I Still Have Everything...

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing
power belongs to God and not to us. 8We are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9persecuted,
but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying
in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be
manifested in our bodies.
- 1 Corinthians 4:7-10
God is with you. Isn't that just typical of what a pastor would say? I
figured you might be thinking that. God is with you, brother. And you
too, sister. But what does that really mean? How does that really
work?
Meet Dan. He's a faithful follower of Jesus in our church. Until a few
months ago, Dan was a senior partner at one of the world's largest
global investment banks. Dan worked there for 25 years and was very
successful. The company was solid, blue chip year after year, with
multiple billions in capital. Dan didn't have a whole lot to worry
about until this year...
Did you ever see the movie, It's a Wonderful Life? Remember when
everyone ran to the bank to withdraw their savings because they heard
that the bank was running out of money? Everyone rushed to the
tellers, shouting and demanding their cash. The whole bank would
collapse since everybody wanted all of their money the same day.
That's what happened to his company in 2008. Over the course of the
year, and then finally over a couple of days, their stock value
plummeted, people "ran the bank," and the company collapsed. One day
Dan and his colleagues were solid and stable, and a couple dizzying
days later, they were bankrupt. All completely out of their control.
Dan lost everything.
That's so sad, you might think. How's it going for Dan? The surprising
answer is great. He's full of joy and praising the Lord. Unbelievable!
I've been on the phone with him several times in the last two months.
He's filled the presence of the Lord. He says, "James, my heart goes
out to the people around me. They're collapsing at their desks in
tears. They've lost everything." He said, "But I still have
everything. I have the Lord! The Lord is on my side. The Lord is my
Helper. I will not fear what man can do to me" (Psalm 188:6). Dan is
going around his dying company, sharing the Lord with people in their
darkest, most desperate hour.
Now how can you explain that? I'm telling you: The Lord is with him
and that story isn't finished yet. Dan is finding, as you can, that
you can put your whole weight down on God's great and precious promise
that He will always be with you and it will sustain you.

Reprinted from Pastor James MacDonald's weekly Walk In The Word series

20 Words

JUST 20 WORDS 
 
 
GOD OUR FATHER, WALK THROUGH MY HOUSE AND TAKE AWAY ALL MY WORRIES AND ILLNESSES; AND PLEASE WATCH OVER AND HEAL MY FAMILY IN JESUS' NAME. AMEN

The Sower Sows The Word

Meditation: Mark 4:1-20

 

The sower sows the word. (Mark 4:14)

This is one of Jesus' most popular parables. In fact, most of us can probably recite it from heart. We know that Jesus told this story to help us examine what kind of "soil" we are. Am I rocky, thorny, weedy, or fertile? Does the word of God have a fighting chance to take root in my life? Or is something in me hindering its growth? These are good questions to ask, and they can be helpful as we seek a closer relationship with the Lord.

But Jesus didn't just say that we were the soil into which he sows the word. He also told us that we ourselves are the "word of God" that he is sowing into the world. We are the "ones sown" (Mark 4:16), sent out to proclaim his gospel with our lives.

That's quite a calling, isn't it? It's an honor to know that God is entrusting us with a treasure as great as the good news of his kingdom. It's also a challenge to know that he is asking us to bear fruit worthy of him—the fruit of evangelization.

How can we meet this challenge? Like the good seed in this parable, we can "hear the word and accept it" (Mark 4:20). It seems almost too simplistic, but these words tell us just how powerful the gospel is. We tend to think that evangelization depends on our powers of persuasion and our own courage in proclaiming the gospel. Surely that is part of the equation, but God has a very important role to play as well. It's his job to take our efforts, fill them with divine grace, and use them to pierce the hearts of the people around us.

So do you want to bear fruit for the Lord? It's simply a matter of making sure that you are planted in fertile soil. Stay away from the weeds, the thorns, and the other threats to your growth. Resist the temptation to try to bear fruit solely on your own power. Then, as you are rooted deeper and deeper into Christ, you will find yourself bearing fruit "thirty and sixty and a hundredfold" (Mark 4:20).

"Come, Lord, and increase my confidence in your power. Make my life into a living gospel for all to read."

Hebrews 10:11-18; Psalm 110:1-4