[APRIL 15] Agents of Change

Read: 2 Timothy 2:19-26

"If anyone cleanses himself... , he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work" 

--2 Timothy 2:21

With 4 years of seminary under my belt, I walked into my first ministry with a long agenda. As a new pastor, I thought I was there to change that place. Instead, God used that place to change me.

The board members were supportive, but they relentlessly kept my feet to the fire in administrative details. I needed to learn how to work with lay leadership, how to be careful in my work, and how to dream with others.

We often think God has assigned us to change the world around us when in reality He is interested in changing us. Why? To make each of us “a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21). God often uses the most unlikely people in the most unlikely places to teach us some of life’s most difficult lessons. And just when we think we’ve arrived, He is instructing us further.

Not long ago I entered a new season of ministry. I may be a “seasoned veteran,” but I’m still learning, still growing, and still amazed at how God continues to shape this vessel for His noble purposes.

If you want to be an agent of change, don’t resist the true Agent of Change. He has your best interest—and His—at heart! --Joe Stowell

What changes we would love to make

In other's lives, for Jesus' sake!

But first we must learn at His feet

Th things that will make us complete. --Branon

REFLECT ON THIS:

Only when we are changed can we be agents of change.

[MARCH 26] Worthy of Respect

Read: Philippians 2:19-30

"Receive [Epaphroditus] therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem."

--Phil. 2:29

Just before kickoff at a Super Bowl XLIII. Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award--a tribute given to the player who had best combined on-field excellence with off-field community service. "A am humbled the Lord has given me such an amazing life to impact others," said Warner, a dedicated Christian. "Of all the awards, given to NFL athletes, [these one] stands out...because of what it represents." It represents a commitment to giving and sacrificing for others.

Paying homage to those who serve is not a new concept. Paul spoke of it when he reminded the Philippians to honor those who gave themselves in serving Christ. he told them of their friend Epaphroditus, who had nearly died (Phil. 2:30) because of his efforts for Christ in ministering to others--including the people of Philippi. How should they respond? Paul said, "Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem" (v.29). Clearly, when we think of those sacrifice in serving the Savior, they are worthy of our respect and appreciation.

Why nit look for ways to show gratitude to those who have served you spiritually. Give them the honor they deserve. --Bill Crowder

To honor is to show respect,

To meet another's need,

To give someone encouragement,

To love in word and deed. --Sper

REFLECT ON THIS:

We honor God when we honor those who serve God.

[FEBRUARY 28] The Country of Old Age

Read: Mark 7:1-13

 

"If anyone does not provide for his own,... [he] is worse than an unbeliever" 

--1 Timothy 5:8

In the book Another Country, author Mary Pipher met with people in their seventies, eighties, and nineties who were confronting many different life situations.

“I wanted... to understand the country of old age,” Pipher writes. “We are not organized in a way that makes aging easy.” The root problem, she observed, is that young and old have become segregated, to the detriment of both groups.

This social trend is not necessarily intentional. But many people do ignore and shirk their responsibilities for the elderly. In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees found creative ways to avoid their family duties. In Mark 7:9-13, Jesus rebuked their common practice of dedicating their material possessions to God (declaring them as Corban) rather than using their assets to provide for their parents. Their tradition had violated the commandment to honor their father and their mother.

Our children, work, and church activities can pull us in many directions. But that doesn’t excuse us from honoring our aging parents by making provision for their needs, as much as we are able (1 Tim. 5:8). When the time comes for us to enter the country of old age, let’s hope we’ve set the right example for our own children to follow. --Dennis Fisher

Proving for our parents' needs
With loving words and selfless deeds
Is what the Lord expects of those
Who try to follow where He leads.

REFLECT ON THIS:
Honoring our parents is learned by example.