Will Davis Jr.'s Blog, page 78

Meet the Jareds

My friend Chelsea Landis, a missionary in Haiti, shared a powerful blog recently. I thought you might enjoy it and enjoy knowing about her work. Here’s her most recent entry–

In my quiet time tonight, a man named Jared that I met this past January came to mind.  I want to share with you my journal entry from the day that I met him:

On my way home from church today, I was driving through Phoenixville and saw a dirty, greasy, man with old torn clothing walking towards me with a walker.  When I say walking, I really mean, dragging himself– with all his might– down the snowy, icy sidewalk with a broken walker as his support.  He wasn’t going anywhere fast.  As I drove by and something hit me (surely the Holy Spirit’s prompting), and this force inside me propelled me to go back and pick this man up and give him a ride. 

To read more, CLICK HERE.

 

The Danger of Distance

The call to follow Jesus Christ implies intimacy. The teacher/student relationship and master/slave image of discipleship in the Bible knows nothing of separation between the two participating parties. Following Jesus requires closeness; intimacy is a prerequisite. To create a buffer between you and the Lord is to undo the very boldness and security in God that Jesus died to give you. It also guarantees failure.

And having arrested Him, they led Him away, and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. Luke 22:54

Meet Exhibit A. The disciple Peter, only a few hours earlier, had taken up a sword to defend Jesus. Having been sternly warned by Jesus that he would deny him, Peter set out to prove Jesus wrong. He found the chance to show his spiritual mettle when Jesus was arrested. One swing of a sword and Peter looked like a hero and a truly loyal disciple (at least in his own eyes). However, later that same evening Peter denied even knowing Jesus. Talk about spiritual schizophrenia, one minute Peter is fighting for Christ, the next he doesn’t even know him. What happened? What was the difference? The answer is in the verse above–distance.

To seek a safe distance between you and Christ is to position yourself to be easily picked off by the enemy. That’s what happened to Peter: he was following, but from far off. There was no way he could hear Jesus’ voice or know his heart. And when you’re that far back, slipping is easy.

Are you following Christ from a distance? Have you sought to keep a relational gap between you and Jesus? Are you staying back in case things with Christ get hairy? If you are, then you’re setting yourself up to fail. Distance in a relationship with Christ is the equivalent of spiritual cholesterol. If not dealt with, it will eventually kill you.

So here’s my mantra for the day: I want to be a no-distance Christian. I want to be so close to Jesus that I always know his heart and hear his voice, even if he whispers. What about you? Are you willing to be a no-distance Christian? Cling to intimacy in Jesus. Read his word and pray. Be honest with him about sin. Slow down so you can really hear his voice. Don’t let anything come between you and your Savior.

Write it down: No Distance!

Rise Up and Walk

I’ve read multiple accounts of a conversation that took place in the thirteenth century between Thomas Aquinas and Pope Innocent IV. The story goes that Thomas called on the Pope one day while he was overseeing the counting of a large sum of money for the church. The Pope greeted Thomas and said with a smile, “See Thomas, the church can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold have we none.’”

The Pope was referencing the magnificent story in Acts 3 where Peter and John ran into a lame beggar in the Temple courts in Jerusalem. The beggar asked the two disciples for a gift. Peter, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, responded, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.” He then commanded the lame man in Jesus’ name to get up and walk. The subsequent scene—the formerly lame man dancing and jumping around the Temple—caused quite a stir and landed Peter and John in jail. (See Acts 3-4)

Thomas considered the Pope’s comment and then replied, “That’s true, Holy Father. But  we can no longer say ‘Rise up and walk.’”

Thomas was saying that while materially rich, the church had lost her power. The same is true for many Christians in Western culture today. We live comfortable lives, have beautiful church buildings and we dress up nicely for worship and live in nice homes, but we’re spiritually anemic.  And the primary culprit behind our chronic weakness is our addiction to material things. We may look rich, but we’re really poor.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

Buy this House and have Abundant Life!!!!!

I was driving to a meeting yesterday when I saw a sign that featured the words “abundant life.” I immediately thought it was a sign for a church. Perhaps you know that Jesus used that phrase when he said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly,” John 10:10. There are even churches that use the phrase Abundant Life in their names. But I was wrong. As I looked more closely, I saw that the sign was advertising a new development of luxury homes. It simply promised: Live Life Abundantly at  . . . . .

Wow. That’s quite a promise.

Now I don’t think that the developers believe that their homes can really provide abundant life–whatever that may be. Surely they know that a luxurious home can’t protect a family from divorce, cancer, relational turmoil, unemployment and other difficulties. But the advertising does confirm the cultural mantra that more matters and that there is a relationship between living comfortably or luxuriously and happiness.

