Tag Archives: God’s Plan

How God Uses our Defeats

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Just a reminder, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

1 Kings 19 is a great chapter of the Bible. We could spend a to time talking about so many things here.

I mean, in this chapter, you have Elijah, the brave prophet of God, running from Jezebel when she threatens his life. So, even after a great victory, he doesn’t trust God like he should.

Then we have the Lord providing food and drink from him when he is at his lowest and most tire. The Lord took care of him.

And then we have the Lord speaking to him not in the loud and in the powerful, but in the still small whisper. There are so many amazing things here.

But today, I wanted to talk about verses 19-21. Listen to what happens:

So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

In this passage, Elijah is returning home from all this. He had every right to be defeated. When he was faced with a challenge, he ran. He doubted God. He doubted God’s protect and provision. He didn’t trust God as he should have trusted. He literally had given into fear and doubt.

That’s something that we all know that we shouldn’t do. But, it’s something that we all do, and have done. So, at this point he was defeated. He had messed up. And that was that.

Yet, on the way home from this failure, the Lord directs him to meet a young man by the name of Elisha. And this young man would become his follower and become a great prophet just like Elijah.

From the moment of his failure, a moment of victory. Elijah had this great and embarrassing defeat, as he ran like a scared dog from Jezabel. And God used that. God used that defeat to bring out something good.

God literally brought victory from the jaws of defeat.

That’s what He did for Elijah, and that’s what He will do for us today. Today, God will use and failure, our defeats, our mistakes, for good. He will bring good out of everything. Everything that happens, God will bring good out of.

God doesn’t always stop bad things from happening. But God bring good out of everything.

Today, God will use your defeat. He will use your failures. He will use all of you for something great. Let Him guide and direct your path. He will do it.

Why I Love the Bible

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Before today’s devotional – a quick note. This week, Asbury released a mobile app for smartphones. You can download this app and listen to my weekly sermons, read this devotional, and find out all that’s happening here at Asbury. To download the app for iPhones/iPads, click here. To download the app for Androids, click here.

Now, onto today’s reflection!

In this passage Peter is sharing with the people about Jesus. He is telling how God, through Jesus, longs to give salvation to all that would believe. Jesus lived, preached, taught, was betrayed and rose from the dead. He was the offering for us all, and through Him, all of us can know the power of salvation and grace and peace.

Today listen to part of Peter’s sermon in Acts 10:39-43:

And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

I love what Peter says in that last verse – all the prophets bear witness to Him. In other words, all the scriptures point to Jesus. All of it.

That’s why I love the Bible. It is God’s love note to us. Are there things there are hard to understand? Yep. Are there things there that can be a little confusing? Yep. Can Leviticus be a book that’s a challenge to read? Yep.

But all of it, from Genesis to Revelation, paints a picture of God’s love for us and a picture of God’s plan of salvation for us through Jesus Christ.

So, as we said, there may be things that we don’t understand, John 3:16 shows that love. Romans 10:9 shows that love. Today’s passage shows that love. Jesus Christ came so that all who believe in Him will receive forgiveness.

All of the scripture, all of it, points to this. Jesus. His love. His life. His forgiveness. God is working all of it out for this point. To show us, me, and all the world, that we are loved, forgiven, and accepted.

Today’s passages points to this truth. All the bible points to this this truth. And that’s why I love the bible.

It’s All Good

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Today, you may very well have problems.

You may have tough things happen to you. You may have trials, you may have worries, you may have really serious problems pop up today.

Really.

Jesus promised us that He loves us.  He promised us that He’d never leave us.  He promised us that He’d always be there.

But He never promised us a rose garden.  He never promised that things would always be easy.  He never promised that we would not have our share of problems.

Like I tell folks in sermons, I wish I could promise you unicorns and gum drops. That’s not the case, though.

But you know what? It’s all good. Even in the problems, even in the pain.  Even in the worries.  It’s all good.  You know why?

Listen to these words from Romans 5:

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

The trials you go through today, God is going to use them for you good. The troubles you face, God is going to use them for your good. The problems that plague you today, God is going to use them.

It’s all good.

Everything you go through, God will use. Everything that happens, God will use. Everything you deal with, God will use. Everything.

There is no wasted experience, no wasted trouble, no wasted trial. Everything is something God can use. Everything.

So, today, in your life, just remember. It’s all good.  God is going to use everything for a great purpose.

May we give Him everything in our lives. And may we be blown away by the ways He uses it all.

God’s Plan for You

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God’s plan for you is good. God’s plan for you is what is best for you.

God’s plan for you is for your benefit, for your good, for what is going to be the best thing in your life.  It’s also for His glory, and for a witness to His greatness.

