Kelly Needham's Blog

Jesus is worthy of waste. 

This is the idea I’ve been chewing on lately. What a subversive idea in a world that’s obsessed with numbers, analytics, growth, results, and efficiency. Jesus is worthy of waste.

Do you remember the scene in John 12 where Mary pours a year's worth of wages on Jesus’s feet?

“Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (John 12:3–8)

I want to point out 5 things from this passage to highlight this idea that Jesus is worthy of waste.

1 | Mary wasted her ointment. (“anointed the feet”)

She doesn’t anoint his hands, his head, or his clothes. She anointed his feet. Now it likely wouldn’t have been appropriate for her to anoint his head or hands, but that’s not my point. She poured out something expensive and fragrant on feet. Feet that would soon walk the streets and quickly wear off the beautiful smell. At least on his hands the smell would have lasted longer. Feet that would soon be covered with dirt again. At least on his head it would have stayed clean longer. But she poured it out on feet. What a waste of perfume.

2 | Mary wasted a lot of ointment. (“sold for three hundred denarii”)

This is not the perfume sample you received at the mall. The cost of this perfume was about a year’s wages. What did you make last year? What was on your tax return? Do you own anything that’s equal to that amount? Maybe your house or a car. Mary owns something that valuable and she dispenses it all in a moment. What a waste of money.

3 | Mary’s ointment could have been more useful. (“given to the poor”)

As Judas observes, something that valuable could have done a lot of good for others. How many poor widows and homeless orphans could have been fed and clothed with the proceeds? How much good could you do with a year’s worth of wages? With a year’s worth of time? What a wasted opportunity.

4 | Concerns about usefulness are sometimes concerns about self. (“not because he cared”)

While Judas’s intentions seem godly and noble, this passage lifts the hood so we can see the self-centered motivation underneath. He was really only concerned about himself and how he could benefit from giving to the poor. Is it any different for us today? How often are our desires for ministry really desires for our own success or fame? Sometimes what we label stewardship of time, money or talents, is just love for self in disguise.

5 | Jesus is more important than being useful. (“but you do not always have me”)

In one moment, Jesus says, I’m more important than the poor. He agrees with Judas that the poor could be greatly helped by the proceeds of this perfume. Yes, good could have been done. Yes, it would have been efficient and effective and quantifiable. But. BUT. “I’m here,” Jesus says. The presence of Jesus trumps efficiency. It trumps efficacy. It trumps numbers and measurement.

Jesus is worthy of wasted time. Is this not what we do when we sabbath? We could be doing all sorts of good things for others, but instead we sit. We rest. We do nothing. Because Jesus is more valuable than productivity.

Jesus is worthy of wasted resources. Isn’t this what we do when we give our money and possessions away? We could invest it. We could sell it. We could make it profitable. But Jesus is more valuable than a rate of return.

Jesus is worthy of wasted talents. Isn’t this what we do when we take up the posture of a servant? Am I capable of doing more than the dishes and laundry? Yes. Am I capable of doing more than the grunt work at my office? Of course. If I truly become a servant and slave to all (Mark 10:44), will I waste my potential? Will my giftings and abilities lie dormant? Absolutely. But Jesus is more valuable than my potential.

This is my prayer for myself and for you. Let us waste our lives on Jesus. He’s worthy. He’s supremely lovely. He’s THE treasure of the universe. And nothing poured out at his feet will ever be lost.

I need no convincing that my primary ministry calling is in my home. I know this, and it is this that haunts me. You see, I’m married to a man in full-time ministry; we have three kids under the age of seven, two of which I homeschool; and we currently have three young single women renting out our spare bedroom. Our life at home is busy and full of ministry opportunities.

And yet God continues to make it clear that obedience to Him also includes some ministry outside my home as well. Through the consistent encouragement of my husband and many friends, I find myself writing regularly, teaching classes at church, leading a small group, and discipling women at my church. I’m haunted because I know both the eternal value of the home and how tempting it is to give precedence to my responsibilities outside of it. I’m haunted because I’m afraid I’ll miss the mark in balancing these two competing arenas. In truth, I’ve often missed it. 

