What Does God Love?

What Does God Love?

What does God love and take delight in? What brings joy to his heart? The scriptures reveal several things that God specifically loves and takes delight in. Each of these things is a reflection of his character, who he is. God takes delight in himself. He loves who he is because he is the perfection of everything good. Tonight I want to look at specific things that he loves and delights in so that we can put them into practice in our lives. As in any relationship you want to do the things that please the other person. God has specific things mentioned in the scripture that bring him pleasure.

God loves to be loved.

Pro_8:17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

This chapter in Proverbs is talking about wisdom but it is specifically making reference to God who created the heavens and the earth by his wisdom.

God loves those who love him. He wants love to be reciprocal, he wants our love, our affection. Just as we are the object of his love, he wants to be the object of our love. He wants us to seek after him. No one in a relationship with the opposite sex does not want to be sought out. When we truly love someone there is a longing for them and we intentionally and diligently seek them. Our love for God is measured in the actions that come from that love. To be loved is one of man’s greatest needs and this desire to be loved comes from God himself. It is not that God needs our love because he has perfect love within the Trinity yet because we are created in his image and likeness we have the capacity to love him. If we choose to love him it will be demonstrated by our actions. The love that most people know is not the same love that God has for us. Fallen man loves with a selfish love which in the Greek is Eros. Eros love is a sensual love, a love that seeks its own satisfaction. This is the love of fallen mankind and it is only when we come to know Christ and receive him as our Lord and Savior that we can begin to experience and live out the love of God, the agape love.

Bob Mumford in his book, “The Agape Road” has compared the differences between Eros and Agape love.

“The essential meaning of Eros is the desire or intention to possess, acquire, or control. Eros does not seek to be accepted by its object but to gain possession of it. Eros has an appetite or yearning desire that is aroused by attractive qualities of its object. Eros, in Greek philosophy, came to mean that which is loved for the purpose of personal satisfaction. It is from this posture that the word Eros took on its sexual and ultimately pornographic connotation. The word is not primarily sexual, but has more to do with living for my own personal advantage…It can be recognized because it is self-referential… self-centered, but it becomes self-consuming, turning increasingly inward upon itself in a tighter and tighter spiral…The Greek symbol for Eros is actually a serpent consuming its own tail.” When Eros love is operating in our lives even as believers we live to get things from God and do what we know we should do in order to receive his blessings. We are not motivated by true love but selfish love.

“The word agape has to do with the nature of God. 1 John 4:8 says, “God is [agape]”. He is the source of love and when we are united with him in Christ we are able to give this love to him and to others. We can also love ourselves because we possess the love that God has for himself.

“Love, biblically understood is a longing and intention toward another person, object, or experience. God’s agape creates a longing and intention toward Himself-He is the One who retains the initiative.”

Agape love is described most clearly in 1 Corinthians 13.

1Co 13:4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

1Co 13:5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

1Co 13:6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

1Co 13:7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1Co 13:8 Love never ends.

Have you ever evaluated your love for God based on these verses? We often use these verses to test our love for another person but have we thought about loving God this way?

• Are we patient with God or do we demand that he act now to do something about our situation?
• Do we take credit for things that we do instead of give the glory and honor to God who has enabled us to do it?
• Do we think we can do quite well on our own and really don’t need God’s help and don’t seek his advice?
• Do we demand God do things our way instead of asking Him what He wants us to do?
• Do we get mad at God when things seem to go against us and we feel that God has let us down?
• Do we love truth and have God’s hatred for evil?
• Do we carry our burdens with gratefulness or spitefulness?
• Do we speak in faith, believing in the goodness of God and his faithfulness to fulfill his promises to provide for our needs?
• Do we express hope in every situation or do we doubt that God is really at work?
• Do we stay strong in our love for God during the hard times or do we retreat or give up?

God desires that we love him in the same way that he loves us. The more we allow Christ to dwell in us and live his life through us the more capacity we will have to truly love God in the way he wants us to love him. Our love for God should always be growing and always be a source of joy and delight to God.

God is unified in his character. He is not more one thing than he is another. He is just as much a God of love as he is a God of wrath. We have to view God is his entirety and not just focus on the character traits that appeal to us the most because that will give us a distorted view of God. One of the traits about God that he loves is his justice.

God loves justice.

Isa_61:8 For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

God’s justice is based on his righteousness and his moral law. He is the standard of what is right and we have his Word which explains his righteousness and the moral laws he has given to us that reflect his character. As you study the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy you become acquainted with God’s standards that cover many areas of conduct. God’s justice is revealed through the laws he established for Israel that would set the nation apart from the other nations. Since we are created in his image and likeness we have within us a desire for justice. If our conscience has not been defiled completely, we cringe when we hear of injustices that are happening. Justice is served when the guilty are convicted and given the proper punishment for the crime. When the guilty go free or when the guilty do not receive a just punishment, we have a righteous indignation that rises within us. The moral code God has placed within us demands that justice be given for the victim and the offender. Statistics in Guatemala indicate that 98% of crimes go unpunished so there is little incentive for the criminals to not commit the crimes when they know they will get away with it. Because of this people take justice into their own hands.

