The feeling of not belonging trailed me for many years. Then Jesus came into my life and adopted me into his family. He made me a child of God. He qualified me to “share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” How? Through Jesus Christ, I’m no longer on the outside looking in – I’m on the inside learning to see all people as valued by our Father.

Think of it: the Creator of the universe loves us! In fact, he’s very fond of us. He delights in every detail of our lives. He created us for fellowship with Himself and with each other.  Our challenge as children of God is to reach out in love to everyone we meet, to make them feel valued and included.

Father, I feel so blessed that you have adopted me into your family. Fill me with your love so that I will see people as you see them and make them feel special and included.  Amen.

Question: Do you see someone standing alone in the church foyer? Walk up to him or her and begin a conversation, maybe even invite them for coffee.

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for Dec 26th, PM.
Updated to modern English by Power to Change.

“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

The Lord Jesus is always intimately involved in His church. He walks among you, and His promise is “I am with you always.” He is as close to us now as He was to the disciples at the lake when they sat and ate fish with Him around a fire. Not physically, but still in real truth and presence, Jesus is with us.

And this is a blessed truth, since where Jesus is, love becomes inflamed. Of all the things in the world that can set the heart burning, there is nothing like the presence of Jesus! A glimpse of Him so overcomes us, that we are ready to say, “Turn your eyes from me; they overwhelm me.” (Song of Solomon 6:5) Even the touch of his garments causes the sick and the faint to grow strong. If we for even a moment lean our heads against Him, and receive His divine love into our poor cold hearts, we are cold no longer, but glow hot in love. We will gain strength equal to every labor and capable of withstanding every suffering.

If we know that Jesus is with us, all our abilities will be developed, every grace strengthened. We must cast ourselves into the Lord’s service with heart, and soul, and strength. Therefore the presence of Christ is to be desired above anything else. His presence will most clearly be appreciated by those who are most like Him. If you desire to see Christ, you must seek to conform ever more closely to Him. Bring yourself, by the power of the Spirit, into union with Christ’s desires, and motives, and plans of action, and you are likely to be favored with His company.

Remember, Jesus is with you. His promise is as true as ever. He delights to be with us. If He does not come, if He does not seem close, it is because we hinder Him by our indifference. He will reveal Himself to our earnest prayers, and graciously lend an ear to our praises, requests, and tears, for these are the golden chains which bind Jesus to His people.

Question: When God seems far from you, where can you turn for reassurance?

Learn more about how to live in harmony with others with Dr. Muriel’s Recipe for Peace.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

I grew up in a musical family.  My mother played the piano and mandolin.  Dad played the violin and drums. My brother played the trumpet.  And I played the piano, organ, clarinet, and saxophone. For some reason, they wouldn’t let me carry a piano in the high school band.

As a pianist I have often helped others to get their instruments tuned up to the piano.  With stringed instruments, every string must be tuned for the music to sound right. My father tuned pianos, and they have many more strings than hand-held instruments!  If several keys are flat compared to the rest, there goes the harmony.

If several strings can cause disharmony in an instrument, just think what a few disgruntled Christians can do to a church. Well, think about it.  Perhaps you can remember a church split of some kind that separated and scattered the people, and all because a few persons spread disharmony.

Do we listen?  Do we join the discord? How can we save the harmony in our church?

• When we first perceive the clink of a discordant note, we can get right with the Lord if necessary. Check Romans 12:1-2 and Psalm 51.  Walking close to the Lord enables us to hear His guiding voice of wisdom. He fills our hearts with love and concern for our fellow Christians–all of them. He restrains us from adding to the discordance.
• Abstain from gossip, criticism, or caustic debate.  As we walk with Jesus, we will know in our hearts just how we may contribute to harmony and not to the cacophony.
• Pray, pray, pray!  Often when a piano gets out of tune, moisture may be involved.  Well, when a church gets out of tune, the devil is probably involved.  Peter counsels the church, “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

“Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9) The devil loves to tear up churches!

Ephesians 4:26 tells us, “In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”  We may get involved in church disharmony when we get up our “righteous indignation”.  (Well, hey, that sounds a little more “Christian” than anger, doesn’t it?)

Our Lord knows the right way to handle every situation with a minimum of ill feelings.  As we pray, God will show us His way to deal with anything–and He will help in the resolution.

God’s Word twice gives the following recipe for harmony:  “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.  He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Pet. 3:10-12; Ps. 34:12-16)  And Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9)

Lord, Help me to be a peacemaker in my circle of influence. Amen.

Questions: Are you part of the disharmony in your church? What steps can you take to become a peacemaker instead of causing disharmony?

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, You’ve Already Won, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

“But forget all of that-it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do a brand new thing.  See I have already begun…” (Isaiah 43:18,19a NLT)

I stepped out of the front doors of the church that I had been a member of for 17 years.  As I walked down the driveway towards my car I felt as though I were going through a divorce. This was the place that where God sent me to help me grow in my spiritual walk.   This was the place where I received a corporate word from God at least twice a week.  This was also the place where God told me that this Sunday would be my last as a member.