So where’s the rule book for handling these moments of home-ministry conflict? What should you do when your kids are sick the week of the women’s retreat? When someone in your small group calls you in desperation while your in-laws are in town? When your pastor asks you to take on another task when you’re barely making it through the laundry?

How can we discern when to say “yes” and when to say “no”? By recognizing the temptation of ministry, considering what our specific home needs to flourish, and embracing our limits.

The Temptation of Ministry

Though I know ministry in my home should trump ministry outside of it, my tendency is to bend to the demands of the former. Why? Partly because I feel those things give me significance. It feels good to be paid attention to and appreciated. The tasks I have at home don’t bring much appreciation and, by their very nature, are repetitive and menial. Though investing in the home has weighty and eternal significance, it is a “marathon” investment. And there are many other avenues where my skills can be used with immediate payoff.

But there’s another reason I’m tempted to prefer ministry over my home. I often forget that God doesn’t need me. He is not looking down from His throne biting His nails because I can’t answer that call from the woman who’s struggling with depression. He’s not worried about how the women of my church will be able to know Him because I couldn’t teach that class on Bible study methods this semester. He is the author and perfecter of their faith, not me. God needs me to be obedient to Him. And if that means saying “no” to something that seems urgent, then I can trust that He will handle the aftermath of my “no.”

An Issue of Priority

If you read what the Bible has to say about women and the home, you’ll notice it says little about how many commitments you can have outside the home and much about the attitude of a woman toward her home (Prov. 7:11–12, 14:1, 31:27). The home-ministry balance isn’t an issue of payment or time, but rather one of priorities.

Prioritizing the home doesn’t mean glorifying it. This is not about having Pinterest-worthy rooms and meals. And it isn’t even about how much time you stay at home. You can tear your home down through a negative, critical attitude while also keeping it clean. And you can ignore the spiritual and emotional needs of your family while you’re at home just as easily as if you were working sixty hours a week.

The goal of prioritizing the home is to see it flourish. Flourishing is defined as “growing or developing in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly congenial environment.”1 Our responsibility is to foster that favorable environment for healthy and vigorous growth in our families—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. 

The Picture of a Flourishing Home

No two households are the same. What your family needs to flourish will depend on many factors, including what activities happen in your home and what each person’s day-to-day looks like. This requires that you study your family to observe which needs are the most important and which ones can be overlooked at times without much negative impact.

There are three major areas where we want to see our households thriving: spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Consider where your home is at as you read the sections below.

1. Spiritual Thriving

You should care deeply about the spiritual climate of your home and be active in creating a Christ-centered environment. This is our calling as believers: to make disciples! Where better to start than at home?

This always starts with taking care of your own soul and creating space to seek God yourself. You cannot give what you do not have. Secondly, be aware of the spiritual condition of every family member and thoughtfully consider how to impart truths about God through daily activities and traditions. Lastly, actively take precautions against the influences of the world, the flesh, and Satan.

Without spiritual thriving, your house may be organized and your family well cared for, but they may lack knowledge of God’s Word and understanding of the gospel of Jesus.

2. Emotional Thriving

Our homes should be safe places for those who live in them. So how can we ensure that our families feel secure and free to be themselves?

Be sensitive to each family member’s personality. Pay attention to how each person handles stress and consider ways to refresh and encourage them. Be a peacemaker in your home. This means being aware of any relational difficulties within your home, or any conflict and unrest, and pursuing peace. Be an intercessor. Pray for those in your homes and look to God for direction on how to minister to each person.

Without emotional thriving, your home may be organized and growing in a knowledge of God, but it may be fractured, with each person feeling isolated, uncared for, and that they must fend for themselves.

3. Physical Thriving

Helping your home flourish is much more than taking care of the physical house, but it is certainly not less. The physical space you live in impacts the activity of those who live in it. This encompasses all the tangible aspects of your home: food, cleanliness and order, decoration and room layouts, and schedule management. It’s easy to forget to be strategic in this area because most of these things happen no matter what. But when thoughtful planning is given to the basic physical and tangible aspects of the home, it can be an incredible blessing to the family.

Without physical thriving, your family may be growing in a knowledge of God and each person may feel cared for, but it may be chaotic, dirty, and overly busy with little sense of purpose and direction. 

