Coffee With The Lord

Anyone who is a sincere, devoted, obedient follower of Jesus will experience “ADVERSARIES!”

As they seek to follow the Lord’s will there will come resistance, criticism, unfair accusation… even persecution! Hey, it’s predicted – you might even say “promised” (check out 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Peter 4:12-16)! In fact, Satan himself is referred to as “the Adversary!” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

The temptation we face when these things come our way is bitterness, anger, complaint, anxiety, frustration and temptation to retaliate! None of these things glorify God!

This morning during my time of “coffee with the Lord” I was reminded of a better way when seeking to do God’s will and encountering adversaries and resistance… Trust the Lord…do His will…and depend on Him to vindicate and enable!

Now the point I’m making is going to require some Bible reading… I’m recommending reading and reflecting upon two Biblical books of the Bible… Ezra and Nehemiah. (Anyone who has studied them knows what I am talking about! Take it from me – it’ll worth the read!)

What was God’s will? For the exiles to return to the “holy land,” rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and the temple, which had been destroyed, because of the sin of God’s people.

The challenge? A lot of hard work in the face of incredible obstacles, challenges, and resistance!

And “adversaries!” They were everywhere! They were determined! They were conniving! They did NOT want to see Jerusalem’s walls go up or the temple rebuilt! They wanted the returning Jewish exiles to fail at every turn of the road… They were “ADVERSARIES ON STEROIDS!”

Their leaders? Praise the Lord for godly, determined, gifted, leaders – Ezra, Nehemiah, Joshua and Zerubbabel who encouraged and guided the exiles!

And the results? Divine favor and vindication! (My Bible reading this morning – Ezra 6!) Here’s what God worked out… through the efforts of His people (supported and led by godly leaders) even through secular leaders, IN SPITE OF RESISTANCE AND ADVERSARIES! …

“Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king, Tattenai, the governor of the province and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered. And the elders of the Jews built and prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They finished their building by decree of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia; and this house [the temple] was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. And the people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy!” (From Ezra 6:13–16 ESV)

Hey… God can help, guide, strengthen, sustain, vindicate and deliver you as you seek to do His will in the face “ADVERSARIES!”

There are experiences with God described in the Bible that are awe-inspiring, vivid, over-powering and frankly frightening! I’m convinced they are put there for us to use the power of our imagination, enter into, and re-experience them!

In Revelation 1:10-19 we have Apostle John’s record of a God-experience like that he had on the lonely island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea in Northern Greece…

Now read this slowly, reflectively, and use your imagination, and see what its impact is on you!!!

Here’s what John experienced…“I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet … I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw … One like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters… From his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in all its strength! When I saw Him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But He laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are, and those that are to take place after this!” (From Revelation 1:10–19 ESV)

Wow! How did that scene – that God-experience, that John shared impact you! And we are tempted to wring our hands and despair over things in our world that seem out of control … God’s control?! They are not! He is fully in control as Creator, Sustainer, and Savior! John’s record here of His experience with the Living, Almighty God needs to become ours! … “WRITE THEREFORE THE THINGS YOU HAVE SEEN, THOSE THAT ARE, AND THOSE THAT ARE TO TAKE PLACE… FEAR NOT, I AM THE FIRST AND THE LAST, THE LIVING ONE, I DIED, AND BEHOLD I AM ALIVE FOREVER MORE, AND I HAVE THE KEYS OF DEATH AND HADES!” … JUST LET THAT SINK IN!!!

During my time of “coffee with the Lord” today I read a wonderful passage in the Bible – a passage that addresses leadership – 1 Peter 5.1-5.

“And now, a word to you who are elders [leaders] in the churches… As a fellow elder, I appeal to you: Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly – not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor… And all of you… serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” (New Living Translation)

I have a doctorate in leadership… I can tell you there are all kinds of leaders and leadership styles… Transactional, autocratic, bureaucratic, charismatic, democratic-participative, laissez-faire, task-oriented, people/relations-oriented, transformational and servant-leadership! And the list could go on…

This passage, however appeals for a “JESUS-STYLE” OF LEADERSHIP” – the style of “the Great Shepherd.” Here’s what Jesus said…

“I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me… I sacrifice my life for the sheep.” (From John 10:11-15 NLT)

I WANT TO BE THAT KIND OF LEADER! I need that kind of leader! And as a follower of Jesus, I HAVE THAT KIND OF LEADER!