it’s never who you think – continued . . .

Posted on by Grace Day

“Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.” (John 15:15-16)

Jesus was talking to His disciples, the twelve men that, as He said, He had chosen. Those men had not chosen Jesus BUT – when Jesus called them, when Jesus invited them to follow Him, they immediately left everything behind and went with Jesus. We read this account in Matthew of how it happened –

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:18-20)

Our story continues –

“Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother, John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:21-22)

Jesus was putting together a very special team – a team whose mission it would be to change the world with their message. This team of carefully chosen people would be entrusted with the task of getting the word out that the long-awaited Messiah had finally arrived. Salvation had come! The wait was over! To say being chosen for this special-forces team, comprised of those courageous enough to follow Jesus, was a very high calling and the most important of all jobs, is perhaps the biggest understatement of all time. The message was world changing, life altering, life saving, life giving. Their mission was to get the message out, bringing healing and hope to the entire hurting world.

So, we’ve just witnessed the calling of Jesus’s first four disciples. They are all fishermen. Are you surprised? If you were going to assemble a team of world-changers, who would you choose? I’m guessing you would seek out people with power and influence – people with money, people with an education, people with position such as politicians, kings, rulers and religious leaders. What was Jesus thinking? The fishermen that Jesus chose were not wealthy, nor were they educated. They had no social status. They held no high position in their current culture, so they wielded no particular power or influence over others. And yet, Jesus chose these four fishermen.

It’s not who I would have thought would be chosen for a team that would have to go up against those currently in power, the political and religious leaders of the day. Jesus next choice of a disciple is equally surprising. I would never have predicted this choice.

“As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow Me,’ He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.” (Matthew 9:9)

A tax collector? Are you kidding me? Why is a tax collector a most unlikely choice to become a disciple of Jesus? Well, the tax collectors of that day were despised because they worked for the Roman government which at that time was oppressing the people of Israel. The tax collectors were working for the enemy and getting rich doing it. They collected extra taxes from their fellow Israelites, paid off the Romans and kept some of the extra money for themselves. Tax collectors were notoriously dishonest and universally disliked. And yet Jesus chose Matthew, a tax collector! And Matthew accepted Jesus’s invitation immediately!

It would appear that the seven other men Jesus chose to become His disciples were also ordinary people. They were not rich or famous or educated. They did not hold positions of power and influence. We don’t know much about them at all. But we do know that they accepted Jesus’s invitation to leave everything and to follow Him. They each became part of Jesus’s Special Ops team – a team of individuals that would turn the world upside down. They became men of courage and of faith. Eventually, they would all be martyred for their faith in Jesus, except for John and for Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus for money.

Jesus chose these unlikely, ordinary men to do extraordinary things for God. They spent three years with Jesus learning from His example and wisdom. After His death and resurrection, Jesus gave the disciples these instructions before He ascended into heaven.

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ ” (Matthew 28:16- 20)

Eleven men, chosen by God and changed by God’s presence with them, were charged with changing the world – and they did. Today God still chooses the most unlikely among us to fulfill His good and eternal purposes. It’s never who you think. You and I are chosen. We just have to be brave enough to answer God’s invitation with a “Yes! Here I am. Send me. I will go for You no matter the cost.”

“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-30)

sincerely, Grace Day

it’s never who you think – part five

Posted on by Grace Day

Today I’m thinking of another unlikely hero. God called this person into His service in spite of what this person had done in his past. I’m sure no one saw this coming. In fact, when God called him, this person was living in exile because he had committed murder and then fled to a foreign land to escape the consequences of his actions. He had been hiding out, so to speak, for many years. He had married and he worked for his father-in-law as a sheep herder. That is until one day when this happened –

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, . . . There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. . . . God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’ . . . The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey . . . So now, go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.’ ” (Exodus 3:1-10)

That’s right. Our unlikely hero is Moses, a murderer living in exile. Moses had run away, but God sought him out after all these years for the very important task of leading the Israelites out of Egypt. God was going to bring His chosen people out of bondage and into freedom. And God was going to use Moses to accomplish His good purposes for His chosen people. However, Moses didn’t think he was the right man for the job.

