Be Careful Out There!

Have you ever been in a situation when some good intentioned believer had "a message from God" for you?  I have, and it can be rather awkward at best, particularly when God has not spoken to me about the same matter.  While the other person may have your best interests at heart, I have a difficult time believing that God would speak to them before He had planted a seed in my heart concerning the "message from God" the other person claims to have heard.  Unless that person is a true prophet of God with some record of accuracy, if this ever happens to you, be wary!  I have found that God generally speaks to the person He wants to more directly - through His word, in a dream, or on some rare occasions verbally in that "still, small voice" in your mind.  Don't get me wrong, I do believe God may use another believer to confirm something you have been praying about or pondering on, but I do not think He will tell another before He has spoken with you about it.

For my scriptural basis for this belief I would refer you to Jeremiah 23:34-40.  I like the way it is recorded in the Message Remix: 

 ³⁴"And if anyone, including prophets and priests, goes around saying glibly 'God's Message! God's Message!' I'll punish him and his family.
 ^35-36"Instead of claiming to know what God says, ask questions of one another, such as 'How do we understand God in this?' But don't go around pretending to know it all, saying 'God told me this...God told me that....' I don't want to hear it anymore. Only the person I authorize speaks for me. Otherwise, my Message gets twisted, the Message of the living God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
 ^37-38"You can ask the prophets, 'How did God answer you? What did he tell you?' But don't pretend that you know all the answers yourselves and talk like you know it all. I'm telling you: Quit the 'God told me this...God told me that...' kind of talk.
 ^39-40"Are you paying attention? You'd better, because I'm about to take you in hand and throw you to the ground, you and this entire city that I gave to your ancestors. I've had it with the lot of you. You're never going to live this down. You're going down in history as a disgrace."

Ouch!  Now I have no idea if you may have been the guilty party, or the recipient of such a discourse from the guilty one, but both need to be very careful.  If you're the "God told me" person you may need to put a lid on it unless you are a true prophet (and not a self-proclaimed one), or a pastor with direct knowledge of what someone is going through.  If you are the recipient of such Godly advice, be certain you know the person very well as well as their prophetic track record. Jeremiah 28:9 says "As for the prophet ... when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent.”  Just as Isiah's lips were anointed as pictured here, so should the modern day prophet be anointed to speak for God before he is sent.

So the next time someone comes to you with a "God told me to tell you..." message, be careful to heed the advice given in Jeremiah. Know that God loves you, and He will speak to you in ways that you will understand and know it is His will for you if you are truly seeking Him.

God bless you.

Insignificant parts

I have been working in a factory for the past few months and recently had an accident in which I injured the ring finger on my right hand.  Now I have always been a lefty, which is fortunate, particularly right now since my right hand has been seriously impaired.  But that has not diminished the effect this rather small injury has had on my life lately.  It is amazing how many daily activities I used my non-dominant hand for without ever giving much notice; holding a fork while trying to cut my food, drying myself after a shower, picking up my granddaughter, or just sticking my hands in my pockets, and the list goes on and on.

As a result, I have been going to a hand specialist two hours away once a week, and have started occupational therapy three times a week closer to home, all to attend to the needs of this one seemingly insignificant little body part.  The therapy consists of shaking both shoulders, massaging my back (aah) and bending and twisting every joint in my arm and hand in ways they were never intended to move just to repair this one seemingly insignificant little body part.  But as my therapist says "...it is all connected" as depicted in this famous drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci.

This reminded me of the analogy the Apostle Paul used in comparing the parts of the human body to the church and how there are no insignificant parts.  Take a look at what he had to say in First Corinthians 12:12-14, 26 & 27 "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.  For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many... And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."  Of course Paul is talking to the Church in this passage.  And what he is saying here is that we are all supposed to be so closely connected to one another that whenever one of us is hurting we (the Church body) all feel it.

