God-Given Guts!

Based on 1 Samuel 14

What gets your adrenaline flowing? What gets your heart pumping? What causes you to decide it’s time to get moving, time to take a stand? What crystallizes your thoughts and desires into action?

In 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan decides that he’s done waiting around for the battle to come to him. He decides the time is right to take things into his own hands and make his move.

Read through 1 Samuel 14 in your Bible or at www.biblegateway.com. To get a better feel for the situation Jonathan finds himself in, start in chapter 13.

What causes you to decide it’s time to take a stand?

What does your answer reveal about your priorities? Who you know God to be? Your relationship with Him? His gifting and call on your life?

I especially like verse 6—

"Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”

The Message puts it this way—

"Come on now, let's go across to these uncircumcised pagans. Maybe God will work for us. There's no rule that says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop God from saving when he sets his mind to it.”

“Perhaps.” “Maybe.”

Jonathan doesn’t wait until he’s assured that he’ll be successful in his daring attempt. For him, the opportunity stirs him to action, his faith is revealed in the doing.

Plucky. Courageous. Bold. Daring. Like current day fictional heroes Indiana Jones or James Bond, or Ben Gates in National Treasure. Jonathan sees a challenge and doesn’t just say “why”; he says “why not do something about this?” He figures that if God has put a challenge in front of him, it’s because God wants him to do something.

The choice to sit and wait while the tension and dread mount or stepping out in faith to see how God will act, become crystal clear, and he knows it’s time to act.

What challenge has God put in front of you?

What do you think He wants you to do about it?

What’s stopping you?

Jonathan’s armor bearer goes with him. Jonathan is one of those guys that are always found with someone else beside them. Either he’s standing alongside his dad, the king, with his armor bearer, or his friend David. He is wise enough to develop relationships with someone who has his back, not just figuratively speaking, but someone who has a vital role to play in accomplishing the mission.

"Do all that you have in mind," his armor-bearer said. "Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul."—verse 7

It reminds me of Jesus sending His disciples out in pairs (Mark 6:7 and 10:1). Jesus surrounded Himself with close friends, developed deep and abiding relationships with them, and sent them out together to serve others in His name.

Jonathan had done the same with his armor-bearer. Jonathan trusts the armor bearer completely, and the armor bearer trusts Jonathan completely. He is willing to risk what looks like certain death on the basis of his confidence in Jonathan’s leadership and God-confidence,

Who has your back?

Who are you willing to put yourself on the line to support?

Then come the words that confirm Jonathan’s courage found its source in trusting the Lord, not his own abilities—

Come, then; we will cross over toward the men and let them see us. If they say to us, 'Wait there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the LORD has given them into our hands."—verses 8-10

Jonathan’s thinking is reminiscent of David’s response when facing Goliath’s taunt in 1 Samuel 17—

As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it….David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”… David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”—verses 23, 26, 32

What in your life reveals God-given guts?

What signs do you look for to know that God is calling you forward in spite of what the situation looks like from a human perspective?

What are you willing to risk to make a difference for God?

Throughout Scripture, we are called to take courage, to be strong and courageous.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.—2 Timothy 1:7

God-given guts, courage, were the hallmark of early followers of Jesus—

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.—Acts 4:13

Courage flows from knowing how big God is and who Jesus is. Jonathan’s faith in God produced courage to advance against an overwhelming enemy. As Jonathan stepped out in faith, God demonstrated His power through him.

What about you?

To view the worship celebration related to this Next Step, visit http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/article_1601.shtml

Move!!!

Based on 2 Kings 7

It’s interesting to me how God frames some of His most amazing work in desperation. It’s like the darkness of life’s circumstances become the setting that allow His work to be showcased. That’s the way it is throughout the Scriptures, and poignantly so in this story.

Read it in your Bible or at http://www.biblegateway.com. (Check out 2 Kings 6:24-33 to get the background.)

Samaria, the capital of the renegade tribes of Israel, is besieged by an enemy; the people are dying from starvation, to the extent that a woman agrees to kill and eat her own child in order to live for one more day; the king has given up hope and instead of calling out to God, is looking for someone to blame, and God’s representative Elisha is the perfect target.

Desperation rules the day.

As desperate as it is within the city, where the city walls built to protect them have become the bars on their prison cell, outside the walls is a community of contagious people who aren’t even afforded the protection of living within the city walls. Excluded and cast off by the people in their community, they are open to attack by any and every enemy.

