies being made, from Star Wars to Batman. When looking at how we live in a post-modern society, in which truth is defined, not by the Bible, but by the people we hang out with, I hope it makes you want to know how we got here. There is also an era called the “premodern” era. This time is interesting because it was the prequel to the other two eras. This was when man read the Word of God with an attitude of trust, respect and faith. This was a time when our own reason took a backseat to the amazing words from the creator. It was during this time that community testified to the truth, not like the current period that creates it’s own truth.
Going through the doctrines, and studying the reasons we believe what we do, I can’t help but be reminded of the “subjective morality” that we are bombarded with in America. The idea that “this may be wrong for you, but it’s not wrong for me.” I am not referring to things the Bible doesn’t talk about, but things that are clearly defined as sin in the Bible. We know they are wrong, there is no question. Our culture has come to the point when right and wrong are no longer clear. It can become muddy for us if we don’t know where the truth comes from. The apostle Paul, gave Timothy an important caution as he forecasts what the future holds.

I want to leave you with the same charge that Paul gave to Timothy (2 Tim 4:1-5), “Before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom, I solemnly charge you: proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, keep a clear head about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Did you catch all of that? Read it again. And again. Persist in the truth, when it is convenient or not! Rebuke? Correct? What?! Surely he can’t mean that we should hold fast to the truth, the objective truth, the unchanging, unwavering truth that comes from God! Sarcasm aside, as Christians, we must believe that truth comes from the creator God and His Holy Word, the Bible. A few verses before this, Paul says to Timothy:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim 3:16
It is our source for truth, and we should consciously reject the post-modern worldview that allows the community to define truth. Our truth has a source, and He’s been around a while. I am going to try to be more Premodern, and read God’s Word trusting that God is wiser than my community and my own reasoning and I hope ya’ll will do the same.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately on how the Father prepares a place for His children at His table. There have been a lot of tables that I’ve had the joy of sitting at; sitting across and around people that I really love and respect. There’s something about sitting at a table that’s been prepared for you. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve felt more at home than when I’m sitting at my parent’s kitchen table with my mom’s home cooking or been encouraged at the tables of other friends that love me and prepared a place for me in their homes. And to think, as much as they have fed me- both physically and even spiritually- how much more God pours out at His table!

One of the beautiful pictures is that it is the King Himself who sets the table for us. He doesn’t even hire servants or cooks, but He prepares our table. I’m not a mom, but I know there must be days when it is hard to make sure everyone eats something before they go to bed, much less have to prepare a full meal for your family in the middle of everyday chaos. God is sovereign; everything is under His hand and conforms to His will, yet He still sets the table for His children. What a servant our King is! Thank you, Jesus!

There are a few things to think through about sitting at the table with the King…

1 Corinthians 10:21 says, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” This means a couple things: 1) There are two tables set before us- the table of the Lord and the table of demons; both being set with the purpose of feeding us, although, both what is being fed and the results of eating at these tables are drastically different. And 2) we cannot be at 2 tables at once.

As I’ve thought more on this, it’s helped me to sort through each of the tables and what is present at each one…

The Table of the Lord

This table is where we can taste and see that the Lord is good, a table full of His riches and mercy. Scripture says that the Lord lavishes His grace upon us (Ephesians 1:7&8). Wrap your mind around that for a second. He LAVISHES His grace upon us. It’s through this grace that we have salvation & forgiveness of sins. What grace to receive salvation that we don’t deserve! This should establish in us an unshakeable thankfulness for what God did through Jesus for us.

It takes humility to sit at this table. Who isn’t humbled or put in a lowly place when they are in the presence of the King? There is no room for pride at a table where the King serves His servants. The greatest act of humility was His becoming like us to save us. When the reality of this sets in, our want to see us exalted diminishes and our heart desire becomes to make much of Him.

The King prepares exactly what we need- always. Our King is all knowing. We never leave the table lacking or hungry.  We walk away full and more complete with every meal. We do however always leave looking forward to the next meal. Once we really taste and see that the Lord is good, we can’t get enough!