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ ” (Exodus 3:11)

God’s response? –

“And God said, ‘I will be with you.’ ” (Exodus 3:12)

Moses was filled with fear and self-doubt about this overwhelming assignment from God. God’s solution to Moses’s objections was His Presence going with Moses. Still, Moses continued with his resistance to God’s instructions –

“Moses answered, ‘What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ? ‘ ” (Exodus 4:1)

Moses’s objections continued –

“Moses said to the Lord, ‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ ” (Exodus 4:10)

Eventually Moses ran out of excuses, but he still didn’t want to accept God’s assignment. After all, it wasn’t going to be easy. Who would want to go up against Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler of his time? And so Moses pleaded –

“But Moses said, ‘O Lord, please send someone else to do it.’ ” (Exodus 4:13)

Notice that this is just the opposite of Isaiah’s response to God’s call, which was – “Here am I. Send me!”

How many times have you or I said what Moses said to our Heavenly Father? (find somebody else to do it, it’s too difficult, too scary, too uncertain for me to even attempt it) Perhaps we are not unlike this banished sheep herder turned rescuer and leader of God’s people? Just goes to show, it’s never who you think it will be, right? Moses didn’t want to do what God was asking him to do BUT – Moses did have this promise from God. God told Moses –

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’ ” (Exodus 6:6-8)

Notice all the wonderful, miraculous things God promises to do for His people, the Israelites. God promises to bring them out from under the Egyptians yoke. God says He will free them, He will redeem them, He will take them as His own and He will bring them into the land He promised to their forefathers and God will give that land to them. In this story, God is doing all the heavy lifting. The power and the miracles are God’s alone.

God chose to work through Moses to accomplish His sovereign purposes for His people. The miracles were all God’s. God just used Moses to display His power to Pharaoh. Reminds me of what Jesus taught in John about God’s power in our lives –

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. . . . If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” (John 15:5, 7-8)

Moses was the branch. The Lord God was and is the vine. Moses didn’t part the Red Sea. God did. Moses led the Israelites through the desert to their promised land. But it was God who was leading Moses. It was God in the pillar of fire by night and in the pillar of cloud by day, going in front of the Israelites as they traveled in order to guide them on their way.

“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22)

So Moses obeyed God’s instructions to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites who were currently being held in bondage. And the rest is history as they say. And not an easy history. Moses had to face down the powerful Pharaoh many times before the Israelites were released. Later Moses would meet with God on a mountaintop and receive the stone tablets with the ten commandments. Leading God’s people proved a heavy responsibility, but Moses stayed faithful to God’s calling even though it wasn’t easy. (the Israelites often complained against God and even worshiped a golden calf they made while Moses was away meeting with God on the mountaintop)

But Moses faithfully followed God’s instructions, doing all that God asked him to do. Quite a transition from herding sheep to leading (herding) a whole nation of people from bondage into freedom. But God knew all along what He was doing. Maybe shepherding sheep is good preparation for shepherding people? Both require a lot of care and patience and ultimate reliance on God.

I identify with Moses’s reluctance to rise to the challenge and respond to God’s invitation to serve Him in a particular way. Like Moses, I can think of a million reasons why I am not the one for the job. I don’t have the skills, the training, the resources, the position – the list is long. And then there’s fear. Fear will hold me hostage, not allowing me to step outside of my comfort zone. I’m sure Moses was both comfortable and content with his life as a sheep herder. And Pharaoh was one bad dude. Pharaoh had a reputation. BUT – God’s reputation was and is exponentially grander and greater.

Whatever my Heavenly Father asks of me, I can respond in faith with courage and with confidence because God tells me (and you, too) –

“I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are My servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:9-10)

Surprising but true! I (and you) am called. I (and you) am chosen. (didn’t we all long to be picked for the team when we were children?) I don’t need to be afraid. God says He will give me strength. God says He will help me. I believe Him! May I respond to God’s calling more like Isaiah did and less like Moses’s initial response.

After all, it’s never who you think. God is calling you and me today. Hopefully, we won’t be like Jonah and run away in the opposite direction. Let’s be bold enough to accept God’s calling on our lives. After all, we know this to be true –

“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ ” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

sincerely, Grace Day

it’s never who you think – part four

Posted on by Grace Day

Our series continues with another unlikely person showing up big time for God. This true story just confirms once again that it’s never who you think it will be. Those individuals who are overlooked and undervalued by past or current cultures are the very ones chosen by God for His extraordinary, eternal purposes. Such is our mystery person today. A most unlikely candidate for sure due to many things such as living in a pagan culture, being poor, having no power or influence and being engaged in a very disreputable lifestyle – all things that would seemingly disqualify someone in God’s eyes. BUT – that is not the case. That is not true. Remember –

“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Must be why it’s never who you think it will be – God sees things we don’t see. God knows things we don’t know. And our Creator, God, sees and knows each one of us clearly and completely. So while God’s choices of the people He calls into His service may surprise you and me, (it’s never who we think) – it’s always exactly who God knows is the right person for the task and indeed who He has chosen “for such a time as this.”

