Whose Fool? – Part 2

Continuing Michael's message from the last post: Jesus said in Luke 14:8-10, when you go to a feast, take the seat in the back. If they want you up front, they'll call you. True men and women of God are people of a humble and a contrite heart. They know from experience what Jesus said in John 15:5, "apart from me you can do nothing."

A missionary felt God's call to minister in Africa. The mission was grueling and he ran out of support. When he left the mission field to return back to the United States, President Teddy Roosevelt was on the ship returning from a hunting trip. When they returned to the dock, bands were there to welcome the president home. The missionary prayed, "Lord, I'm returning home but no one's here to greet me." That's when God told the missionary, "You're not home yet." Heaven is your home.

Many churches in America are struggling to get by and make ends meet. The world looks at pastors and thinks that they are insignificant and don't matter. However, to follow Jesus Christ means to "let go and let God." He is the source of our sufficiency  and we are significant to Him. Our calling is to love the unlovable and to forgive the unforgivable. Paul said to the Corinthians, God has chosen the weak, dishonorable, and foolish of this world to confound the power, honor, and wisdom of this world ... for the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.  

The book "In His Steps" by Charles M. Sheldon is the true story of the pastor who started a movement by challenging his congregation to ask, "What would Jesus do?" This question (WWJD) spread worldwide. We must die to the secular world's godless sense of fairness and justice. Jesus said in Matthew chapter five, "Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake...  for great is your reward in heaven." 

Others are looking at you, not to see how you handle success, but how you handle adversity. As men and women of God, our security is not in the things of this materialistic world. Our security is in Him alone. Our identity is not in our jobs, our wives, our worldly credentials, our creature comforts or our accomplishments. Our identity is in that which cannot be taken away. For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep which he's committed to me against that day of righteous judgment. Our identity as a Christian Man or Woman of God is in Jesus Christ. It's not in “who we are”, but in “who He is”. Our identity is not “who we are”, but “whose we are”. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Unworthy was I of the grace that He gave, unworthy to hold to his hand. But He made me worthy and now by His grace, His mercy has made me his own. We're worthy because He made us worthy. We were bought with a price. We're valuable because of the priceless payment Jesus paid as a ransom for the sin nature that we inherited from Adam and every sin we commit in our lifetime. 

May God richly bless you!

Your brother in Christ, Michael