As humans, we care about numbers. How many friends we have. How big our salary is. How many people watch this show. Or even how many people show up to our event.
God is not always like this. Great numbers of people coming to Christ for the first time is special to Him, yes. But so is just one. God will gladly orchestrate a situation for you to reach one person, even if it is inconvenient for you. Check out what Jesus said here:
““Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
Luke 15:4-7 NIV
Or the situation with the Woman at the Well:
“Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)”
John 4:1-8 NIV
Jesus was passing through & knew He had to stop there in order to reach this woman. I wonder if it was a bit inconvenient for Him & His disciples. But to reach that one woman mattered enough to Jesus to make His way there. When you read further in John 4, you will see that, because He took the time to reach her, she reached her town.
That is why the ONE matters to God. Because the ONE rarely remains just one.
What does that mean for us? It means that you can make a huge difference. You matter so much to God & to His kingdom. It means that when you are sent on a weird route or you are on a detour you didn’t expect – look out for one that you need to reach. Because God will orchestrate something just like that.
Out of 7 billion people in the world, God celebrates when one comes to Christ. Because each of His children matter to God.
I was sitting in church worshiping and a thought hit me…why do we, as born-again Christians, have such a hard time laying things down and living a life full of joy when we serve such a faithful and present God? I have seen so many people stay in their struggle to overcome things in the past for years and years – going to the alter crying, being prophesied over, reading the Bible, and all the other things that seem the right thing to do when we are walking with God. And yet, they still have this baggage tagging along.
Could it be that when we have struggled so long with something that it becomes a part of us? And when it becomes a part of us, we are afraid that, if we allow God to heal that part of us we no longer are who we have become to know as ourselves? Therefore, we find so much of our identity in the struggle – healing, even if subconsciously, is just too scary to accept?
If this is correct – then laying this issue fully down and giving it ALL over to God is a completely scary thing full of doubt and anxiety. As we face the fact that healing will bring so much change that we decide not to fully give God the authority to do what He needs to do. And then we remain sitting in our mess because that is easier than the change of healing – even though God is more than willing to give us what we need if we fully trust him.
Our identity was never for us to be hurt, broken or misused. We never were meant to remain sick, hurt, abused, or stuck. That is not who God is. We have seen, over and over, how God has redeemed those in the Old and New Testament – Jacob, Judah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, David, Bathsheba, Solomon, Peter, Paul – to name only a few who have seen the redemptive work of the Lord in their lives when they surrender all to Him.
So – what is it for you? What issue do you face that you need to lay down? Trauma, chronic sickness, your abusive past, shame from what you did in your past, drugs, alcohol, relationships that are not good for you…what is it that you are afraid to lay down? What struggle has become your identity?
Whatever it is, remember these things:
We are a new creature in Christ Jesus
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
We are called out of darkness and into light
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9
Christ lives inside of us
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
We are friends of Jesus
I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. John 15:15
We are God’s masterpiece
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10
We belong to God
But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1
God’s thoughts about us are precious
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them;
they outnumber the grains of sand! Psalm 139:17-18
We were knit together in our mother’s wombs
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:13-16
It’s time to start seeing our identity in Christ and not in the things that of this world. No matter what someone has said to you or how someone made you feel, how long you have been sick or what secret shame you hide – God loves you and wants to make you whole.
Go to Him and give over those things that you are holding onto. Let Him make you who He sees you to be!!
I’m not in any way an expert on life, but being around for a few decades does give you some insight. If nothing else, this was a fun writing exercise I wanted to share with everyone. Here are 32 things I’ve learned in 32 years:
I have learned a lot in 3 decades of life and yet there is still so much to learn. Life is complicated, messy and chaotic and it takes a life time to figure it out.
Forgive quickly – I used to be offended by every little thing that someone would do that hurt me, even a tiny bit, and then I realized that I was pretty a miserable person. Forgiveness and grace is a beautiful thing and it not only releases the one who offended it also releases you. Give it over to God and let Him deal with it.
Find at least 1 person (it is better if there is more) who is older and have endured things you haven’t – who can share their wisdom with you. Some call them spiritual parents, others call them mentors and then others just call them friends. Regardless of what you call them – make sure you do this – no matter what age, unless your 100 – then you’re good.
When God gives you a promise, believe him. He is faithful.
Let God fight your battles. His ways are better than our ways. It may take time, but your victory is imminent.
Worship and read the Bible daily. Spend time with God and let Him pour into you every day without exception – even if it is a simple scripture that you meditate on.