God hates all evil and can never be accused of doing anything wrong.

Job 34:10 "Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

Hab 1:13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?

All sin no matter how small it may seem is an abomination to God because it is completely opposite of his character. He does not close his eyes toward evil and injustice. He will take revenge one day and he will repay those who have committed acts of injustice and not repented.

He loves honesty.

Pro_11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight.

Abomination 8441 something that is vile, shameful, detested.

God established a standard weight, “the shekel of the tabernacle” that was used to measure the weight of the items that the people were required to give. The people knew exactly what was expected of them and when they fulfilled it they brought joy to God’s heart. When they cheated and did not give what was expected of them they were considered robbers, robbing God of what was rightfully his. The book of Malachi exposed the greed of the people who gave God less than the best he demanded.

They brought animals that were blind, lame and sick to be offered as sacrifices. Mal 1:7,8

They brought was taken by violence not of their own free will. Mal 1.13

They made vows to bring the best offering but instead brought offerings that were blemished. Mal 1.14

They robbed him of the tithes not giving the full tithe which was used to support the Levites and the sacrifices offered to God. Mal. 3.8

In doing these things they made a mockery of God and did not honor Him for who he is and their offerings were rejected and cursed.

God delights when people are honest, don’t cheat in business transactions, and give what God demands and deserves.

In his justice he will render judgments on those who have violated his laws.

Mal 3:5 "Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

Mal 3:6 "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.

Pro_12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.

We bring delight to God when we speak the truth and live out the truth in our lives.

In the story “Les Miserables” Jean Valijean was sentenced to prison for stealing bread. He escaped and established a new identity after he was given a second chance by a priest who had mercy on him and did not have him arrested for stealing from him. Jean was later confronted with a situation in which he was told that a man named Jean Valijean had been captured and was going to be tried as a criminal who escaped prison. He knew that this man was not the man they thought he was. He was faced with the decision of letting this man take his punishment or revealing his true identity so the man would not be unjustly accused and sent to prison. He went to the place of the trial and when it appeared that the court would convict the man, he came forward and revealed that he was the man they were looking for.

Video clip http://youtu.be/A25-dJt7O-0

Psa_51:6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

This Psalm was David’s confession of his guilt and cover up for his sins after he was confronted by Nathan the prophet. Life for David was not easy after he tried to hide his sin, he was miserable until he came to admit his sin. He realized that God delighted in truth and that the lie he was living needed to be confessed and forgiven. God wants us to come clean from any secret sin. When we admit the truth, he takes delight because we will be set free through our confession and his forgiveness. We need to be brutally honest and truthful with God and not hide anything from Him. Our secret sins will destroy our lives.

God takes pleasure in those who fear him.

Psa 147:11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

To fear the Lord is to reverence him for who he is. It is to be in awe of Him not to be afraid of him.

Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” Until we understand who God is and develop a reverential fear of Him, we cannot have true wisdom. True wisdom comes only from understanding who God is and that He is holy, just, and righteous.

When we have the fear of God we also have a hatred for evil.

Pro_8:13 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Pro_16:6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.

A biblical fear of God, for the believer, includes understanding how much God hates sin and fearing His judgment on sin—even in the life of a believer. Hebrews 12:5-11 describes God’s discipline of the believer. While it is done in love (Hebrews 12:6), it is still a fearful thing. As children, the fear of discipline from our parents no doubt prevented some evil actions. The same should be true in our relationship with God. We should fear His discipline, and therefore seek to live our lives in such a way that pleases Him.

Deu_28:63 And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you

This verse may be hard for many to accept but we must always remember that God is unified. If he was not just, he could not punish sin or evil. If he were not loving, he would not love justice and thereby hate evil. God would only delight in bringing ruin if he loved justice. His justice is both punitive judgment and restorative justice. He punishes with the hope that it will bring restoration to a broken relationship.

God takes delight in prospering us

Deu_30:9 The LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers,

God will prosper the work that we do. It is not that God will just dump blessing on you but rather that he blesses the work of our hands. When we take responsibility and do our best, God prospers our lives. He wants the earth to be filled with the knowledge of his glory so he blesses the womb and the possessions that we have to be able to provide for us so we can mulitiply. We are the people who have the knowledge of his glory and in blessing us and sending us out into the world we spread his glory to the nations.

God desires to bless us in order that we will be a blessing to the nations. God takes delight in prospering us because it enable us to fulfill his purposes as we use the blessings God has given us to advance his Kingdom on earth.

Psa_16:3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.

We bring joy and delight to the Lord. We are the apple of his eye, the focus of his attention and the desire of his heart. He loves us and longs for us. He wants to be united to us and to shower his love upon us. He has adopted us into his family and called us his sons and daughters.

1Jn 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

God absolutely loves his children, we are his delight and he delights in our well being, in prospering us.

I pray tonight that each one of us will live in a way that will delight God. We so often live for ourselves and think about what we want or need God to do for us. But if we live our lives in a way that delights God he will take care of all of our needs because of his great love for each one of us. When we love the things God loves we bring delight to him because we are living with the values that reflect his true character.

