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If you wait for perfect conditions you will never get anything done.

Ecclesiastes 11:4

A. Cast your bread upon the waters for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.	Be Diligent (Faithful) In Ministry
B.If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.	We are unable To Control The Work of God
C. If you wait for perfect conditions you will never get anything done. (LB)	Diligence In the Face of Uncertainty
B. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God the maker of all things.	We are Unable To Understand The Work of God
A. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.	Be Diligent (Faithful) In Ministry

(Ecclesiastes 11:1-6)

In his book “The Idea of Biblical Poetry:  Parallelism and Its History,” James L. Kugel relates that Hebrew parallelism was widely used in ancient Hebrew literature.  Ken Bailey has studied these widely not only in Hebrew texts, but also in his book “Paul through Mediterranean Eyes,” which is a cultural study of I Corinthians.  In this book, as well as his studies in Isaiah and the parables of our Lord, he refers to parallelism as a method of teaching commonly used in the scriptures.  In this passage in Ecclesiastes, there is an example of “inverted parallelism,” or “chiasm,” which has also been labeled “ring composition.”   In this method of literary composition the climax is in the center, furnishing what we would call “the bottom line,” or the “take home message.”  The surrounding verses “A” and “B” are used to “ring” and deepen the instruction offered at the center of the parallelism.  In this passage the outer ring (A) instructs us to be diligent (faithful) in ministry.  The inner ring relates that there are conditions with which we are familiar but over which we have no control or understanding.  The center, then, focuses on the message that we cannot let lack of control or knowledge of what is happening around us to alter our determination to fulfill the tasks given to us by the Lord.  We must not become sidetracked by conditions that we think are unfavorable to our task.   The NIV translation likens these to wind, interfering with planting; and rain clouds, interfering with our reaping.  The Living Bible captures the thought more clearly than other translations and simply states “If you wait for perfect conditions you will never get anything done.”

I doubt that we ever experience perfect conditions for any type of ministry.  Not only are they less than perfect; at times they seem to be barely adequate.  I recall leading a Bible Study for Physicians at a local hospital in the early 1970’s.  One man who joined the study was a Surgeon who showed an avid interest in pursuing discipleship.  Due to his schedule, the only time available was for thirty to forty five minutes prior to the weekly study at seven in the morning.  We would meet at six fifteen just prior to our group study and explore some Scriptures together followed by a brief time in prayer.  The hour was early and our time was crammed in before another study, but we met despite the limited conditions.  As I think back over the last forty years, it is with gratitude to the Lord for the time we spent together.  I have known of many people who have been discipled through his life since that time.

A patient of mine had, at long last, after giving him several opportunities to look at the Scriptures together, agreed to meet to read the Gospel of John together.  Finding a place to meet, however, proved to be a problem.  He didn’t want to meet at his office nor at mine.  He did not want a public place such as a restaurant and it had to be a private indoor setting where he could bring his lunch.  After some searching, I finally suggested the waiting room of a small inner city medical clinic that I had helped start some years  before.  The staff at the clinic were agreeable to our use of the facility over the noon hour and so we began our study as the morning patients left, had lunch, and finished as the afternoon patients arrived.  There was many an interruption during the two years we met.  I still remember, however, the time when the Grace of God became evident in his life as we were looking at the fourteenth chapter of John.  The conditions under which we read the Bible together were no deterrent to the Holy Spirit’s work in his life!

I also recall an incident several years ago in which we were trying to help an inner city church establish a medical ministry in its neighborhood.  Due to lack of funding, the van we used; supplied with medical equipment, the exam facilities, lab and pharmacy were not available for several months over the summer.  Rather than halt a ministry that had just started, we decided to keep it going for the summer and use the church kitchen as the Doctor’s office and exam room.  I discovered that you can diagnose and treat most things with the use of a flashlight, a stethoscope and a kitchen table!  We not only kept the clinic in operation; it is today one of the most frequently attended in our city.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 exhorts us not to wait for perfect conditions.  If we do, we will never get anything done.  Is the location of your ministry unfavorable?  Start anyway.  Is the time you have to give to the ministry not as much as you like?  Give the time you have anyway.  Do you lack resources that would enable you to be more effective in ministry?  Do what you can without those resources.  Do you not feel up to the tasks you are called to do because you are tired or don’t feel well?  Lorne Sanny once remarked that most things accomplished in this world are done by those who are tired and don’t feel entirely well!