Find time for you – it’s important to take care of and pour into you. People need you and if you (the person who looks back when you look in the mirror) do not allow yourself to be refilled – you won’t be able to be there for those who rely on you. Make YOU a priority!
No one will be able to do everything right 24/7 – give yourself some grace and allow yourself to make a few mistakes here and there. Learning from our mistakes makes us better.
Make sure you let people know you love them and cherish them. Life is but a vapor and it can be over in an instant.
Live in the moment – laugh often – make room for simple joys.
Find some way to give back to people who cannot give back to you. That is one of the most fulfilling things in this life.
Never give up on people. You may need to take a step back and create space, but don’t count a person out. God has a plan for each and every person.
Your weight isn’t everything. Focus on being healthy and making better choices because everyone isn’t going to be a size 0.
Love with a fierceness and watch the people around you change for the good.
Speak the truth in love. Don’t water the truth down, but don’t slap a person with it either.
Life is crazy – learn to find humor in the rough areas.
No matter how old you are – find someone to pour your wisdom into.
Stop striving for perfection – that is an impossible task.
Be genuinely you with at least 3 people in your life so they can hold you accountable. And then make sure you hold them accountable in return.
Celebrate the small victories in life.
Dream big with God – don’t let anyone tell you that a God-dream cannot happen.
Asking for help isn’t weak, but shows great character when you say “I can’t do this alone”
Try to be humble even when it is hard. The world will tell you to push people out of the way, but the Kingdom of God runs on others serving others. Be a servant.
If you know you’ve done wrong – apologize. It won’t be that hard to do.
Appreciate those in your life who help you – at work, church, home, grocery store, mechanic – strangers, friends and family – know that they don’t have to do anything for you.
Put your words into actions – do what you say you are going to do & follow your own advice. (I’m smiling right now because I’m writing this long list that I now need to follow – ha!)
Don’t do something in the dark you wouldn’t want to be seen in the light. Live a life of integrity – it means you spend less time covering things up!
Don’t minimize yourself to please others. Be the person who God made you to be even if others don’t understand you. God will sustain you and take care of the critics.
Fly under the radar – surprising people is fun!
Enjoy the journey and the people that are on it with you.
Read more and watch TV less
Never, ever give up – no matter what. Every day brings new mercies…
Waiting is a hard thing to do. There are times we may wait for years before we see the things God has laid out for us. In this interim, we must deal with our surroundings in a way that it doesn’t detract from our future. In other words, we must not become stagnant, bitter and angry. How do we do that? We stay humble. The definition of being humble is “not proud; not thinking of (or showing) yourself as better than other people.” Humility is a subject that is talked about a lot in churches. It also is mentioned many times in the Bible – 3751 to be exact. I know that this subject has been spoken on a lot, but because it is so important and, dare I say, because it is one of the hardest things for us to master, let’s dig into it and find out how we can remain humble in a season of waiting.
Being bold is not just about waiting – it is about everything that we do. Thus, we must let it permeate every part of us- which includes how we treat others around us. Training oneself to put yourself last takes some conscious decisions. It is not easy. There are some key people in our lives that we need to deliberately be humble to. Some, it will be easy to put them first, but others, not so much. God does care about our feelings. He knows our heart (Psalm 139:1-4) and understands why, when we interact with some people, humility is not our first thought. He does not want us to hurt, but He wants us to live our lives for Him, thus loving others (1 John 3:16). In doing so, we will see His hand and know His victory (Deut. 20:4; 1 Peter 5:5).
The first in the group of people we must humble ourselves to is those who lead us. Whether you are someone who volunteers here and there at your church or someone who sits on the Pastoral staff, we all have leaders. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 says that we must show respect and wholehearted love to our leaders because of their work. We must show those who have to make the hard decisions honor. King David showed King Saul great respect despite the fact that David was the anointed King and Saul was not doing a good job ruling the kingdom. It didn’t matter – the man that was after God’s own heart knew that he needed to honor the man in power as long as he held that position (1 Sam. 24).
In turn, the next group of people who we must show honor and humility to are those who serve us in our ministries. Whether you are a top ministry leader or a lower tier leader in a church, you have people who work for your cause. In any of these cases, consider yourself blessed. Why? 1 Peter 5:2-4 talks about how we need to care for the flock that God entrusted to us – not to get anything out of it, but because we are serving others. In doing this, our reward will be great in Heaven. So we should be just like Jesus in John 13 and kneel before our people and be the example for those who are watching us. Thus, we are planting seeds and building other ministries with even minute acts of kindness.
