Keep The Peace

Too often I find that I don't "call people out" because I'd rather keep the peace. I rationalize it to myself because I see the positive qualities in the person and fear creating a rift in the relationship where those qualities might not be used around me anymore. The root of it is selfishness. Rather than approach someone and lovingly try to understand why they are seemingly being disobedient, I hold it in so that things don't get awkward or uncomfortable. I read Galatians 1:18 and 2:11 today. In the first verse Paul spends 15 days living with Peter getting to know him. They built a friendship, we can guess. They trusted each other. Yet Paul doesn't hesitate to call Peter out in 2:11. And I think it's because of the friendship that he felt the freedom to do so. Relationships should give us the authority to speak the truth in love to people, not the tendency to ignore their faults. People can only grow when they are exposed to their areas of weakness. And if my closest friends are unwilling to expose mine to me, or vice versa, then nobody will and I will continue to go on with those weaknesses.
God, I pray that I will always speak the truth in love and that you would guide me through the difficult conversations that I encounter. Amen.

Galatians 1:6-10

This is a battle I face all the time: pleasing other people or pleasing Christ. The main person that battles for the position that Christ should hold is myself. I try to please myself by wanting people to say I did a good job. I don't even care if I did a good job in reality, just as long as other people perceive me as having done well. God wants so much more from me, though. He wants me to seek to glorify Him in everything that I do. To be so focused on bringing Him glory that I don't care if anyone tells me I did a good job, because God is the only one who matters.
While other people's perceptions may be a fairly good metric of whether or not we have done a good job of communicating, that can't be my end goal. May God be glorified by everything I do, whether I am teaching His word or simply living my daily life.
JM

Galatians 1:1-5

God has appointed me to do the work that I'm doing. I know this because I can sense that I am in God's will for my life. The Bible, prayer, circumstances, and wise counsel all confirm it.
Since this is true, and since God is all-powerful, then that means that I cannot fail. Things may have the appearance of failing from the metrics that I use, but God is using me in the way that He desires. If He desired something different done, He would either lead me to do that or would lead another person into leadership of the ministry.
The focus then becomes less about what is best for the ministry, and more about what does God desire for my ministry, my church, myself. How can God use me for His greatest glory. Whether 1000 students show up (in my context) or 1. May God receive the glory from every aspect of my life. And my I not be ashamed to ascribe Him glory from every area of my life.
JM

Matthew 5:4

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." This verse has always mystified me. I'm going to be happy because I'm going to be comforted? Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. As I think about the times that I've mourned, though, the times when I've really been sorrowful, I can see that God comforted me. That His peace comforted me. That, even though it may not be clear, everything was going to be okay. That He would protect me.
That doesn't mean that all of my problems are going to be solved, or that I won't have sorrow, but that I will be comforted by God. Now that's a promise that makes me have hope. Sometimes life hurts, but God is willing to comfort. Desperate to comfort. I just have to rest in Him and accept it. God help me to stop trying to solve all of my problems for myself and to first accept your comfort, guidance, and love.
JM

Matthew 5:3

The temptation is always to show off wealth. To spend what you have. Or more than you have. It's yours anyway, why not enjoy it. This verse says that I'll be most happy when I act as if I'm poor. Whether I'm poor in reality or not. That I should live my life as if I have little. Not seeking out having the best things for myself. But instead, just enjoying the life that I have. The truly poor people that I have met are some of the most giving people I know. They know the value of life and enjoying it. They don't judge everything by it's monetary value, but rather by the enjoyment that it brings them. I used to be like that. I'm hoping I can become like that again. To just enjoy the simple things in life. To have control of my finances and live simply. Jesus says it's the path to happiness.
God I pray that you would show me the beautiful happiness that exists when I am poor in spirit. I pray that I would not focus on what I don't have, but rather on enjoying what you have blessed me with.
JM

Love

Two thoughts from the passage I read today (Exodus 20:1 - Exodus 22:15):
1. I think it's a beautiful picture of leadership that the judges that God set up to rule his people are referred to as "God". For instance Exodus 22:9 says "Both parties must come before God for a decision, and the person whom God declares guilty must pay double to the other." I think it reiterates what I was talking about yesterday, that when we are in leadership appointed by God, we just need to follow Him and not worry about any complaints.
2. Exodus 21:5-6 says "But the slave may plainly declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. i would rather not go free.' If he does this his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever." I think that is probably the most accurate picture of sacrificial love that I can imagine. I have my freedom, but my family is enslaved. Rather than embracing my freedom I choose to remain enslaved because of my love for my family. It's kind of a picture of salvation. At any point, I can run away from God and be "free" from my commitment to him. Instead I voluntarily sacrifice because of my love. Because I realize my life within the confines of my voluntarily servitude is infinitely better than freedom apart from it.
May I constantly be drawn to devotion God because of my great love for Him.
JM

Exodus 16:7

Being in leadership can be tough. People like to complain. To let you know how they would do things. How they don't like certain things that you do. Or how they have the greatest idea that they just want to share with you, but if you don't use it, then you're an idiot. People like to complain about leadership, until they are the one leading.
I hate leading outside of God's will. When you're leading within God's will, then you're really not even leading, you're just following and showing others how to follow you. When you're leading outside of God's will, you're forging the path on your own. Who knows where you'll end up then?
Within God's will though, leadership is just following and any complaints you receive are just complaints against God. Kind of removes you from the whole equation. God, I pray that I would be the kind of leader who follows you closely.
JM

Exodus 4:21

There is this perception that if God calls you to do something that He will clear the way for you. That it will basically fall down in your lap with little to no effort on your part. God's doing the work and you reap the benefits. That's not always the case, though. In fact, I bet it's actually seldom the case. Just because God ordains something, that doesn't mean that it's going to be easy, or quick, or fun. Moses was going to get God's people out of Egypt, but nobody was going to like him or trust him. Not pharoah. Not the Israelites. Probably at times not even his brother or even himself. But God ordained it. So he pressed on. It's tempting to quit. To get frustrated and drop out. If God has ordained it, then he will see it through fruition. And nothing will stop it. God help me to have the strength to press on in the projects you have ordained for me and to abandon those you haven't.
JM

Galatians 1:1

I know that God has called me to be doing what I'm doing: ministering to students at FBC Harvester. I know it without a doubt. But the problem is that I don't behave like it. I don't act as if I have God's authority on my life. Instead I focus on little things and let them distract me. I hope that I can say that I am called by God and be so confident in that fact that it convicts me to lead with the kind of determination that he requires of me. God, remind me of your power. Remind me of your presence. And help me to lead in your power, and your authority.
JM

Proverbs 1:19

There is a certain pleasure to knowing you've earned something. That you worked to get it. There is a value to work besides just what it produces. An intangible benefit if you will. The problem is that so often I focus on what work earns me. I'm always spending my future earnings in my mind planning out how great having thus and so will be. But if the point is the product and not the process then I've missed what is truly important. To earn. To work. To know the true value of something. And not just enjoy things for being things, but rather enjoy the purpose of things, that they can enrich our lives. That they can help us. That they are tools to help our lives be easier or more enjoyable. But they aren't the point of our lives. Whenever that gets out of place, when we value the things in life over life itself, then we start to lust for more. We desire more things just so that we can have more. That lust can give way to ill-gotten gain. To stealing. To ethically dubious decisions. To cheating. To self-promotion at the expense of others. God, please help me to simply enjoy life and always be thankful for what I have.
JM