God’s plan for you is good this morning.

Listen to what God says today in Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

God’s plan for you is good. It will give you a future and a hope.

Now, not to go all seminary professor on you this morning, but these words were said to God’s people before something bad was going to happen. They were going to be defeated in battle, see the Temple destroyed, see Jerusalem destroyed, and be taken off to Babylon for 70 years.

They were in for a rough time. It was not going to be fun.

And before all that bad stuff happened, God said – I have a plan for you. A good plan. A plan for your benefit. A plan for you good.

Now, this plan won’t always be easy. It won’t always be fun. It won’t always be what we have chosen. God’s plan is not our plan.

But, God’s plan is good.  It’s for our benefit. It’s for our good.

Trust.  God knows what He is doing. Trust.

It’s for your good.  God knows what He is doing.

 

A Change is Coming

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Saul was a bad dude. Really, he was a bad dude.

He persecuted the church. He was present at the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. He was out to do as much as he could do to destroy the church and destroy the movement of God.

Listen to what is said of Saul in Acts 9:

Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers.

Paul was determined to stop this new movement of Christianity.

So, Acts 9 tells us how he sets out to go to Damascus to destroy what was happening. It tells how he was going to drag the Christians back to Jerusalem and see them persecuted. He is out to stop this. And he will not be stopped in his mission of destruction.

Except for what happens later in chapter 9

As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

He has his plan. But the Lord has a different plan. Not only is His plan to stop Saul from doing what he was going to do. His plan was to change Saul.

He was going to change Saul the persecutor into Paul the Apostle. He was going to take the one that was trying to kill the church and change him into the one who was going to spread the good news of Jesus Christ across the world.

He was going to change Saul and use Saul for His glory.

He will do the same for you. A change is coming. You don’t have to be like you’ve always been. A change is coming.

God has a plan for you. God has a vision for you. God wants to use you.

If He can use Saul for amazing things, He can use you for amazing things.

A change is coming. Believe it. Live it. Cling to it. God is at work. He will change you.

Today, may we let Him do His work in our lives.

A change is coming. May we know the power of the change of God.

While the Nations Rage

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One of the passages of scripture that I’ve always like to come back to when life seems to get a little crazy is Psalm 2.  In this passage, the Psalmist says this:

1 Why are the nations so angry?
Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
the rulers plot together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.
3 “Let us break their chains,” they cry,
“and free ourselves from slavery to God.”
4 But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
The Lord scoffs at them.

My favorite Christian artist, Rich Mullins, had a song based off this passage entitled “While the Nations Rage.”  It, as well as this Psalm remind of us a very important fact.

God is in control.

As humans, as nations, as people, we sometimes get an over-valued view of our world.

You are not Lord of the universe.  Neither am I. We are not in control of the world.  Neither is any person.  God is in control.

And so, today, relax.  Live fully.  Live boldly. God is in control. God is at work. God knows what He is doing.

He has a plan, in all that is going on.  He has a work that is coming.  Even if it’s dark, He is at work.  Trust.

While the nations rage, God is at work.

Put you trust not in the power of other people, put your trust in God.

In spite of circumstances, or failures, or issues, or problems. God is at work.

Trust.  Today, and always!

Bragging on Asbury

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I talk a lot about how thankful I am to be serving Asbury Church.

I talk a lot about how proud I am of the church, how excited I am to be serving this church, and about how much God is doing.

I speak vaguely on Facebook and Twitter and other social media sites.  I don’t go into much talk about numbers and things like that, for several reasons.

One is because numbers are not the end all and be all of a church.  A church is more than worship attendance or offerings or any of these things.

These things paint a picture of the overall health of a church, but don’t tell the entire story. So, while these numbers matter, they don’t describe everything.

That said, I want to brag on the people of Asbury Church.

I was appointed pastor of this church in June, 2010.  I don’t know the actual numbers, these are just an approximation. But, we were worshiping close to 180 each Sunday. Roughly 120 adults and 60 children.  Like I said, not 100% positive of those numbers, but that is close.

As of right now, we are worshiping close to 400 on Sunday.  Roughly 280 adults and 120 kids.

We have literally seen our worship attendance double.

We have gone from approximately 5 Small Group Connections to 11 with over 70 additional people plugged into our small group ministry.

We’ve seen our Wednesday night Family Meal grow from roughly 50 in over 120.

We’ve seen our finances stabilize and grow to being the healthiest they’ve been in years.

We literally have every chair we own in the sanctuary so that people will have places to sit. We are having to park on the grass because we are out of parking spots on Sunday.

We are seeing more and more people join the church or express and interest in joining the church.

But, most of all, there is a spirit of life in this place. There is spirit of joy and hope and of grace. There is the expectation that God is doing great things and God is going to do great things here.