Entrustment and Expectation

All of us have been made aware of the tragic shipwreck of the Costa Concordia.

The Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia[p 1] partially sank on the night of 13 January 2012 after hitting a reef off the Italian coast and running aground at Isola del Giglio,[p 2] Tuscany, requiring the evacuation of the 4,252 people on board. Twenty-five people are known to be dead;[3] 64 others were injured[5] (at least two seriously)[6] and 7 are missing.[3] Two passengers and a crewmember trapped inside were rescued in the days after the incident.[5][7]

Captain Francesco Schettino[p 3] had deviated from the ship's computer-programmed route to treat people on Giglio Island to the spectacle of a close sail-past or near-shore salute.

Ship's officers at first told passengers that the problem was a reparable "electrical fault" and told inquiring maritime officials that the event was merely a "black out". The captain delayed preparations to abandon ship, and the ship developed a list, both which factors hindered eventual evacuation attempts. Soon after grounding, the ship listed more extremely, trapping people inside. Meanwhile, the captain left the ship during the evacuation and did not reboard despite orders by maritime officials. After the event, Schettino was arrested on preliminary charges of multiple manslaughter in connection with causing a shipwreck, failing to assist 300 passengers, and failing to be the last to leave the wreck.[8] He was later additionally charged with failing to describe to maritime authorities the scope of the disaster[9], a matter for which 7 other officers and managers of Costa Cruises are under investigation, and with abandoning incapacitated passengers[10]. Source: Wikipedia

Captain Schettino was entrusted with the lives of 4, 252 people and the expectation of every one of them was that he would use his abilities to navigate the ship safely to every port on the journey. Sadly and tragically he failed and lives have been lost.

Entrustment and expectation are part of our lives as believers and tonight I want to look at a couple of teachings of Jesus regarding these two things.

Jesus taught 2 parables that emphasized entrustment and expectation. The first one is found in Matthew 25:13-30

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying,'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.'

But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Three slaves were entrusted with the property of the master. Each was given as much as they could handle or they had the ability to handle. The amount of money given was huge. A talent was the equivalent of 6000 denarii. A denarii was a day’s wage. Do the math: 6000/365=16.4 years of wages. If the median income in the USA is about $50,000 this would mean that the slave who was given the least amount of money was given the equivalent of $821,917; 2 talents=$1,643,834 and 5 talents = $4,109,585. No small sums of money by any measure. Each of the slaves was entrusted with a lot of money based on their ability as determined by the master.

The master had no expectations laid out to the slaves other than he trusted them to do whatever they wanted with the money and use it wisely. The money was given to them to develop their abilities more than anything else. The Master could have placed financial goals for each of them but he let them determine what they would do.

The response of the three slaves is interesting. The one who had 5 talents “went off at once” and doubled his money by trading. He was highly motivated and wasted no time using the money to make more money. He found opportunities to put his talent to use and profited. He recognized the opportunity that was before him and took advantage of it. He took the risk of trading his talents in order to gain more. He was prepared for the challenge and when the opportunity was presented he went for it and was rewarded.

The second slave with 2 talents doubled his amount as well over the course of time. I believe the first 2 slaves had a desire to please the master by using the talents to gain more while the third slave did not want to disappoint the master by losing the money given to him. The slave who was given the least went off and dug a hole, to hide the money because he feared losing it and if he did would experience the wrath of the master. This slave was unwilling to take a risk or make a change. He wanted everything to be just as it was and the best way to accomplish this was to bury the money in a secure place.

If you are a sports fan you know that a team can play with the attitude of playing to win or with the attitude of playing to not lose. One is willing to take risks and pour themselves into the game to score more points while the other is simply trying to maintain what they have and keep the other team from scoring.

Like these 3 slaves we have been entrusted with many things in life that are given to us from the Lord. Virtually everything we have is given to us by the grace of God. God thinks highly of us enough to entrust us with the work of his Kingdom using the talents he has given us. We are free to do whatever we want with the things God has entrusted to us but there is an expectation that we will use them wisely and profitably. God gives us freedom in how we will use our gifts but the expectation is that we will use them profitably for the work of his Kingdom and the glory of God. In using these talents we are developing our ability to be entrusted with even greater responsibility and privileges in the Kingdom.

Some of you know what your abilities are and others are still learning what they have been given by the Lord. These abilities open doors of opportunity for us to be used of God. The master knew the capabilities and the abilities of each of the slaves and gave them responsibility accordingly. God knows what we are capable of doing and often he challenges us by presenting opportunities that we may not feel that we are fully prepared to meet. We must always remember that we are partnering with God and with God all things are possible. We can dream big things when we know who is working with us. When the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers it was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that dreams and visions would be given to us. Dream with God and allow him to prepare you for the work he has for you. When preparation meets opportunity there is the possibility of ministry. Ministry happens only when we act upon the opportunity. But as we move forward to use the talents we have, God helps us grow in these abilities to be able to be successful in our work and mission.