Live Within Your Limits

You cannot do everything. Not only that, you may not be able to do everything your neighbor or friend can do. Understanding and living within your limits requires humility. We are not limitless like our God; we are not omnipotent. We need to humbly accept that every “yes” we give also requires a “no.” If you say “yes” to leading a Bible study, what should you say “no” to in order to make space for that? If you say “yes” to adopting a child, what responsibility can you say “no” to in order to make space for that?

A “yes” to ministry may mean cutting out unnecessary things like hobbies, entertainment, or social engagements. It may mean delegating a few things in your home that don’t affect the flourishing of your home, by doing something like regularly hiring a cleaning service or choosing more easily prepared ready-made meals. Saying “no” and delegating tasks is a way to humbly embrace our limits as finite creatures.

Regularly Reevaluate

As the lives of those within your home change, adjust with them. Ministry outside the home may fit well in one season but not another. Make efforts to regularly check your heart motives and the “climate” of your home so that ministry doesn’t become a mindless habit, but an intentional effort.

Lay all your “yeses” before the Lord often. Write down all the areas you are responsible for and ask God for wisdom. Ask others in your life what they think about all you do. Ask your husband and kids how they feel about your other commitments. Seek the Lord with all your heart and fear Him only, and He will be sure to lead you in every season and every decision. 

With God’s help, we can find peace and victory in this dance between ministry at home and ministry outside the home. Whatever we do, let us do so with all our hearts as though working for the Lord and not for men. Glorify Him in your “yeses” and your “nos” knowing He will give you strength to walk in obedience in each season.

I’ve been reading 1 Peter this week and it has been such a timely read! Peter addresses his letter to “the elect exiles.” His audience are people who feel out of place, who are suffering and being grieved by various trials. And isn’t that such an apt description of many Christians today… feeling out of place politically and culturally, and grieved by various trials like job loss, sickness, death, stressful distance learning situations, and more.

When we feel out of place and under the pressure of various trials, it produces a tension, one we are eager to get out of. Like a taut rubber band, we’re always pulling to get back to a position of rest and ease. And that longing for reprieve naturally leads us to look around and identify anything that will solve our problems. What will make us feel more at home in this world? What can alleviate our suffering? And whatever we deem most helpful to solve those problems, we will champion and proclaim. Can’t you see this happening all around you?

Peter too saw the need to proclaim something and he penned these words to those early Christians who were suffering and displaced:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Brothers and sisters — something supernatural has happened that has forever united us to one another. We are a chosen race! A royal priesthood! A holy nation! A people for his own possession! Even as we are feeling out of place and facing various trials, we are “being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood.” (1 Peter 2:5) But why? Why have we been joined together as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ?

To proclaim something.

But not just anything… to proclaim the excellencies of God!

In the midst of our tension, as we feel out of place in our own culture and country… In the midst of our tension, as we suffer various trials, we are not called to proclaim solutions to these tensions. We are not called to declare the excellencies of a particular political party or idea. We are not called to declare the excellencies of certain vaccine or homeopathic alternative. We are not called to declare the excellencies of our favorite solution to the distance learning challenges. That is not why we have been saved. That is not why we have been united into this royal priesthood.

We are called to proclaim the excellencies of God!

“But that doesn’t solve our problems."

That’s my first response to this truth. Maybe it’s yours as well. And you’re right. To direct all our proclamations to celebrate the excellencies of God doesn’t work to change the circumstances causing the tension we feel. But that’s because this proclamation is aimed at another problem. Not the problem of our painful circumstances but the problem of souls still dead in the darkness around us.

If we give ourselves to proclaiming the excellencies of God, who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light, we become a lighthouse in the fog for those still dead in their sins. Our lips and our lives proclaim that there is a greater threat than what we will ever face in this life—an eternity of darkness and death. And we—the holy nation, the royal priesthood—have been spared from that destination. Our proclamation says, “our greatest and most terrifying problem has been solved! And the door is still open for all to come in!”

This gospel proclamation is even more potent when we are in the tension of suffering and exile. If we proclaim God’s amazing saving work in good times, when we are at ease and rest, it is powerful but often ignored. But if we proclaim God’s amazing saving work in hard times, when we are in the tension of exile and suffering, it is powerful and unavoidable. It forces those around us who are still in darkness to consider that there might be something more at stake than the things in this life.