Even though I felt a deep sense of loss as I was leaving the church property, I also felt a great sense of hope and anticipation.  What was God about to do in my life?  What new plans did He have for me that required me to leave my church home of 17 years?  What do I do in the meantime?

In Genesis 12:1-3 Abraham was told by God to leave his home and his family to go to a place that He would show him.  Abraham did not know where he was going but he did know what God promised him, and it was something new. God promised to make him a father of a great nation, to bless him, to make him famous and to be a blessing to others.  God would bless those who blessed him and curse those who cursed him. Through Abraham all of the families of the earth would be blessed.

As children of the new covenant through Christ, we have the same promise that God gave to Abraham (Galatians 3:9).  We have also been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3).  As I go through this time of transition, I have been blessed to meet and worship God with brothers and sisters in Christ on Sunday mornings and during the week at different churches.

Through the sowing of my tithes and offerings, I have been a blessing to different ministries that I possibly would not have touched before.  Most of all, am experiencing a brand new relationship with the Holy Spirit has He is taking me on a wonderful journey with Him each day.  I don’t know where God is taking me, but I like the process of the brand new thing that He is doing in my life.

Father, we all go through times of transition.  Help us to enjoy the process, remembering that we don’t go through it alone.  In Jesus name. Amen.

Questions:  What transition are you going through in your life right now? How can you be a blessing to others during this time?  What blessings do you see in this time of your transition?

As church pianist I started to play the introduction for the choir during the morning service. After several measures, I glanced at the keyboard and was so startled that I almost missed a beat. There, on middle D, lay a stunned cockroach flailing its legs. Obviously it had run into the path of my flying fingers.

What could I do? Gritting my teeth, I went on, gingerly trying to avoid middle D, but not always able to do so. (The choir number would be in the Key of D!) Finally, halfway through the first verse I was able to flick the now-deceased roach onto the floor. (Well, that’s one way to kill a roach!)

Some problems we may face are not so easily resolved as a cockroach on a keyboard. They might not be brushed off during the first phase of the situation. We may have to live with them longer than the first verse. But I have learned that if I just keep looking to the Lord for grace and trusting Him with a problem, He takes care of it one way or another.

Sometimes as we pray, He shows us ways to make the situation easier, as I did by avoiding the “middle” D while I played. Sometimes He shows us how to deal with the situation, as I did by flicking that roach to the floor during a whole note in the melody. (Thank heavens for piano “hold” foot pedals!)

Then during or after the resolving of the problem, there’s the cleanup.  After church I went to the rest room and washed my hands off using liquid soap. But in dealing with life’s problems, we may often need a more comprehensive spiritual cleanup.

It may be necessary to ask the Lord to forgive us if we have sinned. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  We may discover a need to forgive any who have hurt us. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

And let’s never forget the One Who guided and helped us! Let’s thank and praise Him for His help and deliverance.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever” (Psalms 107:1)

Question: Are there problems you’re facing that you haven’t yet brought to the Lord in prayer?

A friend once asked me, “Are all the spiritual gifts for today?” and “How can I discern my spiritual gifts?”

He had been reading a number of books with conflicting views on gifts and had heard sermons – some encouraging him to discover his gifts and others saying the gifts are not for today. He was woefully confused.

I shared with this friend that I have been a Christian for more than 35 years and have known the reality of the fullness of the Spirit for more than 30 years. I explained that I have seen God do remarkable – even miraculous – things in and through my life throughout the years.

Yet, I have not felt the need to “discover” my gifts, because I believe that whatever God calls me to do He will enable me to do if I am willing to trust and obey Him, work hard and discipline myself.

The Holy Spirit obviously controls and distributes all the gifts. So when I am filled, controlled and empowered with the Holy Spirit I possess all of the gifts potentially. God will give me any gifts I need.

I went on to tell my young friend that some of the gifts of the Spirit are supernatural enhancements of abilities common to all men, wisdom for instance. Other gifts, such as healing, are granted by the Holy Spirit to only a select few.

But the gifts differ in another way, too. Some are instantaneous, and others are developmental in nature. Primarily, we need to remember that whatever God calls us to do, He will enable us to do. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13, NAS).

 “From him the whole body … grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  Ephesians 4:16

A church needs more than just a pastor or a worship leader. Whether it’s a new church or one that’s been around for years, it takes all kinds of people to grow a church.

Are you good at math, organization, or working with children? How about sign painting? All of these abilities are needed. So what can you contribute to your church?

When Kay and I started Saddleback Church, we had one service with 15 people that grew to a core of 60 people by the end of the first year. These people weren’t preachers or teachers; they were just normal people doing different kinds of normal things. Thirty-one years later those people are still at the heart of our church. And if you ask any of them if the time and abilities they have contributed were worth it, they would tell you “yes”.

