Suffering Glorifies God

“Christ learned obedience from what he suffered" (Heb. 5:8) and was equipped to perform his heavenly ministry as our Advocate and High Priest.

In my devotions this morning as I read that verse it was like a lightbulb came on. In the suffering of looking back and processing the pain of my past, I have learned some discipline and have been better equipped for life and ministry.

We don’t like the pain – but Christ has been there, done that and has the T-Shirt to prove it – or should we say the scars. But through it all He learned obedience. Obedience isn’t easy. Not for me anyway. The Choleric in me wants to do it my way and in my time, etc.

The other thing that came to me was: The treasure (payoff) for suffering is obedience but it also glorifies God which is our ultimate purpose in life. The reward that keeps me pushing through or submitting to the suffering of self-denial, sacrifice, submission, surrender, etc. is that I’m glorifying God in and fulfilling my purpose in the process.

We search to know ourselves, discover our passions and intense interests so that we can know our purpose for being here on this earth. Well, we know the ultimate purpose is glorifying God with our life. Ministry is one of the ways of glorifying God but so is eating healthfully, loving on my family, respecting my husband, helping a friend, etc.

But suffering is another way of glorifying God. We glorify as we discipline ourselves to take time to read the Word and pray. We discipline ourselves when we come to church or weekly attend a small group. We discipline ourselves when we deny ourselves something so we can give our time in helping others. We discipline ourselves when we choose to forgive instead of holding onto grudges. We discipline ourselves when we process the pain of past wounds instead of stuffing them. We glorify God whenever we deny ourselves in some way so as to obey God. Praise the Lord for the opportunity and privilege to bring him glory through suffering the discipline of the daily devotions, weekly meetings and spiritual preparation and sharing.

As we make ourselves available to the working of the Holy Spirit, God breaks through any resistance, heals wounded areas, restores relationships and teaches us much in the process. We bring glory to God through our suffering.

Do not fear the suffering for by it you will learn obedience and thereby glorify God.

Life is an Invitation to a Divine Encounter

I’m reporting from the East Coast Leadership Conference in Washington, DC, Friday, July 18, 2008. I’ve only experienced one day of this conference and so many things have been confirmed that God has been showing me or dealing with in my own life. I particularly liked Julie Meyer, a Psalmist from International House of Prayer.

Sitting in Julie Meyer’s workshop, An Invitation to Encounter, was a great reminder that every day we have opportunities for an encounter with God. We miss it many times because we looking for the grandiose – something really big. But she reminded us that God is god of the small things too.

Moses was tending the sheep in the desert, a mundane, routine job – bored out of his head. He saw a bush burning which wasn’t totally unheard of in the desert because of the intense heat and dryness of the vegetation. But the Word says that “he turned and looked.” His attention was caught and he had an “invitation to an encounter.”

He could have brushed it off as a normal happening and just walked on, but he turned and looked. Because he turned and looked God called to him out of the bush. Wow!! I know we’d like that to happen today. Are we expecting it? Are we looking for divine encounters in our everyday life situations? Or, are we missing them because we’re looking for fire and wind and smoke and the miraculous?

God is inviting us every day in big and small ways to have an encounter with Him. That encounter may be like the Brazilian housekeeper who was responsible for winning Stephen Baldwin and his wife to the Lord. In her routine day of washing dishes, mopping floors she testified to the goodness of God to these people and now they are reaching Hollywood with a dynamic testimony of God’s grace.

Watch for opportunities for an encounter with God. It may be Him using you to minister to someone or receiving from someone else. It may be His voice through a song, a slogan, a deed done. But God is pursuing us, waiting for us to respond to His invitation.

Life is an invitation to encounter God today – heads up, be aware, alert, expecting an encounter at any moment. Like Candid Camera, "When you least expect it, smile '-- a divine encounter is waiting. Turn and look – respond to His invitation for an encounter today.

Rebuilding with Nehemiah -- Praying the Word

In Nehemiah’s prayer to God in chapter one, he said:

"Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.'

10 "They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man."
I was cupbearer to the king.

It may seem quite arrogant that Nehemiah reminded God that His reputation was on the line – these were His people He had redeemed by His own strength. What would the nations think if he didn’t redeem them as He promised?

But in praying this, Nehemiah was reminding himself and building his own faith up. Jehovah is the God of Promise and “he is not a man that he should lie.”

I’ve often prayed the Word back to God and in hearing it spoken out loud it brought faith and hope to my heart. Here is one from Romans 5:8-10

8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

This verse reminds me that if God loved me enough to die for me while I was an enemy, filthy in my sin; how much more, now that I am His friend, will He work on my behalf and empower me to overcome – to rebuild the ruins. His reputation is at stake in us. He has an investment in me and He doesn’t want to see it wasted.

WOW! God is interested in the ruins being rebuilt and He lends His hand, His power, His resources, His motivation, His faith and hope. Let’s not get discouraged but encouraged. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

What Words will you pray to God to remind yourself that He is more than able to cause you to be successful in this daunting task? Share your “reminding” Word prayers with the rest of us.

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Prayer: “Thank You Lord that you will complete that which you begun in us and will not give up till the end. What You begin, You finish. Give us faith to cooperate with Your completing work in us.” Amen