God does supply our needs

2 Corinthians 12:9

Good News Translation (GNT)

⁹ But his answer was: “My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak.”

Mom graduated from college with a major in elocution. According to Merriam-Webster, elocution is “the study of how to speak clearly and in a way that is effective and socially acceptable.” She was known wherever she went for her ability to hold audiences spell-bound with her readings and talks.

As I grew up, Mom had numerous students who learned to speak effectively and convincingly under her tutelage. She gave me a few lessons, but I think she despaired because I had such a huge case of stage fright. When I had to stand up in class and make a presentation, my mouth would be so dry I could hardly get any words out, my knees so weak I could hardly stand, and my shirt soaked with fear-produced sweat.

Yet in college I trained to be a teacher. I still don’t understand why. I had to do practice teaching before I graduated, and this was an ordeal that I endured as a necessary evil. In graduate school I took a yearlong topology class taught by the “Moore Method.” The basic idea of this method was that each student had to present the proof of a theorem. The fellow students were expected to criticize the presentation—and they did, viciously. I dreaded that class; however, I never thought of dropping it and finding another way around it. My first presentations were shredded into tiny pieces, each piece contemptuously discarded. As the year went along, my presentations improved to the point that I could do them flawlessly. When I chose a topic for my dissertation, it was in topology because I knew that there was hardly any result I couldn’t prove.

A couple years ago I went with my wife to her Toastmasters Club. I was there purely as a guest and an observer. I was shocked when someone said, “Sylvia has brought a guest; let’s give him a topic to speak on.” I stood up and started speaking although I had no idea what I was going to say. An African experience of ours came to mind, and I told it with confidence.

A couple weeks ago Sylvia brought a friend from Toastmasters along on a tour we were on. I introduced myself to her, and she replied, “Oh I know you! You came to Toastmasters some years ago and told us that African experience. That was so interesting!”

Indeed God has taken a very weak part of me and by His grace has made it strong.

Thank you, Lord, for taking our weaknesses and bolstering them by Your grace.

Spiritual Gift vs the Peter Principle

Ephesians 4:11-12

King James Version (KJV)

¹¹ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; ¹² For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Call him Olaf. He retired recently from being an accountant who worked in various organizations of the church his entire career. When Olaf and I had several hours together, I had the opportunity to hear him tell about his rich and varied experiences.

Olaf had the financial talent to go to an institution that was in financial difficulties and over the period of two or three years turn the institution around and place it on a sound fiscal footing. Businesses that had reached the point of not trading with it would now smile and gladly do business with it again. People who had sincerely doubted that the institution could even be Christian because they didn’t pay their bills now began to get renewed confidence in the work of Christ. Those who had come to mock Christ because of His followers’ unfaithfulness now were willing to grant that now there indeed might be some good in the Christian community.

Of course, with that kind of talent, as soon as the institution was on its feet and going forward strongly again, Olaf would be asked to move to another institution in the red. So Olaf gained experience working in schools, conferences, and union conference offices.

He told me that he had wanted to be a pastor, but when he was in college he realized that he was very shy. Furthermore, he had a very difficult time speaking publically. He did enjoy numbers and realized that accountants could stay in their offices and still do their work and make a good impact all around. So he had devoted this gift to the advancement of the work of Christ.

One conference office where he was working came under the leadership of a new president, Pieter. The president came in with a vigorous new policy of his own devising. He told all of the conference workers that each of them had to spend several months a year conducting public evangelistic meetings. Anyone who didn’t start such a meeting was very quickly demeaned and belittled in the organization. They were discriminated against in any way possible.

Olaf, of course, didn’t tell me this, but it is very obvious to me that Pieter’s zeal was not purely the advancement of the body of Christ; it was even more importantly for the advancement of Pieter in that organization. The church had only two measures of success: the number of baptisms and the amount of tithe brought into the coffers. Pieter appeared to be aiming to gain success in the former at all costs, ignoring Paul’s statement to the Ephesians that different people in the church have different gifts.

Lord, grant me the wisdom and determination to recognize and use the gift you have given me despite the urgings of some narrow-minded zealots.

A Time of Trouble

Daniel 12:1

GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

12 “At that time Michael, the great commander, will stand up on behalf of the descendants of your people. It will be a time of trouble unlike any that has existed from the time there have been nations until that time. But at that time your people, everyone written in the book, will be rescued.

We were driving along old US 66 when we came to a gas station that had an excellent price if we paid by cash. Going inside I gave the rather haggard, old woman at the till $40 and went out and pumped my gas.

When I came back inside to get my change, she was nowhere in sight. I stood waiting. Eventually I saw her waddling her very bulky body back towards the till. I called out “I guess there’s no rest for the wicked or peace for the lousy!”

She laughed and called back “I haven’t heard that in a long time!”

When she finally limped back to the till, she told me she really didn’t want to work, “But I’m glad I got a job! You know it’s the pits to get old!” She looked at least as old as I, though she may have been a lot younger.

“Yes!” I said, “It is the pits to get old—but it sure’ beats the alternative!”

“I don’t think so!” and her face frowned even deeper. “You know it’s going to get a lot worse than it is now!” She was deadly in earnest. “Do you know what’s coming?”

She went on: “You know no one comes through that door by accident!”

“You mean there’s a real time of trouble coming.” I agreed with her.

“Absolutely!” she said as she handed me my change.

“Thank you!” I said as I took the money. Then I leaned across the counter and looked her square in the eye. “The grace of Jesus Christ is going to see both you and me through it!” I assured her with sincere conviction.

Her face instantly glowed with the same assurance. I don’t think I have ever seen a face full of doom and despair transform so instantaneously to vibrant, radiant joy. “You’re very right!”

“God bless you!” I called as I walked out the door.

What tremendous joy the grace of Christ holds for us even though we allow troubles to obscure it at times.

When we don't remember...

Ephesians 1:7-8

New International Version (NIV)

⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us.

Lucy lived with us for 12 years. She came from a loving pastor’s home. But they couldn’t keep her anymore because they were doing Vietnamese recordings for Adventist World Radio in their home, and Lucy yapped all the time. In fact that’s why we named her after Lucille Ball. She was a very loving, 8 pound ball of red fur that would dance around the room on her hind paws at the merest hint that she might get some attention.

She was a great watch dog, and we were made almost painfully aware anytime anybody or especially any other dog came by the house, even on the far side of the street. She had trouble with sphincter control on occasion, but short of a nominal scolding she was always forgiven. She loved us and never ran away and was so full of exuberance that she never learned to heel--or anything else. She was small enough so that on several occasions she attracted the attention of a passing coyote.

When she was about 14 years old, she suffered what appeared to be a stroke. She never barked again. She didn’t recognize us or anybody else. She wandered around the house in a daze all day. When she would get outside, she wandered off in any direction. She would go up to any passing stranger and follow him or her just like she followed us.

One day she wandered off when we weren’t looking. We searched all over our neighborhood. We got reports that people had seen her wandering farther and farther away towards the east. But no one knew where she had gone. About the time we had given her up as possibly having been devoured by coyotes, we got a call from the county animal services that they had her. We could have her back for a redemption price of $42.

Sylvia brought her home. Was Lucy glad to see us? No. Was she unhappy to see us? No. Were we happy to see her? Yes! Even though she still didn’t recognize us.

Sometimes, Lord, I think we are like Lucy; we get so tied up in our own troubles that we don’t even recognize You. Thank You for continuing to so freely lavish on us the riches of Your grace!