There is an excitement about what God is doing. There is a desire to be a part of what God is doing and to invite others to be a part of what God is doing.

I’ve never seen folks so on fire to invite their friends and neighbors to church.

And it’s awesome!

And, it’s all about God.  As I’ve told folks, I’ve been in ministry for several years. And I’ve never seen happen what’s happening here.  God deserves all the praise and all the glory. Those of us that serve, we are trying to be useful do what He wants.

But, He deserves ALL the praise for what is happening at Asbury Church.

It’s about Him.  And His grace.  And His life.

I couldn’t be more excited to serve and lead this awesome part fo the Body of Christ. And I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in the coming weeks, months, and years!

Greater things are yet to come!

This is the Day

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One of the concepts of scripture that has always meant a lot to me was the notion of God’s time.

What do I mean by that?

God has a way of working all things out, just at the right time. Time is a big deal in Scripture. For example:

Jesus was born in the fullness of time, according to the Gospels. That means at just the exact and precise moment, He was born.

He appeared to be late to the tomb of His friend Lazarus, but in fact, He arrived at the exact moment He needed to.

Forty days on the Ark (Noah), Forty years in the wilderness (Moses), Forty days being tempted in the desert (Jesus).

Notice a theme here?  Notice how God works things out at the just the right time?

One of today’s readings hits on that as well. This is from Ester 4:

Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”

Esther was the queen of Persia and her people, the Jews, were about to be destroyed.  At great peril to her self, she came the king and told him of the plot, and her people were saved.

God had placed her where she was for just that moment.  At just the right time, she was where she needed to be. God had worked the time out just perfect.

It is not accident you were are you are today.  Perhaps God has you in the job you have, with the people you are around, with the status you have, with the influence you have, for just this time.

Perhaps God has something amazing for you today, that no one else could accomplish.

Perhaps this is not all by chance. But, in fact, God is at work.

It was for such a time as this, God has you here.

What are you called to today? What steps does God have for you today? Where are you being called today?

Today is no accident. This is not fluke.  It is for this moment you are here.

Let us be faithful in all God has called us to be!

Higher

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I have my plans.  I know what I want to do.  I know when I want to do it.

I have a schedule.

I’ve got it all figured out.  I know how I want it to all play out.

And, sometimes it does.

Most of the time my schedule works, my plans work, everything goes as I think it should go.

But not all the time. Sometimes things don’t work the way I want them to work.

Sometimes my schedule isn’t working. Sometimes things don’t come in the way or on the schedule that I’d like for them to.

And in those times, that’s went it’s good for me to remember what God said in Isaiah:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, *
nor your ways my ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, *
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s ways are higher than mine.  God’s plans are higher than mine. God’s ideas, God’s schedule, God’s purpose is higher than mine.

And, a lot of the time, it’s not the way or time or the anything that’d I’d like it to be.

That’s ok.  It’s not about me. It’s not about my plan or my schemes.

It’s about God’s.

Even when it doesn’t work according my schedule.

There’s a higher schedule.  It’s God’s schedule.

God’s plan.  God’s vision. God’s dream.

It’s a higher plan.

And instead of trying to get God to work according to my plans and schedules, I need to work according to His plan and schedule.

For it’s the higher one.

Today, even if it’s not working according to your plan, that’s ok.

There’s higher plan than even ours  – God’s!

There Ain’t No Stopping Us!

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I’ve mentioned before that one of my favorite Christian Artists is Rich Mullins.  He did a song we all know and we’ve sung a million times, “Awesome God.”  In worship Sunday at Asbury Church we sang a song “He Reigns” which takes Awesome God and adds to it these words:

There ain’t no stopping us (naw)
Devil there ain’t no blocking us (naw)

I was thinking about that song this morning as I read this passage from Acts:

34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. 35 Then he said to them, “Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them-in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”

If it is of God, there is no stopping it.

Their ain’t no stopping God. There’s nothing that can stop God. Their’s nothing that can stop God’s people from doing what He wants to accomplish.

Nothing.

There’s nothing in front of you this morning that can’t be worked out by God’s plan and God’s grace. Nothing.

As Jesus told Peter, even the Gates of Hell will not stop the Church!

If God is for us, who can be against us.

You don’t have to live a life of defeat this morning.  You don’t have to live a life as it’s always been this morning. This is a new day. This is a new beginning.  This is a new gift from God!

Live in it.  Live this day to the fullest. Live this life to the fullest. There’s nothing that God can’t accomplish.

If it’s of God, nothing will stop it.  Or stop you.  You can live with courage and boldness today.

Don’t live defeated.  Live victorious.  There ain’t no stopping us! Though God.