The perception of the master was different from each other. The first 2 had a different image of the master while the third had a distorted image that influenced how he would respond. Perhaps the first 2 knew that the master would reward them because he was a trusting and generous man. The third slave saw his master as a thief, one who takes away from others.

Our perception of God has a tremendous influence on what we are willing to do and the motivation we have for doing it. If we serve God based on an accurate understanding of his character and nature and truly out of love for him, we will desire to be a blessing to his kingdom we will look for opportunities and take risks to serve his purposes. If we have a warped view of God being a thief or unjust we will most likely stay hidden from him, fearing he will punish us if we step out of line. We will play it safe or not play at all.

When we realize what we have been given and the truth about the nature of God, our next decision is what we will do with the knowledge, gifts and abilities God has entrusted to us. The first two slaves responded with ambition and desire to please the master. The third slave was called “slothful” by his master. The word “slothful” means “shrinking, irksome”, he was drawing back, retreating and avoiding what he should have done. Irksome means annoying , irritating. He took the easy way out, was unwilling to take a risk, unwilling to take a step of faith to use what he had been given. He could have done great things with the money and made his master proud but because he was lazy he did nothing. What a tragedy to live your life in fear, misperception and in laziness. I read an article entitled “5 Core Values of a Church in Decline” in which the author listed the number one value is laziness. The author stated, “Most people of churches are not “stuck” in decline because they do not know or understand what the Lord wants them to do. God speaks very clearly in his Word and through his Spirit-it’s just that God’s work always requires people to take a step of faith.”

Everyone here has taken a step of faith to be here. There were a lot of unknowns but you came to be used of God, offering your gifts and abilities and developing new abilities. You have taken a step of faith and have seen God provide for you as you have taken advantage of opportunities that are presented to you. What you have learned can serve as an inspiration to many in the church who are fearful, have a warped view of God, and perhaps are lazy. We have to be the ones who serve as the catalyst to spur others to do good works. Some need to be encouraged regarding the abilities they have. Some need training to be able to use their gifts. Some need to see the opportunities that are available to them. And some may need someone to help push them into the ministry. Sometimes the best thing that can happen to us is the removal of our security with the absence of someone who we have depended on to do the task.

A couple of years ago I arranged to go to India with an evangelist. He had planned to be in Chennia for 3 days doing ministry and then we would move on to the site where the 5 night gospel and healing crusade would be held. I thought I would just be helping him in whatever way I could and I planned to visit the YWAM base in Chennai. On the day of my departure from Guatemala I was waiting at the coffee house for my shuttle when I received a phone call from the evangelist. He remembered that I was leaving that day and called to tell me he had broken his hip playing racquetball and needed an operation and would not be able to go to India. He asked if I could change my ticket to go at another time and I said I would look into it. He then said if he could find someone to go with me he would not cancel the crusades he had set up. He was able to get someone to go with me who had gone with him several times so the crusades were back on. He had arranged the meetings in Chennai and told me that he would cancel them which was fine with me as it would give me more time to be at the YWAM base and see their ministry. When I arrived in Chennai I received a phone call from the pastor who served as the director of the ministry and made all the arrangements for the evangelist. He informed me that the 3 special meeting the evangelist was going to do at a church of 40,000 people were not going to be cancelled and that I would be doing them! One of the meetings was a seminar on evangelism, another meeting was preaching at the church service on Sunday and the final was a healing service on Monday night. I was okay with the first 2 meetings but the healing service was something I had never done before. I watched the evangelist and the other minister do it but had never done it myself. It was new turf for me and God was entrusting a ministry to me that I did not feel very capable or qualified to do. I felt a little pushed into the opportunity but it all worked out and God came through and healed many people as I stepped out in faith to do what was presented to me. It was an amazing experience and I am grateful for the preparation I had and the opportunity that was presented to me.

The other aspect of this parable that should be an encouragement to each of us was the rewards they received. The master commended the first two servants. 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'

The slave with the most money was rewarded and commended by the master when he returned after a long time. He was given more responsibility because he had done well and proved his trustworthiness. The second slave was also commended and rewarded with greater responsibility. It is interesting that the master viewed the amount of money he entrusted to them as “a little”. I don’t know about you but both amounts of money are more than I have ever been responsible for. Yet in the master’s perception it was only a small amount of money compared to the wealth he must have had. Because he had such great wealth he was able to give them more to be responsible for managing.

The third slave was chastised and called wicked and slothful because he did not act according to his understanding even though it was misguided. His perception of his master was not accurate but even if it was he should have at least but it in the bank to earn interest and keep the principal safe. His money was taken away and given to the one with 10 talents and he was banished to the outer darkness.

The master was pleased with the work of the servants and commended them for it. I want these words to be said of the work I do for the Lord to please him. The servants were given greater responsibilities by the master because they had proven themselves to be faithful and trustworthy. As we fulfill the ministries God has given us, God will give us greater responsibilities. He is a rewarder of those who are faithful, trustworthy and use their talents and abilities.

The second parable Jesus taught about entrustment and expectation is found in Luke 12:42-48

And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

The master left and entrusted the servant with these responsibilities of running his household and providing food for the workers at the right time. The expectation of the master was that the servant would be faithful to do what was expected of him. When he returned and found the servant faithful and trustworthy to carry out the responsibilities he would reward him by giving him greater responsibilities.