Today’s unlikely hero is not a hero at all, but a heroine. That’s right – she’s a female, which makes her all the more unlikely because females in Old Testament times had no power or position or ownership in society. Women were overlooked, undervalued and definitely underestimated. Such was the case with our unlikely heroine. Why would I never guess that this particular woman would be chosen by God?

Would it be because she lived among a pagan people in an idol worshipping city? Would it be because she earned her living as a prostitute? Why would I never have predicted that this woman would become a part of the earthly lineage of Jesus? That’s right – this woman is listed in Jesus’s earthly genealogy found in the book of Matthew.

“Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. . . . and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” (Matthew 1:5-6, 16)

Our unlikely heroine is Rahab, a prostitute living in the city of Jericho before it was destroyed by the Israelite army. Rahab played an instrumental role in Jericho’s demise. First she hid the two Israelite spies who had come into the city to look over the land. Rahab lied to the king of Jericho about the spies rather than give the spies up to be captured and killed. She then helped the two Israelite spies to escape the city and gave them information to help them avoid capture.

“So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. Now she had said to them, ‘Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way.’ ” (Joshua 2:15-16)

Rahab risked everything to help the Israelite spies. If the king found out that she helped the spies and that she lied to him about them, she would be killed. Rahab showed great courage and faith. She knew Jericho was going to be destroyed and she asked the spies to save her life and the lives of all her family members. Rahab had heard about the God who parted the Red Sea and she believed in Him even though no one else around her did. This faith gave Rahab the courage to go against Jericho’s king and to help the two Israelite men. In return, they would rescue Rahab and her family when they returned to conquer the city.

“Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, ‘I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt . . . for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you.’ ” (Joshua 2:8-12)

Rahab risked her life to help the spies because she believed that their God was “God in heaven above and on the earth below.” Her faith gave her the courage she needed to defy Jericho’s king, and her faith allowed her to trust that the spies would keep their word and rescue her and her family. And indeed, it did happen as promised.

“Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, ‘Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.’ So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel. Then they burned the whole city and everything in it . . . But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho – and she lives among the Israelites to this day.” (Joshua 6:22-25)

A pagan prostitute, Rahab, became a woman of faith and of courage because she believed in the God of the Israelites, the God of heaven above and on the earth below. Rahab was rescued from certain destruction and death. She was instead delivered into a new life – a life in which she was chosen to be in the lineage of the coming King, God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

What a miracle! What a transformation! The unlikely heroine of this story is Rahab the prostitute. What courage she showed. What faith she had in order to act against all odds because she believed in the Creator, God, whom she had only heard about at the time when she stepped up to aid the spies even though it meant death for her if she were caught. Just goes to show you – it’s never who you or I think. BUT – like the apostle Paul said –

“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ ” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

it’s never who you think – today it might be you! Be ready to answer God’s call!

sincerely, Grace Day

it’s never who you think – part three

Posted on by Grace Day

Let’s see if you can guess today’s unlikely hero because, as you know, – it’s never who you think. This person started in the most menial of jobs. People who held this job were on the lowest rung of society. They were marginalized and overlooked. However, this same person eventually held the highest, most powerful position available. Who would have predicted this surprising outcome for this most unlikely of persons?

Apparently not even Samuel the prophet would have chosen this person or predicted this outcome. Samuel was just as surprised as anyone else, when he received this direction from God concerning Israel’s future king.

“The Lord said to Samuel, . . . ‘I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.’ . . . When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.’ ” (1 Samuel 16:1 & 6)

BUT –

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ ” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Ok, so Israel’s future king wasn’t who Samuel would have chosen. But who was it? Our story continues-

“Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ So he asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ ‘There is still the youngest,’ Jesse answered, ‘but he is tending the sheep.’ ” (1 Samuel 16:10-11)

Now Samuel must have thought from sheep herder to king was an impossibility for anyone. But, as it turns out, not impossible with God. Samuel wisely deferred to God’s judgement in this matter.

“Samuel said, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.’ So he sent and had him brought in. . . . Then the Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; he is the one.’ So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.” (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

That was the beginning of King David’s unlikely story. What happens next is just as surprising and unlikely. The Israelites were at war with the Philistines. David’s older brothers were serving in the army, but David was left behind at home to tend the sheep. David was considered too young, too weak, too inexperienced, perhaps not brave enough to be a warrior. David was overlooked and as it turns out, underestimated.

