Christianity is full of paradoxes. The last shall be first. If you want to be great, be a servant. When you humble yourself, God will exalt you. When we are weak that is when we are strong. There is another deep and profound paradox mentioned in Philippians 3 that will transform the way that we live our lives: If you want to experience the victory of winning in your life, you must be willing to lose (Philippians 3:3-11).
That goes against our upbringing and training. Those of us who grew up playing sports were taught that you play to win. We were taught that no one remembers second place. Much of life as we see it comes down to winning or losing. The Word of God challenges our competitive nature by teaching us that ultimately we win by losing. You cannot have victory until you are willing to suffer loss. We win when we are willing to lose our status (v. 3-7). Here, Paul discusses his willingness to lose his status for the Savior. If anyone could brag about who he was and what he had done, it was Paul. He had an impressive resume. First of all Paul was born into privilege. He also accomplished much by his own merit. He was a Pharisee. He studied the Law and knew the scriptures better than most. He was a strict adherent to the Law. Paul finds himself in the position of an accountant having to reassess his balance sheet. Those things that he thought were gains (the pedigree, the titles, the legalistic law keeping), were actually to be counted as losses. There is a need to assess and examine our lives so that we can be confident in what is important! There are things that we think add value to our lives that really should be counted as losses. God is not impressed by our net worth or our social network. He is not all that concerned about where you went to school. Job titles and certifications don’t give you a competitive advantage in eyes of God. We have to be willing to count them as loss for the sake of Christ. Often, the unwillingness of lose keeps us from a deeper level of discipleship. Many of us aren’t willing to lose standing and status. We aren’t willing to let go of power and prestige. We are trying to hold on to what we were and wonder why we are struggling to be who God has called us to be. You cannot stay where you are and expect to get to where God wants you to be. We win when we are willing to lose. We lose ourselves so that we can know Christ and the power of His resurrection. Those things that we once counted as gain, we should count as loss so that we may have Christ manifest in our lives. To know Christ is to experience Him beyond the intellectual grasp. It is to be intimately aware of His nature and character. To know Him is to acknowledge Him as Lord. What you have to give up loses its value to you when you focus on the riches found in knowing Christ Jesus. What’s keeping you from knowing the exceedingly surpassing overwhelming greatness of Christ?
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Have you ever gone to someone that you thought could help you only to discover that they are ill equipped and unprepared to help? Or perhaps you have tried to help others and feel like you did more damage than good. How can one called on to help end up being unhelpful? The apostles were challenged to answer this question after an epic failure. In Mark 9:14-29, the apostles prove to be unhelpful help. What was it that led to their inability to help someone who needed the help?
There are at least three reasons why the apostles failed in the task for which they were empowered to perform. Those reasons provide us with some insight as to why we are at times unhelpful in our help. The apostles deceived by their strength. The disciples were powerless because their trust was in the wrong place. It appears that they forgot that it was their faith that gave them their power. Often when we think of faithlessness, we think of not believing that something can be done. But that is not the only demonstration of faithlessness. We are also faithless when we think we can do something without the power of God. There are times when we have success in our lives and we think that we have the Midas touch. We think that we are the driving force behind our success. However, the activating force behind our success is the Spirit of the Lord. Secondly, they were distracted from their charge. When Jesus comes down from the mountain, the Bible lets us know that the disciples were arguing with the scribes, which meant they were no longer trying to help the man who brought his son. Arguing was not part of their commission. So often, we are distracted from our charge. While there is a place for apologetics and the defense of the gospel, most of the arguing that we do has nothing to do with the gospel. Meanwhile, people are still dying without Christ. Our charge is to go and make disciples and share the gospel with the lost. Our charge is to do good every time we have an opportunity, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Our charge is to encourage one another. Our charge is to love the Lord with all that we are, love our neighbor as ourselves and love one another as Christ has loved us. Don’t let the devil distract you from your charge. Finally, they were disconnected from God in prayer. Once they are behind closed doors, the disciples ask Jesus why they couldn’t cast out the demon. Jesus lets them know that the demon was an advanced demon. So because the demon was on another level, prayer was necessary. Our work as Christians must be bathed in prayer. While our ministry is to be done in the name or by the authority of Jesus, that’s not enough. There are some things in our lives and in the lives of others that can only be accomplished through prayer. The lines of communication need to be open between heaven and earth for something to happen. If we want to be helpful help, we must abide in the power of God, avoid the distractions of the world and pray for God’s empowerment in all that we do for his glory. Has God ever delivered you from something? Your answer is likely a resounding “YES!” Now comes the hard question: Do you live today like God has delivered you in the past? Do you face new challenges with the perspective that God can deliver now because He has already done it before? Or do you suffer from the same condition that Israel had in Exodus 17?
