Author: Tom

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A God That Is MORE: Part 2 — Observable

“I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.  Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”  Acts 17:22b-23

This article is part two of a four-part series based on a sermon I preached at the Deer Run Church of Christ.  As Paul arrives in Athens, he finds himself in the midst of people that he describes as “very religious”.  They are constantly worshipping a variety of objects and gods.  In the practice of their worship, they set up an idol to an “UNKNOWN GOD” — perhaps so that they would not inadvertently ignore a god who could become angry with them.  It is within this context that Paul presents the case for “A God That Is MORE”!

What do you worship?  I know, the “church answer” for Christians is, “Of course, I worship God!”  But really . . . look beyond the proper answer and consider the things and/or people in your life that you give honor to . . . perhaps sometimes more honor than you give to God.  I live in a culture that surrounds me with many objects of worship — each calling out in its own way for me to give it my time, energy, treasure, emotion, and worship.  My guess is that you live in a culture much like that as well. 

So, what makes God MORE than all the other objects of worship calling out for you and I to come bow down to them?  Paul continues his explanation with the fact that God is Observable:  “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’  As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’  Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone–an image made by man’s design and skill.”  Acts 17:27-29

Paul writes to the Romans that since the time of creation God’s invisible qualities have been seen through that which He made.  Paul says that God is not observable as an image or as an object made by man, rather by marks of His workmanship. 

I enjoy watching the Antiques Roadshow once in a while and I find it fascinating that the experts can look at an item and state with great certainty who made it.  It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a painting, a piece of furniture, glassware, china, pottery, or whatever, there always seems to be some distinguishing characteristic that helps them identify the maker — sometimes it is put there deliberately and other times it is just the way something is made.

What about you and I?  The Bible tells us that we are God’s workmanship — His handiwork.  We have been “knit together” by God in our mother’s womb and then as Christians, God has made us a “new creation”.  Since God is observable through that which He has made, how visible is He in you?  God says that we are to live our life in such a way that our light shines and people would see our good works — not for our benefit or credit but so they would glorify our Father in heaven.

God is more than all other objects of potential worship because His divine power and invisible nature are observable through that which He has made.  I pray that you and I live in such a way that He is clearly seen in the work He has done in us.

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1 Samuel: Lesson 1 — Not All Is As It Seems

The following are discussion questions from a weekly study I am leading through the book of 1 Samuel.  We meet each Wednesday evening at the Deer Run Church of Christ.

 

Here Comes A King:
A Study of the Book of 1 Samuel

Lesson 1 (Not All Is As It Seems)
1 Samuel 1:1-20

The Text:

  1. Who are Peninnah and Hannah?  What do we learn about them in the opening verses of chapter 1?  How does God describe their relationship?
     
  2. Who is Elkanah?  What does he and his family have a practice of doing each year?  How does he treat Hannah?
     
  3. What does Hannah do while in Shiloh to worship?  What is her attitude or emotional state?  What is the vow she makes?
     
  4. Who is watching Hannah?  What is his occupation?  What did that mean he should be doing?  What does he assume when he confronts her? 
     
  5. How does Hannah respond to the accusations?  What is Eli’s response?  What effect does this have on Hannah?  What becomes the result of Hannah’s prayer? 

The Application:

  1. What are some things that people would say indicate God’s blessing if present or lack of blessing if absent?  Are these accurate?  How do you treat people who lack, and want, what you have?
     
  2. How important is worship to you even when living in the midst of conflict?  What are some effective ways to encourage someone who feels left out or “unblessed”?
       
  3. How hard/easy is it to pray when it feels like the world, and God, is against you?  What things have you vowed/promised to God?  Have you meant them?
     
  4. What is one role God says you have as a Christian?  What does that mean you should be doing?  How often do you find yourself making assumptions about a person or situation rather than interacting as God would have you?
     
  5. How confident are you in God’s promises?  What effect should this have on you?  What things do you need to pour out through tears in bitter, earnest prayer?

Next week: 1 Samuel 1:21-2:11
Returning The Gift

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A God That Is MORE: Part 1 — Maker

“I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.  Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.”  Acts 17:22b-23

This article begins a four-part series based on a sermon I preached at the Deer Run Church of Christ.  As Paul arrives in Athens, he finds himself in the midst of people that he describes as “very religious”.  They are constantly worshipping a variety of objects and gods.  In the practice of their worship, they set up an idol to an “UNKNOWN GOD” — perhaps so that they would not inadvertently ignore a god who could become angry with them.  It is within this context that Paul presents the case for “A God That Is MORE”!