They have no control over the disease that has come upon them, no control over being rejected by others, and have accepted the reality that they are unfit for human contact, unwelcome, and unprotected from the enemy that surrounds them.

They are trapped, with no place to go.

What “un-[fill_in_the_blank]“ word describes your life?

What circumstances in your life have you feeling trapped?

But God is on the move.

Their point of desperation becomes God’s opportunity to showcase His activity.

What’s interesting when you stop and think about it is that these lepers don’t demonstrate much faith, as we tend to think of it. There is no record of them calling out to God, believing that He will intervene, counting on His character or His promises. They actually think that perhaps their enemies will be merciful to them.

Funny, isn’t it, how we long for God’s mercy and look for it in other places, while we are quick to accuse Him of not being merciful? But that’s for another time…back to the lepers.

Their actions are a simple act of survival, born out of the desperate nature of their circumstances. It’s a “something is better than nothing” attitude, an “anything is better than this” decision that prompts them to move.

What they don’t know in the moment is what the outcome will be. And so, their act of desperation becomes an act of faith. They choose to move, without visible evidence that God is anywhere in the picture.

What desperate circumstances have you feeling like your back is up against the wall?

What seems like the only way forward?

Do you dare to believe that God is somewhere in the mix, that He is the one moving, drawing you forward even if you can’t see Him past the enemy that blocks your view?

What they discover is that God is in the mix.

Their desperate circumstances, the very things that brought them to the point of deciding that now is the time to do something, is their doorway into discovering God’s power and provision, for them and for others.

Because God was on the move.

He used a sense of desperation to move the lepers forward. He used desperation, a fear of imminent danger and impending doom, to cause the enemy army to scatter.

The enemy uses desperation as a strategy to trap you, to immobilize you. God uses desperation as a tool to move you into the future He is creating.

What if God wants to use your feelings of desperation to get your attention, to open your eyes to see the situation in front of you from His perspective?

What if God wants to use your feelings of desperation to bring you to the end of yourself so that you’re ready to move beyond hopelessness into a place where you can discover His plan?

What if desperation is really the doorway to the future that God has planned?

An interesting thread in this story is the words of the prophet Elisha. As God’s representative, he dares to say out loud—and to the person in charge—that even in these desperate circumstances, God is at work.

His words frame the story:

Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. This is what the LORD says:…—v. 1

…as the LORD had said…And that is exactly what happened…—v. 16, 20

What words of hope and confidence is the Lord giving you in the midst of desperate circumstances?

Who needs to hear them?

Are you looking for God in the midst of the desperate situation that surrounds you?

Jesus said—

"My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."—John 5:17. God is on the move.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."—John 16:33. There is hope for us when things are desperate.

Jesus’ words to Paul when he despaired, were—

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”—2 Corinthians 12:9. Jesus chooses to use desperate people who turn to Him in their weakness, and depend on His grace to keep moving forward. Look how he used Paul!

Move!!!

To view the worship celebration related to this Next Step, visit http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/article_1595.shtml

Can I Be Held Responsible for My Irresponsibility?

Based on Nehemiah 1-2

As you read through the beginning of Nehemiah’s story (check the Table of Contents in your Bible or go to www.biblegateway.com to find it), you find a man who holds a responsible, trusted position, serving the king.

Kings and queens today often hold symbolic, ceremonial positions and responsibilities. Kings in Nehemiah’s day held absolute control over their people and were often served by slaves from the nations they had conquered. This was Nehemiah’s case.

Nehemiah was a Jewish man serving in the court of a foreign nation that had taken God’s people captive. When God moved in the heart of Cyrus (see 2 Chronicles 36:20-23 and Ezra 1:1-10) to allow the Jews to return to their homeland after their captivity, Nehemiah was one of the Jews who remained in captivity. Yet, when Nehemiah hears about the state of Jerusalem and its people, his heart is overwhelmed with the news of their need.

Nehemiah begins to pray and look for opportunities to become part of the solution for his brothers and sisters in need. He takes his personal concern and grief to the Lord, humbly seeking God’s intervention.

Although he has no pertinent skill or expertise to offer, Nehemiah makes himself available to God, willing to be used however God sees fit. While he waits for God to make the next step clear, Nehemiah devotes himself to prayer and to serving the master who has the authority to release him or keep him serving in his current position.

Where is God calling you to make yourself available to respond to the needs of others?

Throughout the Bible, we see stories of men and women remaining faithful in their current life circumstances, seeking God in those circumstances, and being willing and ready to respond when God calls.

We also read stories of people who used their current circumstances as excuses to avoid God’s call.