When the master did not return quickly the servant decided to take advantage of his power and position and use it to beat the servants rather than care for them. He lost his focus in his ministry and spent his time partying. The servant misused his authority for his own pleasure which was quite perverted. This continues to happen today in ministries in which people in positions of authority think they deserve special treatment or think they can violate God’s standards and expectations. Recently a pastor in Florida was found dead in a hotel in NYC from a drug overdose. He had a church of 4000 people and had been divorced by his wife while he was in the ministry because of a relationship he had ongoing with a stripper. It was a tragic end to a life that had been used by God to help many people.

There are all kinds of temptations for those who are in ministry. It seems as though the enemy targets people in ministry to pull them down and bring discredit to the ministry. He uses the lie that you are special, you can get away with things because God understands your needs and pressures and that you can use your status and power to control and manipulate people for your own satisfaction. Many are tempted with money thinking that they have to present an image of success which is equated to possession in order to prove they are blessed by God for what they are doing. Money is used for personal gain and all too often there is a display of extravagance by people in leadership positions.

The servant lost sight of his focus and purpose and focused on his own selfish desires. This is another ploy of the enemy to put ourselves above others and seek to meet our needs at the expense of others. We have to be focused on ministering unto the Lord first and then ministering to the needs of people in a way that honors the Lord and honors the people we are serving.

The servant in this parable was only accountable to his master and since he was not around, he took advantage of it to do things he would not have done in the presence of the master. Who were are when authorities are absent or when we are in private or what we do when no one else is watching is the real test of our character. We have to guard ourselves from ourselves by using self-control and establishing high standards along with accountability. We cannot make any provision for the flesh to rise up and be satisfied. We cannot put ourselves into situations that lend themselves to compromise and sin. Many in ministry have fallen into sin because they did not keep their guard and were sucked into temptation and evil.

The master returned unexpectantly and found out what the servant was doing. For us as believers God is always present, he sees all and knows the thoughts and motivations of our hearts. We are not getting away with anything, we will reap what we sow. We are called to live lives of holiness and purity before the Lord. In all that we do our primary goal is to bring glory to God by representing him for who he is.

Jesus ended the parable by saying, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

The more the Lord entrusts to us the more he expects from us. He is worthy of our best efforts, our best use of our gifts and talents for his Kingdom. God gave us his best, how can we do any less?

We will all give an account for our lives on judgment day when our works will be judged for their quality. God has entrusted us with the work of the ministry and his expectation is that we will give our best efforts to use our gifts for his glory. Someone once said, “Your abilities are God’s gifts to you. How you use them is your gift to God.”

Intimacy and Ministry

The birth of a vision or ministry flows out of an intimate relationship with God. Moses spent a great amount of time with God on Mt. Sinai. Three different times he spent 40 days with God and during this time he was given instructions on the laws the Israelites would need to follow to be his people. Moses was also given the task of building the tabernacle in the wilderness. While he was spending time on Mt. Sinai with God, he was given very detailed instruction on everything that was needed for its construction. Detailed measurements, types of material and how they were to be used were revealed to Moses.

When it came time to build the tabernacle Moses did not need to do too much to receive everything that was needed to build it. The people gave with willing hearts, hearts that were stirred; spirits that were moved to provide all that was needed. Not only did they give of their resources several of the men and women used their talents to make the fabrics needed for the coverings as well as make the objects needed for the tabernacle. Many of the materials were given to them by the Egyptians prior to there departure. They freely gave of their time, talent and treasures to invest in the work of the tabernacle.

Exo 35:21-27 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the LORD. And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them. Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the LORD's contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair. And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the LORD had commanded by Moses to be done, brought it as a freewill offering to the LORD.

God has a vision and ministry for each one of us. He has a place for each one of us to serve. As we spend time with God he speaks to us about the focus and ministry he has for our lives. God uses many different ways to present an opportunity or need that will stir a desire for ministry. We may see a need or we read about it or we hear a report or perhaps we have a dream or vision from God and something is stirred in our heart to respond. Sometimes everything is laid out pretty clearly for us and other times there is an unveiling as we move forward in faith to do the next thing God shows us to do.

I believe that this is how the work of God’s kingdom should be done. It begins with spending time with God, seeking him in prayer, developing an intimate relationship with him. As we develop our relationship with him, he can entrust ministries to us. He stirs our hearts to respond to a need that must be met or ministry that he wants us to pursue. This is a pattern we see in the lives of many people who God has called into ministry. They are presented with a need, their hearts are stirred by it and they freely give of their time, treasure and talent to meet that need and God raises up others who will share in the vision through their participation. Moses did not have the ability or resources to build the tabernacle by himself; he needed the help of others to make it happen. Moses responded in obedience to what he needed to do and God was faithful to raise up the support he needed to complete the task. It became a community project and all whose hearts were stirred became a part of it.