In Ephesians 1 it says that God does all of this (salvation and unifying us to Him through the blood of Jesus) according to His pleasure and will. It pleases Him to see His children being filled with what truly satisfies. He loves looking around the table and seeing each child, created in His image to bare His glory, eating their fill. An overwhelming gladness comes with knowing our Father delights in filling our bellies and satisfying us.

Our King lavishes grace to the undeserving, making us thankful- knowing we were about to go hungry, when He pulled us to the table for a feast He prepared.

Our King is a servant, making us humble. He not only tells us about humility but also in His death was definition of it.

Our King is all knowing, making us satisfied because He knows exactly what to provide.

Our King loves to care and feed the hungry, making us glad to sit at His table of provision.

The Table of Demons

This table is set by Satan- the king of darkness and the Deceiver. Scripture says that he comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Satan is the complete opposite of everything Jesus is. Where Jesus gives grace, he gives condemnation and judgment. Through this condemnation and lack of grace, our hearts are filled with an ever-present dissatisfaction- dissatisfaction with ourselves, others, and our lives altogether.

Where Jesus’ table brings about humility, Satan’s brings out pride and a sense of entitlement. He draws us to the table, telling us that we deserve more, that we’ve earned a seat at his table that is full of worldly pleasures and glories. He showed us the perfect picture of pride and entitlement when he felt like he deserved to be on the same power level as the Creator. He made much of himself, resulting in him being cast away from God forever. At Satan’s table he only speaks of making much of everything but Jesus. He builds up our pride like a giant wall, hoping it will overshadow and block our view of the table of the Lord.

He fills his table with what appeals to our senses, but never satisfies. He disguises our wants as needs and offers to meet them. Satan doesn’t care about filling our bellies with what truly satisfies. He only cares about getting us to his table. Why? Well, what happens at tables? Conversation. He is the Father of Lies…he just wants to start up a conversation, and what better place than at his table that is lacking of everything we really need; a table full of temporary fixes and momentary pleasures that will soon lead to sickness and even death. Have you ever been watching a movie or distracted by a conversation while eating chocolate or some other sort of sweet? What usually happens? Before you know it the bag is gone and eventually your stomach lets you know you’ve had too much of the wrong thing or you are more tired, slower to react where you used to be quick. Satan does the exact same thing at his table. He uses lies and distractions to keep our minds off of what we could be experiencing at the King’s table. Every stomach that sits at this table leaves hungry. There is a difference in food that looks good verses food that tastes good and is good for our bodies physically- it’s the same spiritually. Satan’s table leads to nothing but more and more want and hunger for more of what never satisfies.

Sitting at Satan’s table brings discontentedness and eventual hurt that is beyond comprehension. When the veil is removed, we see that Satan is not in anyone’s corner, but his own. Where Jesus delights in feeding us what is for our good and His glory, Satan loves to see us hungry, feeding us plates empty of spiritual nutrition.

Satan pours out disgrace and condemnation on the already hurting, making us dissatisfied.

Satan feeds lies and builds up the flesh, leading us to pride and a sense of entitlement.

Satan knows what most easily makes us walk away from the King’s table. He prepares a table covered in dishes of fall advertisements of satisfaction, leaving us hungry and always wanting more.

Satan glories in destroying and ruining the hungry and needy. His table leaves us discontent and full of shame.

Satan’s table leads to confusion, frustration, sickness and death, and to us wanting more of ourselves.

Oh! Let us run from this table!

The King’s table is filled with undeserved grace and blessing, love that casts out all fear and condemnation, forgiveness, and stirs in us a hunger for more of Jesus and His Spirit.

Oh! Let us run to this table!

Come, sit at the table of the Lord!

“Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

“There is no pit so deep, that God’s love is not deeper still.”

These are the words of Corrie Ten Boom. Through reading about her life and listening to her teachings I have learned so much about the depths of healing that forgiveness can bring, the joy that comes with complete trust in who God says He is, and the fire to share the Gospel that should be in the life of one who knows Jesus as their savior. She is definitely a hero in my book. Corrie’s life was one marked by the goodness of Jesus and the kindness of a God that loves His children.

