Encounter God

Guest post by Kate Conner - recommended by Andrew Dunham

ThanksLiving

During this week of Thanksgiving, I’ll be writing a series called ThanksLiving.  Because being thankful is but the teeniest, tiniest first step to living thankful.  A crucial step, but truly, just the fringes.
When we practice gratitude, we are touched. Our hearts feel full, and we are able to see with fresh, clear eyes that our blessings abound.  We feel inclined to express thanks, to connect with loved ones, to appreciate nature, perhaps to pray.
But I submit that our being “touched” is not the highest purpose of gratitude.  The higher purpose is to be moved.
There is a progression in play.

First, gratitude gives perspective. “I am among the most lavishly fortunate human beings on the planet.”

Then awe, and, as it sinks in, perhaps the impression that we are on the winning side of some great injustice.  “Whoa, why me?”

Then contentment.  “I commit to resting in my blessings.  Clearly, I lack nothing.”

The human tendency is to park it here, but the progression continues.  The more we allow gratitude, awe, and contentment to marinate in our hearts, the quicker we come to the next inevitable step:

Conviction. “How can I sit, resting in my blessings, lacking nothing, when so many – the majority of humankind, in fact – lack so much?”

And it is impossible for anyone to experience conviction for very long before they are moved to action.  “I cannot sit idly by.  I will take what I have, whether little or much, and give where the need is great.”

The logical extreme then, the inevitable end of gratitude, is a life marked by consistent, intentional, extravagant generosity.
If we allow ourselves to say, “I was so touched by that gift,” “That service touched my heart,” “That gesture really touched me,” and think that in acknowledging the warm fuzzies we have arrived at gratitude, we deceive ourselves.  We are stopping halfway through the progression, taking blessings in without putting blessings out.  It’s like eating without exercising and thinking that we’ve got “health” under control.  We wallow in our warm nest of friends, food, and political and religious freedom and don’t see beyond the tips of our own blessed noses.
You know what other creatures are known for reveling and wallowing in that which they love?  Pigs.
And I’m afraid to tell you that no matter how thankful you feel, no matter how many thankful Facebook statuses you post, or how long you say grace before you eat your Thanksgiving turkey – if you don’t live generously that’s likely how people in need will see you: as a very thankful, very blessed pig.
Contentment is good.  It is of God.  It reflects a healthy understanding of what we need, and what we have, what we’ve been given.  It cures a hundred ills. It is necessary to get to the next step; but it is not the end.
And so – this is my prayer for you (and for me) this Thanksgiving season:

Be thankful.  May your eyes be opened to the astonishing beauty all around you.  I pray that you feel your whole world pulsing with glory and holiness and divine blessing – that you experience the great love of God for the first time, or for the hundredth time.  Be touched.  I pray that your relationships are rich and fruitful. I pray that someone hugs you.  I pray that, at least once during this season, you are so mind-numbingly overwhelmed with gratitude that all you can say is, “Wow.”

And I pray that as that inevitable knot of emotions, that tangled up ball of joy and gratitude and “I-don’t-deserve-this” and the sheer exhaustion from being so intensely happy, wells up inside of you, that you don’t quench it.  I pray that you let the joy and the gratitude keep welling up until it spills right out onto other people.  I pray that your grateful day is a big, beautiful gateway to a grateful life – a life marked by contentment, joy, and consistent, intentional generosity.  I pray that giving consumes you, that you can’t not give, that you are compelled.

“For the love of God compels us…” [2 Corinthians 5:14]

Be touched, but be moved.

Contagious Generosity

Culture is shaped by what we value! When we, as church leaders, do not value generosity, then the people in our church will not value it either.

By not talking about God's perspective of money and possessions, we condition people to become consumers instead of givers. It is necessary for us to clearly communicate that the goal of generosity is not just funding local church ministries, it is participating in a revolution that God is orchestrating through believers around the world. And that revolution starts with every person at our church being a blessing to people around the world. That is what God promised Abraham in Genesis 12.

We need to strive to seek God, not money. We need to seek to surrender to God's will, listen to Him and His direction, and then do what He says. The spirit and practice of generosity is always an outward sign of an inward commitment - faith. Just as we point to our personal checkbooks or bank accounts as evidence of what we value, the church must look at its own financial habits and determine whether it is holding itself accountable in the same way.

