Discipleship

Holding On and Letting Go: Hold On To What Is Good
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Holding On and Letting Go: Hold On To What Is Good

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day five of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.

Here is day five and an important reminder to look for what is good in life and hold on to it.

Hold On To What Is Good

“Test everything. Hold on to the good.”
1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NIV)

Hold On To What Is Good

What do you see right now that is good in your life?  In the fog of chaos, how hard do you have to look in order to find something good?  Why?  How does finding the good that God wants you to cling to help you endure your current situation?  What good do you need to hold on to today in order to have hope for tomorrow?

Holding on to what is good can be extremely difficult when the chaos you are in creates such a darkness that seeing any good is nearly impossible.  Yet often times, it is in those very dark hours that even a small glimmer of goodness shines most brightly.  I’m not talking about some sort of Pollyanna “it’s all good” kind of mentality, but rather a trust in a God who is good.  While there may be moments and days when it doesn’t feel like it, God is good and loves His children with an unchanging love.  While it’s not necessarily true that “every cloud has a silver lining”, we know that good often has to be looked for in order to be found.  As you walk through the fog of disaster, take the time to look for good.  Look for it in the surroundings you face every day.  Look for it in the people that gather to help.  Look for it in those who God will bring alongside you to provide hope.  Look for it in yourself.  And most importantly, look for it in God.  When your world looks darkest, don’t let the darkness hide all the good that remains.  When you look for and hold on to the good that God desires for you, He will grow within you a hope in the midst of your current chaos.

As you pray, ask God to help you see beyond the difficulty to find the good that remains.  Pray that you would hold on to the good that you find in life and in people.  Pray for the courage to be the good that others can hold on to in their need.  Pray that you would find hope as you hold on to God’s goodness revealed in a variety of ways.

In prayer,
Tom  

Holding On and Letting Go: Let Go Of Anger
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Holding On and Letting Go: Let Go Of Anger

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day four of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.  The book itself is laid out with each day’s devotion alternating between something to hold on to and something to let go of in the midst of life’s chaos.  I’ll be posting a devotion from the book each day or you can find the book on Amazon.  For 5 days, March 13-17, the Kindle edition will be free and you can find it at the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGGBPQ9

Here is day four and an important reminder to check your anger and deal with it in a godly way.

Let Go Of Anger

“‘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.” 
(Ephesians 4:26-27)

Let Go Of Anger

Does the current chaos you are experiencing make you angry?  Should it?  How does anger influence the way you respond to both people and your situation?  Does anger typically cause a good or bad response?  Explain.  How will letting go of anger free you to see your situation more clearly?

Anger is a natural emotion and reaction, especially when faced with unexpected and unreasonable loss.  The problem with anger in the midst of chaos is that it tends to cloud the vision of both our mind and our eyes.  When the Bible says, “in your anger do not sin”, I believe the instruction is to acknowledge our anger and deal with it so that we can let it go before it infects our actions.  While there may be things, circumstances, and even people that you feel you have a right to be angry with, feeding the anger will only make it grow to the point that it adds to the problem.  Letting go of the anger allows us to address the chaos, and even address the cause of the chaos, from a healthy position of resolution rather than hatred.  When we learn to be angry at the right things, we find that we can allow God to use our anger as an internal motivation for us to make changes we need to make.  It is then that we are able to let go of that anger so that we can begin to see hope in the midst of our chaos.  Unresolved and/or unaddressed anger destroys hope and it is in the addressing and resolving of our anger that we find we can let the anger go and allow hope to grow.

As you pray, ask God to help you understand why you feel angry, and specifically who or what you feel angry toward.  Pray that you would not simply attempt to hide the anger, but address it in ways that allow you to let go of it.  Pray that you would know the hope that comes through letting go of anger after it has been dealt with.

