All In - Part Two

The Bible tells of a young man of great wealth who came running to Jesus one day eager to ask his question. This man wanted something that he believed Jesus could tell him how to receive. So he asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

After Jesus asked the young man what the law would say one must do, the young man professed with confidence he had sufficiently kept the law. So to this Jesus said, "Go sell all that you have and give to the poor. Then come follow Me." At this the young man was greatly saddened and walked away from Jesus. The reason the writer tells us is that the man possessed great wealth.

Jesus was much more concerned not with us possessing wealth, but that wealth would possess us.

It is often said that the most difficult thing for a pastor to preach upon in any church is the topic of wealth, money, and possessions. This may be true. But what is for sure true is that often the last thing to come under the lordship of Jesus is our wealth, however big or little it may seem to us.

Being all in to follow Jesus means being all in to give to advance His work. We want to see God work. We want our local churches to thrive. Yet we can be withholding the resources God intends to support that very work.

Some today have called tithing (giving 10% of one's income to God's work in the local church) an obsolete concept and something erased by the New Testament. Certainly the New Testament speaks less of tithing and more of sacrificial giving. However, the New Testament does not negate the teaching of tithing and also presents how grace should demand we give more than the law ever did and not less.

Are you all in in following Jesus? Would you resources and wealth reflect this?

God intends to fully fund the work of His kingdom through the giving of His people.

God has already demonstrated the greatest generosity we can ever know in the giving of His Son who in turn has given to us the gift of eternal life.

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Celebrate God's generosity to us in giving us His Son and eternal life.
2.  Worship God as the giver of all good gifts and all things we possess.
3.  Ask God to empower you to by faith go all in by giving to Him generously and sacrificially.
4.  Pray that the work of Christ's kingdom would not be hindered by our lack of faith and giving.

All In

We go all in for a business venture, all in for a romantic relationship, and all in for sports. While some have made following Jesus a half-hearted pursuit or a part-time commitment, being a disciple of Jesus has always been a call to go all in.

Jesus said the only way to follow Him was to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. In short, Jesus said you have to go all in. This is the great commandment. We are to love God with everything that we are and all that we have. It isn't a command to love God with part of your heart, mind, soul, and strength. It is a command to love God with everything.

The work of God in our world for the transformation of our generation demands that we go all in as followers of Jesus. We must trust in Him with all our heart. We must rely totally on His wisdom and understanding. In everything we plan and do, we must go all in to submit to Him and His ways. Only then will He make our paths straight and advance and accomplish His mission in and through us.

Are you all in?

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Praise the God who went all in for us so that we can be all in with Him.
2.  Celebrate the price Jesus paid at the cross to go all in to the Father's will to purchase our ransom.
3.  Ask God to reveal any area of your life that doesn't have a white flag staked in it.
4.  Choose to go all in today in whatever way God asks you to do so.

Grant Me Wisdom

The Bible teaches we often go without because we often fail to ask. More than this, however, is that we can often be asking for the wrong things or asking amiss.

What are we asking God to give to us?

Solomon inherited the throne of his father. David had been beloved and good (though imperfect) king. As Solomon took the throne, he felt inadequate to lead God's people. What an incredible undertaking to exercise authority over God's people and lead them in the way everlasting!  I can identify. Not with being a king or the son of a king, but the awesome task of leading God's people.

When God, therefore, asked Solomon what he would request, Solomon asked for discernment and wisdom. He petitioned God for a discerning heart to govern the people, distinguishing between right and wrong. He didn't want to be in power. He wanted to be a good leader.

This request pleased the Lord who granted him both wisdom and the things he could have asked for but didn't. God gave Solomon wisdom to lead the people. Wisdom is not synonymous with knowledge. Wisdom is the application of knowledge and the ability to discern among people and situations. The kind of wisdom we need comes from above, from the God who sees all things perfectly.

Knowledge may tell you what, but it is wisdom that guides you in how. Knowledge may give you the answer, but wisdom will give you the application.

Regardless of your need, ask God to supply. If your need is to know how God would have you to act or move, pray for the wisdom from God above.

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Praise God for His infinite wisdom and counsel.

2.  Ask God to supply for your specific need today.

3.  Pray for wisdom in how God would have you to live, move, and have your being.

Make Us a City of Light

Jesus is the Light of the World. In Him is life and His life is the light of all people. When He entered into the world, darkened by disobedience and rebellion, the Light shone into the darkness and the darkness could not understand it. The darkness even sought to extinguish the Light by putting Jesus to death on the cross. But the grave could not hold Him and darkness could not put out the Light.

By the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Peter says we have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Christ died once for all to rescue us out of darkness and convey us into His kingdom. Now as His followers, Jesus teaches that we are to be a city of light. He taught that His disciples are a city set on a hill to shine the light of Christ and the gospel into a dark world. 