David had a very intimate relationship with God. He loved the Lord and wanted to build a temple to replace the tabernacle Moses had constructed. His heart was stirred to build a temple even though he knew that God did not need it. Though he was told he would not be the builder of it, God allowed him to make the designs and gather the materials that would be needed as well as the skilled laborers who would do the work from all of the contacts he had developed during his years ruling as King. When Solomon built the temple the people gave freely and generously of the materials that were needed. It too became a community project.

Nehemiah was stirred in his heart to do something about the shame of the people in Jerusalem and the condition of walls of Jerusalem that had been destroyed by the Babylonians. When he heard the report from Hanani he was stirred or moved in his spirit to do something. He sought God in prayer for forgiveness for his people who had rebelled and brought the disaster upon themselves and he prayed for guidance from God as to how he should respond to the need.

Neh 1:1-11 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire." As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, "O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, 'If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.' They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." Now I was cupbearer to the king.

All that we do has to be bathed in prayer. It is easy for us to see a need and want to immediately do something without going to the Lord to seek his wisdom on what he wants to do and how he wants us to do it. At times our zeal to do something causes us to act before we ask God for wisdom. We use our limited knowledge and experience to try to carry out the work and we fail. In Nehemiah’s situation he waited and prayed before he presented his need to the King. Seeking God in prayer is not an easy thing for most people. We tend to rely on our own wisdom or the wisdom of someone else instead of seeking God for his way of doing things. We always must remember that we are doing His work and not our work. Hudson Taylor said, “God’s work, done in God’s way will have God’s provision.”

In YWAM’s history, Loren Cunnigham the founder of the organization told of how he totally missed God and spent millions of dollars purchasing a ship that he thought would be a great addition to YWAM only to discover that God was not in the purchase and he was acting presumptuously. He had to humble himself before the Lord and repent of his lack of seeking God. The ship sounded like a great idea but it was not what God wanted for YWAM at that time. We have to be careful to seek the Lord in prayer and be willing to lay down our ideas when we find out that they are not God’s ideas. Loren admitted that he had become prideful and made the decision with wrong motivations.

When it is God’s idea he has birthed in your heart, he will be faithful to direct your steps as you seek him in prayer. Nehemiah sought God and was given the strategy how to rebuild the walls and unify the people. Step by step he carried out God’s plan and even though he encountered opposition along the way, God gave him success.

He needed permission from the King to leave his job to fulfill the desire of his heart. Neh. 2:5

He needed safe passage. Neh. 2:7

He needed building materials. Neh. 2:8

He needed workers who would dedicate themselves to the task. Neh. 2:17, 18

He needed wisdom to know how to handle opposition. Neh. 4:1-5

He needed protection while working. Neh. 4:14-23

Nehemiah built the wall in 52 days. God gave him success.

God is always faithful to do his part; he wants us to be successful in carrying out his work. He guides each of us as we submit ourselves to prayer and to seeking his face.

Each of you if you has or will have a testimony of how God called you, directed you and provided for you if you are willing to seek him in prayer and respond in faith and obedience to what he asks you to do.

John Lake (1870-1935) was a very successful businessman who left his business to pursue full-time ministry. God called him through a vision in 1908 to go to South Africa.

He had no contacts in South Africa and had no money to take his family of seven there. Yet he knew that God had clearly spoken through a vision for him to go and he knew that God would be his provider.

Lake invited a friend and his family to go with him and they had no money either. They prayed about the money and the Lord spoke to Lake’s friend and said they had the money to go. Within a few days they received $2000 in the mail and they had all the money they needed to buy their train and ship fare to get to S. Africa.

On the train ride to get to the port, they met a lady who needed to buy a ticket to get on another train. They took the lady to buy her ticket even though they had no money. While in line a man responding in obedience to the Lord, came up and gave him $10 and this was just what the lady needed to buy her ticket.

While on the boat they had very little money to spend and had only $.25 when they arrived in England. They had to wait a couple of days to transfer to a different boat that would take them to S. Africa and they needed to do their laundry but they did not have enough money to do it. They decided to send their clothing in to be washed and trusted the Lord to provide for the payment. After a couple of days they needed to pick up their laundry but they still had no money to pay for the service. Lake went on a walk and prayed about the need and while walking a man came up to him and gave him enough money to pay for his laundry and have a little extra.

When they got to S. Africa, the immigration office told him he needed $125 to be able to enter the country. Lake got in line to see the immigration officer even though he had no money. A man who was behind him in line asked if he could talk with him in private so they stepped out of line. The man gave him $200 out of obedience to God speaking to him.

Lake still had no contacts once they passed through immigration. They saw a lady from America standing outside of immigration. His friend Tom was in front of him and the lady walked up to him and asked him how many were in his family, he replied 4 and she said you are not the one I am supposed to meet. She proceeded to talk to Dr. Lake and asked the same question. He replied 9 and she said you are the one. God spoke to her the night before that she was to go to immigration where she would meet a missionary family of 9 from America and give them a home to stay in while in S. Africa.

Talk about a faith builder not only for Lake and the other family but also for the people who God strategically put in their pathway who responded in obedience to meet needs that some did not even know existed. They gave willingly and generously to a person they did not even know. John Lake went on to have a tremendous ministry in S. Africa but without the help of the people who gave in obedience to the Lord it may not have happened or may have been delayed.