As followers of Christ, our task is to be continually vigilant in the work Christ has called us to do.  Let us, then, not wait for perfect conditions to be involved in His work, for if we wait for perfect conditions we will never get anything done.

In Christ, Richard Spann

PRIORITIZE YOUR LIFE

Essential

Necessary

Good

Delegate

Eliminate

 —  Lorne Sanny

     I was challenged by Mike Treneer eight years ago to begin tabulating “goads and nails” from Navigators who had influenced our Kansas Ministry.  The above comments by Lorne were the first to come to my mind.  Of all his comments those of us in Kansas have been privileged to hear, the above words chosen to help in the priorities of life have influenced my life most deeply.  Over the years I have seen how these five words have impacted the lives of many.  Our lives become quickly filled with activities, events, hobbies, and work to the extent that we hardly have time to evaluate what we are doing and why we are doing it.  Evaluation of these words as they apply to our lives helps develop investment in the eternal rather than the temporary, moving our focus from the urgent to the important, enabling us to have margin in our lives for the Lord and for people.

As we consider what these words mean to us we first have to reflect on the word “essential.”  How do we determine what is “essential?”  I have heard this described as “things that last for eternity,” or to answer the question “Will it make a difference in one hundred years?”  Another way to approach our consideration is to view our lives forty years from now and think about what we would wish we would have done.  As an Intensive  Care Physician at the bedside of many a dying patient I have never heard anyone say that they wished they had spent more time at the office!  Perhaps the clearest way to obtain direction is to look at the life of our Lord and determine what was essential to Him in His life here on earth.   As we do this we discover that His priorities were clearly time with the Father and with people.

A number of things in life are necessary.  Working at our profession or job is necessary.  How much work, though, is really needed?  Is it possible to limit to some extent the necessary to make room for the essential?  Maintenance of our home and other property is necessary.  How much property, though, is necessary?  Someone once remarked that everything you have also has you.  It has your time to clean, repair, paint, and otherwise maintain its existence.  Physical fitness is, for example, necessary but how much time needs to be devoted to this pursuit?

There are many good things to do in life.  The list is endless.  It contains a great variety of local and national societies and organizations, hobbies, travel, and even church activities.  Few of these are necessary, however, and rarely are they essential.  The “good” in our lives is often the enemy of the “essential.”  Last year a young man showed me a list of ten things that he was trying to accomplish each day.  If he were to have done them all, it would have taken twenty hours to complete!   I asked him to identify the essential, and then the necessary.  There were seven things left on the list which were all good.  In the hour that was left of each day, I recommended that he should choose which of these seven he would like to do.  They were all good but squeezing out the essential in his life.  It is by labeling many things we do as “good” that we are able to understand that they are not “essential.”

I have discovered that I do not need to be responsible for everything.  Is someone else able to do what I do in a specific area of my work or other responsibilities?  If so, then I need to consider relinquishing that function to them.  Years ago I knew a medical colleague who was unable to delegate certain aspects of his practice.  He would write out directions and draw maps for his patients who needed to go to the hospital for their appointment.  In addition to taking over the office receptionist job, he also did activities that a nurse was hired to do!  After trying unsuccessfully to meet the demands of an office practice, he left town for another position, unable to delegate to others.

Now we come to the word “eliminate.”  I suspect if most of us were honest, a significant amount of our time is spent here.  Dare I begin with the entertainment industry?  Much of it is a waste of time at best, and demoralizing and degrading at its worst.  Leroy Eims once remarked that our movie selection should be governed by comparing the description of the feature with Philippians 4:8.  Is it true?  Is it honest?  Is it just?  Is it pure?  Is it lovely?  Is it of good report?  Is there virtue?  Is it worthy of praise?  If so, then we should think on (go see or spend time with) these things.  Such a practice would help eliminate some areas that might need to be eliminated!