Which group do you fit into?

Responsible|Definition

1. answerable or accountable, as for something within one's power, control, or management (often fol. by to or for): He is responsible to the president for his decisions. 2. involving accountability or responsibility: a responsible position 3. chargeable with being the author, cause, or occasion of something (usually fol. by for): Termites were responsible for the damage. 4. having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore accountable; capable of rational thought or action: The defendant is not responsible for his actions.

"responsible." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 14 Feb. 2009.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/responsible>.

Scripture is clear that both men and women were created to respond to God’s call and response + able for God’s world. The fact that God gave us this responsibility means that we are accountable to God for how we use our response + ability to respond to the needs around us.

How does this definition of responsibility as “response + ability” change your perspective on what it means to live responsibly?

Are you pursuing God’s direction in living response + ably?

Redeeming Response + Ability

Sin has twisted our understanding of responsibility.

We may refuse to accept responsibility for our lives, and play the victim.

We may twist our understanding of responsibility and try to control things we were never meant to control, like God or other people.

We may run from responsibility, shoving it off toward others and burdening them with false responsibility and guilt.

We may hand over our responsibility to others, choosing to blame them for our inability to live the lives God calls us to live.

We may consciously or unconsciously take on more responsibilities than God asks us to take on, over-scheduling our lives, making us ineffective, and keeping us from being response + able to God’s voice when He speaks.

Which of these distorted concepts of responsibility tempts you or describes you?

Response + Able to God

God, as the one to whom we are first and ultimately response + able, has the right to determine the area and extent of our response + ability. When we pursue God and respond to our circumstances by depending on Him, our responses reveal His life-giving power.

For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord… For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' "

So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.—Romans 14:7-12

What do you need to give up in order to live response + ably from God’s perspective?

Ultimately, in the midst of the people and needs that call for our attention, God is the one who deserves first attention, sets our priorities, and gets the final word. Are you asking Him to show you where He wants you live response + ably?

This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”—Isaiah 48:17

For whom and for what has God already given you response + ability? Nehemiah continued to be response + able where he was until God’s power and timing opened the door for him to do more. Centuries later, Paul’s words echo Nehemiah’s mindset and role model for us—

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him…Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.—Colossians 3:15-17, 23, 24

What longing to make a difference is God placing in your heart as you pursue Him?

What obstacles are you trusting God to overcome so that you can live your life response + ably?

To view the worship celebration related to this Next Step, visit http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/article_1593.shtml

Shipwrecks and Snakebites

Based on Acts 27-28

Shipwrecks and snakebites…can leave you disoriented. They tend to occur (as does the subsequent disorientation) when things don’t go as planned, or as we planned, at any rate.

Skim Acts 27:1 – 28:10 with the following questions in mind:

• How many course corrections did Paul and his travelling companions have to make?
• What kind of obstacles did they have to overcome?
• How did God show up along the way to encourage and protect Paul?
• How did God use Paul throughout his journey?
• When all was said and done, what do you think stood out most to Paul from his experience?

Now it’s your turn:

How many course corrections have you had to make recently?

Maybe you feel like you’ve been struggling to make headway, fighting to stay on course. Paul certainly experienced that.

Listen to some of the words Luke recorded:

• · The winds were against us
• · We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty
• · The wind did not allow us to hold our course
• · We moved along the coast with difficulty
• · Much time had been lost
• · Sailing had already become dangerous
• · Paul warned them, ‘Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous’
• · A wind of hurricane force
• · The ship was caught in the storm
• · So we gave way to it and were driven along
• · We took such a violent battering from the storm
• · Neither the sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging…

What kind of obstacles are you trying to overcome?

In addition to the seemingly unending, violent weather, don’t forget that Paul started out on this journey as a prisoner, bound for his trial in Rome. And that was just the start.

His warnings of danger were ignored by those in charge.

A change of wind turned out NOT to be the good news they had hoped for. The lifeboat, and even the ship itself, were in danger of capsizing. The cargo had to be thrown overboard to help them survive, along with the equipment for sailing the ship. They had to destroy the lifeboat to keep the experienced sailors from abandoning them.

They were all in constant suspense, to the point that they didn’t eat for 14 days. The soldiers guarding them planned to kill them. The ship began to break up and they had to abandon it to save their lives.

The storm continued as they reached land, and when they built a fire to warm themselves, a deadly viper was in the branches! People judged him wrongly, condemned him, and ignored him.

Have you ever had a stretch like that?

How is God showing up to encourage and protect you along the way? How is He using you in other people’s lives during these times?

