Author: Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

September 1, 2019 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24

As I rolled toward my nightstand, slapped the alarm off, grabbed my phone, and squinted my eyes open, this was the verse-of-the-day staring back at me.   A few minutes later I sat down with a latte, opened my bible, and read my devotions for the day, where the theme continued,

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night…”

“For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!”

Psalm 92:1-2, Psalm 92:4-5

The subject of rejoicing and thankfulness continued as I read through Spurgeon’s morning devotional. God was clearly driving home his will for my day. I was off to a great start. It was going to be a really good day…

Reality

Then the day began… I looked at my email, prioritized my task list, and got to work, expecting a joy-filled day of serving the Lord with all my might… But by 10 am, I had made little progress. I was still working on my first task. New problems were coming in and my task list was expanding. The pressure was on… I needed to pick up the pace. After all, people were depending on me. Then around noon I received an email informing me someone was stepping down from ministry. They were leaving the church. I didn’t know how to fix this problem either. By 3 pm I was back to spinning my wheels on a task that should have been done by noon.

That’s when an unsuspecting brother approached me for some technical help. He was caught completely unaware of my inner turmoil. He could hardly get the words out before I lashed out at him for not being able to handle his problem without my help. A few minutes later, after he apologized, I discovered his dilemma was a result of my own work from a previous day. I had made his simple task of putting files on the church server literally impossible to do. Ah… Another problem to fix. A few hours later, as I rushed to close all the windows at church so I could get to a counseling appointment, I slammed my fingers in a window and explicitly mouthed out a profanity… I don’t think it was out loud. I hoped not. There were people outside below the window. After all, I’m a Christian, right?

Reflection

What happened? How can someone start the day so well… and end it in such a mess? Have you ever had that happen to you? Have you ever asked the question, “How did this happen?” at the end of a bad day? It is at the end of days like these that my mind recalls Jesus’ words,

“The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:41

The Apostle Paul aptly puts it this way,

“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing…”

“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

Romans 7:18-19, 24

Have you ever echoed these words of Paul, loathing your own wretchedness? Sometimes we come to find that no matter the grandeur of spiritual influence we receive, our flesh remains just as wicked and wretched as it ever has been and ever could be. Even if we begin the day ‘in the Spirit’, we cannot expect any forthcoming good under the power and confidence of our flesh… no matter how good our intentions might be…Only God is good. We are not… We never will be… We never can be… at least in our flesh. Our only good is in crucifying our flesh and surrendering to God’s Spirit. Life has a way of showing us that… sooner or later… and often many times over.

“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh…”

Philippians 3:3

Again I Say Rejoice

Where do we go spiritually at the end of a day like this? Do we raise the white flag in defeat, slink into our bed, cover our face in self-pity, and enter into a state of non-existence? Perhaps… Maybe that’s the best recourse. To count it all as refuse, right? We may end our days in discouragement and defeat. We may feel we have forfeited the race… or even been disqualified. But the next morning we roll over, slap at the alarm, wipe the sleep from our eyes, and start another day…

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:22-23

We then sit down in our favorite chair, take a sip of coffee, crack open our bibles to read,

“For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage…”

“Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”

Psalm 94:14, Psalm 95:1-2

It’s hard to believe. For some strange reason of grace, God has given us a do-over. God has granted us yet another day… that we might learn what it means to rejoice and be glad in it. Though we had failed God, God has not failed us. Maybe this day we will find an even greater reason to rejoice, than the day before… Perhaps this time around we will have more appreciation, for the source of our joy. Maybe today we will be a bit wiser, in surrendering to the Spirit… and a bit more wary, of placing any confidence in our flesh. We have an opportunity to rejoice… again.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Philippians 4:4
June 1, 2019 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

Growing Up

No natural child likes discipline. Growing up, I wasn’t a very good boy. Often I drove my mother to the brink of insanity… I’m hoping it was just the brink! When she couldn’t handle me anymore, she would say, “Wait till your dad gets home…” Those words usually worked. As the hour drew near to my dad’s arrival, I would slowly make my way to my room in the farthest corner of the house, where I would try to remain silent and invisible. My hope was that my mom would either forget me or see that my actions showed an acceptance of my guilt. In either case, I hoped she wouldn’t tell my dad. I hoped to perhaps escape what I feared most…