In the end, the primary goal when creating a generous culture in our church is not financial gain or expansion of our budget. The real goal has very little to do with money. The real goal is spiritual formation. Generosity is one of the best external indicators for measuring transformation and spiritual growth.

We might need to ask ourselves, "Through what lens is our church looking? What do outsiders see as important to our church? What do they think we value?"

Encounter The Word

• 2 Corinthians 8:1-5

Contagious Generosity

Generosity is at its core a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle in which we share all that we have, are, and ever will become as a demonstration of God's love and a response to God's grace. Generosity flows from an understanding that all we have, are, and ever will become is not ours to possess, and it results in sharing what we have been given with others for the advancement of the Kingdom and the glory of God.

Generosity, when it flows naturally ... or should I say, supernaturally ... from the heart of an individual, or a church community, is contagious! It expresses in practical and powerful ways the message at the core of our faith: God gave His only Son to us that we might have life.

The local church (no matter the size) is the primary means that God uses to build His Kingdom on earth. And every local church has a unique culture that shapes its identity. Our personal beliefs are grounded in our culture. Our actions reflect our culture. And our impact on our community is determined largely by our culture. Church leaders have been given the primary responsibility for creating a culture of faith and practice that aligns with Biblical teaching on generosity.

A church must be intentional about developing a culture of generosity! The culture of a church includes its customs and underlying attitudes. Culture sets the tone, defines the pace, and becomes the catalyst for vision, strategy, goals and impact. There is no status quo in church culture. A church is either moving toward or moving away from becoming a generous church. A generous church must be constantly, intentionally influenced until it results in the contagious generosity of the members.

Generosity is a fruit of God's grace, the product of a transformed heart, and it develops in an atmosphere that encourages it, celebrates it, and reproduces it consistently over time.

Encounter The Word

• 2 Corinthians 9:11
• Luke 6:38

*I thank Chris Willard and Jim Sheppard for their thoughts and ideas.

This week I share with you an excellent article by Ron Rose from his Faith Notes, a ministry of Faith Coaching Network.

In a world of distrust, do you trust?

 

PREPARATION

Do you trust your spouse not to cheat on you regardless of temptations? Do you trust your best friend to not reveal your secrets? Do you trust your boss to do what he promises? Do you trust your manager to have your back? Do you trust your teammates to carry their share of the load and to resist hogging more than their share of the credit? Do you trust the CEO to live the inspirational messages he has posted on the walls? Do you trust your political leaders?

Do you trust God?

Trust is not as simple as it seems. It's the compilation of information and experience squeezed through the filter of the heart. It's personal and invisible and indispensable. For some of us, it's easy and second-nature. For others, it's excruciatingly difficult and foreboding.

You may have a friend who finds it almost impossible to trust...why is that?

One of my Starbucks' conversations recently was with a woman who on the outside seems invincible, but just touch her and she'll flinch. She has dark painful secrets and she trusts no one. She talks about trust. She likes the sound of the word, but her life has been filled with so much betrayal, that her "truster," her willingness to trust is broken. She is alone and isolated even when the party is raging. Oh, she knows how to pretend trust, but it's all surface--smoke and mirrors.

Is she one of those hopeless people who fall through the cracks regardless of what we do? Is she destined to be a victim? Can we fix her brokenness? NO! Teach her? NO! Save her? NO! Show her trust? YES! And pray for a miracle? YES!

In fact, God is working on this right now. She is becoming a walking billboard for the power of the Holy Spirit--she is a miracle. As the Apostle John put it, "...When our hearts condemn us. God is more powerful than our hearts..." This heart-work is a supernatural "God thing."

This kind of open-heart surgery is beyond us. There are no step by step fix-it plans. Trust is simply believing God is big enough to keep his promise of never leaving us alone or hopeless. The miracle is, in spite of the darkness, trusting the God we can not see.

So are you ready to turn loose--ready to let God be God. He knows exactly what to do. This is God at HIS best!

INSPIRATION

I know it's a children's movie, but it makes the point with clarity. The movie is Disney's Aladdin.

The young street-urchin-turned-prince is trying to woo his way into Princess Jasmine’s heart. She is standing outside of her palace bedroom on the balcony when Aladdin swoops in out of nowhere, tries to smooth talk her, and essentially fails.

Jasmine rejects the poor guy and tells him to leave. Then, Aladdin walks straight off the balcony, and to her eyes it appears he has plunged to his death.