Loren Cunningham has many testimonies of God’s miraculous provision for the needs of the ministry. One of the most profound was how God responded to a crisis situation at the base in Kona, Hawaii. Loren was not part of the problem but when the debt amounted to several million dollars he was consulted for wisdom to know what should be done. Loren sought the Lord in prayer and while praying felt led of God to call a businessman who had been a great supporter of YWAM. As Loren was walking to the phone to call the man, the phone rang and it was the person Loren was going to call. The man told Loren that the Lord had spoke to him that he needed to call him and find out what he needed. Loren told him of the need for several million dollars to resolve the crisis situation and after a short pause the man said he would send the money.

God never has a financial crisis; he has storehouses at his disposal to meet our needs. Prayer is our first and greatest responsibility to fulfill the vision God has placed in our hearts. Our lives have to be marked by prayer, seeking God in all of our decisions and for all of the needs that are presented as we step out in faith to carry out the vision.

Men and women who have accomplished great things for God have been people of prayer. Andrew Murray in his book on prayer stated “prayerlessness is sin.” All too often we substitute busyness for prayer. We think we can accomplish more by spending less time in prayer. We rise in the morning and get to work often forgetting to spend time in prayer about what we are going to be doing during the day. Jesus set the example of the need for prayer when he rose early to go to a private place to spend time in prayer.

Mark 1:35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

I don’t think this was a one time event for Jesus but it was a regular part of his life. He separated himself from all the distractions and demands of people to be able to spend time with God and find out what God wanted him to do. Ministry is birthed and sustained out of intimacy and prayer.

God delights in spending time with us in prayer. He wants us to seek him, to ask of him, to give him no rest.

Is. 62:6-7 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.

James 4:2,3 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Francis Chan has a great example of a desire that his wife had to be able to give generously to help others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCb1xL6-dfg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Luke 11:9-10 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

When God stirs our hearts to respond to a vision, calling, a need we must always bring this before him in prayer. He wants to guide us and provide for us but he wants us to seek him first in prayer. Prayer has to be the engine that drives the rest of the train. Prayerlessness is powerlessness.

As we commit ourselves to prayer and to seeking God, he will supply the resources that we need to fulfill his vision. He will stir the hearts of people to give and join in the ministry he has given you. He knows exactly what you need and he will be faithful to supply it.

God wants to challenge each of us to enter into a more intimate relationship with him. He is calling us to step up our prayer life, to make it all that it can be. It takes work, dedication, prioritizing your time but the bottom line is that there is more to be gained through prayer than we could ever accomplish without it. God is all about relationship and it is through prayer that our relationship with him is developed. Our level of spirituality can really be measured on the time we spend as well as how we spend time with him in prayer. Our works have to be bathed in prayer in order for it to truly be effective. We are not ministry machines that pump out programs. God is more concerned about our relationship with him than any work we may be doing no matter how important it may seem.

Don’t let the cares of life, the distractions that are always present and the demands of others keep you from developing your relationship with God. He longs for us and desires to entrust us with ministry that can glorify his name. Do whatever you need to do to make time for prayer and intimacy with God each day.

God will make a way...

God is at work in each of our lives to perform the miraculous. He delights in those things that seem impossible to our human reasoning. Our God is greater than anyone, any power in heaven or on earth. He rules over his creation and does as he pleases. (Psalms 115:3)

3 Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.

If God’s greatest desire is to receive glory and if only redeemed people can bring glory to his name then we can be assured that he will make a way for the gospel message to be proclaimed in all the earth. (Is. 49:3)

3 And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

God is at work in each of our lives to provide opportunities to share his message. He leads us by his Holy Spirit to people and places that we will be his witnesses. If we believe that this is his greatest desire then we can walk by faith knowing that he will use us to fulfill the desire of his heart. His heart is to reach the world with the message of salvation which is the message of his intense love for humanity and his desire to reconcile man to himself.

Last night we showed, “the Cross and the Switchblade” at the homeless center in Antigua. It is an older movie but the message is as powerful today as when it was released. David Wilkerson was led of the Holy Spirit to reach out to the gangs in NYC. He was unrelenting in his pursuit to reach Nicky Cruz the leader of the Mau Mau gang. He constantly shared the message of God’s love for him. Though Nicky resisted this message and even tried to have David murdered, David never quit declaring the message of God’s love. God made a way for David to reach out to Nicky and David persisted and pursued him. Eventually Nicky could not resist the love of God and he surrendered his life to him. We serve a God who pursues people, he continues to reach out to them and he uses you and I to be the instruments to be his expression of love through the gospel message we proclaim and through the works he gives us to do to demonstrate his love. At the end of the movie we had 3 men come forward to receive Christ. The other men who did not come forward are still the object of God’s love. He will continue to pursue them until one day they give into his love and surrender their lives to him or go to their grave having rejected him.

Romans 5:8 ⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

God’s love for fallen humanity has not changed and it never will.

