Just a Hometown Boy

"'I tell you the truth,'

he continued,

'no prophet is accepted in his hometown.'"

Luke 4:24

The headlines screamed out from the page lying on the counter of the little cafe: "Hometown Boy Makes it Big."  The small town gossip soon followed. . .

"What do ya' think about ole' Joe's boy?"

"I heard he wrote a book that made the NY Times bestseller's list."

"He's got millions of viewers on his television program."

"Ya, he's pretty popular."

"Remember his family?  Joe was a contractor, never really made it big.  Always had little jobs here and there, but nothing significant.  Never even had enough business to move out of the shop he had set up in his garage."

"Then there was his wife, Mary Jo.  She just kept having kids and always kind of kept to herself. In fact the whole family seemed like they thought they were better than everyone else."

"Ya. . . just kind of weird to see their oldest become such a star."

"Well, like they always say, 'there's no accounting for taste.'"

It's hard to believe when someone we grew up with becomes successful and well known in their field.  Somehow, I always think of them as that little kid who used to trip over his shoelaces, or the girl who had a crush on a different boy every week from the time she was in 3rd grade.  If I try to pay attention to the message their delivering, I get distracted by their past.

God uses broken, sinful people to accomplish amazing things in His Kingdom.  (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)  He does this so He will get all the glory.  Sometimes, though, when God uses a close friend or relative to deliver a message, I may miss it because I'm distracted by the messenger.  How can so-and-so know anything about marriage when she's divorce, I may think, or, what could he tell me about living as a peacemaker when he was the biggest bully in school. 

God can use anyone to speak truth into my life.  Humility allows me to look past the flesh and see and hear the Spirit within.

Full Disclosure

In the field of security, "full disclosure" is a term used to describe the idea that revealing weaknesses and problems with security systems will bring about solutions from industry professionals who want to protect their product's image and reputation.  Giving away the vulnerabilities forces the industry to come up with a better product, whether it be in the areas of computer security, alarm systems or safes and locks.  The idea is that transparency drives improvement. 

Unfortunately, this same concept does not translate well to other areas of life.  The more people know about me, the less they'll see that's admirable and the more they'll see that's fodder for gossip and slander.

Thankfully, God knows me intimately, and still loves me and chose me to belong to Him.  (Psalm 139, John 15:16) He knows all my weaknesses, all my sin, all my foolishness but wants to use me anyway!  Because of His great love and mercy, I can trust His choice of servants.

When I hear a child who is known for her spastic, disruptive behavior say, "Just trust God, Mrs. Boose."  I can either discard it as a ranting of a mere child, or I can take it before the Lord and seek His will.

If a relative who can never seem to get his life together begins a ministry that offers hope to the hopeless, I can dismiss it as foolishness or ask God's blessing upon him.

When a notorious gigolo becomes a man of God and is used by Him to strengthen marriages, I can laugh in his face or I can humbly accept God's sovereign work.

Knowing a person's faults can sometimes get in the way of how God is using that person but humility means looking past the flaws and seeing the Truth.

History

One of the hardest parts of the election season is all the dirt that comes out about each candidate.  It seems to be the objective of political campaigns to elevate themselves by dragging down their opponent so the voters are left with choosing the lesser of two evils.

Every human being has a history.  Some possess a more colorful past than others, but at the foot of the cross, the ground is level.  Sin is sin in the eyes of God. (John 5:17)  As a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, my sin is made as white as snow.  In the eyes of God, I appear as if I were without sin. (Romans 3:22)

For this reason, God is able to use me.  He made me to be a vessel of His good works.  (Ephesians 2:10 , 2 Corinthians 4:7)  This truth goes for all whom God chose.  It then makes sense for me to look past another's record and instead keep my focus on what God is currently doing in their life.

God uses people for His purposes and glory.  He chooses those according to His plan, not because of their own worth, ability or qualifications.  He uses tricksters, murderers, prostitutes, and liars.  (Romans 9:10-13, Genesis 25:29-33, Exodus 2:11-14 ,Joshua 2 , Hebrews 11:31, Genesis 20) 

My history or the past of anyone else does not nullify the Word of God.  Letting go of yesterday means I can trust God with tomorrow and place my confidence in who He chooses to use.

Knowledge of history, my own or that of someone else, bears no importance to the sovereignty of God's plan but can instead be used as an impetus to grow my faith.

God Alone

I remember being at an event at a park where I couldn't see a thing that was happening on stage because of the large crowd that had gathered to watch the performance.  I could hear the music and message, but couldn't see the performers.

In God's kingdom, I am not a performer or entertainer, but a servant used by God.  (Matthew 20:26-28)  Many times, though, my own flesh will get in the way with what God is doing.  Either my fear will stop me from obeying, my past failures will give me reason not to step out in faith, or I listen to the voices around me who are speaking against what God has told me.  

Whatever the source of the obstacle, I must remember the truth that God alone can produce kingdom fruit in my life.  (Galatians 5:22-23)  Apart from Him, I can do nothing.  (John 15)  Everything good I see in my life and in the lives of those around me comes from the Father of lights.  (James 1:17)

As I go through my day, I can choose to focus on the weaknesses I see in my flesh and the humanness of those around me, or I can look for evidence of God's work.  If I look, I will find it!  

Knowing that God is the only one who can do good things gives me the ability to look past the faults and history of myself and others and focus on all the good that He is doing.

Jesus was not accepted as the Son of God in His hometown, Elijah was not sent to a widow he knew and Elisha didn't heal his friends and neighbors.  Many times our faults and history can get in the way of what God is doing.  In order to keep from being an obstacle to God's sovereign plan, I must guard against letting human weaknesses impede my vision of the Almighty.  I just might be surprised where I see God working!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to know that He can use anybody.