One of the most significant failures in the lives of followers of Christ is that of having no margin for the essential.  Whether it is simply having the time to read the Bible thoroughly, to pray steadfastly, to develop relationships with non-believers or to help others in their discipleship, the essential is crowded out by the necessary, the good, and that which we should either delegate or eliminate.  We would do well to take Lorne’s advice to heart and examine our weekly agenda, labeling items as he suggested, and then asking the Lord to lead us to redirect our days into the “essential.”

In Christ, Richard Spann

 

Redeem the Time

     One of the problems that may occur among followers of Christ is our failure to use time wisely.  Lack of certainty in what should be done may be replaced by doing many things.  Work, hobbies, family activities and even church programs all compete for our time.  Sometimes these are done with a pace in which our lives are in such a tight spiral that we honk at our own tail-lights.  In Tyranny of the Urgent, Charles Hummel relates that “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.”  We need to learn what the scriptures are referring to when they tell us that we should redeem the time.

Webster’s dictionary has varying definitions for the word redeem.  Here are a few:    “to regain possession of,” “to rescue or deliver,” “to buy off or take up,” and “to fulfill.” The word redeem is taken from Ephesians 5:16 which states “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (KJV)  The thought is the same as given in Psalm 90:12.  “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (KJV)  Ephesians 5:16 furthermore is bracketed by verse 15 which states “Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise,” and verse 17 relating the following, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”  It is apparent, then, that the first step in “redeeming our time,” is to understand what the Lord’s will is for us in regard to the use of our time.

We see an example of seeking the will of God in Mark 1:35-38.  “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.  Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they explained:  ‘Everyone is looking for you!‘  Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages-so I can preach there also.  That is why I have come.‘ “  In this passage Jesus clearly was able to determine where He was to go, what He was to do when He got there, and why He was going.  He was able to redeem the time given Him by the Father by seeking the will of His Father.

It is impossible to redeem the time given to us without coming before the Lord to seek His direction for each day.  As someone once said “God is not looking for people whose plans He can bless.  He is looking for people who will fit into His plans.”  John MacArthur in his book “Slave” relates that a slave does not bring his agenda to their master but is simply available for his master’s plans.  So our lives must be presented to our Lord as we seek Him daily.

What then, we may ask, was the mission that the Father gave the Son as He redeemed His time here on earth?  It is plainly stated in Luke 19:10.  “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”(KJV)  His mission was people.  He ate with them, traveled with them, fed them, taught them, healed them and gave His life for them.  He redeemed the time by the redemption which He has feely given to all who accept Him as their Savior and Lord.

If we are to redeem the days given to us, we, likewise, must give our lives to people.  The Lord has given us this promise in Isaiah 43:4.  “Since you are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.”  Sadly, there is much in our lives that competes for this priority.  Our possessions clamor for attention, requiring cleaning, repair, and eventually replacement.  We are involved in projects at home, at work, and in our neighborhoods which do not focus on people.  Our programs, designed to help others, do not often give us access to others individually in a way that is beneficial to them.  Everyone we meet is an eternal soul, which will spend eternity either with or without Christ.  As Jim Morris was fond of saying “There are only two kinds of people in this world-those who need to know Christ and those who need to know Him better.”  We redeem our lives by giving them not to our possessions, projects or programs but to people.  In order for God to give people in exchange for our lives (Isaiah 43:4), we must first give our lives to God.  As we make our lives available to Him, He will give us the people in whom He desires that we invest our lives.  In this manner, we will have redeemed our lives in such a way that we will be able to say to Him “we have redeemed the time, we have finished the work that You gave us to do.”

In Christ, Richard Spann

Evangelism is a process, the new birth is an event.