What do you worship?  I know, the “church answer” for Christians is, “Of course, I worship God!”  But really . . . look beyond the proper answer and consider the things and/or people in your life that you give honor to . . . perhaps sometimes more honor than you give to God.  I live in a culture that surrounds me with many objects of worship — each calling out in its own way for me to give it my time, energy, treasure, emotion, and worship.  My guess is that you live in a culture much like that as well. 

So, what makes God MORE than all the other objects of worship calling out for you and I to come bow down to them?  Paul begins his explanation with the fact that God is Maker:  “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.”  Acts 17:24-25

God is set apart above all things because He is the maker of all things!  As a believer in the Biblical account of creation, it is easy to regard God as the creator of the heavens and earth and everything in it.  It is in the day-to-day living that it sometimes gets hard to remember that God is not only the maker of the world, He is the maker of me! 

As maker, God pays attention to the details.  This isn’t some assembly line manufacturing process, this is God knitting us together.  It is us being “God’s handiwork”.   God is MORE because He is Maker . . . a craftsman who has designed, supplied, and made us in His image.  A Maker who through His Spirit and the power of His Son can restore us to that image regardless of what we have done to His creation.  A Maker who understands what makes us tick because He has put that “ticker” within us.  A Maker who deserves our worship as He gives “life and breath and everything else”.

I pray that as you consider A God That Is MORE, that your worship of Him increases as you acknowledge Him as Maker of heaven and earth . . . and as Maker of you!

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Caution: Objects In Life May Not Be What They Appear

You’ve seen the warning on the side mirror of  your car, right?  You know the one, “Caution: Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear”. 

Have you ever observed a specific situation and you just knew what was going on?  Have you watched a person’s actions and were confident of their motives and judged them according to what you saw?  And then when the truth came out you realized just how wrong you were?  Perhaps we need a similar “mirror warning” in constant view as we live life.  I think it would read something like this, “Caution:  Objects in life may not be what they appear”. 

I’m not sure anyone is immune to this, or above needing this reminder.  As a matter of fact, these thoughts come from the preparation I am doing for a lesson series through 1 Samuel this fall.  Listen to what took place and the presumption that followed:  “As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth.  Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard.  Eli thought she was drunk  and said to her, ‘How long will you keep on getting drunk?  Get rid of your wine.'” (1 Samuel 1:12-14)

Ouch!  Unfortunately, Eli has plenty of modern-day companions.  How often have you and I observed what takes place on the surface of lives around us and jumped to conclusions that were just as wrong as Eli’s judgment of Hannah?  The pain, the distress, the activity in another person’s life may not always be what it appears to be.  You know that is true in your life, why is it so hard to remember it is true in others as well? 

How can we avoid the surface judgments?  I don’t think there is an easy to do answer but James gives us great insight to this as he writes in James 1:19, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”   This simple statement is so profound but so very hard to remember to do at all times!  Listening with our eyes and ears and heart through the filter of the Holy Spirit will go a long way in keeping us from making judgments based on outward appearances. 

In God’s great sense of humor and/or irony, over in chapter 16 of 1 Samuel God has to remind Samuel (remember that Samuel was the answer to the prayers that Hannah was praying),  “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”   Our reaction is often to pass judgment based on what we see but God is calling us to look beyond what we can see and really notice what He sees.

I pray that I become a better listener — a godly listener — before I am tempted to jump to conclusions that are far from accurate.  I pray that you and I recognize that our need for grace and understanding in regard to our actions is the same need that others have from us.

May God grant us ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to understand the work He is doing in our life and in the lives of those around us!

 

 

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Happy Birth Day!

“Buy the truth and do not sell it;
     get wisdom, discipline and understanding. 
The father of a righteous man has great joy;
     he who has a wise son delights in him. 
May your father and mother be glad;
     may she who gave you birth rejoice!”  (Proverbs 23:23-25)

Another day is gone and this one also marked the completion, or beginning ;), of another year in my life.  God has given me many friends and acquaintances who have kept my Facebook page filled with birthday wishes.

I don’t think I’ve ever had so many people wishing me a happy birthday as I’ve had this year!  I appreciate greatly each thought and sentiment expressed.  For me, birthdays are typically just another day.  I don’t keep track of them so I end up having to do the math just to figure out how old I am whenever someone asks.

God knew how much I needed the many wishes for a happy birthday and He used them to encourage me and to make me think about some interesting questions.  What makes a happy birthday?   How do I recognize one?  Who should be happy because of my birthday?  How widespread is happiness, or joy, because of my life?  Do people bless or curse the day I was born?  Do I bless or curse the day I was born?