Brothers and sisters— Join me today and resist the urge to proclaim anything less than the excellencies of God who has called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light. It is for this reason that we have been joined together in faith as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.

May God be magnified through our lips, through our emails, through our posts, through our small talk in our communities, through our conversation in front of our kids. May the words we proclaim be a lighthouse to all lost in darkness, beckoning them to come to Christ in faith and repentance.

What do you do when the promises of God invoke pain, not comfort?

In 2009 I was desperate for God and daily devouring His Word. I sat on the floor of our church’s prayer room reading Psalm 84 when I came to verse 11:

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

For the first time in my walk with God, His promises created pain, not comfort.

Just weeks earlier I had lost our third baby in miscarriage.

How could it be true that God is a shield? He was not shielding me from loss.

How could it be true that God doesn’t withhold good things? He was withholding children from me.

It was God who said children are a blessing. It was God who allowed that little heart to stop beating.

No, He had not been a sun and a shield for me. He had cast a dark cloud over me and exposed me to unimaginable pain.

My experience sharply clashed with the Scripture. Jesus said ask and you shall receive. I asked that these children would survive and instead watched them die.

God said He is near to the brokenhearted. I came to Him day after day in prayer and in the Word, and He had never felt more distant.

My experience and God’s promises created tension in my life. A dissonance. A sharp pain that up until this point was unfamiliar in my walk with God.

Have you been there?

Draw Near with Questions

We all experience times of dissonance, when the promises of God seem to mock us and not comfort us. The temptation in these seasons is to modify or dismiss the Truth of God’s Word. We modify it by adding qualifiers: God’s promise for everyone except me or for those who haven’t sinned in the ways I have. And we dismiss it by silently accepting that it isn’t true: Clearly this isn’t a promise I can count on; it must not be 100% true. 

It’s tempting to slowly withdraw from God and assume He isn’t trustworthy. Or to shove our emotions out of sight and put on a fake faith, outwardly agreeing with every statement of truth but inwardly despising it.

But there is a better way. A way to draw near to God without faking it. A way to acknowledge both the truth of the Word and the reality of our circumstances.

How do we do this? By questioning God.

We see this modeled most clearly by a man who faced his fair share of trials: King David.

After being anointed as the future king of Israel, he faithfully served his king and his country. He supported and personally attended Saul, the current king, bravely fought Goliath, and spent years of his life faithfully fighting for Israel.

But after doing the right things, he was attacked and hunted down by the very king he so faithfully served. Forced to flee his beloved country, David spent years in hiding, running for his life from the one he served.

David likely wondered about God’s trustworthiness and goodness toward him. But he was a man after God’s own heart. He longed for nearness with God. And so he responded to the dissonance in his own life by drawing near to God with questions.

Over and over again in the psalms we see David rattle off his questions:

Why do you stand afar off, O Lord? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? My God, why have you forsaken me? O my God, I cry to you by day but you do not answer; and by night, but I have no rest.

What We Learn from Children

But isn’t questioning God disrespectful? Certainly, there is a kind of questioning that lacks a healthy fear of God, a questioning meant to spew hatred and create distance. This is never appropriate or wise. But there is a kind of questioning that exists alongside a healthy fear of God. This kind of questioning is an attempt to draw near. And it’s very easily seen in children.

When I tell my kids their dad will be home to put them to bed and then his flight is delayed, they don’t understand. All they know is Mom said he’d be here, and now he’s not here. They know me to be trustworthy, and they know their dad wants to be home with them. So how do they reconcile the things they know about their parents with the reality of the situation? They ask questions. Boldly and without fear of retribution.

“But Mom, you said he’d be home before bedtime. Can’t you do something? What is a flight delay? I don’t understand why we can’t call Dad. Didn’t he want to come home and see us?”

As a parent, I don’t despise their questions. I am glad for them! I would be far more concerned if upon hearing the disappointing news they sulked off to their room saying, “Okay Mom, whatever you say.”

I’m their mom. I know they’re disappointed. I know they don’t understand. And hearing them say the “right” thing doesn’t give me joy because underneath, I know they are sad. Not only that, I know that not addressing their sorrow could give way to bitterness and cause tension in our relationship. I want nearness with them, and their questions signal that they want it to.