My dad wasn’t abusive in any way. I don’t ever remember having bruises or marks. I don’t even remember him yelling at me. But I do remember him bending me over his knee, exposing my bare butt if needed, and giving me a few wallops that stung like a bee and cracked like the sound of firecrackers. And it worked… at least until the next time…

Recognizing Discipline

It doesn’t take long before we realize as children of God that we have another father, a heavenly Father, who also disciplines us. “For what son is there whom his father does not discipline” (Heb. 12:7). Though our heavenly Father’s methods may differ from our earthly fathers, they are none-the-less effective. One of the primary methods God uses to discipline his children is revealed by King David in the Psalms…

Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.

It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.

Psalm 119:67, 71, 75

Like our earthly fathers, our heavenly father often uses affliction to discipline us. Affliction can be pretty ambiguous by definition. It could be physical pain. It could be loneliness. It could be a person. It could be a medical condition. It could be not having a job. It could be within our job. It could be a part of our very calling. Remember, Jesus obediently suffer unto death (Heb. 12:3-4). Whatever it is, it is critical we do not write off affliction as being strictly bad. As though it is not part of God’s will or God’s plan for us. Our affliction could be a carefully crafted tool, specifically designed by God, for us.

Responding to Discipline

How do we respond to discipline? It certainly isn’t pleasant. Do we run from it? Do we self-medicate to forget it? Do we pursue ungodly relationships to escape it? Do we switch jobs to avoid it? Do we abdicate our calling for the sake of our own peace and comfort? Henry Holloman in his book “The Forgotten Blessing” puts it this way,

Our first response to disciplinary trials is usually to ask God for relief by changing the circumstances or by removing us from the circumstances. Yet God often does neither. Instead, He uses the circumstances to change us. He is more interested in changing our Christian character than in changing our circumstances.

Henry Holloman, “The Forgotten Blessing”, pp. 22

Have we found these words to be true in our life? Do we see that God is often more interested in changing us… than our circumstances? If so, how should we respond to affliction? What are we to do the midst of it? The author of Hebrews gives us some direction,

My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.

It is for discipline that you have to endure.

Hebrews 12:5, 7

We are not to regard the Lords’ discipline lightly… In other words, it’s not by chance that we are in a difficult situation. It’s not circumstantial. It’s not an accident. It’s not a mistake of God’s sovereignty. Furthermore, it is for this very reason that we have to endure (Heb. 12:7). When we are afflicted, the last thing on our mind is enduring one more minute, or day, or month, or year. Yet enduring is exactly what God is asking us to do. That we might be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy (Col. 1:11). This endurance builds character (Rom. 5:3-5). And God is more interested in changing our character… than in changing our circumstances.

The Loving Father

I remember as a teenager when my Dad found some letters in my room that I was exchanging with a girl from a nearby town. He read my correspondence while I was away with her and a couple of friends at a roller skating rink. He didn’t like what he found in the letters. He didn’t like the company I was keeping. He didn’t like the path he saw me heading down.

When I got home, he sat me down in my room and expressed his disappointment and concern for me. He then told me in a stern but sullen voice that my relationship with her was over, that I was not to see her anymore, and that I was not to communicate with her anymore. I knew it was done. I thought the punishment at the time was cruel and unusual. I thought he was acting like a monster, though I knew for a fact he wasn’t. And now years later, looking back with a tear in my eye, I see nothing but a father’s uncompromising love for his son.

When will we get it? When will we realize that which is metered out by the hand of our heavenly Father comes from nothing less than perfect love (Heb. 12:6)? When will we stop bucking against affliction, and instead endure what he has appointed to us (Heb. 12:7)? When will we recognize the reason we suffer, is so that we might live (Heb. 12:9)? When will see our difficult circumstances as for our good, that we might share in his holiness (Heb. 12:10)? When will we see our trials as God’s tools for training us, that we might yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11)?