In prayer,
Tom  

Holding On and Letting Go: Hold On To What You Have
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Holding On and Letting Go: Hold On To What You Have

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day three of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.  The book itself is laid out with each day’s devotion alternating between something to hold on to and something to let go of in the midst of life’s chaos.  I’ll be posting a devotion from the book each day or you can find the book on Amazon.  For 5 days, March 13-17, the Kindle edition will be free and you can find it at the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGGBPQ9

Here is day three and an important reminder to not forget the things you still have.

Hold On To What You Have

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
(Revelation 3:11)

Hold On To What You Have

What do you have?  How difficult is it to answer that question?  Why?  In your current situation, do you tend to think more about what you have lost or about what you still have?  Why?  I don’t know what you have lost in this current crisis.  Perhaps finances, health, trust, peace of mind, freedom of activity, or an entire list of other things may have disappeared in the midst of the chaos surrounding us.  Even if it seems you have lost everything, how focused are you at holding on to faith?

One of the most difficult things for many people to do in the midst of loss is to see what they haven’t lost.  Our mind gets so focused on the disaster we faced that we become blinded to the things we still have.  As we discussed earlier, one of those things should be the people God will bring into our life to provide help and comfort.  The old hymn that says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one”, may sound trite when recovering from a disaster, but taking inventory of what you do have really is a good practice at any time.  When we begin to count more than possessions, we often find much that is within our grasp to hold on to that should give us at least glimmers of hope.  For most of us, there seems to be something within our nature that longs to possess things that we can call our own.  Even the most open and sharing child seems to learn how to say “Mine!” all on their own.  So as you do inventory of both the tangible and intangible things that you still have, find hope as you hold on to the things you have and especially to the things that can never be taken from you.

As you pray, ask God to help you grieve what you have lost even as you identify what you still have.  Pray that you would find hope and comfort through holding on to relationships that continue in the midst of your chaos.  Pray that your time of inventory would help you discover important things that God would have you hold on to.  Pray for the courage to hold loosely even as you hold on to what you have.

In prayer,
Tom  

Holding On and Letting Go: Let Go of Things You Can’t Control
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Holding On and Letting Go: Let Go of Things You Can’t Control

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), here is day two of the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.  The book itself is laid out with each day’s devotion alternating between something to hold on to and something to let go of in the midst of life’s chaos.  I’ll be posting a devotion from the book each day or you can find the book on Amazon.  For 5 days, March 13-17, the Kindle edition will be free and you can find it at the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGGBPQ9

Here is day two and an important reminder to let go of the things you can’t control as you trust God to bring you to a place of peace and hope in the midst of chaos.

Let Go Of Things You Can’t Control

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?”
(Matthew 6:27)

Let Go Of Things You Can’t Control

What part of your current situation feels most beyond your control?  How much do you worry about things you can’t change?  Are there things in the midst of your current chaos that you do have some control over?  How much does the lack of control over some things keep you from taking control of what you can?

Facing a disaster of any kind often brings with it a bewildering feeling of having no control over anything that is going on.  The truth is, even in our most controlling moments, we have far less control than we would like to admit.  When faced with loss, it is important to identify specific things that we simply can’t control.  Some of those things may well be the disaster which brought about the loss, as well as the timetable for any recovery.  Letting go of control doesn’t mean that we give up, or that we don’t put any effort into doing what we can, rather it means that we learn to accept that our recovery will take place on a timetable that will likely change often and is very different than what we would want.  Letting go of the things we can’t control can be one of the early steps toward trusting God to bring hope in the midst of our chaos.  It is important to remember that just because we can’t control what is going on, it doesn’t mean that it is out of His control.  Often times identifying what we can’t control, and then letting go of it, frees us to take appropriate action in the areas that can make a difference in our recovery.  Letting go of what we can’t control helps to bring hope not only because it shows our trust of God, but it allows us concentrate on the things we can still do.

As you pray, ask God to help you let go of the things that you can’t control.  Pray that He would give you wisdom in distinguishing between that which is simply difficult and that which isn’t yours to take care of.  Pray that your trust of Him would grow as you learn to let go of control.

