If I Only Had A Brain

Picture this. You have gone through life in the back of the class, never thought to amount to much, always had your other friends do the thinking for you. No one expected anything much from you. Well that is exactly how the Scarecrow muddled through life. He was placed in a cornfield by a munchkin family. He was put together by utilizing the old clothes and scraps that were not even worth wearing anymore. He could not even scare away the crows as he was intended to do. Who would have ever thought that he would accept the power as ruler over all of Oz. Well that is exactly what happened. When the wizard left in his balloon he commanded that all of Oz obey the scarecrow just as they had obeyed himself. The Scarecrow took on this calling. He didn’t think twice. He just obeyed!

Have you ever felt that calling? That little whisper? Maybe it told you that you needed to go into ministry. Maybe it told you to give of your time for a worthy cause. Well when God gives us a calling it is up to us to accept that call, just as the scarecrow accepted his.We are called for a holy and noble purpose! You were put on earth to make a contribution. You were not created just to consume resources, to eat, breathe, and take up space. God designed us to make a difference with our life.

While many best-selling books offer advice on how to “get the most out of life”, that’s not the reason God made us. We were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. God wants you to give something back. This is God’s purpose for your life, and it is called your “ministry” or service.

You were created to serve God- the Bible says, in Eph. 2:10. God has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do. These good deeds are your service. Whenever you serve others in any way, you are actually serving God (Eph. 6:7). What God told Jeremiah “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work” (Jer. 1:5). You were placed on this planet for a special assignment.

You were saved to serve God, the Bible says. “It is He who saved us and chose us for His holy work, not because we deserved it but because that was His plan” (2 Tim. 1:9). God redeemed you so you could do His “holy work.” You are not saved by service, but you are saved for service. In God’s Kingdom you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill. This gives your life great significance and value.

It cost Jesus His own life to purchase your salvation. The Bible reminds us, “God paid a great price. So use your body to honor God” (1 Cor. 6:20). We do not serve God out of guilt or fear or even duty, but out of joy, and deep gratitude for what He has done for us. We owe Him our lives. Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. In light of these incredible benefits, Paul concluded, “Because of God’s great mercy … offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service” (Rom. 12:1).

The apostle John taught us, “Our love for each other proves that we have gone from death to life” (1 John 3:14). If I have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and I am only concerned about my needs, I should question whether Christ is really in my life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve.

Another term for serving God that’s misunderstood by most people is the word “ministry.” When most people hear “ministry” they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy, but God says every member of His family is a minister. In the Bible, the words servant and minister are synonyms, as are service and ministry. If you are a Christian you are a minister, and when you are serving, you are ministering.

When Peter’s sick mother-in-law was healed by Jesus, she instantly “stood up and began to serve Jesus” (Matt. 8:15), using her new gift of health. This is what we are to do. We are healed to help others. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are saved to serve, not to sit around and wait for heaven!

Have you ever wondered why God does not just immediately take us to heaven the moment we accept His grace? Why does He leave us in a fallen world? He leaves us here to fulfill His purposes. Once you are saved, God intends to use you for His goals. God has a ministry for you in His church and a mission for you in the world.

You are called to serve God. Growing up, you may have thought that being “called” by God was something only for missionaries, pastors, nuns, and other “full-time” church workers experienced, but the Bible says every Christian is called to service (Eph. 4:14; Rom. 1:6-7; 8:28-30; 1 Cor. 1:2,9,26; 7:17; Phil 3:14; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:3).

Your call to salvation included your call to service. They are the same. Regardless of your job or career, you are called to full-time Christian service. A “non-serving Christian” is a contradiction in terms.

The Bible says “He saved us and called us to be His own people, not because of what we have done, but because of His own purpose” (2 Tim 1:9). Peter added, “You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you” (1 Peter 2:9). The Bible says, “Now you belong to Him … in order that we might be useful in the service of God” (Rom. 7:4). How much of the time are you being useful in the service of God? We need to welcome new believers by saying, “Jesus now has a new pair of eyes to see with, new ears to listen with, new hands to help with, and a new heart to love others with.”

