Tag Archive for faith

How Much of a God?

2014-10-07 Devotional with Hymn No comments

I’m convinced that a question lurks down inside each of us that we’d like to ask God. We’ve probably never formulated this question in our minds, much less in our mouths, but I think our hearts ask it. As we seek God in the face of our needs, whether big or small, we probe for an answer:

How much of a God are You willing to be in my life?

I believe God exists up there somewhere. I believe He is real, that He forgave my sins, and that someday He’ll bring me to heaven. But I have needs now, especially on the inside. I want to know what He is really willing to do and be in me. How much of a practical part can He play, or will He play, in my daily life? For example:

  • I have anxieties that waste my energy and destroy my peace of mind.
  • I need guidance and wisdom in a thousand hourly decisions and problems, big and small. Uncertainty and inadequacy eat away at me.
  • The same old temptations keep returning, and they’re hard to face. Can I really be the victor every time and escape all the guilt and frustration that failure brings?
  • Can I be free from self-centeredness to be thoroughly loving all the time?
  • Am I good enough? Am I who I should be, and can I ever totally please God?

I’ve been a Christian for more than fifty years, and I grasp for such answers. I want to know how constant and how sufficient God will be in all such areas.

But I continue to make exciting discoveries. I’m finding that whenever I turn to Him with anything, no matter how daily or small, He is there, my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1, NASB).

When I remember to take my problems to Him, specifically, simply, openly, I find Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us (Ephesians 3:20, NASB).

I find a God who constantly prompts me to speak to Him; who hears and understands every murmur of my heart, every unspoken question, every secret shame; who longs to draw me closer and never stops forgiving me; who, for His part, will never let anything come between us.

And I realize that if any silence is in my life and in my relationship with Him, He is not the silent One. The silence is from my own preoccupation with other things. It is the silence of my indifference to Him. It is the silence of my unbelief.

What needs does your Father see you face, yet never hear you share with Him? What concerns does He deeply feel with you that you never bring to Him?

How many simple prayers would our God gladly, beautifully, bountifully answer if we simply prayed them?

How much of a God am I willing to let Him be?

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Ever Standing in Your Presence
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

More on Stewardship

2014-10-02 Devotional with Hymn No comments

A steward is one who handles an owner’s property as the owner would want it handled. In a day when slow travel and communication created many absentee business owners, the steward was responsible for making daily decisions as the owner would make them.

As God’s stewards, how are we to manage His resources? What is important to Him? Sure, He wants us to value and respect His ownership too much to waste what He has entrusted to us. But penny-pinching and maximizing profits are not the essence of the stewardship He desires. Remember, He can create anything He wants by simply speaking the word.

What is important to Him? Where does He want His resources focused?

God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is precious to Him. People are precious to Him. Look at the way He spent His one and only Son. He was willing to sacrifice what was most precious to Him for the good of His people.

If we want to please our Owner, we must treat people well. That means everyone: family and strangers, friends and the unfriendly, next-door neighbors and people across the globe. God is love. If we love Him, we will love those He loves. They are all unspeakably dear to Him. He asks us to love them all as much as we love ourselves.

This “golden rule” isn’t some secondary, optional commandment. It is the prime directive. And there is no business exemption. He doesn’t say, “Treat people the way you want to be treated, as long as they treat you fairly” or “as long as it doesn’t cost too much.” Jesus said that loving God and loving other people are the two greatest, most essential commandments in all the world. Everything…everything…hangs on these two commands. (Read Matthew 22:34-40.)

Further, if you want to please your Owner, trust Him. He treasures the simple faith of His children. Trust Him with every need and every concern. Words of trust aren’t good enough. He wants you to prove your trust by the way you use His resources.

In summary, if we want to be a good steward and please the God who trusted you with His resources, use them to love people. That’s how this Owner wants His resources spent. Treat people as He would treat them. And show God that you trust Him by the way you spend what He has lent you. Remember what Jesus said:

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things [the necessities of life] will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, NASB)

Listen and sing:
Hymn: Listen to Love
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

Hindered by Unbelief

2014-09-25 Devotional with Hymn No comments

[Jesus] came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Is not this the carpenter’s son?”…And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:54-55, 58, NASB)

Jesus, how often have You longed to do wonderful things among us,
but You were not able because of our unbelief?

