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Exodus 17:10–13 (NKJV) 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Exodus 17:10-13 describes how God wanted Moses to keep his hands in the air for the people of God to see from a distance. As his hands were held up high, the Israelites were winning. As his hands were growing weak and lowering, the enemy began to win. Aaron and Hur each grabbed one hand and lifted Moses hands for him, so that Israel ultimately won the victory. Eliud Kipchoge, is a Olympian marathon runner, who broke the record, at just under 2 hours! He set his goal and knew he needed to go at a certain pace in order to accomplish that goal. He cycles through a group of pacesetters, with a few other runners with him at the beginning, middle and end of the race. They help him stay on pace. He doesn't go too fast that he wears out later. He doesn't go too slow. However, toward the end of the race, the final group of pacesetters back off and let him go through the finish line alone, to the cheers of the crowd. You can go on YouTube to watch it yourself here. God uses other people in our lives to help us accomplish our goals. I hope that you have been blessed with other people cheering you on, helping you get further and faster in your goals. However, God wants us to help others, too. As you pray today, ask the Lord to lay on your heart someone who looks up to you, who you can influence. They have such potential. They just need some encouragement. They need someone to lift their arms. God wants to use you today. Baptist Press recently shared statistics about the power of mentors in the lives of young people. If a young person does not have a mentor, only 50% of them say life has meaning. 70% of young people say life has meaning who report at least one mentor. 86% of young people say life has meaning who report two to four mentors. This article was highlighting the importance of mentoring Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012). Only 10% of this generation reports regularly engaging with Scripture. Several good ideas to come alongside another included: loving them from the heart, following them on social media (so you can keep up with their lives), and most importantly, talking to them face to face.
1 Thessalonians 2:8, in the NIV, says, "We loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well." Is there someone from Gen Z who would love for you to invest a little time with them? As you pray today, ask the Lord to lay someone on your heart that you can encourage, share your life, and in whom you can invest. Perhaps one day they will look back and say about you, "_______ not only taught me about Jesus, they shared their life with me, too." Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
The word “therefore” harkens back to what Paul has previously said in chapters 1-11. He has described what Jesus did on the Cross by paying for the sins of humanity. The first 3 chapters explain how lost every person is without Christ. Chapters 4-6 expound on God’s love and salvation. Chapters 7-8 give a foundation for the victorious Christian life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Chapters 9-11 show God’s sovereignty in the affairs of the world and especially Israel. As Christians, we can rejoice that Jesus saved us from sins, transformed us on the inside, and has given us the power of the Holy Spirit. God has a plan for our lives. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. “Therefore”, that is, in light of all that God has done for us, “I beseech you.” He could have said, “I command you,” but he doesn’t. “Beseech” is a personal word that means “to request,” “to implore,” or “to ask.” Imagine that it’s cold outside, but you are in your warm and cozy home. You, your spouse, and your children have enjoyed a good meal together, and now you are relaxing in the living room. You hear a frail knock at your front door. You open the door and notice that it’s your mother. She does not have any warm clothes though it’s bitterly cold outside. She’s noticeably hungry. She says to you, “Because of all that I’ve done for you, would you let me come into your house?” Maybe you pause for a moment, and then she says, “By the way, do you notice all the gray hear on my head? That came from you, dear. Do you notice the wrinkles on my brow? Those came from you, dear. Do you notice these hands that used to work so hard for you are now frail all because of all I did for you? In light of all that I did for you while you were growing up, will you let me come into your house, get warm, and have a good meal?” What would you say to that? In a similar way, Paul has reminded the Christian brothers and sisters in the church at Rome of all the blessings that Jesus Christ has brought in their lives. “Therefore I beseech you…” In light of all that Jesus Christ has done for us, this is the request that Jesus makes of us. Why would we ever want to refuse His requests? Paul says that we should “present our bodies as a living sacrifice.” This means we are to dedicate ourselves to God. The word conjures up the idea of a reservation, as one would make a reservation at a restaurant. You request a table, at which no one else can sit. You have reserved the table. He does not say for you to allow someone else to present you. He says for you to present yourself as a living sacrifice. Genesis 22 tells the story of Abraham and Isaac going to sacrifice to the Lord. God commands Abraham to sacrifice his son. He gathers all of the materials needed. He tells his servants, “We will worship, and then we will come back down.” Hebrews 11:19 states that Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead if needed because he was the son that God had promised Abraham many years prior. The story concludes with God assuring Abraham that He does not want Isaac sacrificed. God only wanted Abraham to be willing, and Abraham passed this test. The imagery of this story relates to Romans 12. Isaac is going with Abraham, though he does not know what they will sacrifice. He asks in Genesis 22:7, “I see you have the wood and fire, but where is the sacrifice?” The reader knows that Isaac is the sacrifice, but Isaac doesn’t know yet. As the story develops, we see Isaac bound and Abraham’s knife raised before the angel of the Lord stops the sacrifice. Isaac has allowed himself to be bound. “Several commentators have weighed in on the question of how old Isaac was when he was to be sacrificed: 18 to 20 years old (Leupold, 1:625); 25 years old (Josephus, 1.13.2); about 33 years old (Adam Clarke, 1:140); and over 20 years old (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, p. 29).”