For all who are in Christ, God is now our Father. The stain of sin that could bring about His displeasure has forever been removed by Jesus’ atoning death. We now have the right to approach God with confidence, with boldness, and with freedom, as a child approaches his father. We can bring our questions without fear of retribution. We can be honest with God about how His promises are affecting us.

So when suffering comes, when God feels distant, when all His promises invoke pain not joy, draw near.

Draw near to God with your questions. Come to Him with your raw emotions, your aching heart, your faithless soul. Bring your questions and then await His response. Linger in His presence in prayer. Keep yourself in the Word of God, reading and studying it.

Be determined to seek the face of God, in honesty and sincerity. And wait on Him with fierce perseverance. For no one who waits on God will ever be put to shame (Ps. 25:3). He will draw near to all those who draw near to Him (James 4:8).

Originally posted on ReviveOurHearts.com

 

And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." Luke 15:2

This weekend, we will turn our porch lights on, set out a sign, and hand out king sized candy bars to hundreds of kids, moms, dads, and teens.  Some will grumble that we receive sinners.  But they said this of Jesus too.

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Many Christians believe that handing out candy on Halloween is not a good idea.  They assume, "if I hand out candy, I am advocating all this day stands for and will therefore compromise my witness as a Christian."  Yes, Halloween can stand for some really wicked things.  Yes, it is a day that people worship Satan, demons, and spiritual darkness.  Yes, it is an excuse for unrepentant sinning. But we are the light of the world!  Light is intended for darkness.  "Does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket?"

The darker the day, the more the light stands out.  "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."  Who needs to see the light of Christ?  Saints? Or sinners?

And it happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many taxc ollectors and sinners were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, "Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?"And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. Mark 2:15-17

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for sinners.  And how did Jesus, the physician, engage those who were sick? He hung out with them, engaged with them, ate with them.  If our Master, Jesus, spent time with sinners in this way, how can we think ourselves too "holy" to do the same?  It was the Pharisees who saw themselves as too holy to engage with sinners on the ground level.  Let us be like Jesus, not like those spiritually arrogant pharisees.

MISSIONAL HALLOWEEN

For a moment, let's imagine Jimmy and I are missionaries in a foreign country.  We have just moved in and are still getting a feel for the culture and daily life of this country's inhabitants.  Very few know about Jesus, and ancestral worship is the most common religious practice.  We have been praying about a way to get to know more people and have some opportunities to share about Jesus.  Then, we hear about a large ancestral worship festival in which all of the city will be out.  If you will only turn on your porch light, they will come to your door singing songs of praise to their ancestors.

As missionaries, we'd thank God for such a great opportunity!  Instead of spending days looking for a single moment to get to know someone and talk about faith, we now have many who will come to our door with their mind already on spiritual things!  I can't imagine a more perfect opportunity to get to know these foreigners and talk about my faith!

This is exactly what Halloween can be for the Jesus-followers in this country!  We should be missional in our neighborhoods already, seeking to reach our neighbors with the good news of Jesus.  So what a perfect day to get to know the families that live around us!  On top of that, there is already an air of spirituality on this day.  Yes it has an evil spiritual feel, but it's a perfect springboard to bring up the topic of life, death, hell, heaven, and a Great God who has defeated Satan on the cross through the unbelievable grace of sacrificing His Son on the behalf of sinners like us!

Jesus received sinners, so likewise, let us receive sinners today.

TURN IT FOR GOOD

There is a way to engage people on Halloween, without actually celebrating the day itself.  We are very careful to not have any traditionally Halloween decorations, like ghosts, spiderwebs, monsters, etc.  Instead, we are trying to brand ourselves as the "crazy-generous" house on our street, to make a statement about the gracious nature of our God through sending His Son!

There is a song we love to sing at our church called "Sovereign Over Us" by Aaron Keyes that says, "Even what the enemy means for evil, you turn it for our good, you turn it for our good and Your glory."  Halloween is a day that Satan has intended for evil, but God in us is leveraging it for the good of others through sharing the Gospel and the glory of God by pointing to His grace.