How often have we, Your own people,
hindered You by our lack of faith?

Lord, what wonderful works would You do in my life
if I were only willing to trust You more simply and constantly,
in the face of each concern?

Jesus, You are my Lord.
You are Messiah.
You are Mighty God.
You are my Savior,
my Redeemer,
my Holiness,
my Rock,
my Life.

Help me to trust You step-by-step.
Work Your beautiful, loving, perfect will in me.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: As I Trust You
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

In Christ

2014-09-07 Devotional with Hymn No comments

To me, to live is Christ. (Philippians 1:21, NIV)

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3, NIV)

Salvation is not so much what Christ does as what He is. All the blessings that come to us through Christ – love, peace, joy, and more – are His own personal characteristics. They do not come to us as a “something”, wrapped up and handed to us. They come as He comes to us and unites His Spirit with ours. They come in Him.

There is a living union with Christ that can best be described as being in Him. It is a union that began in the heart of our Father before the foundation of the world.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.
He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world
to be holy and blameless before Him.
In Him we have redemption through his blood.
In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance.
In him you…were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.
(Ephesians 1:3, 4, 7, 11, 13 NRSV)

In Christ the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him. (Colossians 2:9-10, NRSV)

Like all the blessings of salvation, living in Christ comes to us by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8). Our union with Him is a living, ongoing relationship of trust. We are one with Him as we trust Him. It’s that simple. 

Brother or sister in Christ, share with me this one deep longing and constant goal: to live every moment in Christ, trusting Him, now and forever. 

Listen and sing:
Hymn: I’m in You
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

Difficulties

2014-04-22 Devotional with Hymn No comments

[Jesus told His disciples:]
You will be handed over to the local councils and
flogged in the synagogues.
On account of me you will stand before governors and kings
as witnesses to them.
And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial,
do not worry beforehand about what to say.
Just say whatever is given you at the time,
for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
(Mark 13:9-11, NIV)

My Lord, sometimes You seem to lead me into difficult situations.
Sometimes You force me to deal with
difficult people,
difficult decisions and
difficult tasks.

Sometimes You allow
opposition,
rejection,
injustice,
misunderstanding,
illness and
loss to enter my life.

Jesus,
I will accept each unpleasant circumstance
as a new place to witness to You.

Listen…and sing if you want:
Hymn: God’s Mysterious Ways
Recording
Printed Music & Lyrics

Money

2014-03-25 Devotional No comments

I suppose my wife and I hope for the same benefits from our money that most people want: comfort; security; the freedom to do what we’d like.

We’ve been blessed with relative financial stability during our marriage. Our income has never been high, and finances are tight at times. But we’ve never been in dire need. We’ve faced no major catastrophes.

But as with many people, our finances do seem to go in cycles. We experience waves of extra bills, then, on occasion, periods of extra income. Having survived a number of these waves, I can look back and have some perspective on them. No matter how many extra bills have come in, we’ve always been able to pay them somehow, and in a reasonable amount of time.

On the other hand, the “extra” income is almost never extra. It is usually gobbled up rather quickly by more bills–either new purchases or maintenance on past purchases: house, appliances, car, or whatever. On rare occasions, we can add modest amounts to our savings, but not enough to bring any real security.

With all the concern we lavish on our finances, I’ve come to view money as empty threats, empty promises. The bills have turned out to be less of a threat than we feared at times. And the extra income, on which we tend to focus so much hope, hasn’t performed as anticipated. Empty threats, empty promises.

We want comfort, security, and freedom. But life’s needs and insecurities run deeper than money could ever handle. Family relationships, a good attitude, health, and most of all, our relationship with God—these are far more critical than money.

As to freedom, God seems to bring us life opportunities that are neither initiated nor limited by finances.

In other words, I’m discovering several basic truths about money. If I want comfort, security, and freedom:

1.       Bills aren’t the real enemy: anxiety about money is. That anxiety can flourish whether bills are high or income is high. It destroys the sense of comfort, security, and freedom we seek.

2.       Extra income isn’t my real need: trusting God is. He really can deliver comfort, security, and freedom…and much, much more.

