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| home :: archive :: 26.05.05 |
26 may 2005
THE CAUSE OF FAILURE OR SUCCESSMk.9:25-29When Jesus saw that the crowd was running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit. "Spirit of dumbness and deafness," he said, "I order you, come out of him, and don't go into him again." When it had cried and violently convulsed him it came out, and he became like a dead man, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand, and raised him up, and he stood up. When he had gone into the house, and when they were by themselves, his disciples asked him, "Why were we not able to cast it out?" "This kind," he said to them, "cannot come out except by prayer." Jesus must have taken father and son aside. But the crowd, hearing their cries, came running up, and Jesus acted. There was one last struggle, a struggle to complete exhaustion, and the boy was cured. When they were by themselves the disciples asked the cause of their failure. Why do we fail???They were no doubt remembering that Jesus had sent them out to preach and heal and cast out devils (Mk.3:14-15).Why, then, had they this time so signally failed? Jesus answered quite simply that this kind of cure demanded prayer. In effect he said to them, "You don't live close enough to God." They had been equipped with power, but it needed prayer to maintain it. There is a deep lesson here. God may have given us a gift, but unless we maintain close contact with him it may wither and die. That is true of any gift. God may give a man great natural gifts as a preacher. But unless he maintains contact with God, he may in the end become only a man of words and not a man of power. God may give a man a gift of music or of song. But unless he maintains contact with God, he may become a mere professional. The person who uses his gift only for gain, becomes bored with it. That is not to say a man should not use a gift for gain. He has a right to capitalize any talent. But it does mean that, even when he is so using it, he should be finding joy in it because he is also using it for God. Unless we maintain this contact with God we lose two things however great our gift may be.
We lose that living power, that something plus which makes for greatness. The thing becomes a performance instead of an offering to God. What should be an important, living body becomes a beautiful corpse. 2. We lose the meekness of humility. What should be used for God's glory we begin to use for our own. What should have been used to set God before men is used to set ourselves before them. The disciples had been equipped with power direct from Jesus. But they had not nurtured power with prayer, and power had vanished. Whatever gifts God has given us, we lose them when we use them for ourselves. We keep them when we enrich them by continual contact with the God who gave them. FAILURE REVEALS IT SELF WHEN YOU DO NOT THE TRUTH.Jas.5:19-20My brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth and if anyone turns him again to the right way. Let him know that he who has turned a sinner from his wandering way will save his brother's soul from death and will hide a multitude of his own sins. In this passage there is set down the great distinctive characteristic of Christian truth. It is something from which a man can drift away from. It is not only intellectual, thoughtful and theoretical; it is always moral truth. This comes out very clearly when we go to the New Testament and look at the expressions which are used in connection with truth: People perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie. And so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. You are capable doing what is right. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us our ministry and so we never give up. We do not try to trick people into believing- We are not interested in fooling anyone. We never try to get anyone to believe that the Bible teaches what it doesn't. All such shameful methods we avoid. We stand in the presence of God as we speak and so we tell the truth, as all who know us will agree. We are no longer to be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe. Every time someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times-
Doing what is truth, Living truly- Under His direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. Each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Let us stop just saying we love people; let us really love them, and show we speak the truth by our actions. Then we will know for sure the truth, by our actions, that we are on God's side. Then our consciences will be clear, even when we stand before the Lord. Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Jesus by taking from what is Jesus' and making it known to you. Jn.3:21, "he who does truth, is seen in that truth."
Truth is not only the object of the search of the mind; Truth is always moral truth flowing in action. Truth is not only something to be studied but something to be done; Truth is not only something to which a man must submit only his mind but something to which he must submit his whole life. THE SECRET OF ENDURANCE CONQUERS FAILURE!!!1Pet.1:6-7So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here. These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it-- and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold; Your faith must remain strong after being tried in the test of fiery trials. It will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day of Jesus return. Christianity has always made them unpopular, but now they were facing almost certain persecution. In face of that threatening situation Peter in effect reminds them of three reasons why they can stand anything that may come upon them.
When things have reached their limit, that the saving power of Christ will be displayed. The Christian persecution and trouble is not the end; Beyond persecution lies the glory; And in the hope of that glory he can endure anything that life brings to him. It sometimes happens that a man has to undergo a painful operation or course of treatment; But he gladly accepts the pain and the discomfort because of the renewed health and strength which lie beyond. It is one of the basic facts of life that a man can endure anything so long as he has something to look forward to. And the Christian can look forward to the ultimate joy.
The trials which come to a man test his faith. And out of them that faith can emerge stronger than ever it was before. The strictness which the athlete has to undergo is not meant to make him collapse. Discipline makes him able to develop more strength and staying-power. In this world trials are not meant to take the strength out of us, but to put the strength into us. Peter says that the Christian for the moment may well have to undergo various trials. The Greek is literally means many-colored. Peter uses that word only one other time and it is to describe the grace of God (1Pet.4:10). Our troubles may be many-colored, but so is the grace of God; There is no color in the human situation which that grace cannot match. There is a grace to match every trial and there is no trial without its grace.
But in order to see the light in someone's eyes and to hear his word of praise. These things mean more than anything else in the world. The Christian knows that, if he endures, he will in the end hear the Master's "Well done!" Here is the recipe for endurance when life is hard and faith is difficult. We can stand up to things because of the greatness to which we can look forward, Because every trial is another test to strengthen and to purify our faith. And because at the end of it Jesus Christ is waiting to say, "Well done!" to all his faithful servants. Dale Boehs 26 may 2005 to load the version for print |
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