Jim Petersen

     My first exposure to evangelism was in 1964 when I was a medical student in Kansas City, Kansas.  Bill Bright and his team from Campus Crusade for Christ arrived in Kansas City for a week long instruction in evangelism culminating in an opportunity to go door to door presenting the Gospel.  It was thorough training and many were encouraged in the area of evangelism.  The emphasis was on initiating conversations and sharing the Gospel with the hope of eliciting a favorable response.  I carried that same mind set about evangelism into my medical practice and initiated the proclamation approach with others.  Following the instruction I had received from this exposure, I was able to see a significant number of people come to faith in Christ.  For those who declined the message, however, I had no other course of action.  My involvement with them was primarily proclamation.  I had not invested a significant amount of time in many of their lives.  I did not realize at that time that evangelism is a process, and that the new birth is an event.

My wife and I felt led to begin home Bible studies for the neighborhood in which we were living in 1972.  We continued this periodically over the next eight years, utilizing various materials.  My growing realization of the importance of the witness of the individual life and the body of Christ in addition to the witness of the word, was further clarified by reading Jim Petersen’s book “Evangelism as a Lifestyle,” introduced in 1980.  It was in that book that I first heard the statement which is the topic of this discussion.  “Evangelism is a process, the new birth is an event.”

Understanding this concept enables one to focus on the process rather than the event.  It frees us up to build relationships and trust the Holy Spirit’s timing for the event.  We are enabled to relax as we explore the scriptures with them, because the ball is in the Holy Spirit’s court, so to speak.  He will use our lives, our prayers and the time we spend with them in the word, and will bring them to new birth. (Usually when we are not even in the delivery room!)  These births are natural, they mature, and are based on the Holy Spirit’s revelation of truth to the individual, rather than on our explanation of the truth.

In addition to proclamation, Jim Petersen used two other phrases in his book “Living Proof.”  These are “affirmation,” which deals with personal relationships, and the term “team effort.”  Team effort in the process of evangelism recognizes that our gifts are different and all are needed to bring others to faith.  We began to form small teams with a few couples who had a desire to be involved in evangelism, some with gifts of hospitality, some with gifts of service and others with the ability to quickly form friendships.  These teams met for prayer for six weeks prior to sending a dinner invitation to those invited.  We related that the purpose of the dinner was to meet others who may have an interest in reading the Bible together for the next eight weeks.  They knew the agenda in advance and also knew the names of others who had been invited to the dinner.  All of the individuals invited were friends of one of the couples. We found that more than sixty percent of those invited wanted to come and start reading the Bible together.  It was our opportunity over a number of years to do this with multiple teams of individuals.  We determined to focus on the process of evangelism and not the new birth; continuing to explore and explain the scriptures with them weekly, spending time with them during the week, and praying regularly for them.  The majority of those nonbelievers with whom we invested our time and the word became followers of Christ within the next few years.   We felt no pressure to produce new birth.  We could trust the Holy Spirit to do that.  Our job was simply to be involved in the process of evangelism.

Knowing that evangelism is a process is also a marvelous comfort in dealing with people one by one.  I have over the years had opportunity to meet individually with those who have had multiple objections to the Gospel, some who denied the authority of the scriptures, and others who didn’t even want to hear the name of Christ.  In each case as our personal relationship developed and they agreed to look at the scriptures together, nearly all of them came to faith.  I cannot determine the date of the new birth, but I am determined to pursue the process of evangelism with others.  We can trust the Holy Spirit to use our lives, the body of Christ and His word to bring about His work in His time.  May the Lord grant you His peace and His patience as you are involved in this process for Him in His Kingdom.

