Now Build On It
Jim Stephens
07-27-10

Today's Reading: Isaiah 50-52; Psalm 92; 2 Peter 1

Scripture:

5 So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, 6 alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, 7 warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. (2 Peter 1:5-7 MSG)

Peter lays out a sort of "famous last words" message in this brief letter to Christ followers. He says, "You've been given salvation, forgiveness, new life, fellowship with God and others, a purpose to live for - that's God's grace-gift to you, received through basic faith in Jesus Christ. Now build these blocks on that foundation of basic faith."

* Good Character - Teachings of Jesus, Sermon on the Mount, Paul's letters, Peter and James' letters.
* Spiritual Understanding - Good and evil, Kingdom of God vs Kingdom of darkness, angels and demons, power and authority, submission.
* Alert Discipline - Spiritual disciplines, Bible reading, prayer, accountability.
* Passionate Patience - Single-minded and total commitment to Christ, encouragement to persevere, how to handle hardships.
* Reverent Wonder - God's sovereignty and majesty, worship, creation, heaven.
* Warm Friendliness - Right relationships in and out of the Body of Christ, active engagement of others, be nice.
* Generous Love - Right priorities about material things, outreach, giving, serving.

With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. (2 Peter 1:8 MSG)

It would be hard to find a better practical instruction on how to build my life for eternity. Foundation of basic faith. Building blocks of Christ's character, Kingdom of God values, heaven's truth, and Spirit's leading in love and right relationships.

Prayer:

Father, Today's reading prompted me to examine my life to see how I'm doing with these qualities. Peter said I should build on the foundation of basic faith - the foundation I've been given. It's obvious to me right now that I've got a lot to do here. Help me to think your thoughts about these seven building blocks. Help me to make sure I'm building with the right materials. Amen.

Copyright 2010 Resource Ministries International
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Special Concern
Jim Stephens
07-26-10

Today's Reading: Isaiah 46-49; 1 Peter 5

Scripture:

1 I have a special concern for you church leaders. I know what it's like to be a leader, in on Christ's sufferings as well as the coming glory. 2 Here's my concern: that you care for God's flock with all the diligence of a shepherd. Not because you have to, but because you want to please God. Not calculating what you can get out of it, but acting spontaneously. 3 Not bossily telling others what to do, but tenderly showing them the way. (1 Peter 5:1-3 MSG)

Peter was a leader of leaders. Personally commissioned by Jesus himself, he knew what it was like to be honored and used powerfully by God and he knew the price leaders pay - the responsibility, the attacks and criticism, and in his case the actual persecution.

Peter had a special concern for the leaders of the church for two reasons; he knew the pressures and challenges of leadership, and he knew that the church would succeed or fail through the ministry of its leaders. It's not that he cared less for the other people, it's that he knew how important the role of leaders really is.

But Peter's challenge in these verses is for the leaders to think not of themselves but of the people they were leading and of God whom they were serving. Peter said, "Care for God's flock like a faithful shepherd, leading, feeding, and protecting them. And do it freely and joyfully to please God and not to please yourself or impress others. And don't be mercenary - don't be distracted by self-interest. Just lead and serve and leave the reward up to God. Don't boss people around - first show, then tell."

That's good advice to leaders then and now. It's rewarding to be a leader of God's people, but let the reward be in God's timing and by God's plan. It's challenging and often sacrificial to be a leader of God's people. Do it with a willing and joyful heart. Don't boss people around like a military general, but lead them gently like a shepherd.

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for the privilege of influencing people to follow your son Jesus Christ. Help me to serve by leading and to lead by serving. Please help me and all my fellow servant leaders to lead, feed, and protect your flock as faithful shepherd leaders. Amen.