God caused Paul’s Roman guard to show kindness to Paul. God allowed Paul to reconnect with friends, friends who cared for his needs. God used Paul to warn the crew of the difficulties ahead.

When they went ahead anyway, God sent an angel to encourage Paul and to offer words of hope, courage, and a promise that they would be safe. The Roman guard listened to Paul’s warning when the sailors were going to abandon them. Paul ministered to the sailors, feeding them, and encouraging them to stay strong and not give up hope. God preserved their lives when the ship wrecked on the sandbar.

God kept the Roman guards from carrying out a plan to kill Paul, and he supernaturally protected him from the viper’s poisonous bite. God provided a home and a warm welcome with the island’s leader.

Finally, God gave Paul a platform for ministry. He opened the door for Paul to heal many people in Jesus’ name.

When the time came to leave, the bedraggled prisoner who first arrived on the island left in high honor, with all his needs supplied for the journey ahead.

What an amazing story of an underdog battling against the odds of circumstance, nature, and man, yet being used by God in the midst of the struggle. In the midst of it all, God protected Paul, preserving him for the purposes God had in mind for him. He guided Paul through the storm, encouraging Paul, and using Paul to pass on the wisdom and encouragement he received from God.

What about you? Where is God calling you to keep focused on Him in the midst of the storm? How are you passing that encouragement along to others?

When all is said and done, what will you focus on—the hardships along the way, or the grace of God that carries you through, gives you opportunities to minister to others, and opens new doors to reveal His grace as a direct result of the journey you’ve taken?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.—Paul, writing to the Corinthian believers in 2 Corinthians, chapter 1, verses 3-11

To view the worship celebration Bible study on which this Next Step is based, visit

http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/article_1591.shtml

Knocking Holes in the Ceiling

January 18, 2009

Based on Romans 4:18-21

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

In the movie The Fellowship of the Ring, there are some great scenes of Gandalf the Gray, a wizard, visiting the home of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit. Hobbits are small beings, resembling humans, who live in nicely furnished burrows dug into the sides of hills. Wizards, on the other hand, are tall and slim. Imagine then, Gandalf stooping to enter Bilbo’s dwelling, ducking under doorways and past chandeliers, as he follows Bilbo from room to room. It provides some humorous moments!

I sometimes wonder if that’s how God experiences it when we invite Him into our lives.

Where He wants us to expand our hearts, minds, and souls to grasp the wonder, mystery, and power of Him, we try to compress Him to fit into our pre-existing framework.

We don’t understand what He is doing, so we pray for Him to stop. When He doesn’t stop, we beg Him to stop. When He keeps going, we demand that He stop.

How do you respond when God bumps into something you’ve placed in your life that gets in the way of what He wants to do in you and through you?

Do you ignore it so that you won’t have to talk about it with Him?

Do you complain about Him touching your things?

Do you ask Him to stop?

Do you question His authority to move around freely within you?

Do you want Him to make Himself at home in you?

What if He knocks a few holes in the ceiling to let some daylight, some God-light, into your life?

What if He wants to rearrange your priorities?

What if He wants to throw out some of the trash?

What if He has a better idea?

What if He wants to rip the roof off of your house or tear it down completely before He begins rebuilding?

What if the rebuilding process goes on for months, years, or even decades?

What if God’s re-creation of your life is a lifelong process?

Is that what you signed on for when you invited Him in?

Thoughts from God—

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.—Isaiah 55:8-12

Allow God’s Spirit to roam freely within you. Let Him knock holes in the ceiling of your understanding and faith, so that He can reveal God’s truth to you and give you peace as He rearranges your life until God lives fully within you and you develop the very mind of Christ—

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.—John 14:26, 27

However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” [Isaiah 64:4]—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned... "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.—1 Corinthians 2:9-16

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!—2 Corinthians 5:17

I’m reminded of a Christian classic Your God is Too Small, by J. B. Phillips. And I wonder if God isn’t using the things that shake me so that I will come to know that He is the God of Abraham, the God who loves to knock holes in the ceiling of my life and do what I think can't be done!

To view the worship celebration related to this Next Step, visit http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/article_1587.shtml

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 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. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"

And Moses said, "Here I am."

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”—Exodus 3:1-5

Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?"

"A staff," he replied.

The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.

Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.

"This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you."—Exodus 4:2-5

What has God used in your life to cause you to realize that there is more going on than you might think? For Moses, it was a burning bush and a snake-transforming staff. For Job, it was tragedy. For David, it was Samuel’s anointing and a giant that needed killed. For Mary, it was an angel’s announcement.