Being a city of light includes living in such a way as to display to the world what life can be when individuals surrender to worship and obey Jesus Christ. Jesus' followers are anything but perfect. But the unfortunate truth is that the church has often struggled to be a light to the world. We either have hidden our light from the world, we have run from the darkness in fear, or we have simply looked and lived more like those outside of the kingdom of God than those who ruled and rescued by Jesus Christ.

God has made you, re-made you in Jesus Christ, and placed you where you are today. You are there as a Jesus-follower to display what life in Jesus Christ looks like. You are there as a Jesus-follower to declare how life in Jesus Christ is received. 

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Celebrate that Jesus is the Light of the World and that His light never dims or goes out.

2.  Give thanks that the full assault of darkness on Jesus Christ could not extinguish His life or light.

3.  Thank God for calling you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

4.  Pray that God will make you a city of light.

5.  Ask Jesus to make clear specific ways you can display and declare His light to the world beginning right where you are today.

This is Real

Yesterday I wrote a block post about the crazy journey of following Jesus that Sarah and I and our family are currently on together.  You can read it here.

I awoke this morning with this thought: "This is real!" I woke up wondering at first whether this was a dream I had or if it was real. Quickly I recalled, "This is real...and super exciting!"

Sarah and I will shortly head out to the western part of North Carolina for the anticipated birth of the new baby TODAY.  It's been a whirlwind to say the least.

We still ask you to pray:

• For the health of the baby and the birth mom
• For the process of finalizing the adoption
• For the preparation of our boys (who are so excited and eager)
• For the provision needed
• For safety in travel
• For Sarah and I as we get to spend time with the mom

With the quickness with which all of this took place, Sarah and I had not launched into any fundraising. We had begun saving with our own finances. But we are still only 1/6 of the way to the goal.  Oh Lord, we believe! To be completely transparent, the adoption and associated costs will totally near $20,000.

We are asking MOST of all for you to pray. We don't know where this money is coming from but we know God can do it. 

Some have asked how they can give. If you desire to do so, I most encourage you to give through Refuge Online Giving and select the "Refuge Adoption Fund" rather than "General Budget." You can click the donate button on this page to give now.

Thank you for standing at our wall of Jericho and our Red Sea asking God to make a way.

Baby Plans

Sarah and I are making plans to travel to the western part of the state today. I have removed the donation button on the right side of this site as another way for donations to be made should be available soon (a preferred method for Sarah and me).

I hope to share another update before noon.

A Crazy Story of Following Jesus

Sarah and I have learned over the years that the journey in being a disciple of Jesus is anything but tame and predictable. Sometimes, against all human reason and planning, God chooses to lead you in a way or at a time different than you may imagine.  Such is that time for us right now and we are asking you to pray diligently for us, right now.  Here's the backstory:

Before Sarah and I married in 2003, we knew that we desired to have the family God wanted for us and believed that included children both biological and adopted. Our family began growing with the birth of Isaac in 2004, Ethan in 2005, and Micah in 2007. As many of you may know, Micah has endured many health challenges not the least of which included a liver transplant in 2007 and we continue to face uncertain days. But two years ago we began the adoption process believing whole-heartedly it was God's direction.

In May of this year, we completed the process and entered the time of waiting.  Five weeks later, Sarah and I learned that she was pregnant with child number 4. We called the adoption agency to let them know our exciting news. After conversation in which we believed God would have us to continue to keep our profile active, nine weeks later (Monday, August 19), the adoption agency called. 

A birth mom in North Carolina saw our profile. She saw we had three children already who were close in age. She also saw the note on our book that we were expecting another child.  And this mom chose our family. In fact, she said she chose our family because we were expecting another child, not in spite of that fact. The social worker told Sarah that often families like ours, with three biological children already and one on the way, do not get chosen this soon or at all.  The birth mom is expected to give birth tomorrow (August 23).

But I hope you didn't miss how God always does things on time and in order.

In Creation, the sun preceded the plants and the plants preceded the animals. The plants needed the light for photosynthesis.  The animals needed the plants for food.  We had to complete the process before Sarah got pregnant.  We had to be pregnant before this mom saw our profile. All of this God ordered not as we expected, but according to His perfect time.  And we are humbled and full of joy.

We believe these events have the hand prints of God all over them.  We believe by faith we are to step forward and follow wherever He leads.

Here's our request: When God's hand is upon a situation, He always provides exactly what is needed.  We are asking you to diligently pray, right now, for our Great God and King to make the provision needed, not the least of which is the financial provision lacking and the preparation of our home and family.

Friends and family, thank you for standing and praying with us at the wall of Jericho for God to remove the wall and provide what we see as nothing less than His promised gift to us.