Coffee With The Lord

Bad situations can have good results for Christ followers!

That’s the message the Apostle Paul conveyed to his dear friends, the Christians in ancient Philippi, regarding his imprisonment in Rome! In fact, as unpleasant (and unfair) as the experience was for Paul, God actually used it to get the gospel into Caesar’s household! In fact, Paul began to view being in prison as “my imprisonment is for Christ.” He went on to say, “I am put here for the defense of the gospel” (using terminology soldiers used to describe being “stationed”, “on duty”, or “under orders”). The point? Paul realized that, as unpleasant as his imprisonment was, God was using it for His glory and the spread of the gospel! (Philippians 1:12-18)

Several years ago, a dear friend of mine made a terrible mistake and was led into an unwise (and illegal) business deal. He realized it after he had been entrapped, tried desperately to get out of the deal and attempted to make it right. However, a “pit bull prosecutor” pressed a lawsuit and my friend ended up in prison, much to his dismay and shame. He realized something however – God could use the situation for His glory! He determined to be a witness within the prison and was mightily used by God to lead many fellow prisoners to Christ and minister hope to their families. When I heard the stories of how God turned a terrible situation into good and the glory of God, my eyes flowed with tears and my heart was filled with praise!

Hey, God can use unpleasant, unpleasant, even unfair situations for His glory, the extension of the Kingdom of heaven, and the spread of the gospel! God needs people who actually believe this!

God is referred to by Christians as their “Heavenly Father!” Consequently, those who claim to have been “born again” (“born of the Holy Spirit” or “born of God’ – John 1:12-13; 3:1-8) ae called “children of God” (John 1:12-13; 1 John 3:1-2), What an incredible relationship – what an honor and privilege (and additionally, what a responsibility)!

This imagery – “father” – has rich significance for many who enjoyed and profited from strong, loving, nurturing fathers. But even for those who did not have that benefit idealize and imagine what a loving “father figure” would be like.

Jesus drew on this imagery in His teaching on prayer (Luke 11:11-13)…

“What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Our Heavenly Father is approachable, wise and GOOD! He invites our requests (even inviting and encouraging our repeated, sustained requests as His children (vss. 5-9). He knows our needs and is open to our desires! But we must trust the wisdom and character of our” Heavenly Father! He will give us only what is good – what is best! In fact, He promises to “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Hey, in the words of a worship song I love… “You’re a good, good Father, it’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are… And I’m loved by You, it’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am!” I don’t know the character of any earthly “father figure” in your life, but I do know about the character of the “Heavenly Father” … and He’s a “GOOD, GOOD FATHER!”

OPPORTUNITIES … How we handle them is a big deal! They either bring positive results or when ignored or pushed away lead to negative outcomes. I’ll bet you, as I, have some positive stories of opportunities taken advantage of, and also some negative accounts of opportunities missed or squandered.

My Bible reading this morning told of such an opportunity (Luke 10:38-42) – one we probably identify with at some level…

Jesus had come to town and had decided to visit the home of two of His disciples, Martha and Mary! I mean what an opportunity! Think about it – what would you do, how would you prepare for His visit, what would you plan to do to take advantage of the Lord’s presence?

The Bible says, “Martha welcomed Him!” She began preparations immediately to entertain Him… Things needed to be just right! There would be guests who would drop by! There needed to be refreshments available and special meals to be prepared. His accommodations needed to be neat, clean and just right! After all He was a special guest! The preparations were a big responsibility and even after He arrived the Bible records, “MARTHA WAS DISTRICTED with much serving.” She was trying her best to be an excellent hostess! Her sense of responsibility was so great, in fact, it actually pushed any opportunity to spend time with the Lord away!

And what was Mary, her sister doing? ,,, The Bible says, “Mary sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching!” It “ticked off” Martha! Finally, she could stand it no longer and complained to the Lord; “Lord do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”

The response of Jesus was telling… Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things! One thing is necessary! MARY HAS CHOSEN THE GOOD PORTION, WHICH WILL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HER!”

There it is – a lesson for us… How do we handle the incredible opportunity of time spent with the Lord? Do we allow our sense of daily duties and responsibility to push away our opportunities for time with the Lord, listening to His voice, and learning from Him? Or do we prioritize our opportunities of time spent in His presence? The Bible describes Martha as “DISTRACTED with much serving!” But Mary was not going to miss the incredible opportunity of time with the Lord!”

An old gospel song addressed the issue this way: “Take Time to be Holy, speak oft with thy Lord, abide in Him always and feed on His word!” Don’t allow the pressures and responsibilities of life, often legitimate and necessary, to “distract” you and rob you of the incredible opportunity of time in the Lord’s presence! I jotted these words in the margin of my Bible today beside Luke 10:38-42… “LeRoy, CHOOSE WISELY!”