I still catch myself wishing for more income. But what I really want is to keep our finances in His hands, whether the bills or the income seem to be running ahead at the moment. Having our finances in His hands brings satisfaction that income can’t give and bills can’t take away.

A Study in Failure, Part 6

2013-11-21 A Study in Failure, Devotional No comments

In response to God’s call, we had published a line of pocketsize books for evangelism and spiritual growth. Sales never grew strong enough to sustain the company, and we had to quit selling the books after ten years. But God miraculously fulfilled His calling and purpose through us, getting many thousands of books into the hands of soldiers, inmates, and hungry readers in poorer countries around the world. (See “A Study in Failure, Part 1”; “A Study in Failure, Part 2”; “A Study in Failure, Part 3”; “A Study in Failure, Part 4”; “A Study in Failure, Part 5”.)

The company that God had called us to start, Living the Natural Way, didn’t die when we stopped selling physical product. We simply switched our focus to online resources, especially hymns. Back when I was still in my 20’s, God had called me to write hymns. Throughout all the seasons of my life, He had kept His thumb in my back regarding that call. Now, with the pocketsize books having run their course, He had freed me to focus on my first love: hymns.

Today, the website that started as LNWbooks.com is now LNWhymns.com. It currently offers 420 of my hymns, with 355 of them recorded, plus a variety of companion resources. Everything on the site is free. We have returning visitors from all fifty states and 135 countries.

In spite of all the red ink generated by the pocketsize books, God was faithful to supply all our needs. We’ve never missed paying a bill. We’ve never even been late, as best I remember.

During those years, we had refinanced our house in order to support the publishing ministry. But a few years ago God directed us to a beautiful, spacious house here in Olathe, Kansas, just five minutes from a Christian college. I’m sitting here in a comfortable, roomy study where I’m blessed to sit and write all day, every day. Our publishing ministry still isn’t self-supporting, but it’s moving that way, and I’m confident it will get there. In the meantime, God is generously meeting our needs through my wife, who is a successful real estate agent.

Have I answered my earlier question—did I fail? If my goal was profit, I certainly did. If it weren’t for my weaknesses, perhaps our publishing ministry would have been financially viable. But I’m encouraged by this verse:

We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7, NIV)

Like Paul, I had prayed that God would take away my weakness and make me “successful” as a publisher. But His response was, and is:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
(2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)

Remember, God spoke our entire physical reality out of nothing. He never runs low on resources. What He wants, what He is constantly seeking, is people who will love Him, trust Him, and obey Him, people who will do what He says one day at a time and leave everything else to Him. Weak people. Ordinary people. Human people. Obedient people.

Lord, I’m available! Count me in!

A Study in Failure, Part 5

2013-11-19 A Study in Failure, Devotional 2 comments

I had felt a definite call from God to start a specialized publishing ministry to draw people to Christ. But after ten years of mounting red ink, we had to throw in the towel. (See “A Study in Failure, Part 1”; “A Study in Failure, Part 2”; “A Study in Failure, Part 3”; “A Study in Failure, Part 4”.)

Had I failed? Had I not truly heard God’s call? Or had I simply not carried it out well? The result had been limited sales, a ministry with a short life, and a huge financial loss.

But there’s more to the story than I’ve told you. Consider these additional factors:

1. While LNWbooks was operating, we had stumbled across a market we had never intended: the U.S. military. We had learned that military chaplains absolutely loved our books because they were perfect for soldiers: small enough to easily slip into their pockets, yet substantial enough to offer thought-provoking substance. While John Ashcroft was a senator from Missouri (before he became Attorney General under George W. Bush), we had written to him asking for the addresses of U.S. military bases. We were residents of Missouri at the time, so he was our senator. His office diligently worked with the Pentagon to get us such a list. The result was that during our few years of operation, we had shipped thousands of books to military bases all around the globe. We got emails from chaplains telling us how popular the books were and how much they meant to the soldiers.

2. At the very end of our company’s life, we had offered our remaining books to selected ministries for shipping costs alone. We got one big response: Prison Fellowship, the charity founded by Chuck Coleson. They took over 15,000 of our books to put into the hands of inmates and their families.

