Tag: dangerous

Dangerous Witness

Today’s readings are Ezekial 25-27, Psalm 85, and John 9.

Pretend for a second with me you were born 2,000 years ago, and you were also born blind. Could there be anything much more hopeless? Even today a quick google search will tell you that there is virtually nothing that can be done to restore sight when you are born fully blind…no matter how much money or fame you have. Ask Stevie Wonder. I’m sure blind man we read about in John 9 felt there was no possibility of him ever being able to see again and to do anything other than beg for money as we read he had done for many years. But then what happens, he has an encounter with Jesus who restores his sight. Can you imagine if you were him?

When asked by His disciples why this man was born blind and if it as due to his sin or his parents, Jesus responded with neither. Jesus told them it was so that God’s works and glory could be shown through him (John 9:3). We read on in this chapter the man was very outspoken that Jesus had healed him and even gave his witness to the Pharisees…. even though they threatened supporters of Jesus. He became a witness to others of what Jesus had done for him, and here we are reading about it 2,000 years later.

Is there an area of your life or someone you know which seems hopeless? Does it seems like there is no way out or any possible way God could use it for good or His glory? But, could it be any more hopeless than the situation of the blind man from John 9? Yet, we see what Jesus did in his life and the impact it’s still having today for God’s glory. Will God heal you from your pain and problem the way He did with the blind man? I can’t promise you that, but I can attest that many with earthly challenges such as those born with special needs or stricken with sickness who were never healed have made a far greater impact on others through their life for God’s glory than many who have never had significant challenges and achieved what our small minds would view as worldly success. Romans 8:28 reads, “ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

However, maybe God will actually bring you out of your hopeless situation like He did for the blind man. When He does, are you prepared to share it with others and give Him the glory and praise He deserves that may ultimately lead others to trusting and following Him? Or will you attribute your healing to something else such as luck or even if you do believe it was God who healed you will you have the courage to share it? Let us learn from the blind man’s example.

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Hebrews 10:39

Jars of Clay

 

Young plant - "Ficus" in a broken flower pot
Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 11; 2 Corinthians 4; Ezekiel 18; Psalms 62–63

I was recently asked about what I do to stay motivated. I offered the stock answers, explaining how I spend time every morning studying and praying. I exercise and eat right (sometimes). I read a lot and am careful of how much sleep I get. Sounds like a 10-step plan, doesn’t it. In fact, you could get similar advice from any self-help book ever written. Don’t get me wrong, there is some truth in those answers. The problem with them is that they don’t get to the Truth.

The Truth is that no matter how much you exercise, eat right or study and pray, you are going to have hard days. Maybe not only days, but weeks, months and years! Our lives are, in fact, fragile. In every moment, we are vulnerable physically and mentally to the forces of nature, illness, economics, character assassination, and defamation. The Apostle Paul calls us “jars of clay.” It is a fitting metaphor. You see, anything made of clay is rigid and strong enough to contain precious things. Even so, it is brittle and fragile. It reminds me of our clay flower pots.  When that clay pot makes sharp contact with the corner of your table or the wind blows it over onto your concrete patio, watch out! We encounter these same dangers in our everyday lives. So, if we are so fragile, how is it that we are to live fearlessly?   How will we stay motivated to press on?

The answer those questions lie in your “big why.” I learned about this from the founder of Keller Williams Realty, Gary Keller. He writes, “The Big Why is about having a purpose, a mission, or a need, that in turn gives you focus. High achievers always have a Big Why powering their actions.” This statement is spot on. In fact, we can look throughout history and see where many people put their very lives on the line to achieve their singular purpose. To illustrate this further, I could cite men like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. No person stands out to me more than the Apostle Paul. He endured one painful day after another. Amazingly, Paul didn’t just endure the suffering of his life he thrived in it. So, how did Paul stay motivated? Simple, he had a really big why.

as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. (2 Corinthians 4:15, NLT)

That’s it! Paul was so enamored with God that he became laser focused on Him. His sole purpose, his Big Why, in this life was to “reach more and more people so that there would be great thanksgiving and God would receive more and more glory.” Wow! I am immediately and deeply humbled by the purity and righteousness of Paul’s motives. Truly, I want to be “sold out” like that. I want to be fully aware that the dangers to my “earthen vessel” are nothing. As Paul says, “our present troubles are small and will not last very long.” (2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT) That mindset is only possible when we “fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NLT). When we do, God will remove the cares of our temporary, earthly minds and bodies, replacing them with His “surpassing power,” (2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV) which becomes our motivation. What is your Big Why?

Works Cited:
Keller, Gary; Jenks, Dave; Jay Papasan; Gary Keller; Dave Jenks; Jay Papasan (2004-03-11). The Millionaire Real Estate Agent (Kindle Location 1163). McGraw-Hill. Kindle Edition.