In prayer,
Tom  

Holding On and Letting Go: Hold On to One Another
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Holding On and Letting Go: Hold On to One Another

In light of the current “chaos” being caused by both the known and unknown facets of the Coronavirus, for the next nineteen days I will be sharing the daily devotions from the prayer-based devotional I wrote to be used within disaster relief situations.  I believe many of the same lessons we need to learn when dealing with recovery from a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can be helpful as we get through, and recover from, the current levels of chaos we are experiencing.  The book itself is laid out with each day’s devotion alternating between something to hold on to and something to let go of in the midst of life’s chaos.  I’ll be posting a devotion from the book each day or you can find the book on Amazon.  For the next 5 days, March 13-17, the Kindle edition will be free and you can find it at the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HGGBPQ9

Here is day one and an important reminder to hold on to one another as you look out for each other’s needs and share in their joys and sorrows.

Hold On To One Another

“And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.”
(2 Corinthians 1:7)

How alone does your current situation make you feel?  Why?  Are there others affected by the same thing you are currently going through?  Do you think they feel alone?  Why?  Are there people in similar circumstances who would benefit from your willingness to hold on to them?  Do you know people who have already been through what you are dealing with that you could hold on to?  Who?

In the midst of loss, it is God’s desire to bring seeds of comfort to you through people who have received the same comfort that you now need.  No matter the loss, it will generally feel amplified if you must face it alone.  Sometimes the loss is very personal and the enemy would want you to think no one will understand.  Other times the loss is one suffered by many others and the enemy will try to convince you that people have enough grief of their own to worry about.  Neither of those could be further from the truth.  Whether in our most private pain or a very public loss, God has helped to carry others through the very nature of what you are dealing with.  While it may be fun to “rejoice with those who rejoice”, it is just as necessary to “weep with those who weep”.  Holding on to one another won’t solve all the problems, or bring back what was lost, but when those we hold on to are holding on to God, we discover we truly are not alone.

As you pray today, ask God to help you find those who will be someone you can hold on to.  Pray that God would give you the strength needed so that you can be someone others will hold on to, even in your weakness.  Pray that you would find, and be, a community that holds on to one another.

 

In prayer,
Tom  

Finding CALM In the Midst of Chaos! (Sermon Audio)
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Finding CALM In the Midst of Chaos! (Sermon Audio)

 

This is the audio from the March 1, 2020 sermon, “Finding CALM In the Midst of Chaos”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.

Text: Mark 1:29-45

Life has a way of being chaotic and full of trouble . . . and that’s just on the good days!  As we finish out the first chapter of Mark, I find Jesus setting the example of finding calm in the midst of some very chaotic circumstances.  I don’t believe the chaos of life will every disappear from this earth, but our response to it will greatly influence our effectiveness in sharing the good news of Christ with others during their chaos.

So, let’s take a look at what it takes to find CALM in the midst of chaos:

  • Find Compassion:
    • Mark 1:29-31, 40-41 — Our human nature is often quick to pass judgment when we see chaos in the lives of people . . . especially when that chaos spills over into our life.  Whether in the chaos of a family dealing with illness or an individual living as an outcast, Jesus found compassion for people.  As you read the gospels, it seems that the most common reaction of Jesus to crowds, the sick, the unstable, the lonely, the confused the harassed, the lost, the outcast, and nearly anyone else in the midst of chaos was to be filled with compassion for them.  Finding, and living with, compassion for people will go a long ways toward filling you with calm in the midst of chaos.
  • Find Authority: 
    • Mark 1:33-34 — Sometimes we exasperate the existing chaos by thinking it is ours to resolve or fix.  Jesus could find calm in the midst of chaos because He knew that all authority belonged to His Father was His to use on earth as the Father’s representative.  Jesus could approach every chaotic situation knowing the forces behind the chaos would never be greater than the authority of His Father.  While Jesus was indeed more than a simple representative — He was God’s own Son — our pursuit of calm in the midst of chaos gains momentum when we acknowledge and live under the authority of God over us and over that which causes the chaos. 
  • Find Lessons:
    • Mark 1:38-39 — God has a way of using everything for our good and sometimes we will not find the calm we seek until we look for, and discover, the lessons we need to learn.  There is plenty of trouble in this world and sometimes it can be a challenge to discover whether the current lesson is one in perseverance or in moving on.  Even as Jesus remained calm in the midst of chaos and helped to resolve the problems faced by those who would come to Him, one lesson He taught was that popularity wasn’t as important as obedience.  When an entire town is looking for Him because He has healed their sick and cast out demons, His message to His disciples is that it is time to move on.  Understanding the lessons to be learned through the chaos is best accomplished when we realize the next point is probably the primary key in finding the calm we seek.
  • Find Moments:
    • Mark 1:35, 45 — Trouble and chaos will always be with us which makes the practice of finding moments with God one of the most critically important things we can do.  As Jesus dealt on a daily basis with the chaos of this world, He would often seek out the lonely and solitary places to spend time with His Father.  It is the moments we spend with God in prayer and His Word that transforms our hearts into the compassionate heart that He desires.  It is those same moments that bring us into a willing submission and obedience to His authority.  It is only in having consistent time with God that we can discern the lessons we ought to be learning and how He would have us respond to the chaos.  In fact, the moments we spend with God ought to be of both a continual nature and a deliberate nature.  Every breath of our day ought to be taken with an awareness of God’s presence yet we still need times of deliberately drawing ourselves away from the distractions of life to just spend whatever moments we can enjoying the loving presence of our Father.

Finding CALM in the midst of the chaos of life will always take effort, but in Christ it is always possible! 

It is my prayer that you pursue God in such a way that learn from Him the Compassion, Authority, Lessons, and Moments that will help you to be calm in the midst of chaos.

In prayer,
Tom

A SIMPLE Witness! (Sermon Audio)
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A SIMPLE Witness! (Sermon Audio)

 

This is the audio from the February 23, 2020 sermon, “A SIMPLE Witness”, shared by Tom Lemler at the Three Oaks Church of Christ.

Text: Acts 1:8

When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, His final instructions to His followers was that they were to be His witnesses where they were and everywhere they would go.  I believe that command is not just for those who were present that day, but to all of us who live as children of God.  Since we have a tendency to complicate things and even act as if being a witness is the job of ministry professionals and missionaries, I used the word “SIMPLE” to outline how each of us ought to live as witnesses for Christ.  The simplicity is more in the ability to understand rather than in the actual doing as most of these character traits require effort on our part and the work of God’s Spirit in us to accomplish them with effectiveness.

So, let’s take a look at what it takes to be a SIMPLE witness:

  • A Serving Witness:
    • 1 Peter 4:10, Mark 10:45 — In a world where people fight their way to the top so that others will serve them, our witness for Christ shines brightly when we learn to serve like Jesus.  Jesus made it clear that His purpose on earth was to serve mankind in a way that brought salvation to all who would accept it.  His teaching calls each of us to serve one another just as He humbled Himself and became a servant to all.
  • An Including Witness: 
    • James 2:1, Romans 15:7 — If you’ve begun to make a list of who you will serve, you can go ahead and stop doing that.  To be a witness for Jesus will require us to include everyone without partiality or favoritism when it comes to our willingness to accept and serve.  Our acceptance of one another is not based on anyone’s goodness, other than the goodness of God, just as His acceptance of us is based solely on our choosing to be in Christ. 
  • A Motivated Witness:
    • Hebrews 10:24, John 9:4 — One of the greatest tools of distraction when it comes to being a witness for Christ is the consistent lies of the enemy that it isn’t that important and now isn’t a good time.  Most of us need a good “spur” appropriately placed in our life to motivate us to do what we ought.  While we like to think “there is always tomorrow”, Jesus makes it clear that a time is coming when our opportunities to do His work will come to an end.
  • A Praying Witness:
    • Philemon 1:6, Daniel 6:5 — Being a witness for Christ is most effective when we live in communication with our Father.  Our prayer life helps us to be prepared to share with others about all Christ has done in transforming us more and more into His likeness.  When our communication with God is a natural part of our growing relationship with Him, prayer isn’t something we do to be noticed but a vibrant prayer life will often cause God to be noticed in us.
  • A Loving Witness:
    • Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-28 — All of our efforts to be a witness for Christ will generally fall on deaf ears if we haven’t chosen to love people like Jesus does.  When Jesus taught the need to love our enemies and pray for those who mistreat us, He tells us that doing so is an attribute of being a child of our Father in heaven.  Loving people the Jesus way doesn’t mean we agree, like, or even accept everything they do but it does mean we want and work for that which is best for them.
  • An Encouraging Witness:
    • Hebrews 3:13, Philippians 1:14 — If you haven’t noticed, we live in a time that can be very discouraging.  The statistics for hopelessness, despair, depression, and such emptiness can be quite alarming.  I find it fascinating that the instruction to encourage one another is given with the stipulation that we do so “as long as it is called Today.”  Since we are not able to live in the past or the future, it is always today!  Not only is it always the right time for encouragement, it is always right to encourage others no matter who they are.