David was relegated to the job of shepherd until one day, David’s father sent him to deliver food to his brothers and the Israeli army. David found himself on the battlefield where he learned everyone was afraid to face the Philistine named Goliath. Goliath had issued a challenge, inviting anyone who dared to fight him on the battlefield. No one in the Israeli army had accepted Goliath’s invitation – until David arrived on the scene.

David accepted the challenge and went out to the battlefield to meet Goliath, who was over nine feet tall. David wasn’t even wearing armor. He brought only five stones and a slingshot with him. Goliath was known as a champion warrior. David was a shepherd boy. The likely outcome would seem obvious given the facts. And yet –

“As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.” (1 Samuel 17:48-50)

Talk about your unlikely hero. The whole Israeli army had been too afraid of Goliath to fight him, even clad in all their armor and carrying swords and shields. David, a young shepherd boy, did with one stone what the whole army had failed to do – defeat Goliath and the Philistines. I’m sure no one predicted that outcome. Like I said, it’s never who you think.

David did eventually become Israel’s king and was having a successful reign. That is until he messed up big time. We are talking adultery and a cover up and a murder. At this point I would predict that David could no longer be used by God and I would expect that God would abandon David altogether. But that’s not what happened. King David was repentant. After first trying to hide his sins from others and from God, David confessed his wrongdoings to God and asked God’s forgiveness. And God forgave David! David got a second chance. David’s relationship with God was restored.

This gives me great hope and great comfort. How many times do I mess up and think God must be done with me now? But no – God does not give up on me or on you either, dear readers. We have this assurance –

“being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

God is faithful to finish what He’s started in each one of us. His word tells us –

“If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

No one would have chosen a shepherd boy to lead the nation of Israel – but God did. Today God is choosing you and me for whatever good purposes He has in mind for each of us. We just have to answer His call. After all, it’s never who you think. Today it’s you! Today it’s me! Sure, like King David, I’ve messed up big time. But, like King David, this is my prayer –

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. . . . Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. . . . Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will turn back to You.” (Psalm 51:1-2, 7, 10-13)

sincerely, Grace Day

it’s never who you think – part two

Posted on by Grace Day

Welcome to the second installment of the “it’s never who you think” series. I take great encouragement from the fact that historically God seems to use the most unlikely people to accomplish His good and eternal purposes here on earth. This means that you and I can experience the privilege of being called into our Heavenly Father’s service. No matter how unlikely a candidate you or I may be, nevertheless God invites us to live on mission with Him and carry out His work. However, it’s our choice whether we answer His call and accept our assignment or not.

Today’s surprise recipient of God’s invitation and subsequent unlikely hero is none other than the apostle Paul. This may surprise you, but Paul who was formerly called Saul, has quite the back story. His story makes him a very unlikely choice to be chosen as a hero for God. Maybe that’s why Paul’s invitation to serve God came in such a dramatic way. But I’m surprised Paul got the invitation at all, given what he was doing right before His encounter with God.

” . . . they all rushed at him, (Stephen) dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. . . . And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.” (Acts 7:58 & 8:1)

“Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” (Acts 8:1-2)

So Paul, who at the time was called Saul, was busy hunting down, rounding up and seeking to imprison as many of the early Christians as he could. He even gave approval to the stoning of those who were followers of Jesus. If Paul wanted Christians put to death, it seems most unlikely that he would become one himself. And yet, this is what happened next –

“As he (Saul) neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ ” (Acts 9:3-6)

So Paul, now blind, was led into the city and God sent a man named Ananias to Paul to restore his sight.

“But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.’ ” (Acts 9:15-16)

Can you believe that? The person who was persecuting Christians was the same person God chose to “carry His name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” I would not have seen that coming. Saul wouldn’t appear to me to be the obvious choice BUT – God had a plan and a purpose for Saul’s life. So, Ananias obeyed God’s instructions and went to Saul.

“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord – Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here – has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. . . . At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, ‘Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?’ Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.” (Acts 9:17-22)

Ok, so I’m not the only one who is surprised by this unexpected turn of events. This account says the people who heard Saul preaching were also surprised because they knew he was the same person who had come there to take as prisoners anyone who believed in Jesus. And now he was preaching that Jesus is the risen Son of God! Saul was certainly the least likely person to be preaching the gospel and yet that’s exactly what he was doing. Saul was doing exactly what he had put others in prison for doing, preaching that Jesus is God’s Son. Who would have thought it would be Saul? And yet that’s who God chose! Just goes to show me, it’s never who I think it will be.