The third group of people that every Christian should be humble to is those who look up to us in our journey. We all have a story and we all have a past. Anyone in ministry has a story that will reach someone. As you walk your journey, there will be people who look up to you – who admire where you have come from and want to see themselves in that stage of journey at some point in their own future. Philippians 2:3 states “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.” In the business of life, we forget that we need to make time for those around us. Remember to take time for those who may really need us in our lives.
Alongside the ones above, we now move onto the more unpleasant people in our lives. There are a group of people who, in our season of waiting, we will see get the chances that we so desire. Regardless of how upset this may make us, we must still be humble. If it is God who did this, then there is an opportunity in the future that He has planned that we cannot yet see (Prov. 3:5-, Jer. 29:11). If it is the evil one who is orchestrating this, then we need to get angry with him – for trying to hurt us and for using those in our lives to try to destroy us. To truly get back at him, celebrate those around us in their success. This way God wins!
Finally, we must be humble to those who try to purposely, even deviously take us out. This is the hardest type of humility by far. When we are waiting to be elevated, knowing that there is more to this life and then we encounter someone who is making this climb even so much harder. It Is our first instinct to try to do the same to them – take them out before they do us. We must remember that God is always faithful (Psalm 36:5) so we should trust that His plan will go forth regardless. It is our duty to not retaliate. Romans 12:17-19 says to never take revenge and never try to pay back evil with evil. We must live in honor and in peace. Let the Lord fight our battles. How bold do you say that is?
Being bold is not easy. There are many things on this journey that could trip us up, but there is one thing we all need to remember: “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” John 3:30.
Blessings.
This is a statue at my university, Dallas Baptist University. It captures Jesus washing a disciple’s feet.
Mr. Webster defines boldness as “not afraid of danger or difficult situations; very confident in a way that may seem rude or foolish.” Being bold in a world that is ever changing seems to be politically correct right now. We are told that You Only Live Once, so why not eat the 1,000 calorie cookie, date the bad boy, or party all night long? Well, what if, instead of being bold for the approval of others, we were bold for the approval of God. Is that as easy or as politically correct as living a life per the YOLO philosophy?
Can I share with you what I think the boldest thing we can do in our world today as a Christian? Is it the Christian that constantly promotes themselves on social media as “Apostle” or “Prophet” or posting pictures of themselves on the same social media describing how amazing they are when they are ministering? I personally believe that there is a place and a need for self-promotion in our world today, but most certainly do not believe that this is truly the boldest thing a Christian can do. No, the boldest thing a Christian can do is wait…wait for the Lord to do what He wants done in our lives. It is also one of the hardest things to do.
I am not speaking of waiting as a form of being passive or to “decide without trying to change anything” according to Mr. Webster. Waiting in the sense that you know there is a destiny for your life, you know that God has plans for you, but you are allowing Him to form those things in your life within the element of time. Praying, reading the Bible, serving in a ministry – knowing that this is not what you are destined to always do, but allowing God to get you ready. The people around you may call you foolish or in danger of not doing anything with your life, but you KNOW that there is more. There might even be a time when you feel like it will never happen, like if you wait another moment that your chance will slip through your hands, but you hear the Holy Spirit telling you to keep on waiting, that He has it all under control. This is the boldest thing I think we as Christians can do. It is also a sign of humility, showing God that we know He is greater than us or our will.
Let’s look at the life of Jesus Christ. Luke 3:23 states that Jesus began His ministry at the age of 30 – speaking from someone who is yet to turn 30 (I have 1.5 years left), that is a long time to wait to achieve your destiny. We all know that Jesus is the Son of God, who can do all things and, right this very moment, is sitting at the right hand of God. That is a far greater achievement that we can ever boast about. Why did He have to wait so long?
Let’s look at Luke 2:39-52. Jesus, the Messiah, at age 12, was found by his worried parents after 3 days of looking for him in the temple among the teachers – listening and asking questions. He in fact amazed those teachers by His answers and understanding. When He told His parents that He was going about His father’s business, they in fact, didn’t understand what He meant. Why? Because He was just 12 years old. Was the Christ capable of starting His 3 year teaching journey at that time? Yes, I do believe He was ready, but no one else was ready to hear Him – Jesus did not have credibility as such a young man. At that time and in that culture, manhood began at age 30. I also know that there is a vast difference between a 15 year old giving his life up and a 33 year old giving his life up. Jesus needed to wait that time, not for Him, but for those whom He was reaching. Maybe God is not asking us to wait for us, but asking us to wait for those who need us.
Trusting God is why we wait. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.” Don’t get caught up in this world and how fast things are going, thinking that you should be doing the same. Just remember that God has a perfect plan and He knows what He is doing. Follow Him and your life will be prosperous!
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