Serving the church is probably the most important and significant thing you will do in your life, because the church will outlast everything. Your job and hobbies will not go into eternity. Even nations and governments will not go into eternity. The church, the family of God, is the only thing that’s going to last forever.

The Bible says, “When you meet together, one person has a song, and another has a teaching. Another has a new truth from God. Another speaks in a different language …. The purpose of all these things should be to help the church grow ….” (1 Corinthians 14:26, NCV). Everybody should bring what they are good at to the table, because no one person is good at everything.

You have God-given gifts and abilities that the church needs. Whether it’s your home church that you’ve attended for years or a new church plant that’s just getting started, what will your contribution be?

Question: How would you like to serve in your local church or other Christian community?

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.” Ephesians 4:11

As I strolled by a group of shops, a sign caught my attention. It read: “We don’t have it all, but together we have it all.” I thought of how that applies to our church. God has given some the abilities and gifts to do that others cannot do, but to everyone He has given something. None of us have it all, but together ministering and worshiping in concert, together we have it all.

Paul spelled it out in writing to the church at Ephesus. In this passage Paul lists the five kinds of ministries or gifts which have been given by Christ to His Church with first three of these being itinerant ministers – apostles, prophets and evangelists – who were preaching wherever they found an opportunity, while pastors and teachers were attached to some congregation or location. One can only conjecture that perhaps prophets preached to believers and evangelists to unbelievers, while apostles addressed either.

Then Paul explains how Christ sets about to attain the goal of filling all things by giving His body gifted men to foster and further growth. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. These gifted men constitute what we shall call “support gifts.” These four gifts relate to the whole body of Christ, much as the major body systems relate to the physical body.

Just as the physical body needs each organ in order to function, so too does the church need every gift to carry forth its ministry. None of us have all the gifts, but every one of us has at least one gift that God has uniquely given to each of us specifically to carry out that specific task he has for us in His church.

Have you examined yourself and asked what gifts God has given to you? Have you sought to find where your gifts can best be used in your local church and in the church worldwide? What has God equipped you to do? He has created you for a ministry as He has all of us.

Together we are collectively His church. Each of us has a unique role to play just like a symphony and when we are all functioning together there is harmony. Remember, none of us have it all, but together we have it all.

The Royal Gorge Bridge in Cañon City, Colorado was completed in 1929 at a cost of $350,000. (The relative cost today would be approximately $15 million dollars.) The bridge spans 1,260 feet and stands 150 feet above the ground below.

As the bridge approaches its 100 year anniversary, it seems to be holding up quite well: There are no signs of it collapsing. The bridge is held together by 2,100 strands of galvanized wire. Individually, each wire could easily be snapped. But working together in tandem, they are able to support the entire weight of the bridge, plus much more. This allows the bridge to remain a significant tourist attraction for hundreds of tourists every year, even though it is nearly a century old.

By working together, we can achieve much more than we can on our own. The author of Hebrews exhorts us to “not give up meeting together … but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25). In Acts we read about the early church, and how they would meet together in order to encourage each other (ex. Acts 2:42-48).

This often will be difficult, since our churches are sadly sometimes filled with strife and argument instead of encouragement and fellowship. This is why Paul teaches us to “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)

Our work with our fellow Christians is too important to ignore. We as frail individuals are like thin strands of wire: Weak individually, but when mutually supporting one another, enabled to do so and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are strong.

Question: Do you sometimes find it uncomfortable when meeting with other believers? Why or why not?

Please open your Bible and read Genesis 6:1-13

Scripture teaches that Noah walked with the Lord. Noah’s relationship with God permeated his whole life, as evidenced by deliberate, faith – filled acts of obedience.

Walking in the light with God requires:

Reconciliation to God. Mankind is spiritually dead from birth and, therefore, unable to have a personal relationship with God. Upon salvation, we become spiritually alive and are reconciled to Him.

Trust. Every relationship should be built on a cornerstone of trust; without it, there can be no intimacy. Faith grows as we get to know God, and Scripture is our main resource for learning about His priorities, character, and feelings about us.

Being in Agreement. We are to agree with the Lord about a number of things, including the following: sin is destructive and does not fit who we are; Jesus, the Son of God, has charge of our life; God’s character is perfect and His Word is true; God’s priorities are to be ours, and His orders are to be obeyed; and without unity, we will find ourselves moving away from Him.

Fellowship with God. The Lord wants to listen to us, and He has much to tell us too. Time is a primary ingredient of communion with our Savior. Giving Him our undivided attention is another vital aspect of fellowship.

Reconciliation, fellowship, agreement, and trust are four keys to remaining close to the Lord. We cannot move forward without reconciliation, and the other three factors stabilize our spiritual life. So, how steady is your walk?

Question: Which of the requirements of walking in obedience do you find most difficult, and why?