One reason why you need to be connected to a church family is to fulfill your calling to serve other believers in practical ways. The Bible says “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it” (1 Cor. 12:27). Remember, there are no insignificant ministries in the church. Some are visible and some are behind the picture, but all are valuable. Small or hidden ministries often make the biggest difference. In my home, the most important light is not the brightest light, but the little night light that keeps me from stubbing my toe when I get up at night. There is no correlation between size and significance. Every ministry matters because we are all dependent on each other to function.

What happens when one part of our body fails to function? We get sick. The rest of the body suffers. Imagine if your liver decided to start living for its own self. “I’m tired! I don’t want to serve the body anymore! I want a year off just to be fed. I have to do what is best for me! Let some other part take over.” What would happen? Our body would die. Today thousands of local churches are dying because of Christians who are unwilling to serve. They sit on the sidelines as spectators, and the Body suffers.

We are commanded to serve God-if we are saved. Jesus says “Your attitude must be like my own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give my life” (Matt. 20:28). Beloved, for Christians, service is not optional, something to be tacked onto our schedules if we can spare the time. It is the heart of the Christian life. Jesus came “to serve” and “to give” – and those two verbs should define your life on earth. Mother Theresa said, “Holy living consists in doing God’s work with a smile.”

Serving is the opposite of our natural inclination. Most of the time we are more interested in “serve us” than service. We say, “I’m looking for a church that meets my needs and blesses me,” not “I’m looking for a place to serve and be a blessing.” The mature follower of Jesus stops asking, “Who is going to meet my needs?” and starts asking, “Whose needs can I meet”

God wants to use you to make a difference in His world. He wants to work through you. What matters is not the duration of your life, but the donation of it. Not how long you lived, but how you lived. If you are not involved in any service or ministry, what excuse have you been using? We have a poster in our office at our church youth group it basically says something to the extent of, “Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Mosses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was co-dependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive, and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zaacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid. That is quite a variety of misfits. But God used each of them in His service.” He will use you, too, if you stop making excuses.

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Dear Lord,

                    Wow, it seems like here lately the devil has been on a rampage! PLEASE banish any darkness that surrounds us.  First off I want to praise you! I love you so much! You have shown me why I decided to answer your call! I have seen my Cowardly Lion and Tinman (woman) both make decisions for you this past week!!!!!!!!! Dear Lord I pray for them now more than ever! They are going to be under attack now more than ever. I pray that they continue to seek you in their daily lives! I thank you for the unity that is being built within our leadership team. I pray for you to wrap your arms around this ministry and just give it your blessings. Lord I thank you so much for Josh. His obedience to your calling is a testimony to how we should also heed your call for our own lives. I pray for you to be with him and any struggles that he has to deal with. I love him so much and I am so glad he is part of my life. Dear Lord, it seems like the people that are close to us are having to fight some terrible uphill battles. You know what their burdens are, I just pray that they realize that they always have support and it is just a phone call away. I thank you so much for the new friendships that I have been cultivating. I pray for you to just continue to bless my marriage and help us always see the path that you have laid for us. I pray for our Acquire the Fire event, and that the students will just go with open hearts to be able to have that special moment with you. I ask all of these things in your precious holy name.

Amen

Yours in Christ

Jake Harper

Day 24 of 100 Days of Discipline

Day 6 Seizure Free

“find yourself a place where you won’t get into any trouble.” 2.0

… … …The only similarity between obedience and disobedience is that they reflect the type of lifestyle we have. If we have sincerely committed our lives to God, then we are going to obey Him; we are going to trust Him and leave all the consequences to Him. In times of disobedience, we lean on our own desires for direction. We waver back and forth between what we want to do and what we know is right.

Dorothy leaned on herself instead of trusting her family. She didn’t put her full trust in them. She became disobedient when she ran away from home. She did not trust that her family would help her and take care of her needs. Do you ever find youself wavering between needs of the flesh and God’s needs?

What We Can Expect

God never intended for us to be harassed about the decisions we make each day. Sometimes when we pray, we immediately discern the will of God. Other times, we must wait, trusting Him to show us when and how to move forward. At still other times, He spends a great deal of time preparing us to step forward through an open door. But when the opportunity comes, we hesitate with feelings of worry and doubt. Then there are situations that result from a relaxed attitude about purity and holiness.