God uses whatever He needs to use in order to get our attention, to lift our heads from the ordinariness of our daily routines and give us a glimpse of the sacred and supernatural realm where He lives. Are you paying attention?

Where do your daily routines take you? Into crowded, busy places, filled with noise and activity, deadlines and crowds? Or into quiet, solitary places with no one around and unending stretches of sameness?

What difference would it make to your life if you began to look for God as you go about your daily routine? For Moses, the place where his daily life took him became infused with the presence and power of God—

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"

And Moses said, "Here I am."

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."—Exodus 3:4, 5

Old Testament prophets urge people to seek the Lord today—

Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.—Isaiah 55:6

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.—Jeremiah 29:13

Paul tells us that God has crafted the circumstances of our lives, whatever they may be, to cause us to seek Him—

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.—Acts 17:26, 27

What difference does encountering God make in your attitude? How is He changing you, transforming you into the image of Jesus? How are you seeing your circumstances differently because you realize He is present?

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

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.—2 Corinthians 3:18

What difference would it make in other’s lives if you began to look for God in your daily routine with a new urgency? What new opportunities for loving God and loving people would you discover?

As Jesus looked at the world and people around Him, He saw potential—

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."—Matthew 4:18, 19

He saw needs that only He could meet—

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."—Matthew 9:35-38

"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

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace…—Luke 19:41, 42

Everything that Jesus saw motivated Him to action and steeled His determination to do whatever it took to bring the life-changing message of reconciliation with God to those He saw.

Moses’ encounter with God radically transformed his life. God infused the tool of his trade with supernatural power to unleash the life-changing power of God in the world around him. He used Moses’ life to bring freedom to those in slavery.

What about you? Are you willing to stop? To turn aside from your daily activities and see what God is up to? Are you seeing the world through different eyes? Is your attitude being changed? Are you inviting God to transform you so that you can become a tool of transformation in His hands? Who around you is being changed because of your interaction with God? What’s different in your life today because you are in touch with God? Whose lives are different today because you touched their world with the love of Christ?

It all starts with catching a glimpse of God and going over to take a look to see what He is up to!

To view the worship celebration related to this Next Step, visit http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/article_1584.shtml

Do Angels Yawn?

Based on Matthew 19:16-22

Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

"Which ones?" the man inquired.

Jesus replied, “'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"

"All these I have kept," the young man said.

"What do I still lack?" Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

What a waste! A young man who spoke to Jesus face-to-face, a man who had the opportunity to turn his life around. Yet he is known as the young man who went away sad, who chose his wealth and religious practices over truth and adventure.

It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Most of us think—and some even dare to say—“if God would just make Himself known to me, if He would just tell me what to do, then I would follow Him, then I would turn my life around, then I would move forward in life with confidence and assurance.”

But the problem isn’t with God and His communication. God has not hidden Himself. His truth is abundantly available to anyone who desires to know it.

Jesus repeatedly said, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” (for example, in Mark 4:23).

The problem is with our hearts. We want to do rather than follow. To learn, to check tasks off our spiritual checklists, instead of taking the risk of stepping out in faith.

Which brings us back to the question “Do angels yawn?”

The question “Do angels yawn?” sounds like a deeply theological question. I confess, when I first heard it, I thought the question referred to the angels in heaven as they observed and proclaimed the glory of God in all His majesty.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.—Isaiah 6:1-4

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"—Revelation 5:11, 12

Angels, however, do more than worship God in heaven. Angels are charged to care for God’s people, to watch over us, to serve us and act on our behalf—

"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”—Matthew 18:10, 11

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?—Hebrews 1:14

Angels are part of those watching us in heaven—

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Ephesians 3:10, 11

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…—Hebrews 12:1

So what’s your race looking like? Are you running? Do you know where the finish line is? Are you pursuing God?

How exciting is it for the angels watching your race? Is there anything for them to cheer about? Are they on their feet cheering you on right now?

Or are you satisfied with reading about the race? Stretching out, maybe even running in place, or practicing getting out of the starting block?

Are you satisfied with checking things off your spiritual checklist? Daily Bible reading, check. Prayer, check. Gave money to church, check. Don’t lie, cheat, or steal, check. Went to church, check. Remembered my mom’s birthday, check.

What would it take for your angel to have something to do? To actually have to go to work on your behalf?

To view the worship celebration related to this Next Step, visit http://www.touchandchange.com/artman/publish/article_1581.shtml