Has anyone reached the peak?

Today’s devotional reading discusses mediocrity, a term from two Latin words that literally mean “halfway to the peak.” Tozer comments that this describes many Christians who are “morally above the hardened sinner but spiritually beneath the shining saint.”

I first thought he was talking about how the level of sin in a Christians life. Is that fair? We all sin. Then I wondered if he was comparing that sin to how much Christian ministry a person is ‘doing’ and reacted with protest. God does not call every Christian to great positions of influence or prominence. It is not fair to call them mediocre if they are doing all that God asks of them. Not everyone has the same to-do list from God.

Then my husband said that this was not about ‘doing’ but about ‘being.’ That is, a shining saint is walking in the Spirit with humility, serving the Lord whether in the pulpit, in the kitchen, or raising children.

These verses tell how to serve Him and the importance of choosing to do so.

“So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14–15)

Joshua reminds me that the choices I make of whom to serve influence who I am and what I do. My character and attitudes reflect that choice. This is the ‘being’ part. I am not to be motivated by worldly values such as ‘bigger, better and more’ but motivated by the commands and Spirit of God. What I do is the outcome of who I am and who I serve.

I can fiddle around with these thoughts yet must admit that Joshua’s words and Tozer’s comments convict me. I don’t see myself as a shining saint, however that is defined. For one thing, my efforts to share Jesus with others are weak and my love for Him and others is often replaced by selfishness and an uncaring attitude.

Tozer tells me to think of all He offers me by His blood and by His Spirit, by His sacrificial death on the cross, by His resurrection from the dead, by His ascension to the right hand of the Father, by His sending forth of the Holy Spirit. That makes me feel more convicted. So often I’m more concerned with me, myself and I, a far cry from being a shining saint.

Yet the poem at the end of this devotional gives a perspective that brings me back to a basic truth; who I am, how I speak and think, and the depth of my love is all about Jesus. I need to choose to serve Him and do this with the best of my ability, remembering that all I am and ever will be is about Him. He lives in me. He is my life. I must always choose to serve and obey Him. I cannot be a shining saint without Him, but I cannot shine if I refuse to be or do what He desires.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

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Jesus, when I am in Your presence, Your light is so bright as You shine with great beauty and grace. When I look in the mirror, my light seems small and insignificant. However, You are not asking me for bigger, better, and more, but to shine with the light that I have — wherever I am and with what whatever You have given me, always choosing to serve You.

Christ is building His Church

In this last day of a devotional series on the church, the devotional author wants the church of today to take another look at the early church and see how we need to be restored to that former condition. He is not talking about ‘doing church’ but about how we ought to be spiritually. That early church was filled with zeal, reaching out to everyone and not distracted by this temporary life. It was unified, growing, and making a difference in the world.

It distresses me too that today’s church is fragmented, looked down on, and having little impact, or at least so it seems. Some are not like that. I’m surprised at my defense for I am normally a glass half empty person, but the devotional writer’s low view has pushed me into a more positive stance.  

Besides, I continue to remember that the sovereign Lord is building it. Jesus promised that He would build His church and that “. . . the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) To be overly critical is to say that Christ does not know what He is doing. We tend to think that way with all sorts of seeming disasters, yet He promises to use “all things for good” (Romans 8:28). I don’t want to have my vision short and my faith is too small. While the church may not look good in many places, it is still His church.

What about being like that early church? God does tell His people to follow Him with our whole hearts. As for the old ways, there is value in them. He says, “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16) He also says, “Fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:14–15)

My gods were not the wood and stone idols referred to in Joshua. However, I can easily fall back into worshiping my own ideas, friends, material things, and whatever else that takes me away from giving Jesus Christ my total allegiance. I know that God says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30) This means any sort of idolatry puts me against God, doing things that are a liability in His plans.

Currently, various forms of idolatry are probably the biggest sin issues in this part of the world. People want what they want. Whole churches want what they want. Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and ________________.” (Luke 16:13) The original version fills in the blank with ‘money’ but it could be anything, such as: success or popularity.

My part in all of this is to stay true to the Lord with a focus on the gospel. I need to listen to the Word of the Lord and do what He says. I need to be sacrificial, caring for others more than I care for myself. This is not about whether we meet in building or home, do baptism with a cup or a tub, have altar calls or commitment cards. Doing church is about responding to the gospel in humble gratitude, letting Jesus be all that we need, and obeying Him with our whole hearts – because we know that He is keeping every promise He ever made, including the promise to build His church.

God’s Rewards

When gifts are given or a door held open or a kindness offered, I’m disturbed when those who receive do not say thank you. A grateful heart is important because the Bible says it is the first thing to go when people reject God.

Aside from that, such a response is a reward for the person who makes the offer. The idea of receiving a reward for doing a good thing seems to be built in. Even small children smile and wiggle when someone expresses thanks for what they do.

Thank you is not the only way to reward people.  A good day’s work is rewarded by wages. An athlete might get a medal or a trophy for their efforts. Even the sense of a job well done is reward for some, and a smile from a recipient can go a long way.

Theologians differ on the rewards that God will give, but He definitely rewards those who obey Him. This is stated and restated in Scripture and associated with the return of Jesus Christ.

Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. (Revelation 22:12)

The idea of being repaid by Jesus gives me a sense of anticipation, but also anxiety. I’m aware of the time that I’ve wasted in things that do not matter, and the choices that I’ve made that were frivolous. I’m also extremely conscious of the speed on the clock. The older I get, the faster it seems to move. Jesus’ words, “I am coming soon” do not help that sense of time running out. I not change the past and have less and less time left to build a better life of obedience.

Yesterday we attended Community ChristianChurch in Tamarac, Florida. The youth pastor presented a challenge by first telling us the multitude of choices we face on a constant basis. For instance, there are about 19,000 different ways to order a cup of coffee. Sonic drive-through kiosks have 168,894 beverage choices. He quickly moved to Scripture and showed how God’s people were side-tracked by poor choices. What they choose to listen to or look at often turned them from faith in God.

I can relate. For most of last year, God kept working on me so that I would choose more often to walk by faith instead of by sight. My history has been to pray with great confidence in the power of God, but when I could not see the answer, I lost my confidence. God says that He hears and answers prayer. My choices are to believe Him no matter what I can see, or to believe what I see. Seems like a no brainer, but walking by faith is always a challenge.

The second part of the message was about getting out of my comfort zone. Many times, choices are based on just that. When options come up, I tend to pick the easiest, or the most familiar or comfortable. However, God may be asking me to move into a new zone and trust Him, to again, walk by faith and not by sight, or by what seems the easier route.

The last part of the message included this sentence: “If I say no (to God), God will wait for a generation that will obey, but I will lose the opportunity to live to my potential.” Joshua offered a similar statement to God’s people when they faced new challenges.

Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14–15)

Choosing to serve God can be about simple things like opening doors for others or saying thank you to express gratitude. It can also be about tasks that are far more challenging. Those that come to mind for me involve hard work. It would be easier to watch television, do puzzles, play computer games, or a whole host of things that are not particularly wrong, but are easy. However, I know they also have no recompense value.

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Lord, I am thankful that You have built-in the idea of rewards. While serving You is about loving You and trusting that Your way is the best, even the only way to live, rewards also motivate me. When I see Your face, at the very least, I hope that You will be smiling.