a blog by Christ follower Wesley Fryer @pocketshare @wfryer
The image below includes visual notes I took on Sunday in the “Pathfinders Sunday School” class at our church. We watched and discussed several videos by Jim Cymbala about the power of prayer and God’s Holy Spirit.
The world is constantly encouraging us to focus on the wrong things. Whether it is money, sex, power, or something else, the world (in large part now through advertisements which bombard and surround us on multiple screens) tells us to look at the wrong things. Jesus, however, calls us to focus on God, the Holy Spirit, and holy things which are set apart from the world. In Romans we read from Paul:
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:5, 6 NLT)
This day I will invite God’s Holy Spirit to control my mind, especially whenever I am tempted to focus on the values of the world.
I love these verses. I have shared a reference to these words many times in presentations in reference to student work, which we should share and celebrate rather than hide / keep private.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT)
The commandments of Jesus are not difficult to understand, but they can be very challenging to follow. One of the most basic commands Jesus gives us all is to tell others how God has provided for us and saved us from perils. In the Gospel of Mark we hear this after Jesus heals the man of Legion (many demons):
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.†So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them. (Mark 5:18-20 NLT)
God saved me from death when I was in pilot training, but I was loth to tell this story to others because of my own shame and embarrassment at not achieving what was MY goal in life, becoming a pilot and a career Air Force officer. God’s providential act became a story I largely kept to myself and hid away, instead of something I joyfully shared with others.
I have lived many years of my life in a secular stupor. Even though I professed faith in God with my lips, in my heart I ignored the reality of His Holy Spirit and His Holy Son. I want to live my life with my eyes and my heart wide open to God and His Word. I do not want to hide away the stories of how God has acted to save me for His own purposes.
I see in my own family and the lives of our children the tremendous blessings which God has poured out. These are not things we deserve or have earned. These blessings are from God’s grace, and we are called to respond to Him by living our lives for Him.
Praise God for the lost souls like mine which He has saved from the darkness! Praise Jesus that He still works miracles today, claiming His sheep and bringing them safely into His sheepfold for protection.
These words from the apostle Peter resonate with me deeply this morning:
Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. (1 Peter 4:8-11 NLT)
There is ancient power in the act of breaking bread together. I sincerely believe we are called to show hospitality to others in many ways, including invitations we give to others to eat in our homes, with our families. The experience of dining with another family is something that is not easily forgotten, and the relationships which deepen as a result can serve God in many ways. The basis of learning is experience, and when we get together, we experience life together in an intimate way.
The message that we should use the gifts we have received to serve others and to serve God also resonates with me. It is both empowering and intimidating to be challenged to speak as if speaking the very words of God. What a responsibility this is! But also, what an opportunity it is to show others the love of Christ not only through the words we speak but perhaps even more clearly, in the actions of service which we do together for the glory of God.
Let them know we are Christians by our love. Praise God for this wonderful day and the gifts which He will unwrap for all of us in it, as we are called together according to his purpose.
Our Pastor referenced this passage from Exodus this morning:
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.†(Exodus 34:7 NLT)
It is worth considering if this changed in the new covenant which God established with the people of the earth, through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Some people at that time mistakenly believed all people who were blind were born or made that way because of the sins of their parents. Jesus corrects them as documented in the Gospel of John:
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,†his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?†“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,†Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.†(John 9:1-5 NLT)
Sins of parents and grandparents DO affect both current and future generations. We are such consumers, we buy a cool kids electric cars here and there, and then wonder why they have no sense of value or worth. Sin has a powerful and negative affect on all it touches, but the power of sin is broken when we confess to God and ask for His forgiveness through Jesus.
Sin does not always account for disabilities or suffering, however. We shouldn’t assume to know the reasons for these things. Through all circumstances and conditions, God works for good through His people who are called according to His purpose. Rather than focusing on trying to understand the source or cause of suffering (which we may never understand fully in this life) we should focus on the purpose with which God has called us to act in the midst of suffering.
I pray for a harvest of righteousness in my life, for our family, in our community, state and nation.
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:7-11 NIV)
(cross-posted from Redeeming the Family)
This is a 14 minute video reflection by Wesley Fryer, who volunteered with Redeeming the Family on May 15, 2013, at the Cimarron Correctional Facility (prison) in Cushing, Oklahoma. Oklahoma currently has 17 prisons, and Cimarron is one of three which is privately operated. Corrections Corporation of America has owned and operated this prison commercially since 1997. Last week Redeeming the Family volunteers assisted 50 incarcerated dads to record video messages of love for their children, which will be mailed to their children before Father’s Day on Sunday, June 16th.
Sixty-six men had signed up to record video messages for their children on May 15, but because of security conditions at the prison not all those inmates were allowed to record their messages. Redeeming the Family will return to the Cimarron Correctional Facility again in the fall to record more messages which will be delivered prior to the Christmas holiday in December.
As I read these verses from the author of Hebrews today, I was reminded that not everyone on earth has experienced the positive and loving discipline of an earthly father. Single moms face special challenges, and so do their children. Assumptions are dangerous. Remember not everyone has shared your life experiences or mine.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:9-11 NIV)
Jesus calls us to wait for His return with hope, encouraging each other and rebuking evil with the authority He gives us through His Father and our Heavenly Father, God.
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No†to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. (Titus 2:11-15 NIV)