For me, perhaps it will take a lifetime… I expect so… But I do look forward to that day when I finally get it… When I finally see the father’s love, even in the most difficult situations. May we all anticipate that day when we can look back, perhaps with tears in our eyes, and see how much the Father loved us… even in our afflictions.

March 1, 2019 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

As of late, the subject of spiritual growth has come up at various times in conversation around the church.  Visitors have asked how they can take the next step in their spiritual growth through what is available at the church.  Those in discipleship class were surveyed and asked what areas they would be interested in learning more about.  Their answers boiled down to holiness, sanctification, and spiritual growth.  In conversations with my wife, we too have discussed our need for spiritual growth.  I think we all know what a Christian is.  But the rub is in actually being a Christian.  We know who Jesus is.  We just aren’t living, serving, thinking, acting, or loving like Him… at least not as much as we’d like to be.

Addressing the Need

So how do we address this need for Spiritual Growth in our lives?  I see some of us looking for a short cut to our Christian maturity.  We think that if we just understood the right truths or had a certain spiritual experience, we would then be a mature Christian.  That is the formula for becoming a Christian, as we come to know who Christ is, who we are as sinners, surrender of our lives to God, and experience the supernatural comfort of the Holy Spirit.  That is the process of becoming a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).  But it’s the beginning of spiritual maturity, not the end.  The question many of us have is, “Where do we go from here”?

Sanctification and Holiness

The Bible addresses spiritual growth using terms like sanctification and holiness.  Though both terms can be applied to a Christian’s new standing with God immediately upon salvation (Acts 26:18, Heb 10:10), they are also used to describe the life-long progression of each Christian toward spiritual maturity (1 Thes 4:3, Heb 12:14, 1 Peter 1:15-16).  As a child grows into physical maturity, so we as Christians are called to grow in spiritual maturity (Heb 5:12-13, 1 Cor 13:11).  The difference being that our physical maturity peaks at age twenty, whereas our spiritual growth continues to the day of our death (2 Cor 4:16, Phil 3:12-16, 2 Tim 4:7).  Note that according to this metaphor, our spiritual maturity takes longer than our physical maturity.  We should therefore not look for short cuts to sanctification. 

There is no secret knowledge to being holy.  There is no one-time experience that will make us a mature Christian.  Those seeking such will experience at best oscillating spiritual maturity, and at worst discouragement, frustration, and loss of faith.  We cannot become spiritually mature if we only drink spiritual milk… We must move on to the meat.

Progressing in Spiritual Maturity

How do we progress toward spiritual maturity?  I recently got into a couple of conversations on this very subject.  One visitor to our church said he had been reading the bible, listening to solid preaching, but realized he was not growing spiritually.  He then confessed that what was missing was other people, the Christian community, the church.  He had neglected the church and for that reason, had stunted his spiritual growth.  Another person recently returned to church who had been away for some time.  I asked him why he was back.  He said he came back because had only experienced spiritual growth while he was here, and hadn’t grown since he left.  I could relate.  I read my bible for years without being any more than a church attender…  But it wasn’t until I surrendered my life not only to God but to a particular community of believers, that things began to change. 

God Given Tools

God has given us several tools to grow up.  I think everyone would agree that He has given us His word to build us up (Acts 20:32). And that He has given us His Spirit to transform us (2 Cor 3:18).  But where are we practicing obedience to His word?  And where are we exercising the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit?  It certainly doesn’t happen at home in our favorite chair nestled under an afghan.  God has given us other people, the Christian community for the purpose of sharpening our understanding of God’s word.  God has given us the church as a place to employ the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit…

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,  to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,  so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” –Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV)

Taking Full Advantage

Perhaps you too are seeking spiritual growth.  If it seems like it is taking forever, I want to encourage you.  It is a life-long process.  No one has arrived.  The real question is in how you address your need for spiritual growth…  Do you look for short cuts? Are you seeking some special knowledge?  Do you chase after spiritual experience?  Or will you make use of the tried and true methods of practicing God’s word and exercising God’s Spirit with and through God’s community, the church?  May we take full advantage of all the tools God has given us to grow in spiritual maturity… And not become short sited in our pursuit of the goal… That one day we may be found holy, unblemished, and perfect in His sight.