And to that line of thinking I politely respond, BUNK.

I lead a church filled with people who live luxuriously and have significant amounts of money. But the number of affairs, divorces, prescription drug addictions, angry kids and financial woes is no less than those who don’t live so comfortably, maybe even higher. The line of thinking that says more matters and that luxury brings happiness isn’t just wrong, it’s a lie. And if we continue to pursue more in the hopes that some day it will stop being a lie and will make us happy, we’re nuts.

When Jesus talked about abundant life, he had nothing material in mind. He made his comments against the backdrop of an occupied nation and extreme poverty. Had Jesus mean that wealth brings happiness, he could have plundered Rome with his divine powers and written us all fat checks. But we all know better.

Jesus was talking about the life that overcomes sin and Satan through the power of a relationship with God. He was talking about forgiveness, unconditional love, healing and grace. He was trying to spare us the pain and complications that come with pursuing more. He was emphasizing spiritual realities over material temporalness, and calling us to invest in eternity, not the here-and-now.

Are you looking for abundant life? Don’t look in a house, a neighborhood, a car, or anything else material. Look to the Son of God who died to give you life indeed.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life,

1 Timothy 6:17-19

Want to know more about abundant living? CLICK HERE

 

I’m Leaving, Off a Jet Plane

I got off an airplane last week–not after it landed, but before it ever took off. I was sitting in my extra-leg-room-exit-row-aisle seat. Just moments before they closed the cabin door, I got up, handed my car keys and parking ticket to my wife, and walked off the plane. After an hour of walking around the airport, I finally rented a car and drove the 800 miles home. The trip ended up taking 18 hours instead of 2, and I needed every minute of it.

Why did I do it? Why did I get off a perfectly good and paid for flight only to have to rent a white mini van and drive across the country? Well, there are multiple reasons: my own foolishness and sinfulness, anger, stress, emotional depletion, physical exhaustion and flat-out Satanic attack.

But something happened in those 18 hours that was very significant. I had a long talk with God about how I got there. As my wife pointed out, I don’t get off airplanes. That’s highly irregular and somewhat scary behavior for me. So while I was watching the mile markers fly by, I had to do a serious gut check about what was going on in me and why. And while I’m not nearly where I need to be yet personally, I am seeing some things I need to work on–a lot of things.

I wonder if you need to get off an airplane. As weird as my behavior may have been, it gave me much needed time to think, pray and look at my reality. Had I flown home, I probably wouldn’t have done so. Some of you fly all the time, and I don’t just mean just when you travel. You fly through breakfast, fly through meetings, fly through carpool, fly through relationships, fly, fly, fly. And even if something is broken inside of you, you simply don’t have time to deal with it.

Get off the plane. Call a time out. Yes it’s inconvenient and yes it’s costly and no you don’t have time. But if you keep flying, you will eventually crash.

It’s time to get off the plane.

Susie’s Feeling Generous

My wife Susie is feeling generous. Check out her 31 day giveaway @ susiedavis.org.

Communion with a Chipmunk

I’ve been in Colorado the last few days with several leaders from our church. We’ve had some serious decisions to make and chose to go to Estes Park for a few days of intensive prayer and planning. I mean, if you can’t hear God amidst the bugling elk, glittering Aspens and soaring peaks, well . . . . .

We took a three hour break from our work yesterday to do a short hike. We started at the Fern lake trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park and hiked to a little place called The Pool. It’s a gorgeous point in the Big Thompson River that slows down, backs up a bit and forms a natural pool at the bottom of a small canyon. For the relatively little effort required to get there, The Pool offers a lot of payoff.

We sat down for a lunch and let the river music entertain us while we eat. The entertainment also included a very friendly/aggressive group of chipmunks and magpies who have learned that hiking humans are a great food source. They chippies will scurry up, rummage through an open backpack or even climb up in your lap and beg if they think food is coming. I’ve learned to hold on to the cracker or chip and make the chippie work for it. He’ll put his paws on my finger, push his rear toward the ground and pull with all his might. For a brief moment I’m engaged in a tug-of-war with the little guy, until the chip breaks and the chipmunk runs off to swallow up his prize. The magpies swoop down and look like they’re going to peck your eyes out if you don’t deliver the goods. Like I said, very entertaining.

Besides the usual hiking fare of sandwiches and chips, we’d also packed in some Communion elements. Communion in the church of the mountains is hard to beat. So we circled up on our ledge above The Pool, sang some songs together, and remembered the death of the Lord Jesus with Ritz crackers and a bottle of juice.