Saul, with his name changed to Paul, did spend quite a bit of time in prison for preaching the gospel of Christ. The persecutor had become the persecuted. But persecution didn’t deter Paul from his assignment. Paul wrote this –

“But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.” (1 Peter 4:13)

Paul also wrote many letters to various churches while in prison, letters which became much of the New Testament. I’m sure no one who knew Paul when he went by Saul and was known for hunting down Christians in order to kill or to imprison them, would have predicted this outcome. But God always has a better plan. God had a better plan for Saul. And God has a better plan, a good plan, for me and for you, dear readers. In Jeremiah I read this –

” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Now, I generally feel like I am the most unlikely choice for whatever opportunity to serve or need might be at hand. Paul, too, felt this way about himself. We know because he said in his letter to Timothy –

“Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. . . . Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:13-16)

Surely, I think, there must be no shortage of other individuals God could choose – individuals who are more qualified, smarter, braver, stronger, more talented – possessing more of whatever is needed than I possess. And yet, God calls me. He wants to use me. Have I not learned from Saul/Paul’s experience and the experience of others in His word, that it’s never who I think? So why not me? Why not you? In Ephesians I read –

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 3:10)

My Creator has a plan and a purpose for me and He has one for you, too. It’s a plan which is already in place. You may feel overlooked and underestimated by others, seen as the least likely, BUT – God specializes in the impossible. We have His word on it.

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’ ” (Matthew 19:26)

You may not think it’s you whom God is calling (I’m always surprised and doubtful) – BUT – it’s never who you think. Sometimes it’s me. Sometimes it’s you. If Saul’s past didn’t disqualify him, our pasts won’t disqualify us either. Answer God’s call! Preferably today!

sincerely, Grace Day

it’s never who you think

Posted on by Grace Day

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

Those words explain a lot, don’t they? Haven’t you ever noticed that God seems to use the most unlikely people to accomplish the most unexpected things? God can use anyone to accomplish His good purposes – anyone who, like Isaiah the prophet, will make themselves available to God. Isaiah didn’t feel qualified to serve God. In fact, Isaiah said this about himself –

” ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ ” (Isaiah 6:5)

However, Isaiah experienced God’s forgiveness –

“Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ ” (Isaiah 6:6-7)

and then God’s call –

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ ” (Isaiah 6:8)

Isaiah answered God’s call with these words –

“And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ” (Isaiah 6:8)

I imagine that took some courage on Isaiah’s part. Isaiah was volunteering for a difficult, maybe dangerous assignment. Who does that? The most unlikely person who nevertheless is willing to be used by God, that’s who. Or consider the story of the good Samaritan. This is a widely known story in which the most unlikely person turns out to be the hero of the event.

The story starts when a traveler is beaten, robbed and left for dead along the side of a well-traveled road. The first person to encounter this unfortunate traveler was a priest. We would assume this was good news for the person in need of aide, right? But here’s what happened.

“A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.” (Luke 10:31)

I don’t know about you, but I would have thought that the priest would be the hero of this story. It’s a priest’s job to take care of other people. A priest is a servant of God by definition – that’s literally their job description. And they get paid for “working for God.” Even in today’s culture it’s a paid assignment. But this priest didn’t answer the obvious call for help from the injured traveler. Instead, the priest went out of his way to avoid helping the person in need, going so far as to “pass by on the other side.” The priest had the opportunity to be the hero of this story, but he refused the role. Instead, the priest chose to look the other way. Our story continues –

“So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” (Luke 10:32)

Another potential hero misses his opportunity to save the day and rescue the one in need. He could have come to the aide of the one in need but he, too, “passed by on the other side.” He did not answer God’s call, which is surprising since, like the priest, Levites were also set apart to serve God. And yet this particular Levite, on this particular day, didn’t seem interested in answering God’s call on his life. He preferred keeping to his own agenda. Rendering aide to this stranger would have been a major interruption to his itinerary and caused a significant delay in his plans. The Levite chose to look the other way.

Enter our hero. The most unlikely individual of them all.

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” (Luke 10:33-35)

The Samaritan was the unlikely hero in this story. He was not the person Jesus’s listeners would have guessed would emerge as the one who would save the day. Why? Well, Samaritans were hated by the Jews at this time in history. Resulting from intermarriage with Assyrians and other Gentile cultures, Samaritans were considered by the Jews to be a pagan culture and they were considered enemies. Yet it was the person perceived as an enemy that did the right thing and became the hero in this story. Like I said, it’s never who you think.