In Christ, Richard Spann

Our goal is Transformation, not Conformation

     Following High School, I left for basic training in the Air Force at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas.  One of my responsibilities as a basic airman was that of being a barracks guard of our building which housed about eighty men.  Once morning inspection was over, I had little to do until later in the day when the other airmen would return from their activities.  In order to keep me busy (and aggravate me!) our sergeant would tear up all the beds and require me to remake the beds in the building.  These were all cots which were to be made with such precision and tucked in so tightly that a quarter would literally bounce if dropped on the bed.  I learned how to do this speedily and soon was able to finish all eighty beds in several hours time.  If we were to fast forward six months from that time, I would be found in a dormitory in Seattle, WA, attending my first year in college.  My side of the room was such a disaster that you would have had trouble finding the bed!  It was rarely made, with clothes of various sorts all piled on it and, in fact, the whole room was a mess, necessitating a correctional visit from the Dean of Men at the college.  Did I know how to make a bed?  Most assuredly!  Did I see the importance of making one’s bed?  Assuredly not!  Outside pressure had “conformed” my behavior, but there was no inner “transformation.”

Moving from the secular to the spiritual it is also common to see those who are conforming to spiritual activities and pursuits who have no real transformation.  I recently heard of a young man who claimed to be an avid reader of the Bible.  He related that he was trying to apply what he read.  At age eighteen, however, he decided to stop reading and see if his life was any different without the exposure to the Bible.  Not seeing any difference, he concluded that there was no value in his reading further and he abandoned any future interest in spiritual truth.  There was outward conformity to a helpful spiritual discipline but without inward transformation.  I also recall an elder of our church who years ago agreed to attend Memorize the Word at the insistence of others and completed the course of all seventy-two verses with daily review of his verses.   A few weeks later I asked him about his continued review and his reply was “zero.”  He said that he had agreed to take the course, but it was over and he had no intention of looking at those verses again!  He had “conformed” to the expectations and requests of others; but there was no inward transformation.

Conformation comes from outward pressure and circumstances.  Transformation comes from within.  Conformation focuses on doing, transformation on being.  Conformation has in mind only the conduct; whereas transformation sees character as necessary to the continuation of the conduct.  Conformation looks only to the fruit, transformation sees also the root which is required for continued fruit.

How does this transformation occur?  We are told in II Corinthians 3:18 that we are to have “unveiled faces.”  This means to rid our lives of all pride and pretense.  Having done this, we are to “behold” (KJV) or to “contemplate,” or “reflect” the Lord’s glory.  As with “unveiled face,” I make my life available to the Scriptures, to other individuals who reflect the Lord’s glory or to the body of Christ (Church) in their reflection of the Lord’s glory, I will be transformed by the Holy Spirit.  And what is the result of this transformation?  We are told in II Corinthians 3:18 that it is “being transformed into His likeness.”  Romans 12:2 also speaks to us about transformation and relates that it comes from a “renewing of your mind.”  This renewal comes from the Lord as He states in I Corinthians 2:16,  “But we have the mind of Christ.”  The degree to which we are transformed is the degree to which Christ is made evident in our lives.  Although incomplete this side of Glory, we have the Holy Spirit’s promise that it will be done “with ever increasing glory”  (II Corinthians 3:18) and enable us “to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

In Christ, Richard Spann

Our lives are defined by those things

in which we find delight.

Webster’s dictionary defines delight as extreme satisfaction, anything that gives great pleasure, or a high degree of gratification of mind or sense.  The Lord has given us many things to see and do during our earthly sojourn.  He is pleased that we find satisfaction, and experience pleasure and even gratification in those things which He has given us to find delight.  It is of interest to occasionally peruse the obituary column and note the remarks about the listed individuals.  It is not uncommon to read such comments as “traveling was his delight,” or “she found great delight in her garden,” or “it was his delight to spend time on the golf course.”  Their lives were accordingly defined by the paper as a traveler, a gardener, or a golfer.  In scripture, however, the Lord also extends to us the opportunity to find delight in that which is of eternal benefit as well.

The first of these for our consideration is mentioned in Psalm 1:2-3.  “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (KJV)  It is not often that we hear of people whose lives were described as having a love of God’s word and delighting in the law of the Lord.  Their lives stand out among others.  Their lives have been fruitful, governed by the Lord through His word.  The word of the Lord has had an effect on their life such that there is an unforgettable impact on the lives of others.  Their lives were defined by their delight in God’s word.