Israel had experience the deliverance of the Lord (Exodus 12). They saw the salvation of the Lord (Exodus 14). They tasted the goodness of God (Exodus 15). And the received the provisions of God (Exodus 16). Yet when they faced the challenge of having no water, they murmured and complained. They suffered from spiritual amnesia. They lived as if they had forgotten that they had experienced the deliverance of the Lord, seen His salvation, tasted of His goodness and received His provisions. We have been the beneficiaries of the bountiful blessings of God. But we frequently have bouts of spiritual amnesia. God has delivered us, provided for us, strengthened us, comforted us, and guided us in the past. Yet we tend to forget what God has done for us in the past, which leads us to doubt what God can do for us in the present. So what is the cure for spiritual amnesia? It is real simple: don’t forget to remember. One of the causes of spiritual amnesia is a loss of memory that leads to a loss of faith. When we pause to remember we will discover that many of the things that we go through in life really aren’t new to us. Some of the details may be different, but the core issue is still the same. Don’t forget to remember the blessings of God. Don’t forget the promises of God. Not only did Israel forget about their personal history with God. They forgot about what God had promised them. Israel should have known that they were not going to die of thirst in the wilderness because God had promised them entrance into the land of Canaan. As you live from day to day, don’t forget the promises of God, for He who promised is faithful. Second Cor. 1:20 states, “For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes.” If God promised it to those who are in Christ, rest assured that God will stand by His promises. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Psalms 127:3 declares, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” God places a high value on children. They are a gift from God. They are precious. Jesus informs us that we must have a child-like faith if we want to enter the Kingdom of God. He welcomed children and became outraged when His disciples were rebuking children for coming to Jesus (Mark 10:13-15).
Even though children are a precious gift, parenting is not easy. As parents, we tend to want our children to be mini-adults. There are concepts, behavior, and attitudes that we just expect them to get because they are our children. The frustration of a toddler’s defiance, a child’s disobedience or a teen’s attitude can stir up feelings of anger within parents. Add to that work stress, relationship tensions, and feeling stretched to your limit, and you have an environment that is primed for a less than loving response to your child. We can help end child abuse by committing to love our children as our heavenly Father loves us. God is mindful of the fragility of our humanity. He knows that we are dust (Psalm 103:13-14). We must see our children, not as mini-adults, but as fragile vessels from God, entrusted to us to care for, love, protect, and prepare for service to God. How we treat our children will heavily influence how they see God. Additionally, experienced Christian parents can be a resource and mentors for young parents. Build relationships with younger parents and be a source of encouragement to them. Do for young parents what others did for you or do what you wish someone would have done for you when you were a new parent. Just knowing that someone cares and is there to walk with a young parent can make an enormous impact on the life of a young family. Call 1-800-4 A CHILD to report child abuse. Life often catches us off guard. When crises hits, they tend to take us by surprise. However, there are times when we know what’s coming. Whether it is a conversation that we have to have tomorrow, a follow up doctor appointment next week, or the inevitable death of an aged loved one, we sometimes get advanced notice of the tests that are coming. Such was the case when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to His arrest.
Matthew 26:36-46 occurs after the institution of the Lord’s Supper and before Jesus is betrayed by Judas. There we learn a powerful lesson on prayer: we should pray before the test. The text effectively highlights the emotions of the moment. Jesus is grieved and distressed. He does not suppress or deny his emotions; Jesus acknowledges, owns, and communicates His feelings. When we face challenging moments, we often try to act as if they don’t bother us. It is better to communicate our emotions than to try to hide them. In acknowledging our feelings, we do so while exhibiting self-control. Jesus did not use his feelings to justify bad behavior. Instead, He focused His feelings through prayer. Prayer was His response to feelings of distress and grief. Although He asked His disciples to keep watch with Him, Jesus prayed for Himself. His example shows us that even though we can ask others to pray for us, we should always pray for ourselves too. Sometimes friends will have the best intentions, but will be unable to give you the attention that you need. They may be wrestling with their own emotions, caught up in their own drama, and unaware of their own weaknesses. Jesus prayed 3 times. Why would He pray 3 times? In part to teach us a lesson: if at first you don’t succeed, pray, pray again. Our problem is that when we are experiencing life’s emotions and feeling some type of way about a situation, we don’t P.U.S.H. Don’t give up. Pray Until Something Happens! Each time you pray, your spirit becomes more willing, your resolve is strengthened, and your courage is renewed. After the third prayer, Jesus was strengthened. It is as if He was saying to His disciples, “Get up! Let’s go! Let’s do this! I’ve got a cross to carry. I have some pain to endure. I’ve got a world to save!” The victory of Calvary was won that night in the garden of Gethsemane. Knowing that the test was coming, Jesus prayed. For those temptations of life we can see approaching from the distance, the victory should be won before the temptation really reaches us. When you see a crisis coming, that’s the time to start praying because the victory often comes before the crisis shows up. |
AuthorMinister Ross' creativity, wisdom, and insight have inspired community, church and corporate audiences throughout the United States. Archives
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