This “pagan” Samaritan literally lived out Jesus’s instruction to “love your neighbor” and Jesus’s even more challenging instruction to “love your enemies.” (love being an action verb) The Samaritan fulfilled both instructions when he showed compassion and care for a complete stranger who had nothing to offer him in return. Being the unlikely hero would come with a cost. It would cost the Samaritan his time and his money. BUT – the Samaritan did not look the other way. He stopped. He gave aide to the ailing traveler. The Samaritan was the unlikely hero.

That’s who I want to be, don’t you? – the unlikely hero. (or heroine) I’ve got the “unlikely” part down already. I have neither position, nor power, nor wealth, nor influence of any kind. I have no particular skills or abilities, strengths etc. that would qualify me for extraordinary feats of daring and rescue. I’m not really hero material.

BUT – God calls the unlikely to serve Him in unlikely ways. That’s me and that’s you too, dear readers. We just have to answer God’s call like Isaiah did in the affirmative. Am I brave enough to say along with Isaiah – “Here am I. Send me!”? Am I willing to bless those who curse me? If my enemy is hungry, will I feed him?

My calling and your calling, dear readers, is to join the multitude of unlikely heroes that make up the eternal story that the God of the universe has been writing for centuries and is still actively writing today. Who is to say that you and I don’t have a part to play, a place and a purpose? Ater all, it’s never who you think.

My Heavenly Father will fill me with the courage and the compassion not to pass by on the other side, not to look away.

sincerely, Grace Day

TRUTH – the all-purpose antidote to all that ails

Posted on by Grace Day

Lately, I seem to be feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. Now, we are told to “bear one another’s burdens”, and I have a lot of friends going through some very hard things. So that could possibly account for my feeling this way. But I think the weight that I am carrying around with me is unnecessary weight, weight that I needlessly keep hanging onto, when in truth, I don’t have to carry around all the things that I do. My Heavenly Father didn’t intend for me to constantly struggle under the weight of all the things I carry with me.

Ultimately, it’s my choice what I choose to lug around with me everywhere I go. Perhaps it’s time I dared to let go of that which weighs me down on my life’s journey. My Creator God invites me to do just that – let go of what I cling to so tightly and receive instead what He wants to give me. In fact, Jesus said this to the people He was with and it’s His gracious invitation to me and to you – His invitation to every single person, an invitation that still stands today. It is an open invitation.

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

That’s definitely what I need – a load that is lighter than the one I currently carry through this life. I long to be set free from the load of lies that are keeping me captive. And fortunately for me, God has the antidote that I so desperately need – truth!

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

But what is truth?

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ ” (John 14:6)

“After Jesus said this, He looked toward heaven and prayed: ‘Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.’ ” (John 17:1 & 17)

God’s word is truth! And truth is the antidote to all that ails me. I am definitely weighed down by my sin BUT – God’s truth in Isaiah tells me this about God’s mercy and forgiveness –

” ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ ” (Isaiah 1:18)

I too often find myself paralyzed by various fears BUT – the truth of God’s word tells me this –

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

I carry around the rejection I experience daily in this world, BUT – the Truth is, I am not rejected. I am chosen! (so are you)

“Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?” (James 2:5)

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

“But now, this is what the Lord says – . . . ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.’ ” (Isaiah 43:1)

I needlessly carry around despair, while Truth is waiting to replace it with hope (which is much lighter)

“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

I am living like a captive when the Truth is – I have already been set free.

“He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’ ” (John 8:34-36)

I am living like one who is condemned when the Truth is – I have already been pardoned!

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1)

“as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him; for He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:12-14)

I am living like I am unseen, unheard, unknown and unloved. Enter TRUTH. I am seen. I am heard. I am known. I am loved. And so are you, dear readers! the TRUTH is this –

I am seen – so are you

“My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:15-16)

I am heard – so are you

“But I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice.” (Psalm 55:16-17)

I am known – so are you

“O Lord, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O Lord.” (Psalm 139:1-4)

I am loved – so are you

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

that’s the TRUTH!

and TRUTH is the antidote!

TRUTH is the antidote to whatever ails you – because fear, rejection, despair, bondage, condemnation, invisibility, feeling unloved – these all result from believing the lies of our enemy – instead allow the TRUTH of God’s Living Word to set you free today and everyday –

sincerely, Grace Day

the mountain is already moved

Posted on by Grace Day

“Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, ‘Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?’ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.” (Mark 16:2-4)

This was the experience of Mary Magdalene, Salome and Mary the mother of James when they went to the tomb where Jesus was laid after His crucifixion. They were worried about having access to Jesus because of the large stone blocking the entrance to the tomb where He was buried. BUT – when they arrived, their problem had already been solved. The stone was already rolled away. They had spent their time worrying about a potential problem, a problem that they could not solve on their own because the stone was much too big and too heavy for them to be able to move it. However, their problem was taken care of long before they even arrived on the scene. By the time they arrived, the stone had been moved and they had access to Jesus’s tomb.