Jasmine is stunned. She calls out for him to come back. Miraculously, Aladdin pops his head back up over the balcony wall and takes Jasmine by surprise.

She doesn't understand. What she sees doesn't fit with her past experience. Aladdin holds out his hand and asks her a single question, "Do you trust me?” Then, in a moment of curiosity and adventure Jasmine reaches for Aladdin’s hand and steps over the balcony wall.

She doesn't fall or step onto a secret ledge. She finds herself and Aladdin standing on the magic carpet...and away they go. Her life has been changed, forever.

MOTIVATION

This "trust thing" is a miracle from God. His Spirit makes it possible. We're not made to understand it, just live it. Trust God and life will never be the same.

Don't just talk about it, or debate it. Be the miracle!

I can't fix distrust, but I can show people what trust looks like, I can be trustworthy.

Memorize this blessing: "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 NIV

Last evening was our second Wednesday for our Band of Brothers group. We are focusing on the Fruit of the Spirit, and specifically for the next six weeks on Self-Control: Mastering Our Passions. Last night, we began the mini-series with Mastering the Manner in Which We Talk with One Another. We looked at James 3:1-12, Ephesians 4:29-32, and James 1:19-20.

As I think about our time last night, and I reflect on the thoughts that were shared among the group members, I am driven to think about both our church culture and the culture in our community and around the world. The Middle East remains in a turmoil. African violence is not subsiding. Crime continues to escalate here in our own country and communities. People fight with one another over the most ridiculous reasons. Married couples often cannot talk civilly to one another for more than a few minutes. And Parents and kids are equally challenged to be able to communicate in healthy ways. Much has been written about what is wrong with society. And much is offered by way of solutions to the problem. While this problem in human relations can appear very complex at times, I am not so sure it is that difficult to solve. Quite possibly what James says in James 1:19-20 is the most effective solution. Applying this principle to our lives requires much grace and mercy from God, and between people. But it is possible to apply it, and make radical changes in the way people and nations communicate with one another.

What is that principle in James?

"Everyone of you should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." This could be called the "quick-slow-slow principle." We do love "quick" as westerners, but that quick usually applies to how quickly I tell you what I think and want. Or how quickly I become angry at you, when my goals and desires are thwarted by you. What if we spent more time and energy on listening to one another, refraining from offering our opinions so readily, and restraining our impulse to become angry at people and situations? Of course, this process is impossible with man. But not with God. That is why self-control of my communication and related emotions is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It takes God's intervention into our hearts to be the people we want to be and others need us to be.

This week, let's all commit to asking God to help us practice the "quick-slow-slow principle."

If you do not have the devotional book, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, I encourage you to consider adding it to your devotional library. It is excellent. If you are an owner of a smart phone, you may purchase the application for it instead of the book. I have the app and it is so convenient.

This week, I share another thought from Sarah ...

Spend Time With Me

Spend time with Me for the pure pleasure of being in My company. I can brighten up the dullest of gray days. I can add sparkle to the routines of daily life. You have to repeat so many tasks day-after-day. This monotony can dull your thinking until your mind slips into neutral. A mind that is unfocused is vulnerable to "the world, the flesh and the devil," all of which exert a downward pull on your thoughts. As your thinking processes deteriorate, you become increasingly confused and directionless. The best remedy is to refocus your mind and heart on Me, your constant Companion.

Even the most confusing day opens up before you as you go step-by-step with Me. My Presence goes with you wherever you go, providing Light for your path.

Encounter the Word

• Psalm 63:7-8
• Psalm 119:105

Entrust Your Loved Ones To Me

Sarah Young writes in her devotional work - Jesus Calling ...

Entrust your loved ones to me. Release them into My protective care. They are much safer with Me than in your clinging hands. If you let a loved one become an IDOL in your heart, you endanger that one - as well as yourself. Remember the extreme measures I used with Abraham and Isaac. I took Isaac to the very point of death to free Abraham from sonworship. Both Abraham and Isaac suffered terribly because of the father's undisciplined emotions. I detest IDOLATRY. Even in the form of parental love.

When you release loved ones to Me, you are free to cling to My hand. As you entrust others into My care, I am free to shower My blessings on them. My Presence will go with them wherever they go, and I will give them rest. This same Presence stays with you, as you relax and place your trust in Me. Watch to see what I do.

Encounter The Word

• Genesis 22:9-12
• Ephesians 3:20
• Exodus 33:14