Do the Next Thing

Famed missionary and author Elizabeth Elliot was asked how she managed her schedule. She said, “I do the next thing” and explained that we always know what to do next.
 

I’m not sure if this is an intuitive thing that others have, but God often guides His people by this inner sense of knowing what He wants us to do next. Of course all of our lives and attitudes are directed by the Word of God, but when I begin my day with a to-do list and the uncertainty of interruptions, there may not be a Bible chapter and verse for what needs to be accomplished or in what order.

Yet God gives direction. When the Israelites left Egypt, God guided them on their journey. A pillar of fire or a dark cloud gave them visible directions, or they were told what to do by God through their leader.

At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses. (Numbers 9:23)

This did not make them robots. For one thing, they always had a choice. By trial and error, obedience and disobedience, they learned that God’s direction was for their good and that they were wise to follow it. This applied to their travel, but also to the details of their lives including what to eat or not eat.

Again, I do not have a similar list of rules for the details of my day. I want to obey God yet am aware that I can procrastinate, avoid, or just refuse to do some of my chores. His concern for my well-being isn’t necessarily about the chores, but the attitudes of my heart. Do I say no because I am lazy? Or afraid of failure? Or selfishly more interested in doing my own thing? I need to pay attention to Him for many reasons.

Further, obedience to God requires sacrifice. It might be a short-term thing, like not watching a favorite television show because He puts a needy person on the telephone. It might be something more time consuming, like losing a whole day to drive a friend to the hospital, or require my resources such as taking a chunk of cash from my bank account to pay a bill for someone who is experiencing financial trouble. It might be a demand on my emotional strength, like holding the hand and crying with a neighbor who is grieving.

This “next thing” idea includes all sorts of things that I don’t put on my to-do list. They are unplanned, unexpected, and often not at all what I’d hoped for in my day. I might start out with ambitious projects in mind, then become tired and the “next thing” is a nap — about at the bottom of my priority list. I may hope for a leisurely day and up pops demands that are far from relaxing.

All this does not mean that all interruptions or opportunities must be answered as if they are from God. He offers a choice, but also that inner voice, the guiding of the Holy Spirit to let me know if this is the “next thing” or a mere distraction that requires a simple “no thanks.”

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Lord, I am grateful that You guide me so I don’t need to spend my days in a willy-nilly fashion. Any time that I am confused about what I should do, You provide Your Word, Your people, and the nudging of the Holy Spirit to take me to the next thing. Whether You want me to rest or move forward, do this thing or that thing, You also provide the confidence, strength and all resources to do it as well. Thank You that even at this very moment, I know the next thing.

A Christian Countenance

A friend tells that before she became a Christian, she knew who believed in Jesus because they had shiny faces. For some unknown reason, after she believed, she was no longer able to see that glow.
 

The first mention of a shiny face is in Exodus. Moses had led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt. They were in the wilderness on their way to the land He had promised them when God summoned Moses to go up a mountain and meet with Him. There God gave this man His commandments. When Moses returned, he found that the people had sinned by creating a golden calf and worshiping it. He destroyed the first set of commands, interceded for his people, and God renewed the covenant again on the mountain.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. (Exodus 34:29)

This happened in the New Testament also. A disciple named Stephen was said to be “full of grace and power” and doing wonders and signs among the people. Those who disputed with him “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.”

Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:11–15)

Last Sunday our pastor preached a sermon about hope and the future glory that God has promised His people. I looked across the aisle at a friend and noticed that her face was shining. Afterwards, she exclaimed her delight in this message and being reminded of what God has prepared for us. 

Today’s devotional reading is one sentence. It says, “The face is made every day by its morning prayer, and by its morning look out of windows which open upon Heaven.” For me, this means getting up each day and spending my first hours in the Word of God and in prayer. It means turning my heart and mind toward the promises of God and thinking deeply about all He has done and is doing. By this, God can change any anxious thoughts or even remnants of nastiness from the previous day or bad dreams from the night. Just thinking about Him and His goodness changes my countenance, but it also changes my attitude and outlook.

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Lord, I cannot see any glow on my own face, but that is not as important as being aware of Your grace and presence and letting it affect the thoughts and attitudes of my heart. Thank You for granting me time with You each morning and throughout the day. Thank You for Your power to set the agenda of my heart and fill it with joy.

Living stones

When in Budapest, we visited Freedom Square, a place of large statues and a monument to those who fought Communist rule. While the figures carved from rock were impressive, we wept as we observed the marks of machine gun fire and remembered news reels showing the Hungarian people losing their freedom.
 

Israel was asked to create a different kind of monument. They had been enslaved in Egypt for centuries, then led to freedom across the Red Sea that God parted for safe passage. After failing to enter their promised land out of fear, they finally did cross the Jordon into the land God gave them. He again parted the waters, but before they reached the other side, He told them to take twelve stones and set them up as a reminder of what He had done. He also told them to be ready for questions.

And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” (Joshua 4:21–24)

When Christians read Old Testament passages like this one, some assume this is merely historical narrative without any application for us. However, there are New Testament passages about stones with symbolic meaning. If the connection is made between the symbols, then our lives are not only informed but enriched. 

First, both Old and New Testaments refer to the Lord as our Rock and as a Living Stone. Jesus is also called the Cornerstone of God’s “building” the church, not a literal building but a spiritual household made up of His people, whom He also says are living stones.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4–5)

Just as the stones from the river Jordan were to provoke questions, so am I as a living stone. God wants my life to be significant, to have features that make people wonder “what does this mean?” I am convicted by this idea.

