Coffee With The Lord

Three great cultural diseases… entitlement, arrogance, self-sufficiency!  Look around – the symptoms are everywhere… And in Western culture, we affirm, even idolize, the disease.

Problem is these things run completely contrary to Kingdom culture (i.e. the Kingdom of God) – and the message of the Gospel!

Apostle Paul confronted them head on… pride in education (worldly wisdom), power, wealth (money and possessions), or position (influence).  Here’s his inspired appraisal of it all (read it slowly and let it sink in!)…

Remember, few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.  Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise.  And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.  God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.  AS A RESULT, NO ONE CAN EVER BOAST IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD!

“God has united you with Christ Jesus! For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself! Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin.  Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “IF YOU WANT TO BOAST, BOAST ONLY IN THE LORD.”  From 1 Corinthians 1:26–31 NLT)

What a slap in the face to everything the broader culture idolizes, depends on and esteems!

Know what I wrote in the margin of my Bible today?  Here it is: “LeRoy, never forget it either!”

I just finished reading the account of two similar miracles of Jesus in Matthew: Incredible miracles of provision…

Matthew 14:13-21 (5 loaves and 2 fish fed 5,000 men + women and children with 12 baskets of leftovers) [Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:1-13 are the account in other gospel records)

And Matthew 15:32-39 (7 loaves and a few small fish fed 4,000 men + women and children with 7 large baskets of leftovers) [Mark 8:1-10 is a parallel account of the miracle]

You should read them for yourself! Here are some lessons about “ministry” I learned from the accounts…

1. Mercy/compassion motivated ministry for Jesus! (It should motivate our ministry as well)

2. When faced with overwhelming need, organize to meet the need as the Lord directs! (Organizing to meet needs with meager resources expresses faith and obedience – God honors those qualities!)

3. Jesus takes whatever is available to meet needs! (Jesus expects us to use the resources that are available to meet needs in ministry)

4. Jesus took what seemed insignificant and met the needs of a multitude! (“Little is much when God is in it! Never belittle or underestimate what God can do with meager resources!)

5. A incredible miracle of provision occurred when He blessed the loaves and fish! (His blessing of what we offer Him makes all the difference in the world – what He blesses becomes miraculously adequate!)

6. The job of Jesus’ disciples was to distribute what He broke and blessed! (We have a “hands on” responsibility to serve the needs of others with what He provides “in His name!”

7. We not only are stewards of immediate resources – He expects us to preserve and steward what is left over – what remains. (Stewardship of His blessing and provision is an ongoing responsibility!)

I love the Psalms! I read one today that emphasizes the power of sincere, fervent, prayer!

Are you enduring God’s discipline… or experiencing disease, even death? Are you struggling with discouragement or despondency?

Then PRAY! Pray fervently! Pour your heart out to God sincerely and openly! That’s what King David, the psalmist did!

Here is his prayer from Psalm 6… “O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage! Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak! Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony! I am sick at heart! How long, O Lord, until you restore me? Return, O Lord, and rescue me! Save me because of your unfailing love! The dead do not remember you? Who can praise you from the grave? I am worn out from sobbing! All night I flood my bed with weeping, drenching it with my tears! My vision is blurred by grief!” (From Psalm 6:1-7 NLT)

Listen, if you pray like that; God – the Living God – can move you from despair and despondency to confidence and faith! You will find it supernaturally, miraculously arising in your heart! God will produce it within you! Hope will arise! Here’s how the psalm ends… “The Lord has heard my weeping! The Lord has heard my plea! The Lord will answer my prayer!” (From Psalm 6:8-9 NLT)

So my advice – no more than that, the Psalmist’s advice – The inspired advice of God’s word… PRAY! PRAY FERVENTLY! PRAY FROM THE VERY BOTTOM OF YOUR HEART! POUR YOUR HEART OUT TO GOD! Hey, it works! God answers prayer!