Copyright 2010 Resource Ministries International
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Dear Readers, Sorry GraceNotes is so late today. The server for our website was down this morning. Thanks for your patience.  Blessings, Jim Stephens

Your Personal God
Jim Stephens
07-25-10

Today's Reading: Isaiah 43-54; 1 Peter 4

Scripture:

3 Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! 4 That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you. (Isaiah 43:3-4 MSG)

Twenty-first century Americans live in a world of personal computers (PC's), personal digital assistants (PDA's), personal bankers, personal financial advisors, and personal trainers. I think this trend has grown out of an "It's all about me!" attitude.

But when God says, "I am God, your personal God...", it's a different matter. God isn't my personal God like when I hire a personal trainer who will come to my house at my convenience to help me get physically fit. God is my personal God because he owns me! I don't own him, he owns me! He is my personal God because he knows me, loves me, plans my life and destiny. He is my personal God because I am totally his personal "me." Here's the result, the wonderful result of the fact that God is my personal God and that I am totally his personal "me"...

1 But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: "Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine. 2 When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end.  (Isaiah 43:1-2 MSG)

* He bought me back from my sin and myself. (Jesus redeemed me)
* He named me and called me. (Jim - called for his purpose)
* I am completely his. (And he takes good care of what's his!)
* In over my head? He's there with me. (I won't drown in the complexity of life.)
* Between a rock and a hard place? (been there!), it won't be a dead end (it wasn't!).

Prayer:

Father, Thanks for being my personal God. Help me to remember that what that really means is not that you're made in the image of my wants and desires, but that you own me outright. You're mine because I'm yours. That's how it is, that's how it should be, and that's how I want it to be - always. Amen!

Copyright 2010 Resource Ministries International
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Your Job, To Bless
Jim Stephens
07-24-10

Today's Reading: Isaiah 40-42; 1 Peter 3

Scripture:

8 Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. 9 That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless - that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9 MSG)

During a season when I was part of the pastoral staff of a large church, I, along with each other member of the staff, had a written, formal job description. The job description broke my wide-ranging responsibilities down into specific daily and weekly tasks. Each task or responsibility was allotted a certain amount of time per week and it all added up to a full week's work that would hopefully get the job done.

The job description was helpful in organizing my complex responsibilities in a way that helped me be more effective. The job description not only helped me say "Yes" to the right things, it helped me say "No" to things that clamored for attention but didn't get the work done!

Peter says that our God-given job description is "To Bless." That's our job! With that clear job description we can say the appropriate "Yes's and No's!"

Yes: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.
No: No retaliation, no sharp-tongued sarcasm, no exceptions.

It's so easy to excuse being disagreeable, being unsympathetic, being unloving, being uncaring, being un-humble.
* I'm under a lot of pressure! I don't have time to be nice!
* We've got a lot to do here! Get up and get going!
* Hey, check my personality profile! That's just not how God made me!
* Try carrying my responsibility and see how agreeable and sympathetic you are!

God says, "Your job is to bless! No exceptions. Be a blessing and you'll get a blessing!"

Prayer:

Father, Please forgive me for not sticking to my God-given job description, "To Bless." Forgive me for excusing bad behavior toward others. You don't excuse it. I can't excuse it. It's my job to bless. By your grace I will. No exceptions. Amen.

Copyright 2010 Resource Ministries International
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Ego Indulgence
Jim Stephens
07-23-10

Today's Reading: 2 Kings 20; Isaiah 38-39; Psalm 75; 1 Peter 2

Scripture:

11 Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. 12 Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. (1 Peter 2:11-12 MSG)

Recently my friend Gregory Fisher, a man who for many years has served the nations as a missionary, posted these words on Facebook; "This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven's open door. And I can't feel at home in this world anymore!"

These are words from a song I remember singing when I was a kid. It was more than just a catchy tune and lyrics - we really did believe that and think that way - at least a good deal of the time. However, it seems as life gets more comfortable we tend to get more and more content with this world and think less about the "other world."