So often, I feel like these women. I am worried about some insurmountable obstacle or some seemingly unsolvable problem looming large in my future, but when I finally arrive at that dreaded moment, I find that the insurmountable obstacle has already been moved out of my way. I could have enjoyed the journey had I known the stone would be moved by the time I arrived. Jesus had something to say to His disciples about worry. He told them –

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? . . . But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25, 33-34)

Days full of trouble – certainly true. BUT – miracles amid the mundane of our everyday lives – also true. The miracle of the rolled away stone was pretty extraordinary to be sure. However, even greater miracles preceded the moving of the stone. Jesus’s resurrection from the dead makes the minor miracle of boulder moving look easy. And there’s more. Just two days prior to the boulder moving, overcoming death day, a major miracle had occurred. It happened at the moment of Jesus’s death on the cross.

“With a loud cry, Jesus breathed His last. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:37-38)

and another miracle followed immediately –

“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard His cry and saw how He died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’ ” (Mark 15:39)

the curtain torn, truth revealed and eyes opened to see Jesus’s true identity –

Matthew also records these same events giving more detail –

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’s resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, ‘Surely He was the Son of God!’ ” (Matthew 27:50-54)

The curtain being torn in two from top to bottom was an even greater miracle than the huge stone being rolled away from the tomb’s entrance. The curtain separated men from God in the temple. This was necessary because God is holy and sinful mankind couldn’t come directly into His presence – that is until the tearing of the curtain, the removing of the barrier. This is what Jesus came to do – make a way for us, for you and for me – a way for us to be reconciled to our Creator, God. This is what Jesus meant when He said He is “the way”.

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ ” (John 14:6)

Paul explained it like this in Hebrews –

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)

The curtain has been torn in two. We can now enter into that most holy place through that “new and living way” that is Jesus Himself. The invitation has been given.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Some translations say “let us come boldly unto the throne of grace.” Because the curtain of separation is gone, you and I can now come boldly into God’s throne room at any time. A way has been made for us where previously there was no way. You and I have twenty-four/seven access to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The curtain is torn apart. The stone is rolled away. Jesus is risen. Jesus is our “new and living way” to God.

“I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19)

When the temple curtain was torn in two, a new way was made and a myriad of miracles was set in motion. The centurion at the cross had his eyes opened causing him to proclaim – “Surely this man was the Son of God!” Jesus came back to life, conquering death once for all time. The stone was rolled away, granting access to the empty tomb, granting us access to witness the miracle of Christ’s resurrection. And the miracles just keep on coming! Salvation, forgiveness of sins, adoption into a forever family . . .

“for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ” (Romans 10:13)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will – ” (Ephesians 1:5)

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God -” (John 1:12)

maybe you, like me, often feel overwhelmed by mountains that need moving, stones that need rolled away, curtains that need to be torn apart, so that we have access to what we need most, which is access to our Savior, our Creator, our Heavenly Father. The good news is that access has been granted to you and to me. We can now come boldly into our Heavenly Father’s presence anytime we want. The curtain is gone, the stone is no longer blocking our way, and our Heavenly Father has already moved heaven and earth to redeem us for Himself. In the process God may have moved a few mountains. He continues to move the mountains in our lives daily.

So, don’t worry. Your mountains, like the stone, may already be moved by the time you get there. If not, take heart. God will move them in His good and perfect timing if they need to be moved. He has done it before. He will do it again.

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)

sincerely, Grace Day

you are what you think

Posted on by Grace Day

I remember a once popular saying – “You are what you eat.” I guess the intent was to make people think about what foods they consumed because what we put into our bodies will determine the overall health of our bodies. Healthy food = a healthy body. Unhealthy food = an unhealthy body more prone to illness and disease.