November 30, 2018 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

We seem to be at a precipice…

Gone are the days of peaceful protests or simply turning the other cheek. Now is the age of venting our volatile emotions on everything from printers to presidents. To do so, we make use of every outlet available to us including social media, news media, texting, blogging, online commenting, and google reviewing. If that’s not enough, we can take it to the streets with picketing, rioting, yelling, punching, throwing rocks, or even shooting people. In fact, we’ve had over 300 public shootings in the last year alone, to the point where even mass murder is becoming rather unsensational.

I wish I could say that practicing Christians are exempt from such anger, but we are not. The people we point at as volatile and hostile out there are sitting amongst us in church every Sunday. Often, we as Christians, do our very best to hide our grievances against a brother or sister until it is too late. Our anger slowly begins to simmer, and eventually boils over into an eruption of hostility… At that point, it is too late.  The launch codes have been sent, the red button has been pressed, and the missiles are in the air. The damage is done. It is too late.

What does God say?

The first biblical account of anger is found in Genesis 4. The story begins rather unassuming, with Cain and Abel worshipping the LORD and presenting their offerings to Him. Cain and Abel were both present at church. Beyond that, they’d even brought an offering. So, what happened? How could this worship scene turn quickly to anger, lead eventually to murder, and end ultimately in apostasy? We read, “And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.”

Why was Cain angry? Because he felt dissed by the LORD. He was offended. After all, he’d worked hard from a cursed earth to offer God fruits and grains. Abel, on the other hand, sacrificed an animal. It was the lamb that suffered, not Abel. Cain didn’t understand that Abel’s offering of a lamb pointed to a more acceptable sacrifice (Heb. 11:4), that God was putting into motion the redemptive plan for all mankind. Cain only saw that his hard work, his sweat, his toil, his offering had been disregarded. And at this point, Cain began to simmer inside. Are we really any different than Cain? How do we feel when we are disregarded, when someone doesn’t follow our directions, or doesn’t appreciate our opinion, or cuts us off us in traffic, or reveals something that is amiss in our life? When disregarded, how do we react?

Who are we letting in?

Fortunately, our initial response isn’t yet sin. And thank God! Or I think we’d all be in trouble.  Ephesians 4:26 tells us, “Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” In our story, God pleaded with Cain saying, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” At this point, Cain could have turned the burner off and let the water calm…

We can do the same. Even when sin is crouching at the door, Jesus is standing at the door, knocking (Rev. 3:20), asking “Why are you angry?  Why has your face fallen?” At this point, we have to make a decision. Who are we going to let through the door? Will we let in Jesus? Will we let in His presence to give us peace, His word to transform our thoughts, His love for those who hate us, His forgiveness for our enemies, His death to self, His resurrection to a new life? Or will we allow our anger to conceive and give birth to sin, to fully grow and bring forth death (James 1:15)? We will all choose to allow either sin or Jesus to rule our hearts.

Anger has grave consequences…

Cain would go on to murder his brother Abel and by so doing, sealed his own fate. Cain had hardened his heart and hardened his heart, and eventually, it was too late for him to repent. He would be forever identified with “the evil one” (1 John 3:12). Cain would also be cursed from the ground, the very place he had earlier found purpose and calling. Finally, Cain would become a fugitive and wonderer, away from his home, away from his family, away from his community, and away from his God.

Do we realize that these same consequences await us if we do not turn from our anger? I wish this was simply a historical lesson. But the story of such anger and its consequences has played out again and again over thousands of years. If we’ve been a part of the church for any time, we’ve seen it with our own eyes in the lives of those we once knew as brother or sister.

Does our anger scare us?