To delight in God’s word leads naturally to a delight in the Lord Himself.  The Lord speaks to us about this in Psalm 37:4.  “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” (KJV)  One delights to know Him more fully, to serve Him more completely, and to worship and to love Him more perfectly.  Such a one  experiences the progression described in II Corinthians 3:18.  “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (KJV)  Those who delight in the Lord will, then, reflect Him in their lives.  Their likeness to Christ will define that in which they delight.

To find delight in the Lord Himself is to yet discover another thing in which we find delight and that is to delight in the fear of the Lord.  We read in Isaiah 11:2-3.  “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, The Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD-and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.”  This is not a fear of what the Lord might do to us, as referenced in I John 4:18.  “We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us.  If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us, and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us.” (Living Bible)  It is, rather, a fear of what we might do to Him; by attitudes, actions, or thoughts that would dishonor Him, bring Him displeasure, or rob Him of the Glory due to His Name.

To delight in the fear of the Lord brings us to yet another thing in which to find delight.  It is found in Psalm 40:8.  “I delight to do thy will, O my God:  yea, thy law is within my heart.” (KJV)  Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ delighted in the fear of the Lord, and in doing His will.  He has furthermore given us His life to live in us (Galatians 2:20) so that we may experience His delight in fearing God and doing God’s will.  As Christ lives His life through us, enabling us to delight in the fear of the Lord, and to delight to do God’s will, our lives will be increasingly conformed to His.  As we delight in what brought Him delight, the invisible Christ will be made visible, defining us as His followers.

These four passages describing those things in which we should delight appear to be closely related.  Beginning with a delight for God’s word, we develop a delight in God Himself, leading to a delight in fearing Him, which brings us to a delight in doing His will.   It is in the pursuit of these delights that we truly find our identity in Christ and are able to glorify God.

In Christ,  Richard Spann

People are more interested in hearing what God has done for you

than they are in hearing what you have done for God.

Lorne Sanny

     Over the last forty years I have heard many speakers from a number of organizations and churches.  The messages that have had the greatest impact on my life have been those which focused on what God had done in their lives.  Although challenged often by the lives of others as they describe the ministry given to them by the Lord, I can not always identify with them.  At times I am intimidated.  I have concluded after listening to some speakers that they have gifts that I don’t possess or networks of people I don’t have.  If I had wanted to see what they have experienced happen in my life I wouldn’t know where to start.

When a person relates what God has done for them it strikes a familiar cord.  We can identify readily with their need, for we have experienced it ourselves.  Whether the need was financial, a health issue, a family concern, a troubled relationship, or discouragement, it is something to which we can relate.  In sharing a need and describing how God met that need, they are speaking from a position of weakness instead of strength.  We cannot all identify with a person’s strength, but we can with their frailties because we are all jars of clay.  II Corinthians 4:7 states “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”  It is in our common experience as jars of clay that we can identify with others and witness the “all-surpassing power” of God.

Paul recognizes the power that is present in weakness and therefore relates in II Corinthians 12:9-10.  “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.‘  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

It is in our weakness that a door is opened for God’s grace to be realized.  Who among us has not been comforted many times by the Lord’s words to Paul “My grace is sufficient for you?”  This may have been simply a special sense of His presence during a time of bewilderment, anxiety or loneliness.  At other times the Lord may have directed us to a specific scripture passage that brought comfort in bereavement or clarity in a time of uncertainty.  He may have brought encouragement to our lives by sending another person our way to remind us of the Lord’s love and care.  We also have had experiences where the Hand of the Lord has moved to change our circumstances in which we found ourselves.  The Apostle Paul experienced all of these in his life.  He not only relates that God comforted him in all of his troubles but stated the reason why he was comforted in the following passage.  (II Corinthians 1:3-4)   “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

Has the Lord comforted you by a special awareness of His presence, a reminder of one of His promises in the scriptures, by the presence of a friend, or his Mighty Hand to alter your circumstances?  As God has comforted us in all our troubles, we need to comfort others by relating to them how God has comforted us.  They are more interested in hearing about what God has done for us than in hearing about what we have done for God.

