Coffee With The Lord

A “competitive spirit” fueled by jealousy is such a destructive thing within the Kingdom of God!

How much better to express appreciation and affirmation for the calling and gifts that other fellow Christians exhibit! After all, we are members of the same “family” (the “Family of God” and “brothers” and “sisters”) – we’re on the same “team” – and we’re essential parts of the same “Body” (the “body of Christ”).

In my Bible reading today I was reminded of two passages that make the point very well…

Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians put it this way… “For the body does not consist of one member but of many…God has so composed the body giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored all rejoice together. No you are the body of Christ and individually member of it!” (From 1 Corinthians 12 14-27 ESV)

The other passage that impressed me was the testimony of Apostle Paul and his acknowledgement and appreciation for the complimentary ministry of Apostle Peter…

“I have been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised (i.e. “Gentiles”), just as Peter has been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (i.e. Jews). For He who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles.” (From Galatians 2:7-8 ESV)

Oh, may we see gifts and callings in the “body of Christ” – the Church – as complementary! May we never permit a “competitive spirit” to drive us apart, cause division, discord, and “spiritual dysfunction!” A healthy, fully functioning, and fruitful “Body” is what will please our Savior!

A “Beatitude” for Moms (Etc.)…“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”  (Luke 1:45 ESV)

Anyone who has experienced the incredible pressures of leading a growing organization (and the multiplying problems that the growth generates) can identify with the words Moses articulated that are recorded in Deuteronomy 1:9-18…

“I am not able to bear you by myself! The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven! May the Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as He has promised you! How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife?” (Deuteronomy 1:9-12 ESV)

Reading Deuteronomy 1, apart from other Scripture on this issue, might get the idea the solution to this challenge was solely Moses’ idea. But that is NOT the case! Moses was a godly leader who listened to God and the wise counsel of others. Exodus 18:13-27 records the same wise counsel given to Moses by His father-in-law, Jethro, when he observed “the people standing around Moses from morning till evening waiting for decisions and counsel…“What you are doing is not good! You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone!”

More importantly, however the solution was God’s idea: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and offers over them…I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.’” (Numbers 11:15-17)

The criteria for choosing such leaders is indicated in the passages cited: Individuals of recognized maturity, wisdom, integrity, loyalty, and leadership skills; plus a commitment to follow the principles of God’s word; and finally, their appointment confirmed by the Lord Himself along with the necessary gifting to carry out the task.

What a blessing to a leader – what a gift from God!