God in His great mercy would still protect Cain, promising vengeance sevenfold on anyone who would attack Cain. Yet even God’s mercy would not prevent the growing tide of consequences that Cain had set into motion. The last of Cain’s offspring, Lamech, would go on to murder someone who had wronged him. Lamech presumed that if Cain’s revenge was sevenfold, his would be seventy times seven. Like Cain, our sin is neither isolated nor benign. It spreads and grows.

What did God consider when He saw all of this? Scripture tells us, “Because the wickedness of man was great… the LORD regretted that he had made man… For the earth was full of violence” (Gen. 6:5-7, 11-13). And what did God do? He flooded the earth, killing everyone. Do we see how one man’s refusal to repent of anger… planted the seed for world destruction?  I wonder what God thinks when he looks down at our world today? Does our anger scare us? It should… Because next time God will use a book of matches…

Ah, Jesus… Got it!

As we look at our world today in light of Genesis, it’s hard to find any hope. However, I’m reminded of the time Peter asked Jesus “How often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Then [as if harkening back to our story in Genesis], Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven” (Matt. 18:21-22). Ah, Jesus… Got it… There is only one hope in this world. It is that we might let Jesus rule our hearts, that we might repent of our anger, and that we might learn to forgive those who sin against us.  There is a way out.  God is patient toward us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Pet. 3:9).  May we repent, therefore, and turn back, that our sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for us, Jesus (Acts 3:19-20).

 

August 31, 2018 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

What does it mean to be “established”?  Googling the word “establish” brings up several results including (1) to set up on a firm or permanent basis; (2) to achieve permanent acceptance or recognition for; (3) to show something to be true or certain by determining the facts…  Looking at those definitions, what would you say is “established” in your life?  Maybe your home is established.  You’ve paid the mortgage payments to the bank.  You have a clear deed of title.  You have lived there for years.  Your cat and your dog are there.  When you speak of “home”, people know where it is.  Maybe your marriage is established.  You had a large crowd of witnesses at your wedding.  Your marriage certificate was signed and filed with the court house.  When you do your taxes, you mark married in the checkbox.  When you open a bank account or take out a loan, you do so jointly with a spouse.  When you go home, there is someone there to meet you who also calls that place home.  It’s easy to recognize someone who is established in a certain area of their life, whether that be in a home, a marriage, a sport, a business, or a career.

But when someone does achieve the status of established in a certain area of their life, have you noticed how often they try to motivate others by saying something like, “with enough determination, you can do it too!”  Or, “with enough hard work, you can make your dreams come true too!”  Many of us hear this worldly mantra and subconsciously determine to work hard in order to establish our own relationships, our own businesses, our own positions, our own careers, and our own social structures.  A few of us achieve our goals, only to perpetuate the mantra to others.  But many of us never reach our lofty goals.  Why?  Is the whole thing some giant Roulette game in which some of us came up short?

Biblically, we look at a guy like King David.  We can quickly recognize him as a hero and as an example to follow (at least in his early life).  After all, as a young shepherd he rescued sheep from the mouths of lions and bears.  As a teen he took down Goliath without any armor or sword.  He went on to slay tens of thousands of Israel’s enemies as a commander of Israel’s armies.  He was then unjustly hunted down due to jealousy and persevered in the wilderness for several years.  In the midst of all this, he rallied worthless men around him and transformed them into mighty men of valor.  When David was finally anointed King of Israel, He of all people could point to all he had done as the reason for why he was King… But he didn’t.  In 2nd Samuel 5:12 we read, “And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.”  David recognized his Kingship as the LORD’s work, not his own.  Because of this, David wanted to honor the LORD by building Him a house of cedar.  And this is how the LORD responded to David just a few chapters later in 2nd Samuel 7:12-16, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.  I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son… And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”  It wasn’t about what David would do for God, but what God would do through David.