I read in my Old Testament readings in 2 Kings and in Isaiah today about how Hezekiah responded when God told him some day everything of value in his palace would be carried off to Babylon. He was thinking to himself, "It won't happen in my lifetime - I'll enjoy peace and security as long as I live." (2 Kings 20:19 MSG)

I don't want to make myself cozy in this world at the cost of "eternity awareness." I don't want to indulge my ego at the expense of my soul and the souls of others. It's so easy to focus a disproportionate amount of my time, my attention, and my energy on my house, my car, my stuff, my comfort.

I'm not saying I want discomfort for its own sake, like a self-martyr kind of thing that makes me proud to suffer, but I don't want to lose my perspective of short time here versus long time of eternity. How are you doing with the ego versus soul struggle?

Prayer:

Father, Please forgive me for the times I indulge my ego at the expense of living with an eternal perspective. Help me keep my values true and my perspective right. As Peter wrote, I want my values to show in my daily living and I want my daily life to be a Good News Missionary message to the "natives" in my home town. Amen.

Copyright 2010 Resource Ministries International
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Good and Responsible
Jim Stephens
07-22-10

Today's Reading: Isaiah 36-37; Psalm 76; 1 Peter 1

Scripture:

You call out to God for help and he helps - he's a good Father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. (1 Peter 1:17 MSG)

I remember years ago listening to a Bible teacher whose name I have long since forgotten, but whose words I will never forget. He said that one of the underlying themes of the Bible is: "Life is hard, but God is good. But life is hard!"

Peter begins this encouraging letter reminding Christ-followers that the life of a Christian is both good and hard. We are God's children and he's a good Father who will help us in our need. He is also a responsible Father who will discipline us as required because he's more interested in our character than our comfort!

God loves us - he is a good father - and he hears and answers our prayers. God loves us - he is a responsible father - and he will see to it that we face challenges and come through victorious, that we learn to make right choices in hard situations, that we learn to think long-term purposeful thoughts instead of short-term self-gratification thoughts.

God wants me to grow up and to become all he created me to be. That will require some decisions, some diligence, and some determination on my part and a whole lot of grace and patience on his part!

My life is a journey I must travel with a deep consciousness of God.

If I don't keep my heart God-focused and maintain a deep God-consciousness, I will fall into the pattern of short-term, self-gratification thinking and living. That kind of thinking and living will keep me always immature and unfulfilled. Where's your consciousness focused?

Prayer:

Father, Today I refresh and renew my God-consciousness, my you-consciousness. You are a good and responsible Father and you not only have a plan for me, it is the best of all possible plans for my life, my service, and my eternity. I say "Yes" to everything you have in mind for me. Thanks for your goodness that lovingly meets my needs and your responsible fathering that keeps me moving forward in life's journey. Amen!

Copyright 2010 Resource Ministries International
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Don't Write Them Off
Jim Stephens
07-21-10

Scripture:

19 My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back 20 and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God. (James 5:19-20 MSG)

I know people who have wandered off from God's truth. Whenever I think of this I remember one guy named John who came to faith in Christ in the Jesus People Days. He was passionate for Jesus, was a great singer-song writer and guitarist and had a powerful prophetic gift. He wandered off from God's truth in the late 1970's. Things had happened in the church, he had been deeply hurt, and it wasn't entirely his fault. My friend Jerry and I went to his house to talk with him, but I'm afraid we didn't approach him with a very Christ-like message. John turned his back on the church, on his faith, and would never talk to me again. We didn't get him back.

12 "Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn't he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? 13 And if he finds it, doesn't he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? 14 Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn't want to lose even one of these simple believers. (Matthew 18:12-14 MSG)

I still know of people who wander off from God's truth and sometimes I end up writing them off. I usually don't do it consciously and intentionally, but I write them off functionally. What happens is that because I'm so involved with ministry and personal stuff, I don't notice that they're wandering off 'til they're gone. And then when I do notice, it's hard to fit "going after them" into my schedule because I don't see them at church anymore. Or maybe it's simply that my "One lost sheep versus the ninety and nine" quotient is out of whack.

