Global Organic Church

Daily Devotional: Keeping Score - November 10

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:39:49 +0000

“And if you be unwilling 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 24:15

The follower of Christ can easily make the mistake of trying to keep score by the wrong set of rules. A friend said that he decided he would go no further in the corporation, for he felt that he could not maintain his biblical priorities and give any more of himself to the company; each advancement cost him more time and energy. One year after making the commitment, he was passed over for promotion. It greatly bothered him. He said, “I don’t mind not having the job; I had already determined that I wouldn’t take it if they offered it. What bothered me was, they didn’t offer.” He did not want to compete in the world’s system of success, but did want the world to know that they were fortunate, for if he did compete he would win.

The world recognizes at least two kinds of power: economic and political. These are the two primary arenas in which people keep score. You can see this in the person who periodically looks over his net worth saying, “Money is not important to me; I just want to see how I am doing.” If God loves you, like the person passed over by his company, He will force a confrontation: “Choose this day whom you will serve.” You cannot try to keep score in life by two sets of rules and find favor with God. He calls such behavior double-mindedness. 398

398 - cf. James 1:5-8

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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Daily Devotional: Biblical Gifts - November 9

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:22:49 +0000

“so that the church may be edified.” 1 Corinthians 14:5

God included a great deal of teaching in the New Testament regarding the distribution and regulation of Spiritual gifts. He states His objective in these words of Paul to the Corinthians; He wants His church edified. Thus the New Testament writers give direction regarding the variety of gifts and how they are to be used. Note, however, that the emphasis is on the various gifts and there expression, and not on the quality of any particular gift. Paul, for example, never discusses whether one person is a better teacher than another, and what to do in such a situation.

Today the emphasis seems to be a bit different. We spend energy debating whether certain gifts expressed in the New Testament church are valid during this period of history. And we evaluate people who have the same gift, concluding that one does a better job in, for example, evangelism or teaching, than another. Pastors are evaluated on whether they are good preachers, not whether they have the gift. We want the man with the best expression of the gift to be our pastor.

Such an emphasis contributes to a spirit of comparison and pride, vices the Holy Spirit intended to be brought into check by His distribution of the gifts. These kinds of evaluation foster divisiveness. As you evaluate the giftedness of people, make sure you do it from a biblical mindset.

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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Daily Devotional: Destroying Your Hope - November 4

admin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:40:37 +0000

“The waters wear away the stones; the torrents wash away the soil of the earth; so thou destroyest the hope of man.” Job 14:19

The presence of hope in the life of the unregenerate guarantees the presence of sin. If hope is desired future gain, then sin is using unbiblical means in obtaining that gain. Without hope there would be no sin, but people cannot live without hope. For this reason God sets about to systematically destroy our worldly hope, replacing it with a purified hope, a “hope that does not disappoint us.” 391

This was not understood by Lenin, Marx, Engels, and Hegel before them. It is the reason communism was doomed to failure; a classless, egalitarian society would destroy the hope of gain, and this hope is one of those ingredients that make us human. This means that sin, and with it the injustices of life, can never be totally eradicated until the return of Christ. Only in the new heaven and earth can we, in our redeemed state, maintain our hope without sin.

As God brings you through the process of sanctification, He will strip you of all impure hope. More often than not, you will find this painful as you experience defeat and unfulfilled dreams. Something worse than this pain, however, is for God to allow you the fulfillment of your temporal hope only to arrive in eternity disappointed.

391 - Romans 5:5

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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Daily Devotional: Teachability - November 2

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:45:43 +0000

“I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. Correct me, O Lord, but in just measure; not in thy anger, lest thou bring me to nothing.” Jeremiah 10:23

Correction can only take place if you acknowledge that you have deviated. Sometimes others have an easier time seeing your error than you. Before receiving their correction, you must acknowledge your propensity to error and be teachable. Jeremiah acknowledged that we are incapable of directing our steps. Left to ourselves we will drift into sin and away from God. Using a biblical analogy, we are like sheep that go astray. 385 If the Lord does not correct us, we will be lost forever.

Acknowledging the need for correction, Jeremiah further prays that God will be gentle. If God does not mix mercy with correction, we will be “brought to nothing.” ” If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” 386 Scripture testifies that God answers prayers like Jeremiah’s. The Holy Spirit, speaking through the Psalmist, promises, “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” 387

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear.” 388 The Lord wants you to depend upon Him for both forgiveness and leadership. But the two go together. He will not have mercy on those who do not want His leadership. In all probability, His correction will come in the form of one of His servants confronting you. Your only hope of God answering Jeremiah’s prayer on your behalf, is if you maintain an attitude of teachableness toward others and a broken heart and contrite spirit before Him.

385 - cf. Isaiah 53:6
386 - Psalm 130:3
387 - Psalm 34:18
388 - Isaiah 59:1

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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Daily Devotional: Gratitude and Humility - October 31

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:09:19 +0000

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Ephesians 3:7-8

God charged Paul with the task of telling others how rich they could become in Christ. If you tell people how rich you are, they will say, “What is that to us?” If you preach that these riches are theirs, they listen. How rich are those who have Christ as Savior, and how poor are those who don’t.

The followers of Christ are charged with the task of proclaiming these “unsearchable riches” to others, a task given only to His people. As far as I am aware, the only time the angels proclaimed Christ was at His birth. We now have the privilege. Paul was humbled by this thought; he could tell others how they could become rich.