It would seem the same idea is true for our minds as well. What we “feed” our minds has a tremendous impact on our mental health. This is nothing new. It is not a new age revelation or discovery. In the Old Testament book of Proverbs we read this –

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV)

Truly nothing new under the sun as King Solomon was always so quick to point out. The human condition does not change. We are or we become what we eat. We are or we become what we spend our time thinking about. This would explain why Paul wrote this instruction to the believers at Colosse-

“Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)

So I am supposed to “set my mind on things above.” Why? Well, Paul gave this instruction to the church at Corinth –

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Better I take my thoughts “captive”, choosing what I will think about and what I will focus on than to allow my thoughts to be “captured” by current social media or by the deceits of the enemy of my soul, who is known as “the father of lies.” Choosing what I will spend my time thinking about, dwelling on, is important because these daily choices will determine my future. Consider this warning in Proverbs –

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

What I choose to fill my mind with will determine where I end up. In Romans, there is this advice –

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

Set my mind on things above, take captive every thought, renew my mind with God’s word – all choices I can make every day. Because, as I think – so I will be.

The apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians this great advice –

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9)

Turns out God’s living and active Word, My Heavenly Father’s thoughts, are a great antidote to the ill effects of social media and current culture’s thoughts on my mind and on my heart. I have God’s promise recorded in Isaiah –

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV)

The antidote to my fear, anxiety and worry is thinking about and spending time with my Heavenly Father, listening to Him and filling my mind with His thoughts, which are shared with you and me in His Living Word. I can choose to keep my mind “stayed upon my Creator.” I can choose to let my Redeemer take my every thought captive. I can choose to let God renew my mind with the cleansing of His living and active Word.

I can choose. But what I choose to dwell on, what thoughts I choose to fill my mind, these will determine the course, the quality and the outcome of my life. I’d better choose wisely.

“Blessed is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at My doors, waiting at My doorway. For whoever finds Me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.” (Proverbs 8:34-35)

sincerely, Grace Day

spectator or participant?

Posted on by Grace Day

Which one are you? I am challenged to consider this question myself as I examine my own life. This quote from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech delivered April 23rd, 1910 in Paris, France sheds some light on the subject –

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

The choice is mine. The choice is yours, too, dear readers. Will I sit on the sidelines of life, safely critiquing those in the arena who are living out their callings with faith and courage, even though they are living those callings out imperfectly? Or will I dare to enter life’s arena myself, knowing it will be hard, knowing I will fail many times, knowing those in the stands will ridicule my efforts – yet believing that I will also get to experience the joy and the hope of rising from each of my many defeats to continue forward toward the purpose for which I have been called?

I choose to be a participant! Painful and exhausting and daunting and discouraging as it has already proven to be, I choose again every day to remain in the arena “fighting the good fight of faith” rather than to escape to the sidelines, becoming merely a spectator. A spectator will never know defeat but a spectator will also never know victory. A spectator will not know pain but a spectator will also not know joy. As a spectator, I will be devoid of all passion, of all purpose and of the pursuit of a greater good, the pursuit of something greater than myself. I choose the arena! Even though it is the more difficult, the more dangerous, the more uncertain choice – I choose to participate rather than to spectate. I choose the arena even though this is an apt description of life in the arena –

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)

That definitely describes life in the arena. But here’s the advice I follow as a participant rather than a spectator –

” . . . I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. . . . But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

And I remember what Jesus told His disciples –

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

That’s so true! Life in the arena of this world is filled with trouble. It is definitely more challenging than life on the sidelines. BUT – as a participant I am never alone. God was with Daniel in the lion’s den. He was there with Daniel’s three friends when they were in the king’s overheated furnace. God was with Jonah in the belly of the big fish. My Heavenly Father is with me as I face and endure the challenges and hardships in the arena of this world every day. His presence gives me the courage I need to stay in the arena and to keep on fighting the good fight. And God’s presence gives me what I need in order to fight in the arena.

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

” ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zechariah 4:6)

I am not alone in the arena and I have a clear purpose in being there.

“I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

“But you, man (woman) of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in His own time” (1 Timothy 6:11-15)

to contend for the faith, to fight the good fight of the faith, to pursue righteousness, to keep His commands, to take hold of the eternal life to which I’ve been called – this is life in the arena, active not passive – I desire to continue to be a participant – never a spectator, so that when my days in the arena come to an end, I will be able to say along with the apostle Paul –

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

Inside the arena the fighting is fierce. Participation is not for the faint of heart. However, you and I have One who is interceding on our behalf, ensuring that we will emerge victorious if we stay the course. We have His promise –

“Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:34-39)

Did you catch that? In the arena of life, you and I are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” – loved us enough to die in our place on the cross and loves us still with an everlasting love.

that’s all I need to know – I’m more than a conqueror through Jesus – I was created to be a participant, not an idle spectator. So were you, dear readers. Therefore, I will remain in the arena, my face marred by dust and sweat and blood, until He calls me home. How about you?

sincerely, Grace Day