Coffee With The Lord

Today, during my time of “coffee with the Lord,”I recalled the words an old “chorus” we used to sing a long time ago in church…

“Jesus… and Others… then You

What a wonderful way to spell JOY!”

Others oriented living … What a Christ-like, spiritually mature and redemptive way to live!!

It is the core idea of the passage that I read today during my devotions that prompted this reflection today…

“You say, ‘I have the right to do anything!’ …

                But not everything is beneficial!

“You say, ‘I have the right to do anything!’ …

                But not everything is constructive!

“No one should seek their own good, but instead the good of others! … So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God!  Do not cause anyone to stumble.  I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.  Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (From 1 Corinthians 10.23 – 11.1 NIV)

And then in another place… “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.  For even Christ did not please Himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.’”(Romans 15.1-3 NIV)

Got to tell you, I want to live that way!  Jesus, I want to emulate YOU!  I want to seek “the benefit of others” before my own personal benefit!  “What a wonderful way to spell J-O-Y!”

Springtime!  The time of year when the sun shines, flowers bloom, and stark trees put on their best spring finery for us all!  But also the time of year when quickly the clouds can slip over the horizon darkening the sky, the lightening can flash, the thunder can crack and rumble, the wind howl, twist and rush, and rain drive those enjoying springtime leisure quickly inside for shelter and safety… Springtime!!

What enters your mind when you experience all that springtime brings?  Well, in my Bible reading this morning, these thoughts from Psalm 29 entered my mind…

“Ascribe to the Lord you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name!  Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness!  The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders…The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic… The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightening… The voice of the Lord shakes the desert… The voice of the Lord twists the oaks… and in His temple all cry, ‘Glory!’  The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned forever! The Lord gives strength to His people. The Lord blesses His people with peace.” (From Psalm 29 NIV)

Don’t know about you, but in the sights and sounds of Springtime I see and hear the Lord!!

As a young man preparing for the ministry, I believe I was led by the Holy Spirit to a very important life-verse… 1 Corinthians 9:27 (I read it again today during my time of “coffee with the Lord”).  It has served me well over the years and has assumed a pivotal role in my life.  In fact, after I realized the importance of staying in shape and working out daily in order to function at a maximum personal level, the surrounding verses near my life-verse became even more special to me.  This is not to say, I’ve never had a failure or stumbled from the principle and truth my life-verse expresses, but regardless of those failures it has continued to be a central, guiding principle in my life.  It expresses my life-quest and desire in service for the Lord.

Here is the passage with my life-verse included in all caps…

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it! Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So Ido not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  But I DISCIPLINE MY BODY AND KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL, LEST AFTER PREACHING TO OTHERS I MYSELF SHOULD BE DISQUALIFIED!” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27 ESV)

I think we’ve all seen it at some time or other… A person with great promise in public life disgraced by a moral or ethical lapse or pattern of living.  A young talented entertainer self-destruct through an undisciplined lifestyle.  An athlete shooting for a world record or championship season disqualified for violating the rules.  A high profile pastor disgraced and disqualified for ministry because of a tragic “moral failure.”

I don’t want to be that kind of person!  With God’s help I want to listen to the warning of Apostle Paul in this passage and exercise Spiritual self-discipline… Hey, a “fruit of the Spirit” is … “self-discipline” (Galatians 5:22-23).  And if you’ve fallen, acknowledge it, ask God and others to forgive you, establish some accountability, and allow God’s grace to restore you and enable you to rebuild what sin has destroyed.  It can happen!!!