[1] Though we don’t know how old Isaac is at this time, Genesis 22:6 says Isaac was carrying the wood up the mountain. If he was old enough and strong enough to do this, he could have resisted being sacrificed if he wanted to. Yet, when the time comes for him to be sacrificed, we don’t see Isaac resisting. Here we see a picture of the living sacrifice. However, the imagery in Romans 12:1 is even more potent than the story of Abraham and Isaac. Isaac is bound, and Abraham is presenting him as a living sacrifice before God. Romans 12:1 pictures you presenting yourself. You are not bound, but free. Yet, you choose to lay yourself on the altar. We are to place ourselves on the altar and stay there as a living sacrifice for God. Sometimes Christians dedicate themselves as a living sacrifice and then choose to crawl off the altar. They sing: I'll say yes Lord yes To Your will and to Your way I'll say yes Lord yes I will trust You and obey When the Spirit speaks to me With my whole heart I'll agree And my answer will be Yes Lord yes[2] On Sunday they say, “Whatever you want, Lord, I’ll do,” and then Monday through Saturday they crawl back off the altar. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reads, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” This sacrifice is not simply a gift from ourselves. It is the gift of ourselves to God. A pig and a chicken were walking along one day, and they both saw a hungry, destitute man. The chicken said to the pig, “Don’t you think we ought to give this man a meal? I propose that we give him a meal of eggs and bacon.” The pig replies, “For you, that would be a gift. For me, that would be total commitment.” Well, our dedication should not simply be a gift from ourselves but the gift of ourselves. It is total commitment. God says in Romans 12:1, “In light of all that I’ve done for you, present yourself, dedicate yourself.” He is not demanding, but appealing. Our hearts should respond with a desire to sacrifice because of all that God has done for us. How can I say thanks For the things You have done for me? Things so undeserved Yet You gave to prove Your love for me The voices of a million angels Could not express my gratitude All that I am and ever hope to be I owe it all to Thee[3] This is the heartbeat of every Christian in response to all that God has done. It is an act of total dedication. We give our lives in total surrender to Jesus. He deserves all that we would give. Church? That's easy. Bible reading? Of course. Prayer and praise? I long to. Tithing and giving of my resources to His Kingdom work? He owns it all anyway. Serving God in His church with my gifts? What an honor. Sharing my faith with a coworker or family member, inviting them to church? It's on the tip of my tongue. Don't just give from yourself to God, give yourself to God. Total surrender. Total dedication. God bless. [1] Taken from https://www.gotquestions.org/how-old-was-Isaac.html. [2] “Yes, Lord, Yes” lyrics by Lynn Keesecker, 1983. [3] “My Tribute” lyrics by Andraé Crouch & The Disciples, 1971. I read about a well-known evangelist who passed away this week. Junior Hill passed away at the age of 87, after more than 68 years in ministry. Wow! As I looked at the outpouring of love and appreciation for his ministry, two words kept coming up: evangelist and encourager. His ministry of evangelism was most prominent. He would share the simple gospel of Jesus Christ, and then God would bless with scores of men, women, boys and girls coming to the altar. However, he was known as an encourager of pastors and pastors' wives. Throughout his decades of ministry, he would regularly speak at Pastors' Conferences all around the US. He would help pastors know that God was using them where they were. One pastor referred to Hill as "our generation's Barnabas."
Barnabas is referenced multiple times in the Book of Acts and other places of the New Testament. Acts 9:26-27 reads, "And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried (in the Greek it means he kept on trying) to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles." Saul (also known as Paul) had been a persecutor of the early Christians. After he became a Christian, no one would trust that his conversion was real. However, Barnabas helped him get closer to the more established believers. Barnabas believed in Paul. In Acts 11, the apostles in Jerusalem hear about people coming to Christ in Antioch, and they send Barnabas to check it out. Acts 11:22-26 reads, "22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." The important idea here is that Barnabas sought Paul out and brought him to Antioch to help the new believers. He knew Paul had something to offer, and God blessed the ministry there. Later on, Paul and Barnabas went on their first missionary tour with a young man named John Mark. John Mark deserted them and went home. Acts 15:37-38 records how Paul and Barnabas begin to discuss a second missionary tour. Barnabas wants to take John Mark again, but Paul refuses. Paul's thought may have been, "If he deserted us once, he will do it again." Barnabas wants to give John Mark another chance. This conflict led to Paul taking Silas on a different missionary trip, and Barnabas taking John Mark. Who was right? You can't blame Paul for his convictions, but time would prove Barnabas was correct. Later in life, Paul would ask for John Mark to come, because "he is profitable for my ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11). We also know that Mark's Gospel was penned by John Mark. We can learn from the example of Barnabas about the power of encouragement. Hopefully we have experienced the power of encouragement from a father, mother, coach, teacher or someone we have looked up to. Can you identify someone in your sphere of influence that you can encourage? Is there someone who needs you to believe in them? Is there someone who needs a second chance? Is there someone that you see who would benefit God's work in this world - they just need the encouragement to do it. I pray that one day it will be said also of us that we were "full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and many people were added to the Lord" because we were someone else's Barnabas, coming alongside of them and encouraging them for King Jesus. God bless. |
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