Being a witness for Jesus may not be all that simple, but we can be more effective by learning to be a SIMPLE witness! 

It is my prayer that you would learn and practice the acts of being a Serving, Including, Motivated, Praying, Loving, and Encouraging witness as you live for Christ out loud for all the world to see and hear.

In prayer,
Tom

Learning to FISH! (Sermon Audio)
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Learning to FISH! (Sermon Audio)

 

This is the audio from the February 2, 2020 sermon, “Learning to FISH”, shared by Tom Lemler at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.

Text: Mark 1:14-28

When Jesus began to call His disciples to Himself, He called them to leave what they were accustomed to and become “fishers of men”.  In our life as a Christ-follower, we also are called to be “fishers of men”.  Here are some lessons we would do well to understand as we seek to learn to FISH.

Learning to fish includes learning to:

  • Follow:
    • Mark 1:16-18, John 10:4-5 — Many of us have great difficulty in following because we want to be the leader.  Christ ought to be the supreme example that we follow in all things.  The way we follow Jesus should help others to see the great value in being His disciple.  Our effectiveness in fishing for men will follow our consistency in following Jesus in all things.
  • Include: 
    • Mark 1:19-20, Romans 15:7 — When we learn to follow, we find that the following isn’t just for us.  As Jesus called the disciples to Himself, He added to the number with the expectation that those called first would include those called later.  This was not just true with the twelve, but it also was the expectation in the early church as it reached beyond all racial, economic, geographic, and any other barriers that existed.  Our effectiveness in fishing for men hinges on our ability and willingness to include all who Jesus would call to Himself regardless of how similar or different they are from us. 
  • Surrender:
    • Mark 1:22-26, Luke 14:31-33 — Related to following and including is our need to fully surrender.  As Jesus called the early disciples to Himself, they were soon exposed to the authority of Jesus even over evil spirits.  Being a disciple of Jesus isn’t something that takes place on our terms.  Jesus makes it clear that peace with God requires every one of us to surrender to Him unconditionally.  Our effectiveness in fishing for men will require us to not just talk and teach about surrender, but we must actually do it so that others can see it being done.
  • Hear:
    • Mark 1:27-28, Matthew 7:24-25 — Being a disciple that brings others into a discipleship relationship with Jesus involves a great need to hear.  When Jesus called the twelve to Himself and taught them and the crowds, there were many who would listen to His words but few who would actually hear what He was saying.  Those that did hear were amazed at His teaching which was nothing like the teachers they were accustomed to.  The proof of hearing is found in our willingness to put into practice the things Jesus taught.  Our effectiveness in fishing for men will be directly related to our willingness to hear in a way that changes everything we do.

We will grow in being the disciple Jesus calls us to be when we learn to FISH! 

It is my prayer that you not only learn to Follow, Include, Surrender, and Hear, but in doing so you would become an effective “fisher of men”.

In prayer,
Tom