While we were sitting quietly, reflecting and praying, one little chippie continued to come up to me and wait impatiently for a cracker. So while I was leading Communion and holding the crackers and juice with my right hand, I was carrying on my tug-of-war with the chippie with my left. Several times members of my group would look up to see why I had paused in prayer, only to see me completely engaged with my new friend. It really was humorous. It was like the little guy didn’t want to miss out on what we were doing.

Communion ended, we packed up our gear and headed back to the trailhead. I tossed a few crackers on a rock before I left as a goodbye gift to my new friends. I think the magpie (aka the Assassin) absconded with most of them. It wasn’t until later that the Lord brought a scripture to mind: All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name, Psalm 66:4.Those chipmunks and magpies are worshipers. Just by living they glorify the God who made them. And while my brain tells me that the chippie didn’t see those Ritz crackers as Communion wafers, my hearts feels otherwise.

Jesus once said that if we ever fell silent in our worship, the rocks and trees would rise up and praise him. So is it too farfetched to think that a chipmunk would want to join in a Communion service at The Pool? Well, I’ll let you decide. In the meantime . . . .

Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:7-10

 

How to Pray for the Election

One month from today we will go to the polls here in the States in a hotly contested presidential election. As Christians, we need to be praying for the entire election process. Here are some things you can be praying as the election approaches:

Pray that we, as a people, will humble ourselves before God. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
Pray that whomever is elected will know that he is accountable to God. Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1
Pray that whomever is elected will have a heart that is sensitive toward God’s leadings. The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. Proverbs 21:1
Pray that our president will be covered in prayer by the Christian church. I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1 Timothy 2:1-2
Pray that whomever is elected will pursue justice for the oppressed. Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4
Pray that whomever is elected will love God’s Word and submit to it’s teachings. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119:16
Pray that whomever is elected will have wise and godly counselors. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1-2
Pray that whomever is elected will worship and serve Jesus Christ. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.1 Timothy 2:3-5

Are Your Ears Pierced?

In the early life of the nation of Israel, God made some allowances for slavery. If a Hebrew incurred a bunch of debt, he could sell himself to another Hebrew as a slave as a means of paying off his debts. But God also made a law that said every seven years all slaves were to be released. It didn’t matter if the slave had only served for a few weeks or months, in the seventh year he was to be freed.

But, there were some cases where the slaves didn’t want to leave their masters. They loved their masters and loved the life they had serving them. So in that case, God provided a means whereby the slave could choose to stay with his master. Here’s what the Scripture says:

But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life, Exodus 21:5-6.

Did you get that? The master would literally nail his slave to the front door through his earlobe. In doing this, the slave was declaring that he forever wanted to be associated with his master’s house. His life as he had known it was over. He would be from that point forward literally part of his master’s house.

Have you had your ears pierced? Have you gone to the house of God and nailed yourself to his door? I want to be marked forever as a Jesus follower. I want to be branded by and for Jesus.

Lord, take my life. I release my rights and even my identity to you. I am your servant.

How to Pray for Your Spouse

In honor of my wife Susie’s birthday, I offer the following insights on praying for your marriage:

When praying for your marriage, don’t be timid about what you ask of God. Jesus commanded us to seek and find through prayer. If we didn’t need God’s miraculous power for every aspect of our Christian lives, including our marriages, he wouldn’t have repeatedly urged us to ask for it in prayer. So pray big! Read the Scriptures, discover God’s promises, and start praying some big, hairy, audacious, prayers for your marriage today.

Are you married to an unbeliever? Pray that he or she will embrace Christ and become an obedient follower. Is your marriage tense because of financial stress? Pray for God to make you both good stewards, to equip you to get out of debt and to become a generous, giving couple. Do you lack emotional intimacy? Pray for God to blow away the barriers and to grant you oneness of heart. Are you at odds with an ex-spouse or a difficult set of in-laws? Pray for healing and maturity in the relationship. In other words, don’t pray to just get by, pray to prevail. Pray big!

What do you want God to do in your marriage? When you read the Bible, what stories or verses describe what you long to be true for you and your spouse? Start praying them. Get others to pray them with you. Wherever possible and appropriate, pray them with your spouse. Ask God for some big, hairy, audacious dreams and promises for your marriage and then start praying them. It might be ten days or ten years, but you will see God work in ways beyond what you could ever ask or think (see Ephesians 3:20).

Marriage Prayer Starter: From Philippians 4:19—Lord God, please meet all the needs of our marriage according to the riches of your glory that is in Jesus Christ.

Want to know about praying for your marriage? Click Here.