You see, Halloween is kind of a big deal on our street. Every year, we have 100s of people come to our door. Last year that number was 1300! This year we purchased 1500 king sized bars and have about 25 volunteers helping at our prayer table, handing out candy, welcoming people at the bottom of our stairs, and looking for opportunities to talk about Jesus. After being loved, welcomed, and blessed with king-sized bars, each person will be pointed to Jesus through signs on the way out proclaiming Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We have a prayer table on our front lawn where prayer requests can be submitted and will be brought to our guest room where people are praying throughout the evening for every request that comes in. We now serve coffee and hot chocolate in the front of our house too and that causes people to linger longer so we have more opportunities to talk to people and bring up the good news of Jesus.

We’ve seen people saved on our front lawn. We’ve heard of people coming to faith in Jesus through our prayers for them. People come back year after year telling us how God has answered their prayers! It’s a joy to see God move through these annual outreaches we do!

WE ARE SINNERS TOO

Let us not forget, that the only reason we are saved is because Jesus condescended into the filth of our life, met us where we were at, and extended grace and love to us there.  We are no less sinners than those we seek to reach.  We are simply great sinners with a greater Savior!  Let us not fall into the trap of the Pharisees, thinking in our religious arrogance that we are better than those who don't know Him.  For Jesus Himself said, "Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you [religious leaders]." Matt 21:31

"It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all." 1 Tim 1:15

Let's remember our Lord's charge to us on nights like tonight, not to run from darkness but charge toward it with the loving light of the gospel.  "And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." Mark 16:15

It’s election time here in the States and everyone’s a little on edge. Ultimately, election season should remind us of the great privilege it is to have a say in who governs us. But even as I cast my vote this week, I remember that ultimately God will decide who wins and who loses.

I’m not sure how that hits you. Maybe it’s comforting. Maybe it’s frustrating. Maybe you wonder how I could make such a claim. I make this claim because the Bible makes this claim clearly in the book of Daniel. It makes this claim in declarative form (by stating it is true) and in narrative form (by showing that it is true).

Early on in the book, Daniel makes the following statement to the most powerful ruler in the world at the time:

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

to whom belong wisdom and might.

He changes times and seasons;

he removes kings and sets up kings;

he gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have understanding”

(Daniel 2:20-21)

Daniel makes it clear: God removes kings. God sets up kings. It is the prerogative of the Lord Most High, Maker of Heaven and Earth, to decide who rules the nations. Our rulers are assigned in heaven. That’s the claim of the book of Daniel. 

As the book progresses, we see God show this principle to be true as he changes up the leadership in Babylon—the major world superpower at the time—again and again. First, King Nebuchadnezzar is taken from the highest seat of power and brought to the lowest form of humility. We see his son, Belshazzar, rise to power and then quickly lose the throne through his own pride and death. God transfers the kingdom of Babylon to the Medes as King Darius takes over. And eventually Cyrus the Persian rules in his place. All in Daniel’s lifetime! 

God is removing kings and setting up kings, proving his point over and over again. How is this possible? Because power belongs to him alone. Why is it right for him to do this? Because wisdom belongs to him alone. This idea that “Heaven Rules” (Daniel 4:26) repeats through out the book reminding us that the ultimate authority over all the earth is seated in the heavens, clothed in holiness and splendor, without rival, without equal.

Nebuchadnezzar says it this way after his humiliation:

“For his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;

all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,

and he does according to his will among the host of heaven

and among the inhabitants of the earth;

and none can stay his hand

or say to him, “What have you done?”

(Daniel 4:34-35)

Later, King Darius says it this way:

“I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel,

for he is the living God,

enduring forever;

his kingdom shall never be destroyed,

and his dominion shall be to the end.”

(Daniel 6:26-27)

The point is clear: God’s in charge. He will raise up whom he will raise up. And he will remove whom he will remove. Sometimes he raises up noble men and women, full of integrity and honor. Sometimes he raises up evil men and women, full of hatred and greed. He takes credit for it all.

It is terrifyingly comforting. 

It’s terrifying because God may raise up terrible leaders who cause us harm. He never promises a good life to those who follow Jesus. He promises just the opposite, that those who desire to follow him and live a godly life will suffer and will be persecuted. In that sense, it can feel terrifying knowing that God may have purposed hardship and suffering in this life for us. 