In Christ, Richard Spann

But encourage one another daily, as long as

it is called Today, so that none of you may be

hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Hebrews 3:13

     We are admonished in this verse to encourage one another in order to prevent hardening by sin’s deceitfulness.  I am not sure exactly how this process develops, but I am able to share a few thoughts about how it developed in my own life.  It was well over thirty years ago when I began to be discouraged.   Over the preceding ten years, I had been involved with others in the development of their discipleship.  For some unexplained reason I began to experience resistance to the scriptures from some, and others began turning back to their old way of life.  Individuals who were trained well in our Evangelism Explosion ministry at church had stopped sharing Christ and some were no longer having their daily devotional walk with the Lord.  As I looked at others who had been discipled, I saw little fruit in their lives.  I began to think that all this effort was in vain.  I was not aware of much being accomplished in people’s lives and I considered the option of stopping meeting with others.  This discouragement lasted for a few weeks and I essentially stopped walking by faith in God’s work in the lives of others.  Romans 14:23 relates that “everything that does not come from faith is sin.”  To continue in that path of “walking by sight” rather than “walking by faith” would result in a cessation of what God had called me to do and I would have been deceived by sin.

It was at this point, with little hope for the future of a discipleship ministry, that I related my discouragement to my wife before leaving for work that day.  I had told no one else about the discouragement that had persisted for several weeks.  After parking my car and entering the physician’s lounge I immediately met a Gastroenterologist whom I had not seen for a number of weeks.  At once he began to thank me for leading a Studies in Christian Living course with other physicians at Wesley Medical Center five years previously.  He related that he had been teaching those principles to his children and that they were enthusiastic about making them a part of their lives.  As I left the lounge, marveling at the timing of his remarks, I met a Pediatrician who had attended the same study.  He was an individual, again, that I had not seen for a while.  He explained that he was now on the elder board of a Wichita church and that he was leading the other elders through the study we had completed five years earlier.  He stated that it was having a significant impact on the church as well as on the members of the board.  He, again, thanked me for the investment in his life.  By this time, the Lord had my attention, but He was not finished with the morning yet.

I was assigned medical students and resident physicians in training to follow me and learn for segments of time varying from one to two months.  My resident that month was somewhat reclusive and difficult to get to know.  He was not a believer and I had not been too successful at developing a relationship with him.  As we met for morning rounds to see the patients in the hospital that day he handed me a card saying.  “I was at a dinner meeting for residents last night and sat next to a man who wanted me to give you his card.”  I immediately recognized the name on the card as being from a surgeon who lived in Chanute, Kansas.  My wife and I had met with him and his wife for Bible studies for a few years while he was in training in Wichita.  The only notation on the card was a handwritten Bible reference in the upper right corner which read I Corinthians 15:58.  The NIV translation is as follows:  “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”  After looking at the card, I was overwhelmed with the impeccable timing by which the Lord had provided  encouragement.

Upon returning home that evening, my wife gave me a card which she had written to me; assuring me of God’s constant promises, His presence, and restoring my confidence in His purposes for my life.  I still have that card today.  Since the day that these things took place, I have never wavered as to the Lord’s ability to “guard what He has entrusted to me for that day.”  (II Timothy 1:12)

Everyone experiences discouragement.  Most of the time it is unknown by others, but the Lord knows.  He knows that we often need to receive thankfulness from others, a reminder of His care and provision, or to recall His promises in a Bible passage.  We may never know how deeply our lives have encouraged others at the point of their need.  For this reason, we are reminded in Hebrews 3:13 to “encourage one another daily.”