Corrie Ten Boom was born on April 15, 1892 in Amsterdam, Holland. The daughter of a watchmaker, she grew up in a strong Christian home and was a part of the Dutch Reformed Church. She was one of 4 Ten Boom children. Corrie loved Truth and began following Jesus at an early age and spent the rest of her life living out the Gospel. The Ten Booms lived in a Jewish section of Amsterdam and had deep relationships with many Jewish people. Little did they know that several years later, they would be arrested and facing some of the hardest times in the history of the world to protect these people they came to love.

Corrie began working with disabled children in her area as she entered her 20s. In her later 20s she lost her mother to a stroke. Before her mother’s death, the Ten Booms began fostering children, welcoming them into their home. Her father was well loved and respected in the community and eventually let Corrie run the business side of his watch shop. Corrie also began working with disabled children in her area taught them of the love of Jesus. The Ten Boom home became a haven for many and would continue to as the Nazis began invading the Netherlands.

The Ten Booms (namely, Father Ten Boom, Corrie and her sister Betsie-who both still lived at home) became a part of the Dutch underground, hiding refugees. They hid many Jews in their secret hiding place, behind Corrie’s closet as the Nazis invaded their town arresting and moving Jews and anyone that helped them into concentration camps. In 1944 after almost 2 years of hiding and helping Jews in their area, the Ten Boom family was arrested and sent a Dutch prisons and eventually transferred to Ravensbruck in Germany.

Corrie and Betsie, by the sovereign hand of God, were placed in the same camp and the same barracks. Through their time in the camp Corrie saw God’s faithfulness in many ways through protection, peace, and through miracles. Because of God’s protection, Corrie was able to sneak a Bible into the camp- the eyes of the guards were turned as she snuck past them and past the pat-down every prisoner received upon entrance of the camp. It was with this Bible that they began holding a Bible study in their barracks. This was extremely dangerous and if caught it could mean death. But God provided. There was an outbreak of fleas in their barracks and what many would see as gross and a nuisance, the women in that room saw as provision from a gracious God. Because of these fleas, the guards didn’t want to come into their room and they were able to worship and teach about God to the women in their room.

There are several stories from Corrie’s time in the concentration camp in her book, The Hiding Place. She went through many things we cannot even begin to imagine experiencing. She dealt first hand with seeing people killed and beaten, pain, and death of her loved ones. There were times when her heart grew very bitter towards the hands that were bringing all of this pain and strife, but all the while she had her sister Betsie to remind her what was to remain at the center- not bitterness and anger, but Jesus.

Right before Betsie died in the camp, she looked at her sister and said:
“Corrie, we must tell people how good God is. After the war we must go around the world telling people. No one will be able to say that they have suffered worse than us. We can tell them how wonderful God is, and how His love will fill our lives, if only we will give up our hatred and bitterness.”

Through the words of her sister, she was ministered to in that moment and many to come where she had to fight against anger and bitterness towards the Germans. She was released from the camp after a little over 10 months after her arrest. She later found out her release was due to a clerical error, but she knew it was God who had rescued her. A week after her release, all of the women her age in the camp were killed.

After Corrie’s release, she began traveling the world and doing just what her sister had pictured. She traveled telling people who Jesus is and shared about His redemption. Through her travels she came in contact with a few of the guards that had been a part of the Nazi regime and had to practice forgiveness that only Jesus can bring. The first encounter with one of her previous jailers proved to be difficult. Here is an excerpt from her book, The Hiding Place.

It was a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s pain-blanched face. He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein,” he said. “To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!”
His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him.
I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.
She then took his hand the most incredible thing happened.
From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.

She told her story; she told people how wonderful and good God is; she called people to let go of their bitterness and hatred and allow His love to fill their lives. She has story after story of God’s provision and deliverance in her life. She died on her 91st birthday due to a stroke. After long years of faithfulness to Jesus she met Him face to face.

Corrie has many books, her most popular being The Hiding Place. She also shares many of her life stories in her book, Tramp for the Lord, as well in her talks she gave all around the world. You can listen to some of those here.

Freedom Devotional – December 3, 2010

Revelation 3:14-22, Matthew 7:16

In Revelation 2:2, 19, 3:1, 8, and 15 Jesus uses the phrase “I know your works” and in Revelation 2:4, 14, and 20 Jesus uses the phrase “I have this against you.” What would it be like to hear Jesus say something like this to you? There’s no question that He knows your works, so what would it be like to hear Jesus say, “I have this against you?”