One day his wrath will be poured out upon those who have constantly rejected his love but we are living in a time of grace in which God is withholding his judgment and wrath against sin. We do not know how much longer this period of his grace will be extended and we have to take advantage of this time to share his message.

God will make a way for the message to be declared and at times it will require us to go through difficult situations and face tremendous opposition. There is a demonically inspired hatred for Christ and the gospel message. The demonic forces are constantly at work to stop the gospel from being proclaimed. They know the power of the message, they tremble at the name of Jesus. They know their fate and their goal is to take as many captives as they can. The opposition that we face should confirm to us how important this message is and how urgently we need to announce it. Paul understood opposition; he faced it almost all of the time. But he knew that its source was in the heavenly realm and not in flesh and blood. Principalities and powers in the heavenly realm were the real opposition. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

I find it interesting that we do not see the same hatred and persecution toward Christianity as we do toward other religions. Why isn’t Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism or Shintoism as opposed as Christianity? I think we all recognize that satan has captivated millions to false religions and he has no need to stir up hatred against them as he has them where he wants them. They are carrying out his plan to deceive the world.

Yet in spite of the hatred and opposition God makes a way for people to hear the message. I was listening to a message of a lady who was a missionary to a remote village in Zambia, Africa. She told of one of the men, Joel, who received Christ and felt called to preach the gospel to a community in Mozambique. He left the missionaries he was working with and was gone for 3 months. The community he went to resisted the message and the local witch doctor was angry and stirred up the people against him. They placed him in a dungeon, like a hole in the ground. There was one hatch they opened and once a day gave him a bowl of slop to eat. The dungeon was full of rats and they ate his flesh. They chained him to the floor to keep him from escaping. The chains caused infection in his legs. He had no idea of time because there was no light. He began to sing and pray and shout the name Jesus so his jailers could hear. He believed that God would set him free. One day a stranger came, opened the hatch and pulled him out of the dungeon. He handed him a beautiful suit and gave him a train ticket to go back to Rhodesia to the missionaries. He instructed him to go back to his missionaries because there were many people there who wanted to hear the gospel message and were ready to receive Christ. The man reached down to touch the sores on the back of his legs form the chains and he suddenly realized the chains were gone and when he looked up the man was gone. He returned and preached the gospel and many souls were saved. God knows the hearts of people and I believe he will guide us to places where people are ready to receive. It does not mean that he bypasses those who resist and oppose because he wants them to have the opportunity to hear the message. They will be held accountable for their decisions and will be without excuse. When one door closes God will open another. This is the testimony we see in the life of Paul who was chased out of several cities by the opposition, yet God opened a new door of opportunity to preach the gospel. God will lead us and when it is time to leave he will direct our steps. Some will die as martyrs for Christ but their blood and testimony will cry out to the people and be a witness to them. Their lives will be given for the gospel, not taken by the enemy.

Throughout the Bible we read of testimonies how God has worked in the hearts of people who were in opposition to him and his people. Those in positions of authority can be touched by God to bring about a change of heart and plans.

Proverbs 21.1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

When we read the story of Esther (Esther 6:1-10) we see this scripture become a reality when the King Ahasuerus was unable to sleep and decided to read a history book perhaps that would put him to sleep. I know some nights when I am having a hard time getting back to sleep I listen to a podcast of a preacher who puts me to sleep pretty fast. Actually he is very good, just has a monotone voice that puts me to sleep. After reading about Mordecai’s heroic effort to save the King he wanted to reward him and as a result it led to the salvation of the Jews from Haman’s demonic desire to destroy them.

God can make a way when there seems to be no way. He delights in the impossible and we can be assured that he is working on our behalf to open doors for us to get his message to the lost. We can have faith that God will go before us and he will be with us when we step out in obedience to his calling.

Ron Carlson headed a ministry organization that shared the gospel message and taught believers in many countries that were closed to the gospel. I personally knew him as I taught both of his sons when I worked in a Christian school in Minnesota. Ron was a man of faith and went to China and other countries where you could not meet in public to teach the believers and train pastors. Ron died of a heart attack recently at the age of 60 but his books and testimonies of God’s intervention in his life still speak today. Ron was one of the few people who were given permission to go to Cuba to minister to pastors and preach the gospel. I want to play a video of his testimony of how God made a way for him to get a book he had written into the hands of the 250 pastors who he would be ministering to on his trip. http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-tube/video.php?videoid=4448

God is working with us to open doors that seem closed. His love for people compels him to respond in supernatural ways to get his message to them. When we walk in obedience to God’s call we can expect him to be working in advance preparing the way, giving us favor to be able to accomplish his plans. It does not matter how difficult the situation may seem, God is greater.

What impossible situation are you facing tonight? What do you need God to do for you tonight? Are there people who are opposing you? Do you need him to move on the hearts of people to open a door for you? Are you challenged financially? Are you seeking direction and guidance and you really need to hear from God?

Romans 8: 31-32 assures us of God’s desire to stand with us and provide whatever we need.

31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?

We can go forward in boldness and great expectation that God's favor will go before us and he will make a way for us to accomplish the desires of his heart to reach lost humanity. If God is for us who can stand against us?