Jesus, as the Cornerstone, is my example. The significance of His life is still debated, argued over, imitated, rejected or followed. In other words, He did not disappear into obscurity, but created a monument of sorts. His life, death and resurrection won my freedom from slavery to sin, a harsh taskmaster. My life should demonstrate reverend fear. I should live in such a way that the people around me know that His hand is mighty. That pile of rocks in the Old Testament becomes the symbol of a high standard for my life.

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Lord, it is easy to focus on the lesser challenges of life, easy to forget that You chose me and set me as a living stone in Your spiritual house. You have also declared me precious and given me the privilege of sacrificial service, even serving as a priest that intercedes for others in ministry to them. This is a lofty calling. I am humbled, yet cannot use “I’m not worthy” as an excuse. You use the image of a stone monument, not to declare that I am like a rock, but to remind me to glorify You. May I so live that others ask questions about the meaning of life because they get a glimpse of Your grace and power.

An open-door policy

If I sin, particularly repeatedly with a specific sin, and get away with it without any sense of rebuke or remorse, then I’ve good reason to suspect that I might not be a genuine Christian.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. (Hebrews 12:6)

My tendency is to apply this verse to someone else, to the people I know who claim to belong to God, but who live as if He does not exist. How can they be part of His family if He never scolds them for their disobedience? 

Yet I cannot legitimately do that. For one reason, how can I know if God is speaking to another person about their sin? Sometimes He speaks to me and there is no visible response or reaction. How then can I know what is going on in the hearts of others? While there may be clues, the best attitude is that I apply verses like this to myself. 

Another passage says the same thing. This one is obviously for believers, yet part of it often is misapplied to those who do not know God.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 3:19–22)

The image of Jesus knocking at the door of someone’s heart is used in salvation messages, but the source of this image is Jesus knocking and seeking admission into the lives of those who are in the church. We sin and need to repent. Instead of having close fellowship with God, our relationship with Him is marred by our lack of zeal to change our ways. It is these that God reproves and disciplines. It is to His own that He gives such attention and the invitation to let Him back into our lives.

In the big picture, the New Testament indicates that if believers have their lives in order, God uses us to reach those outside His family. In history, revival in the church precedes revival in the community. Those God loves, those who are already His children, are the first to be corrected. He wants His family life in order. This means that my interaction with Him and with other believers is to be pure and true. When our fellowship is sweet, I reign with Him, conquer sin with Him, and sit in heavenly places with Him. When I act like Jesus Christ, I am living out my sonship and demonstrating that I am a child of God. 

Yet none of this can happen without His rebuke and chastening. No one can discipline themselves into godliness. Our best efforts apart from Christ simply fail. Actually, without Christ my efforts are almost non-existent and certainly made with selfish motives. Being godly isn’t appealing because being godly requires saying no to me, myself and I. Apart from Christ, this holds no appeal.

Chastening can be a mild thing, like an elbow in the ribs. If I don’t listen, it can become stronger, more like a hit with a two by four. Sometimes God uses adverse circumstances to get my attention, or the words or the life of someone else. Or He might use consequences. Whatever the tool, the Holy Spirit is always involved and I become aware that He is knocking. I also become aware that I am missing that fellowship described by eating a meal with Him. When these things happen, there is only one cure.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

God makes my part easy. When I do it, He does the rest. Confession is opening the door and letting Him come in.

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Lord, when my fellowship with You is sweet and complete, I cannot imagine why I would push You away by wanting my own way and doing my own thing. Nothing makes less sense. Sin is never been rational, yet selfishness, when indulged, has its allure. In this life, the battle will continue. My biggest need at the moment is remembering to apply these verses about chastening to myself and not use them to judge others or to determine who is Your child and who is not. The important thing is that I keep short accounts with You, and by so doing, keep that door wide open.

(Image source)

Faith is not about me

The opinion we have of ourselves usually is quite opposite to the opinion that others have of us. The inflated egotist rarely gains the respect of his peers, while the humble man is often elevated. A certain Roman centurion illustrates this:

Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. (Luke 7:2–10)

The elders who pleaded with Jesus valued the centurion for what he had done for them. His generous contribution to the construction of their synagogue certainly influenced their opinion. Anyone who loved them that much had to be a good man. 

They also thought that Jesus dispensed healing based on merit. Perhaps this was a Jewish idea, but most people think that way. When life turns sour, prayers include bargaining beginning with, “I’ve been a good person . . . .”

When Jesus met the centurion, this man gave a different estimation of himself. He didn’t consider himself worthy even to invite Jesus into his home. But he did know something about authority, and this was his appeal to Jesus. He recognized the Lord as one who could say the word and things happened. Jesus commended him for his faith saying it was greater than any faith He’d seen in God’s people, the Jews. 

By Jesus’ definition, faith is not about merit. It didn’t matter what the Jewish elders thought of this centurion, nor did it matter what the centurion thought of himself. The point is, what do we think of Jesus? 

My opinion of myself can be all over the map. I can pat myself on the back when I do something that pleases me or pleases others, but I can also moan and wail that it wasn’t “good enough” or that I didn’t give my best effort. When it comes to pleading with Jesus for anything, woe is me if the basis of my plea is my opinion of my own worth, or even any opinions of others about my worth. An inflated ego has no grounds before God, nor does a self-pitying, poor-me focus. What really counts is that I believe in the promises and power of Jesus Christ. Faith is about Him.

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You teach me at least two lessons in this story. The first is that whenever I think I’m a hotshot, others will likely have the opposite view. Beware of an inflated idea of who I am. The second is that regardless of private or public opinion, asking You for anything is not about merit, earning or deserving it, or my reputation. It is about faith that You can deliver, that You will keep Your promises. I must never come to You thinking that I deserve anything, but rather come because I know that when You say, “Do this” — it gets done.