As I thought about these and other questions, I thought about people like Job.  His suffering made him wish he had never been born.  Yet within the affliction he endured, and the constant questioning of “why?”, he refused to lash out at God and curse Him for the condition he found himself in.  I think Job eventually realized the truth of what God says through Isaiah, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9)

I believe Job discovered that his birth, his life, wasn’t all about him.  When we look at life, and even our birth, as being all about us, our world becomes a very small place.  God calls us to consider His ways and His thoughts which are much higher than our own.  He not only clearly sees our current situation, he sees why we are here and where we are headed just as clearly! 

God’s concern isn’t so much for my happiness as it is for my faithfulness!  The question isn’t, “Am I getting everything I want or desire?” but rather, “Am I investing what God has given me into others so that my life bears much fruit?”!  It was these questions that led me to verses like the ones at the top of this post.  These verses give characteristics that when lived out give others cause to rejoice and be happy at the day of my birth!   Truthfulness, wisdom, discipline, understanding, and righteousness bring joy and delight — not only to the father and mother of such a person, but to the people around you as you grow in these qualities.

Do I, do you, want a happy birthday that is a true reflection of the joy that God has brought to others through us?  Then let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith so that He can fill us with truth, wisdom, discipline, understanding, and His righteousness through the power of His Spirit. 

May this anniversary of the day of my birth truly be happy for me as well as for each of you that God has connected my life with!

Praying that when your day arrives, not only is it a happy birthday but that many others are happy and rejoice that you have a birth day!

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Back Again . . . Maybe

It has been a while since I have done any writing . . . and even longer since I have written on this particular blog.  My plan is to return to writing on a regular basis — whatever that might mean. 😉

As I thought about this return, I had to consider why it had been so long.  Has God not been teaching me important lessons?  Have I not been listening?  Did I miss the value in what I have learned?  Have I missed the importance of writing down the insights gained no matter what size they appear to me?  Is there no more treasure in this jar of clay worth sharing?

While each of these questions may have some element of truth to them in regard to my not writing, I think the cause is much simpler and more pervasive in its attempt to draw me away from that which is good and right.  A lifestyle of busyness and distraction has been the primary culprit in keeping me from recording and sharing the lessons I have been learning.

It has been nearly 3 years since I have written on this blog and 4 months since I have written elsewhere.  I know that in that time span there are lessons I have forgotten because I did not write them down.  Lessons that I need to be reminded of.  Lessons that others may have benefitted from if I had bothered to share.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.  Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” (1 Timothy 4:13-14)  As I consider the gift of preaching and teaching, of writing and communicating, that God has given me, I want to be careful that I don’t neglect this gift.  I want to use it for the good and benefit of others that they would grow in their relationship with God through His son, Jesus Christ.

So, my encouragement for you is the same admonition God is placing on my heart — discover and use the gift(s) God has given you!  Do not neglect your gift but use it to invest in others to the glory of God!  Encourage others by using your gift.  Encourage others, including me, to use their gift — reminding them gently if they begin to let the busyness and distractions of life sidetrack them.  God has given us the “one anothers” in our life for both our benefit and theirs!  

Praying that we live our life in such a way that people would see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven!

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On The Move

As I look back on 2008, it truly was an exciting year!  God gave me incredible opportunities to share His love with people all over the U.S. as I travelled and taught on pursuing a passionate relationship with God.

As the year progressed, God brought about a ministry change that has me serving with Michiana Christian Service Camp as their Advancement Manager.  This is a wonderful opportunity that God has been preparing me in advance to do.  Michiana Christian Service Camp is a great ministry focused on its purpose of “preparing people for eternity”.

In keeping with this change of ministry, I have copied my writings from impactprayer.wordpress.com to a new WordPress address, tomlemler.wordpress.com.  The title and look of the new site will be the same as this, and hopefully I will soon return to writing.

You may want to change your bookmark to the new address, tomlemler.wordpress.com, if you would like to keep up with what I write.

Thank you so much to all of you who have been regular readers.  Your visiting of the blog site has been an encouragement to me.

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Southern Gospel Concert

Mitchel Jon  

Mitchel Jon

In Concert

Saturday, December 13, 2008

7:00 PM

Deer Run Church of Christ
2730 S Ironwood Dr
South Bend IN 46614

Free Admission

An offering will be taken to benefit the ministry of Michiana Christian Service Camp.

If you are in the South Bend, Indiana area and enjoy good Southern Gospel music, then this concert is for you.  Not only will this be a great night of music and fellowship, but it will also be an opportunity to support the ministry of Michiana Christian Service Camp.