And yet, it’s entirely comforting to know that the God who did not spare his own son for us, the one who loves us eternally and at great cost to himself, is calling the shots. He is absolutely out for our good, no matter how bleak it seems from our vantage point. We can trust his decisions, even if they seem confusing.

Whether you live in the USA right now or not, take comfort in the fact that God is in control over the people who rule your country, your state, your province, your city, your school, your workplace, and your home. 

By all means, take advantage of the privilege you have to vote and work to put good people into leadership. But at the end of the day, trust that the final decision will come straight from the throne of heaven. And that’s wonderfully good news!

I can’t think of anything I’m more passionate about than helping people know and enjoy Jesus! And I recently had the opportunity of teaching 3 sessions on this theme for a women’s conference. I’m thrilled that I get to share these messages with you now.

I’ve shared the first two messages in this series in other posts:  “What Does it Mean to Know God?” and  “What Do I Need to Know God?” 

In this third and last message I’m answer the question, how do we live that out in the day-to-day? We were made to know God. But how do we know a God we cannot see? How do we foster a friendship with a God we cannot sit across from?

First we need to count the cost. There are 4 things it will cost us to know God. And secondly we need to learn to use the paths God has given us to know him.

Message Outline:

Count the Cost of knowing God

Knowing God requires our highest loyalty

Knowing God requires exposure

Knowing God requires patience

Knowing God requires faith

How do we know a God we cannot see?

We know God through the Word

We know God through prayer

We know God through the local church

Messages in this series:

What Does it Mean to Know God?

What Do I Need to Know God?

How Do I Live to Know God?

Is there hope?

When evil seems to be winning? When corruption is the norm? When chaos and conflict surround us?

What is our hope?

It could be easy to feel hopeless about this world we live in. There’s COVID. The upcoming election. The ever-deteriorating morality of our culture. The increasing rates of suicide and anxiety and depression. The unceasing bickering between Republican and Democrat, liberal and conservative, this Christian blogger and that one, this viewpoint and that viewpoint.

When the world around us seems beyond repair and when the problems feel too big to solve, we tend to fall into one of two ditches. The first is the ditch of despair and detachment. We just give up on this present world with an “oh well,” and set our sights on heaven. Figuring there’s nothing we can do anyway, we withdraw into our private lives and shield ourselves from the world in our little Christian bubbles.

The other ditch is the fight-fire-with-fire ditch. We can’t just stand idly by and watch things go from bad to worse. We care about this present world and deeply desire to see change—as we should. But since the problems seem so huge, we respond in huge ways: visible solutions with big numbers and the potential for big effects. We either create our own large solution or pick someone else’s large solution and evangelize it like our lives depend on it. How else can we make a dent in the surmounting problems of our day?

Sometimes we bounce back and forth between these two positions. We desire to make a big difference, but we’re just too tired managing our own little lives. And so we retreat to detachment, not out of preference, but out of survival.

But there is another option. One that doesn’t require indifference or intensity. But instead requires faithfulness—consistent obedience for an extended period of time.

If you’ve been reading the emails I send out on Thursdays, you know I’ve been reading Judges. No other book in the Bible can match its quick descent into immorality and chaos. It literally begins on the heels of a massive victory—Israel has just moved into the Promised Land! The land flowing with milk and honey that God has been promising since the days of Abraham back in Genesis. And by chapter 2, things are already headed downhill. 

By the time we get to the last few chapters of Judges, we get some of the most gruesome chapters in the whole of scripture. An Israelite woman is abused and killed by her own people in a scene that is more horrendous than Sodom and Gomorrah. The Israelites have mixed their worship of God with with idolatry. There is a civil war in Israel, almost wiping out an entire tribe. It’s painful and shocking to read.

Reading Judges leaves you feeling… hopeless. What hope is there for the Israelites? Is there any recovering from this? The problems feel too big. Too bad. Too complex.

And then we turn the page to the book of Ruth and find that it opens this way…

“Now it came about in the days when the judges governed…”

The book of Ruth does not happen in isolation. It is not separate from this cringe-worthy time of Judges. It doesn’t happen after these events, it happens during these events. In the middle of the downward spiral of Israel’s idolatry and immorality we find hope in a young, immigrant widow from the despised land of Moab (Ruth).