In each of the introductions to the seven churches in Revelation Jesus says something about Himself. For example, Jesus refers to Himself as the one who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the one whose words are the sharp two-edged sword, the one who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. In Revelation 3:14 Jesus refers to Himself as the Amen, the faithful and true witness. All of these titles and descriptions speak to His credibility to exercise authority and His ability to see what is true. I’m also reminded of a few other verses that speak to His authority such as John 1:5 where John refers to the Lord as the the light that shines in darkness and Psalm 139 where the psalmist writes that the Lord knows our words before they are on our tongue and He sees us wherever we go, even before our first day began. The Lord knows us completely.

In Matthew 7:16 Jesus says that we are recognized by our works. The book of James clearly teaches us that our faith is inseparable from our works. Our salvation is proven to be genuine by our fruit, our works. So back to my original question, what would Jesus say to you? He knows your works. Does He have anything against you? Remember, He sees all and knows all.

I wonder how often we think we’re on the right path while the Lord has something against us. The church in Laodicea considered themselves rich and prosperous. The Laodicean church said of themselves, “I need nothing.” In Revelation 3:17 we see Jesus’ account of their spiritual condition when He uses words like wretched, poor, blind, and naked. What a pitiful thing to think we’re one thing and to have Jesus say otherwise. Even worse to realize it and do nothing to correct it, right? Thankfully, Jesus offers the church in Laodicea the chance to be zealous in repentance.

So what about you? What’s the honest condition of your spiritual life? Do you really love Jesus like you’re called to love Him? Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live? Spend some time today in prayer asking God to search your heart and reveal to you your true spiritual condition lest Jesus have something against you.

Freedom Devotional – December 2, 2010

Proverbs 3:5 and Philippians 4:6-7

Trust

Have you ever played any form of the “trust game”? It never fails to be a lot of fun. Usually you have someone falling backwards off of something while trusting a few other people to catch him or her. No matter how many times you do this you’re always a little on edge…will they catch you?

It’s one thing to say you trust someone and another thing to really put your trust in that person. The same thing can be said about our trust in the Lord. It’s easier to say that we trust in the Lord like this proverb says, but a whole other thing to actually walk in that trust through some circumstance. Not only does this proverb call us to trust in the Lord, it calls us to do so with all of our heart. There’s no room for kind of, sort of, trusting in the Lord here…it’s total trust no matter the possible outcome. No doubt this is harder to do than it is to say.

It’s my experience that the challenge to trust is immediately followed up with a trailer load of anxiety. Anxiety is the tension you experience when trusting God may not take you where you want to go. It’s easy to say that we trust in the Lord, but it’s another thing to trust Him in the middle of the circumstance when a trailer load of anxiety is right behind you.

Spend some time in prayer today submitting your request before the Lord. Be honest about any anxiety you may be experiencing and the difficulty you may have in fully trusting Him. Take a hold of the promise that peace will come when you trust fully in the Lord.

Freedom Devotional – December 1, 2010

Daily Discipline

1 Corinthians 9:27, Psalm 119:97-104 and Hebrews 5:11-14

Have you ever woken up before your alarm went off in the morning?  Even if I do, I just lay there waiting for it to go off so I can officially get the day started.  Recently I heard a guy say that he woke up before his alarm because he had a lot on his mind for the day…he woke up at 2:58 in the morning.  Yes…he wakes up nearly every morning at 3:00 to meet with the Lord.  After hearing this the first thing I thought of was what time I’d have to go to bed in order to wake up that early and really be awake.  Going to bed early means I’d miss some of my favorite television shows, wouldn’t you?

This brings to mind the need for daily disciplines.  There has been a lot written about spiritual disciplines and their role in the life of the believer so I won’t go into detail here, but I do want you to think about your own spiritual life.  Could your spiritual life use a lot more discipline?  How would you define the discipline of your spiritual life?  Sometimes we feel the need to defend laziness to avoid legalism and other times we defend legalism in the name of discipline – both are wrong.  Legalism is an attempt to control God by our works.  Spiritual discipline is taking our life and submitting it to God – positioning our self to receive from God.