It seems that many churches today consider themselves "family friendly" or perhaps "family oriented" even "dedicated to the protection of the family" or simply "church families".  These are all wonderful concepts, but is that really what Paul was saying to the saints in Corinth?  I think he had something more in mind.  As closely connected as a family may be, even the most closely connected family or church is still not connected in the same way a body is.  Flesh and bone, organs and tendons all connected in such a way that whenever even the smallest, most insignificant part of that body suffers, the entire body suffers with it.  Just as my finger suffers and my whole body is affected, the church body should be similarly affected whenever any member of that body is suffering.  No matter how seemingly small or insignificant that individual may appear to be, we are to suffer with them.  That takes some pretty tight connections, and even more commitment than most Christians are willing to submit to.

So what is the extent of your connection to your church body?  Do you really hurt when another is hurting?  Do you allow others to become so close that they hurt when you are hurting?  Are you even aware when someone is absent, and if you are are you concerned enough to find out why?  Too often we have allowed our churches to become gathering places where friends and acquaintances "touch base" with one another for an hour or two on a Sunday morning; maybe listening to what others are facing and perhaps offering to be praying for them.  But are we really connected?  Connected as a body?  If not, why not, and what might the result be if we were that tightly connected?  These are tough questions, I know, but what if we were to strive to attain that level of connectedness?

As for my finger, it is most certainly connected.  The rest of my body is well aware of the suffering of my poor finger, and is rushing to its aid with healing doing everything possible to end its suffering.  I kind of think that is what Paul had in mind when he addressed the Corinthian church.  Whenever a part of our body is suffering we must rush to its aid, and whenever we find ourselves suffering we should likewise allow others to come to our aid. 

So get connected!  Know what the hurts are and find a way to ease the pain.  Come on!  I know we can all do it together.  After all - we are the Body of Christ.

Blessings on you.




   

Directions Please!

Now what do I do?

I am not sure where this sign is located, but it does illustrate my thoughts for today.

Have you ever gotten to a place where you are not sure which way to go next?  There will be times in our Christian walk when we find that we have reached the end of a trail and need to chart a new course.  It seems to me that God doesn't always want us to keep going in the direction we have been going - maybe because we have become too comfortable on the road we have been on, perhaps we missed a turn a ways back, or it could be that He just has something new in store for us.  Whatever the reason, we all reach a point in life where we need directions.  I find that Proverbs has a few things to say about this quandary, like in chapter 3:5&6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."  Note the plural "paths".  There will come times of change in life.  Also note that we are to trust and acknowledge Him - that is to have faith and give Him recognition for what He has done and plans to do in our lives.  When was the last time you did that?

It would appear that we may need a change of direction from time to time in order to walk in His will and accomplish that which He has ordained for us to do.  But it is up to us to "...trust and acknowledge Him" if we hope to get proper directions.  While it is true that you are to "Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established" (Proverbs 4:26), it is also true that God too is pondering our paths as seen in chapter 5 verse 21 "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He ponders all his paths."  Now with all the things God has to take care of in this universe which He created, isn't it interesting to discover that He is taking the time to ponder the paths of man.  Wow!  Did you get that?  He is pondering - seriously considering with intent - your next step.  Are you?  What direction are you going?  What are you going to do next, and why?  God has some pretty big plans for you.  Have you checked in with Him lately to find out what they are?

Too often I think we tend to leave God out of our planning process.  Many times we get an idea; perhaps bring it before a committee, or our family for discussion (or not), and then go out and do "whatever" we have in mind to do without ever asking our Father what He wants us to do.  Our best example in scripture of course is Jesus who was always found praying for the Father to lead and strengthen Him.  How is it that we so often fail to do so ourselves?  I think we take the gift of a free will to literally mean that we are free to do whatever we want to do, whenever we want to do it.  But really that gift is the freedom to turn to God or not to.  If we are not turning to God, then the only alternative is to turn away from Him, or  attempt to go around Him.  That doesn't sound like the best plan, now does it?

My Bible says He knows the plans He has for us, and it's all good stuff.  So the next time you find yourself at that point of uncertainty, check in with your Father to see what He wants you to do.  Don't let that bend in the road be the end of the road!  Make the turn when He tells you to, and be prepared for your new adventure to begin.  He will never let you down.

Later.