How do I doubt God's plan when I catch sight of His servant?

When do I put a halt to God's work in my own life because I can't get past my fears?

Wilderness

  "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,

returned from the Jordan and was led

by the Spirit in the desert,

where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.

He ate nothing during those days,

and at the end of them he was hungry. . .

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,

and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

He taught in their synagogues,

and everyone praised him."

Luke 4:1-2, 14-15

His tongue was swollen and sticking to the roof of His mouth.  Hunger became His friend as He followed the Source through the dry and arid place.  There was nothing of beauty there, only suffering, yet He was not without Comfort.  Peace enveloped Him as His stomach rumbled and His lips cracked.  He took consolation from the thought that this was not without purpose but was all a part of the great Plan.  

I have gone through many wilderness times in my life:  Periods when it seemed like God had left me, when I didn't know which way was up and my faith seemed shaky.  Despite how these interludes appeared, they were times of intense preparation meant to ready me for something bigger.  

How is He training me today?  What difficulty am I enduring with frustration, longing to reach the other end?  How is God using this time for His glory?

Power of the Spirit

As a former military wife, I like to think of myself as being pretty self-sufficient.  If something in the house breaks, I'll take a crack at repairing it.  Moving furniture is not a job I feel the need to wait for my husband to help me with, instead I forge ahead and finish the task with gusto.  Outside work does not intimidate me; in fact I rather enjoy getting down in the dirt transplanting a bush or spraying the trees for pests.  I'm a typical independent, self-reliant woman.

The problem is, I can't be a modern-day autonomous female and a follower of Christ.  What I mean is that a believer is called to be dependent on God, reliant on Him and empty of self; characteristics that go drastically against my natural 21st-Century way of thinking.

God takes me through dry and difficult times in the wilderness to empty me of myself, remind me of my weak state and reiterate my need for Jesus.  Without Him, I am nothing.  When I forget these truths, I tend to rely on myself and don't tap into the power of the Spirit of God.  

The Apostle Paul explained that God used a weakness to humble him, reminding him that, "'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"  Therefore, Paul confessed that it's his very fragile human state in  which he will rejoice because, ". . .when I am weak, then I am strong." (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)

Oswald Chambers compares God's power to a river.  He says, "If you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has nourished in you mighty torrents of blessing for others."  I have nothing to do with this flow: it comes from the Source as long as I am open to Him and empty of myself.

The times in the desert work to humble me and readjust my priorities to where God is squarely in the center of all things and the only source of power.

Open Doors

An open door can signify free access such as when a professor says, "Stop by my office at anytime.  I have an open door policy."  It can also represent a nation's willingness to trade freely with other countries.  Doors also have long been symbols of opportunity.  When a door stands open, the message is that I am welcome to walk through, seizing the opportunity.  If, however, an access-way is closed, it is not my time.

Everything works on God's timetable.  (Proverbs 16:9)  He is never late.  (2 Peter 3:8-9)  He is the one with the master plan.  (Jeremiah 29:11)  For these reasons, I must trust God with the times He has placed me in a barren place.  As I seemingly wallow in futility, God is putting all the pieces in place, making the path ready for my feet to traverse.  

John the Baptist went through a long time of preparation in the desert for his important mission; to prepare the way for the Lord.  (Luke 1:80 John 1:22-23) He needed to wait for Jesus to grow to a certain age, for specific men who would be the disciples of the Lord to be in place, and for God's timing to fit His plan.  

John knew his purpose and he could very well have tired of waiting, desired a better life than one of a vagabond in the wilderness or doubted God's plan.  Instead, he stayed where God had placed him until the time was right for him to begin his public duty.

I easily grow tired of difficult circumstances, dreary surroundings or less-than-desirable occupations.  But if I can trust God's timetable, it won't be long before it will be time to move into His greater purpose for my life.  Meanwhile, I can learn to be content in the wilderness.

The times in the desert serve as a holding area, giving God leeway to work until it's my time to go.

Praise to Jesus

I naturally cry very easily.  I have found this trait to be extremely frustrating as it makes it difficult for me to express what is in my heart; the tears get in the way of my ability to speak.  For those who know me, they see how much I struggle with this trait.  But when God is speaking through me, He gives me the power to get His message out with nary a catch in my throat.  All the glory goes to Him because everyone knows I am naturally unable to express myself very well.

In the same way, when I am filled with His Spirit after an arid time, He gets all the glory for whatever He does through me.  Just as people heard Jesus teach with authority and knew there was something special about Him, others will recognize His power once I come out of the desert.

The result of a time of difficulty and trial is that the name of Jesus will be lifted up on high.  Like when my friend's cancer defied all the odds and went away without a trace.  No one would have guessed that after all the suffering she endured that she would one day be standing there as a living testimony to the power and sovereignty of God.

It is hard to imagine how another friend would praise God as she told me of all the pain her body endured.  She knew that every breathe she took was a gift from the Almighty and trusted Him with her life, despite the suffering.  

Only the power of God could explain how a woman who endured a horrible divorce could come out on the other side as a humble creature willing to give God all the honor and glory for who she is and how her life turned out.

Difficulties are not the end.  Instead, they are a tool used by God to prepare me for a time when I will give Him all the praise. 

My purpose in life is to bring glory to God.  Sometimes this means spending time in a place where it seems there is no glory.  As I endure the preparations, molding and humbling, I'm giving God a chance to put all things in place.  Then, as His power flows through me, Jesus will get all the praise.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep my eyes on Jesus, especially through the difficulties.

How am I fighting God in the desert?

When do I fail to see His hand in the dry places?