In Christ, Richard Spann

The Battle is the LORD’s

     Few things have been as important to the Lord’s servants throughout the centuries as knowing that the battle is the LORD’s.  Each generation is faced with new difficulties and perils which threaten our confidence in the midst of the battle in which we are engaged.  In David’s situation, the entire nation of Israel, its King and its army were paralyzed as they contemplated their enemy Goliath.  Yet David demonstrated his confidence in three things as he faced this battle.  The first was his confidence in the name of the LORD.   “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’”  (I Samuel 17:45)  He also had confidence in the victory of the LORD.  In I Samuel 17:46 he declares “This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.”  The third thing in which he had confidence was in the weapons provided by the LORD.  “Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.”  (I Samuel 17:40)

Our battles today are not with visible giants, but with forces which are as real and as opposed to the work of God in our world as was Goliath and the Philistine army.  The more we contemplate these forces in our world and even in our own nation, our hearts may become like those of Saul’s army, fearful and unwilling to be engaged in battle.  Knowing that the battle is the LORD’s, however, gives us confidence in His Name, confidence in His victory, and confidence in His weapons which He has given us for battle.

In His Name we have confidence.  Proverbs 18:10 states “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”  His name YHWH, or LORD means One who will become all we need Him to be.  As Jehovah-Nissi, He is our banner.  As Jehovan-Jireh, He will provide.  As Jehovah-Raah, He is our shepherd.  As Jehovah-Rapha he is our healer, and as Jehovah-Tsidkenu, He is our righteouosness.  To Him belongs all power, authority and wisdom.  The more deeply we know Him, the greater the confidence we have that the battle is the LORD’s.

We also can have confidence in His victory.  We are sent with the great commission to make disciples of all nations.  The LORD has told us that even the gates of hell shall not prevail against His church.  I Corinthians 15:58 also tells us that our labor is not in vain in the LORD.  He will accomplish His work in His time.  Victory in the battles which we face in our lives and ministry is assured.  I heard an analogy recently from one of our pastors that is helpful in understanding our victory.  One of the team members of the Kansas University basketball team is Tyler Self, the son of the head coach Bill Self.  KU fans love to see Tyler play in the game, even though he is 3rd or 4th string, because at that point the game is never in doubt.  KU is ahead by at least 20 points, it is late in the game, and it is not remotely possible that defeat at the hands of the other team would be a possibility.  If Tyler dribbles the ball off his foot, throws the ball out of bounds, or shoots an airball, it does not affect the game.  Tyler‘s father is delighted that his son is in the game and is giving it his best effort.

God’s “game” has already been won.  There was only one first string player, Jesus Christ.  He has destroyed the works of the devil, manifested the Father, given us His Spirit, and has prepared in advance the work for us to do.  The rest of us are all 4th string players.  In the work that God has called me to do I have shot more than my share of airballs, dribbled on my foot, and at times have turned the ball over to the opposition.  God’s victory, however, is still assured.  He is delighted that I turned out for His team, showed up for practice, worked hard to learn the plays and I am competing to the best of my ability.  He also wants me to know that His work in the lives of the individuals whom He has entrusted to me will be perfected in His time.  II Timothy 1:12 says the following.  “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.”  A grammatically correct and more accurate contextual translation is as follows.  “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what He has entrusted to me for that day.”   It is our LORD who will guard our investment in others for that day.  The battle is the LORD’s.

As David had confidence in the weapons the LORD led him to use, so we can have confidence in our weapons.  They are described in Ephesians 6 as the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” and “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”  (Ephesians 6:17-18)  And how effective are they?  We see Paul’s confidence in these weapons described in II Corinthians 10:4-5.  (Living Bible)  “It is true that I am an ordinary weak human being, but I don’t use human plans and methods to win my battles.  I use God’s mighty weapons, not those made by men, to knock down the devil’s strongholds. These weapons can break down every proud argument against God and every wall that can be built to keep men from finding him.  With these weapons I can capture rebels and bring them back to God, and change them into men whose heart’s desire is obedience to Christ.”  God’s mighty weapons will prevail because the battle is the LORD’s.

Wherever we are in this world, we are engaged in a constant battle for justice, truth, righteousness against the enemies of the LORD.  The battle is the LORD’s, however, and we need not be anxious because we can have confidence in His Name, in His ultimate victory, and in His weapons.

In Christ, Richard Spann