I cannot begin to count the number of times I asked a person why he or she allowed sin to gain such a stronghold. One man confessed that he had been around a certain type of sin most of his life. He did not have a clue about its influence on him until he realized that he did not have the joy and peace that he believed a Christian should experience. He had moments of happiness but nothing that lasted. He noticed that every time he tried to pray, his mind filled with images that were sinful and wrong. The enemy knows when we have withheld our obedience to God. Like a well-trained warrior, he moves in for the attack, but often his approach is not a full frontal assault. It is subtle and hidden, like a landmine just below the surface. The mistake we make is in assuming that we can ignore God’s commandment to obey Him and not suffer harm.

The bottom line is that there is never a time when it is OK to disobey God. We should obey Him regardless of what we think or how we feel. It is a matter of choice, but one that many Christians do not yet understand or submit to. Far too often, people evaluate their circumstances according to what they perceive will profit them: How will this help me get ahead? or Will this move be beneficial to my future? We say we believe God is all-wise and knows what is best for us, but often we end up looking for advice from people around us and not from the only One who knows everything we need to know. We need to consider only one issue: Is this God’s will for my life?

Disobedience is not always wrapped in a sinful-looking package. Yes, it is sinful to disobey God because it hurts the heart of Someone who has a plan for our lives. It damages our fellowship with Him and leads to feelings of guilt and shame. But far too often when we hear the word disobedience, we think of a sexual sin or some habit that is just dead wrong. However, we disobey God when we refuse to do what He has gifted, trained and called us to do. Our refusal to be open to His plan can bring misery and regret. On our own, we do not have significant insight into the future. All we can do is make choices based on what may or may not take place. When all is said and done, only one Person has absolute knowledge, and that is the Lord. And He has promised to provide the guidance we need:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your body

And refreshment to your bones.

(Prov. 3:5-8)

We can worry, fret and fume about an issue that God has already dealt with and has moved on to another point. But if we trust Him, we will obey Him each and every time. Being obedient does not mean that we will never face difficult decisions. It means that when we do, we will resolve that He has gone before us; and because we have committed our lives to Him, the way we travel will be straight, sure and manageable. The prophet Isaiah reassured us:

The Lord will continually guide you,

 

And satisfy your desire in scorched places,

And give strength to your bones;

And you will be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. (58:11)

Notice that both passages of Scripture speak of physical health and well-being. That is what obedience does for us. It disposes of the raw emotions that tie us up in knots inside.

You may be living in complete obedience, and yet you are battling a serious illness. Your situation does not mean you have done something wrong. On the other hand, if you believe in God but refuse to trust Him completely or to obey Him, then you are going to feel stressed, pressured, out of control and fearful. Disobedience can be as simple as not trusting Him to take care of your immediate need at home, in your community/school or on your job.

On many occasions I have talked with educators who confess to feeling utterly burned out. They have short emotional fuses and are tired. When I ask them if they have shared all of this with the Lord in prayer, many look surprised and comment that they felt He was already aware of their needs. Part of the obedience process is learning to open your hands to Him and give Him your deepest cries of frustration. Healing cannot take place when you are holding on to hurt or frustration. Lay it on His altar and allow Him to restore you. There are many facets surrounding obedience but only one way to accomplish it, and that is through surrender to the One who loves you and has a plan for your life and circumstances.

Friends are God-given resources, but they may provide unwise counsel and wrong information. The very thing they feel is the best for your life may not be what God wants you to do. Therefore, it is always best to listen to their counsel, especially when they are committed believers, but also to pray and ask the Lord to make His will absolutely clear so you will not take a wrong turn—mentally, emotionally, spiritually or physically. You can avoid a lot of heartache by obeying God

Yours in Christ

Jake Harper

Day 20 of 100 Days of Discipline

Day 2 Seizure Free

Courage

“Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the “ape” in apricot? What have they got that I ain’t got?”

Courage.

The word courage means the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear; bravery. Another definition for courage: having the courage of one’s convictions to act in accordance with ones beliefs, especially in spite of criticism.