Gratitude produces humility. The fuller the vessel, the deeper it sinks in the water. Grace cures pride. To the degree that you realize you are the recipient of God’s generosity you will eliminate pride from your life. Paul understood that he had nothing in which he could boast. He, the least of the saints, received the unsearchable riches of Christ, and wanted to share His wealth with those living in spiritual poverty.

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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Youth & Family in 2009

admin — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 03:33:14 +0000

We better start getting very serious about putting God and Jesus Christ back into families.

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Daily Devotional: The Mystery - October 30

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:53:36 +0000

“How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words), that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.” Ephesians 3:3, 6

Paul taught that one of the mysteries, unknown to the Old Testament saints, was that Christ would unite Jews and Gentiles into a new entity called the Church. People in the Old Testament knew that God would some day save Gentiles; they didn’t know He would combine them with Jews, forming the Church. In Christ they are co-heirs, co-members, and co-partners.

The world divides on the basis of prejudice: black verses white, male verses female, rich verses poor, etc. Jews considered non-Jews unclean and were forbidden to associate with them in any meaningful way. Historically Gentiles have maintained a prejudice against Jews, evidenced by the Holocaust. The world works hard at eliminating differences; communism sought to create a classless society. Human efforts at unity continue to fail, evidenced by strong nationalistic and ethnic tendencies around the world.

All who own Jesus as Lord and Savior are united into one Body. If a person is a child of God, that person is your brother or sister. When you view it otherwise you repudiate what Christ has created. The term Christian prejudice is an oxymoron. You cannot reject those Christ accepts. We are one in Christ.

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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Daily Devotional: The Limits of Patience - October 28

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:37:59 +0000

“For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Hebrews 12:6

When it comes time to discipline your children, you must purpose to use God’s standards rather than your own. Following your rules rather than those laid out by God in Scripture implies that you have better insight than He in how to correct and instill proper behavior in your children, and this in turn will lead you into much pain and grief. For example, a man told me that his son was in rebellion, breaking the commandments of God. When asked if he planned on using the standards of Scripture, he said, “I can’t; he is my son.” Now I do not believe this, nor does he. Supposing the son started hitting his mother, stealing all valuables from the home and selling them, starting a fire in the middle of the living room floor? At some point the parent will have to bring a halt to such behavior. The only question is, will he use the standards of God, or gauge it by his own tolerance for pain.

If you elect the latter in your confrontation of wrongdoing, you will probably establish extra-biblical rules while tolerating the breaking of God’s rules. And you will be unfair with the one you are disciplining. I saw a parent tell his child not to get drunk. The child violated the command again and again. Finally the parent expelled him from the home. The problem rested with the parent: should the child respond the first time the parent speaks, or the third, or fifth? How does the child know? If the child knew in advance that the parent would execute biblical discipline, the situation may never have gotten to place where the child was asked to leave. 382

Discipline is an essential part of relationships, and one of the highest expressions of love. Covenant with God that you will use only His standards when disciplining.

382 - Cf. I Corinthians 5

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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Daily Devotional: Discipleship - October 27

admin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:41:16 +0000

“Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples.’” John 8:31

Sprinkled through the Gospel of John you find conditions affixed to being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus that if he wanted heaven he needed to be “born again,” 380 a work that only God can do. But if you wish to be His disciple, there are certain conditions that you must meet. As you know, the word disciple comes from discipline; a disciple is a disciplined person.

I find it true in my life that what I enjoy does not satisfy and what satisfies I do not enjoy. I enjoy good food and drink, an ideal climate, the absence of opposition, having my own way, etc. Unfortunately such things do not satisfy. Conversely, I dislike the disciplines of protracted intercessory prayer, Scripture memory, physical exercise, curbing my appetites, etc. But when I am faithful in doing them, I find that they give me an inner sense of wellbeing and satisfaction.

Jesus wants you to know that it costs to be His disciple. Salvation, by grace, is a free gift, but discipleship entails cost. Although it is true that often in the gospels the writers use the word disciple to mean nothing more than a follower of Christ, in the sense that John uses it in passages such as these, there is a condition affixed not found in salvation. In this sense, you must decide if you are willing to pay the price of discipline in being His disciple. 381

380 - John 3:3
381 - cf. Luke 14:25-33 where Jesus spells out the cost of discipleship

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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Daily Devotional: Jesus Saves - October 26

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:26:19 +0000

“For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

The word “save” is a beautiful word filled with emotion. A child trapped in a burning building fills the onlookers with fear and apprehension. The fireman, risking his life, rushes into the flames and returns with the child in his arms. People cheer as someone cries, “the child is saved!” A pleasure craft capsizes in the ocean and the Coast Guard comes to the rescue. The next day the headlines in the newspaper read, “The Coast Guard Saves All.” Few words thrill the soul like the word “saved.”

Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. In this context the word “save” becomes an affront to many people. They resent hearing it because it implies that they are in danger and need saving. Some people, like those floating in the ocean hoping for rescue, know that they need saving. Others live in danger and do not know it. For example, aviators talk about experiencing vertigo, a phenomenon in which you lose your sense of direction. The instruments on the aircraft may indicate that you are losing elevation while your instincts tell you the opposite. Such people need saving and do not know it.

Never lose your thrill when hearing the word “saved.” And never be shy about telling others the good news. When Jesus said He came “to seek and to save the lost,” he meant that there are two kinds of people in the world: those that know they need saving, and those that don’t. When people are offended by your telling them that Jesus saves, don’t become embarrassed. They are in spiritual vertigo.

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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Links for 2009-04-04 [del.icio.us]

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Daily Devotional: Accountability - Day 93

Links for 2009-01-09 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:00:00 PST

Tim Tebow Sports John 3:16 Bible Verse