Anyhow, I'm convicted by James' message and by the Holy Spirit that I'm functionally writing wanderers off by not going after them more aggressively and intentionally. Maybe it's just me, but I need to do better. What do you think?

Prayer:

Father, I want to be a better shepherd and a better friend. Please work in my heart to help me get my values right and my priorities straight. I want to value wandering sheep like you value them. Please adjust my "Going after one lost sheep versus the pressures and busyness of ministry to the ninety and nine" quotient. Amen.

Copyright 2010 Resource Ministries International
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In God's Opinion
Jim Stephens
07-20-10

Today's Reading: 2 Chronicles 29-31; James 4

Scripture:

1 Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old and was king in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. 2 In God's opinion he was a good king; he kept to the standards of his ancestor David. (2 Chronicles 29:1-2 MSG)

Hezekiah's story is the one ray of sunshine in many latter years of Israel and Judah's history. Hezekiah's life-work was evaluated by God as follows:

20 Hezekiah carried out this work and kept it up everywhere in Judah. He was the very best - good, right, and true before his God. 21 Everything he took up, whether it had to do with worship in God's Temple or the carrying out of God's Law and Commandments, he did well in a spirit of prayerful worship. He was a great success. (2 Chronicles 31:20-21 MSG)

Everyone has an opinion about something. Some people have an opinion about everything! There is a tremendous pressure on all of us to be influenced in what we think, what we say, and what we do, by the opinions of others. There is pressure on us to allow our own opinions to be shaped by the prevailing values and attitudes of our society and of the sub-culture we are part of. Hezekiah shook off the prevailing attitudes and values of his society and looked only to God for approval. He got it. In God's opinion, he was a good king.

If I allow myself to be pressured, influenced, motivated, driven by the opinions of others; if I my desire for approval or my need to fit in molds me and shapes what I think, say, and do; if I seek the approval that affirms my identity and worth from anyone but God, I'll miss my place in God's plan. How am I doing, in God's opinion?

Prayer:

Father, It's hard not to want to be successful in the opinions of other people more than successful in your opinion. They are so visible and you are so invisible! They are so loud and you are so quiet - most of the time. My heart wants to value your opinion above all other opinions. My mind and my emotions are too much influenced by the opinions of others. Today I reaffirm my desire and my commitment to simply be who I am created to be "...in God's opinion." Amen.

Copyright 2010 Resource Ministries International
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Hard Work
Jim Stephens
07-19-10

Today's Reading: 2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 28; Psalm 46; James 3

Scripture:

17 Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. 18 You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. (James 3:17-18 MSG)

Why does everything valuable have to involve hard work? You'd think that among people who are born again through faith in Jesus' sacrifice for sin, forgiven and cleansed, counted righteous by God himself in spite of all we've done wrong, filled with God's Holy Spirit, given every good and perfect gift for service to others - you'd think that developing a healthy, robust community would be a piece of cake!

Unsurprisingly, James says developing and living in healthy, robust, God-honoring and Christ-displaying community is hard work and is the outcome of living wisely. Godly wisdom begins with holy living and is most clearly expressed through getting along with others. Here are the clear signs of Godly wisdom:
* Being gentle and reasonable, not pushy and opinionated.
* Overflowing with mercy and blessings, not judgment and criticism.
* Being steady and dependable, not hot one day and cold the next.
* Not being two-faced, being the same in private as in public.
* Treating others with dignity and honor.
* Getting along with other people, not demanding my own way.

It is hard work! Godly wisdom is characterized by "getting along with others" and is demonstrated in how I relate to and behave toward other people.

Prayer:

Father, I ask you to make me wise with Godly wisdom. I see in your Word that Godly wisdom is characterized by holy living and getting along with others. Help me to become the person I've described above, to treat others with dignity and respect, make allowances for each person's uniqueness, and quickly take the initiative in forgiveness and reconciliation when offenses come. Help me carry through with the hard work of living wisely and well in healthy, robust community. Amen.

Copyright 2010 Resource Ministries International
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