3. When all other outlets had been exhausted, we learned about a charity called Love Packages. They take donations of religious books and ship them all around the world to people hungry for such literature. We were donating over 100,000 books, so they sent a truck from Butler, Illinois, to Kansas City, Missouri, to pick up the books. A bit later we got an email from the head of the organization, which read:

Just a note to let you know that we have been shipping your books out every week. Tanzania, India, Philippines, Ghana, and South Africa have gotten some so far. 

God had called us to provide Christian literature to people who wouldn’t walk into a Christian bookstore and buy and read a book. Due to no brilliance of our own, He gotten them to many ministries, but especially into the hands of soldiers, prisoners, and hungry readers in numerous economically-disadvantaged countries. In fact, God had fulfilled His purpose through us in a greater way through our company’s death than He had through its life. Not until we had completely turned loose of all income from the books did He fully accomplish all that He had intended.

Isn’t God good…and utterly amazing?

The story is not quite over. The final installment is coming next time.

 continued on Friday

A Study in Failure, Part 4

2013-11-14 A Study in Failure, Devotional No comments

In response to God’s call, we had started a small company to publish pocketsize books to draw people to Christ. In spite of excellent product, we were failing to attract a broad enough market to support the company. (See “A Study in Failure, Part 1”; “A Study in Failure, Part 2”; “A Study in Failure, Part 3”.)

Our financial concerns about our struggling young company grew to a crushing certainty: it would not be profitable. Indeed, it would not be sustainable at all. From the beginning, my wife and I had been supporting it from our personal incomes, but we simply couldn’t continue.

By early 2008, the company was hundreds of thousands of dollars behind and bleeding more red ink every month. The time had come. We set 8/31/2008 as the date we would quit selling any physical product, then spent most of 2008 selling off as much stock as possible at a huge discount. After that, for two months we tried donating product to selected ministries if they would simply pay shipping cost. At the end of October, it was all over but the nagging questions.

Fortunately, the company had no debt. It had never taken out any loans. Gloria and I had always taken a “pay as you go approach”. But there was no hope of recouping the mountain of money we had poured in. And the book publishing ministry to which God had called us was no more. We had to give up.

Had I mistaken God’s call to this publishing ministry? Had I let my personal desires cloud my judgment?

Or had I simply been a personal failure?

continued on Wednesday

A Study in Failure, Part 3

2013-11-12 A Study in Failure, Devotional No comments

In response to God’s call, we were starting a small, specialized publishing company. Our focus was getting Christian materials into the hands of people who wouldn’t go to a Christian bookstore and buy and read a book. God had led us through the planning stages. (See “A Study in Failure, Part 1”, and “A Study in Failure, Part 2”.)

In the fall of 1998, we released our first two pocketsize books, Knowing God and Simple Prayers. The following February we released For Servants of God and The Satisfied Life, then another two in August, The Most Beautiful Way to Live and Step by Step. In 2000 through 2002, we published six more: Seeing God in the Darkness; Christmas Is Jesus; Your Will Be Done; Daily Love; Make Music to the Lord; and Help Me Pray. These twelve included evangelistic books and devotional books, both seasonal and non-seasonal, touching a variety of topics and uses.

In spring, 2000, we published the first issue of a free quarterly newsletter, Knowing Christ. Then in late 2001 we launched our website, LNWbooks.com, containing only the 12 pocketsize books. A fellow employee named Ross Kimbrough built that first edition of the website. It was soon taken over by my daughter, Kindra Bible, then a young computer programmer.

My wife, Gloria, my partner in the business, helped as much as her time allowed, primarily taking care of our mailing list.

People seemed to love the product. It was meaningful, fresh, attractive, and very practical. The website gradually built up good traffic.

But the company was only a few years old when I began to realize that I couldn’t make it profitable. Running my own business, being responsible for most of it by myself, had brought me face-to-face with my own weaknesses and limitations. It was only me, and even with my years of experience, there were important publishing functions I couldn’t do well. I’m weak in marketing, and in sales I am the world’s worst! That’s right: THE worst. In high school I couldn’t even sell band candy, and who doesn’t love a chocolate bar?

The product was beautiful and had great content, but I lacked the ability to get the circulation up to profitable levels. Hiring someone was out of the question.

After 12 books, we quit releasing new titles. We let the program continue for several years after that, and we did our best. But we knew that a difficult decision was coming. Without God’s miraculous intervention, the company could not survive.

continued on Friday

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