It is because of Ruth’s actions that hope is restored to Israel as she becomes mother to Obed, who is the grandfather of King David. (You know, the man after God’s own heart who ushers in a golden time in Israel’s history? The man who wrote most of our Psalms? The man who foreshadows the coming of our perfect King Jesus?) Amidst the chaos and cruelty in Israel, there is hope for Israel and it is ushered in through Ruth.

But what exactly did Ruth do? Well, let me give you a list:

she repented of her own idolatry, choosing to worship the God of Israel instead of the idols she grew up worshipping (Ruth 1:16)

she volunteered to serve her mother-in-law (Ruth 2:2)

she worked hard doing manual labor, gathering grain all day, for the entire season of harvest (Ruth 2:17, 23)

she submitted to the wishes of her mother-in-law (Ruth 3:6)

These don’t seem like “world-changing” behaviors. Repentance. Submission. Voluntary service. The hard work of manual labor. But that’s exactly what these actions were: World-changing, Kingdom-altering, Hope-giving. Ruth, whether she knew it or not, directly opposed the work of sin and satan in her repentance and simple obedience. 

Don’t underestimate the power of repentance and simple obedience. They are missiles in the hands of God that obliterate the kingdom of darkness. 

You don’t need to despair that this world is broken and there’s nothing you can do. You don’t need to work hard to make a big splash to see change. There is another way to push back the darkness and it starts in the quietness of your own bedroom as you repent of your sins and idolatry. And then it moves from your bedroom to your living room, neighborhood, and office as you serve those you live with, live next to, and work with. And it continues as you pursue humility, submitting to others instead of serving yourself.

You won’t see the change immediately. You won’t know just how much your actions matter. This is the path of faithfulness, and it requires faith. Ruth likely never knew just how impactful and far-reaching the ripples of her life were. But we know, as we look back, that she ushered in hope, not just for her generation, but for countless generations after her. 

Don’t despair. Don’t believe bigger is better. Be a Ruth. Repent. Serve. Work hard in your daily, ordinary life. Be faithful. And remember that faithfulness is more powerful against the kingdom of darkness than you could ever imagine, because the faithful look to God, not themselves, as the hero.

Won’t you join me in pushing back the darkness today? Let’s repent and serve with our eyes set on Jesus!

I can’t think of anything I’m more passionate about than helping people know and enjoy Jesus! And I recently had the opportunity of teaching 3 sessions on this theme for a women’s conference. I’m thrilled that I get to share these messages with you now.

Last week, I sent you a link to the first message, “What Does it Mean to Know God?” Today, I’m sending you the second message titled, “What Do I Need to Know God?” 

In this talk, I’m answering the question, “what is required to have a friendship with God?” To find the answer, I chose to take a look at the woman at the well in John 4. In this scene, we see 3 things that will help us answer this important question: (1) what Jesus offers, (2) what Jesus reveals, and (3) who Jesus is.

watch now Message Outline:

What Jesus Offers—the Spirit

What Jesus Reveals—the Truth about ourselves

Who Jesus is—the Truth about God

Messages in this series:

What Does it Mean to Know God?

What Do I Need to Know God?

How Do I Live to Know God?

I can’t think of anything I’m more passionate about than helping people know and enjoy Jesus! I recently had the opportunity of teaching 3 sessions on this theme for a women’s conference. I’m thrilled that I get to share these messages with you now.

This is the first message in that series and in it I’m addressing the question, “How can you know if you truly know God?” There are 3 counterfeit versions of knowing God to watch out for and a few key signs that you have the real thing.

watch now Message Outline:

Knowing God is Life

Knowing God is NOT the same as religious activity

Knowing God is NOT the same as familiarity

Knowing God is NOT about having all the correct information

Knowing God is experiential

Rebirth

Resurrection

Receiving Sight

Adoption

Winning the Lottery

Going from Darkness to Light

Eating and Drinking

Knowing God is a Gift

Messages in this series:

What Does it Mean to Know God?

What Do I Need to Know God?

How Do I Live to Know God?