The message that God gave to Joshua was “Be of good courage.” In Joshua 1:9 we can read “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord God is with you wherever you go.” Some of the cares in our lives may have become familiar to us, and our bearing them became somewhat natural. That is not to say the cares have become lighter, but we have become stronger. Certain trials can break some people and strengthen other people. Sometimes it takes adversity for us to realize our blessings.

How wonderful it is when someone stands up for his or her convictions. This could be at school, an activity, a family gathering or a group of friends getting together. Granted, being courageous is not easy. It takes gumption. But stop and think of the difference it can make. Total atmospheres at gatherings have changed because of someone acting courageously.

Times when we have been or seen others being courageous often stand out in our memory. Some people may be upset and begin to whisper. But, who are we trying to really impress? Knowing that we have stood up courageously, should make all the difference in the world. The more we stand up, the firmer our convictions will be. The happier we will eventually be.

Too many Christians are unsuccessful in living a steadfast life for God. The word steadfast means immovable, constant, or enduring. They are afraid of being belittled, of humiliation, being a laughingstock, and maltreatment. They are hiding the fact they are Christians, wanting to be secretive servants for Christ.

Well the last time I checked God does not need a secret service like the President. Sometimes in life we do not realize just how courageous we can be. The Lion never thought that he would have any courage. I know I have touched on The Lion before when I spoke on overcoming our shortcomings. But I think if you look at L. Frank Baum’s character in another light you can also learn what the true meaning of courage is.

When we are courageous we may suffer.  Fear can be one of man’s worst enemies. Courage allows men to have the power to stand against all forms of persecution.  This past weekend I had the privilege of joining my youth group to see a film about Christian persecution around the world. We are so lucky as Americans that we do not have to go through the horrible things that are happening across the globe to Christians. But i feel that our freedom has caused us to become lazy in our faith. I am not saying that everyone has to serve overseas in order to be courageous for God, what I am saying is that since we have religious freedom then we need to have the courage to show everyone around us that we are Christians. Jeff Bethke once said “There is a problem if people only know you are a Christian by your facebook.” This is so true in our society today.

So I challenge all Christians, myself included. Don’t be afraid to show the world who you are. Don’t be afraid to stand up for our God. Share his love. Share his word. Matthew 28:16-20 tells us this “¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

That is my challenge. Just do it. No excuses. No tomorrows. But in the same stance don’t fret over yesterday. Focus on fulfilling it today! All of us have the ability to be courageous in our beliefs. Like The Lion in L Frank Baum’s book, we just have to reach deep down inside of us.

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Dear Lord,

                   Wow. There is so much going on right now. I pray for your wisdom and guidance. Once again I pray for my Lion. I pray for patience with loving him unconditionally. I pray for my two Tinmen (women). I can feel them longing for you. Please, I pray for the to soften their hearts so that they may seek you. I pray for Josh. It is so evident that he loves the students. I pray that he feels our love in return. He is so amazing at what he does. I love him dearly. I pray for my best friend, let him be able to make the best decisions in his life and that his family supports him for it. I pray for Nova, and for her to continue to cultivate her relationships with the girls of our group. I pray for Nick and the struggles he is facing. I pray that you wrap your arms around him so he is guided my your mercy and grace to stay on the straight and narrow road. I pray for our shack. I pray that it becomes a place of “Love and Safety.” I pray for Lindsey as she steps into our group. I pray for her strengths and talents to fit in any holes that we may have. I pray for LaDawn. I pray for you to give her peace of mind as she is without her husband, and in turn I pray for Kevin that he comes home safely. I pray for Goofy (Dave), that he is able to continue to grow with our group. He is such a wonderful asset to our team. I pray that any darkness or demons that are trying to overthrow us, I pray that they are banished. I ask you to wrap your arms around each and every one of our students. I pray that you be with them through their days. Lord I pray that in the next 30 days leading up to Acquire The Fire, that you use our testimonies to help our students know of your great power and mercy.

 Amen

Yours in Christ

Jake Harper

Day 7 of 100 Days of Discipline

Day 5 Seizure Free