Coffee With The Lord

An interesting (and significant) feature of Biblical interpretation is to examine the relationship of passages that are adjacent to one another. Often that relationship is purposeful and clearly the Biblical writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, had a purpose or agenda. Significant truths are often taught and significant insights gained.

There are many examples of this that could be cited. Today in my Bible reading I encounter one, that in the past I have overlooked (probably because it bridges a chapter boundary) …

I think all of us are impressed by a person we’d call “the real deal” – a person who expresses authenticity, consistency, character and integrity. They practice what they preach. Their Christianity is genuine! There is not a fiber of hypocrisy in their personhood!

So here’s what I read yesterday… “And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, ‘Beware of [those] who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” (Luke 20:45–47 ESV)

I wrote this in the margin of my Bible yesterday… “Beware of these kinds of people! They are NOT ‘the real deal!’”

Then in the very next passage (at the beginning of the next chapter – an unfortunate chapter boundary marker, I must say) I read these words today… “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” (Luke 21:1–4 ESV)

What a contrast! What a powerful truth! The ostentatious, the self-righteous, the proud, the attention seeking, the spiritual bigots are NOT ‘the real deal’! They are the hypocritical – they will be the condemned! On the other hand, the sincere, the simple believer, the humble, the generous, the consistently righteous (and often the unnoticed and overlooked), ARE ‘the real deal!”

Don’t know about you… but I want to be “the real deal!”

Young emerging leaders are often discovered and formed in the most unexpected places! They often do not possess the “advantages” of power, prestige and privilege that others enjoy. Their incubation often takes place in poverty, small towns, the “wrong side of the tracks” and the farm. Many great leaders got their education in one room schoolhouses, little colleges or possessed no formal education at all!
Wise seasoned leaders recognize this and are continually on the lookout for young emerging leaders with promise. Identifying young people with leadership potential and gifting, for these seasoned leaders is a life quest.
For those with Christian values, God’s calling and gifting, are key components in identifying and developing young emerging leaders. They view this critical issue as non-negotiable.
This morning my Bible reading included a case study in the identification of young emerging leaders (1 Samuel 16)…
Saul, the first king in Israel, had disqualified himself through pride and disobedience. The Bible says, “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’”
So Samuel obeyed and went to Bethlehem. He arranged for a sacrifice and invited Jesse and his sons to attend. Eliab, the eldest – the natural choice, appeared. Samuel thought this was probably the one. God spoke however and said, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart!” (verse 7) Abinadab appeared… then Shammah… then seven other sons passed by. In each case God told Samuel, “The Lord has not chosen this one.” Finally, Samuel asked, “Are all your sons here?” And Jesse admitted, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” So young David was brought. When Samuel saw him, the Lord spoke… “Arise, anoint him, for this is the one!” The least likely in Jesse’s and Samuel’s view was chosen by God! The Bible says, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.” (verse 13)
Over the years it has been my privilege and responsibility to identify, encourage and help develop young emerging leaders. I can tell you, some of the very best and most effective have come from the most unexpected backgrounds! At the present time I am reading Carl Sandburg’s ABRAHAM LINCOLN: The Prairie Years and the War Years. From a purely natural perspective, who would have chosen Abraham Lincoln as one of the most effective presidents the United States has known? Listen, I never want to forget this fact; “the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart!”

Custom crafted jewelry… You may have seen an exquisite ring, bracelet or pendant with the words “custom crafted for (the name of a person)…. By (and then the name of the artisan) etched into the piece of jewelry. Beautiful stuff! One of a kind! Crafted by a master artisan to the specifications of the purchaser. I was able to buy a pink sapphire ring once, crafted by a master jeweler in Santé Fe for my wife… beautiful piece! I was proud to give it to her – she proudly wears it.
I thought of that this morning as I read the following passage of Scripture…
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 ESV)
To be “sanctified” is to be set apart to God… if you please “custom crafted” for God and His purposes – set apart to the Lord. The master craftsman is at work within a Christian’s life to create a blameless work of art in our lives “inside-out” – spirit, soul and body. His skill and ability in unmatched – a exquisite finished product – in “the image of Christ”!
Apostle Paul put it another way in Ephesians 2:10… “We are His workmanship (his “work of art”) created (or “custom crafted”) in Christ Jesus for good works!”