The bible is clear about how someone becomes established.  Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”  In other words, hard work and determination, though necessary, do not complete the recipe for success.  I cannot establish anything strictly in my own effort.  It is the LORD who establishes.  I don’t know about you, but I have to remind myself of that daily.  There was a verse I had on a yellow post-it which stuck to my monitor throughout my 20s.  The verse is now captioned on a portrait in my home of a light house that is under construction.  It hangs at the bottom of the steps to remind me as come down the stairs each morning.  It is Psalm 127:1 and reads, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”  In other words, unless God is in what I am pursuing, all my time, energy, plans, and strength to make it happen will come to nothing.  It is the LORD who establishes.  And unless the LORD keeps what he establishes in my life, all my efforts to protect it, maintain it, and hold onto it will come up short.  I’ll be grasping at the wind.  It is the LORD who keeps that which He establishes.

So, what would you say is established in your life?  Is your home established?  Is your marriage established?  Is your career established?  Certainly, these earthly aspirations may or may not be a part of our lives depending on God’s individual will for us.  But what about the areas you biblically know to be God’s will for all Christians?  Are you established in your relationship with God?  Does your daily bible reading, prayer life, and worship of God reflect that?  Are you established in a local church family?  Are you invested in their lives?  Can others vouch for you on that?  Do you have the “paperwork” to prove it?  Are you established in the unique place that God made you for within Christ’s body, the church?  Do you know where that is?  If you asked someone, would they know where it is?  If you can’t answer yes to these questions and are a relatively new Christian, take a deep breath and jump in.  God has a wonderful, exciting, scary, and adventurous journey in front of you.  And through it, God will reveal his plan for your life.  But if you’ve been a Christian for years and aren’t established in these areas, it’s time to be honest with yourself.  Is it because you have no commitment to God’s revealed will?  Is it because you refuse to walk in the path God has shown you?  Is it because you are to busy pursuing your own plans and have no time, energy, and strength left over for God?  If so, I would encourage you with Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your work to the LORD and your plans will be established”.  God isn’t hiding His will from you…  He is asking us to accept it and walk in what we know to be true…  His desire is that we all might be established in that which He has called us to.  That we may know, like King David, that which “the LORD has established” in our lives.  And that we may live out God’s plan for us both in this life and in the eternal life to come.

June 1, 2018 Pastor Jason Gilbert | Menomonie

Where are you going?

That’s a question I’ve been asking myself because its been on my mind as of late.  Part of the reason is because I just finished the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses is given a view of the Promised Land from Mt. Nebo after spending forty years wandering in the wilderness with the Israelites.  But I’m also seeing that question, whether verbalized or not, playing out in the lives of the vast majority of us who have experienced the “Exodus” of salvation but are still wandering in the wilderness concerning our relationships, our vocations, our stewardship (time, finances, and health), our commitment to our churches, our ministries, and the pursuit of our calling.  Why are we not entering the “Promised Land” in these areas?

What is God’s plan for you?

First, let’s be clear… God has a plan for you!

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” -Jeremiah 29:11-14 (ESV)

Not only that… But God has a specific plan for you!

“For we are his workmanship (also translated ‘poem’), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb… our eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” -Psalm 139:13,16 (ESV)

This means God has already written out every detail of your life.  If you are to be married, God has arranged a specific person for you.  Or single, God knows and will give you the gift of singleness for your good and His glory.  If you are able to work, God has designed and prepared you for a certain job.  In fact, the word vocation comes from the Latin word vocare meaning ‘to call’.

God has called you to a job and has allotted you a set number of days and certain amount of resources, including your very own body, to be stewarded for His glory.  He knows what local church you are to be at and who your pastors are.  God has uniquely gifted and equipped you to serve in a particular ministry, that you would be most useful for His kingdom.  God has predestined, pre-ordained you to find fulfillment as you fulfill a distinct calling within His grand story…

So where are you now?

Does your current dating or marriage relationship (or lack of) reflect his specific plan for you?  Are you sure you aren’t settling for something less than His plan because of continuing unfaithfulness?  Are you working the job he designed you for?  How would you know?  Are you managing rightly the time, the finances, and the physical body he has allotted to you on this earth?  Is He getting a good return on His investment in you?  Are you committed to and supporting a specific church where God has placed you?  And are you humbly submitting to and honoring that church’s leadership?  Are you serving in a ministry that utilizes the unique gifts God has equipped you with.  Can you confidently say you are fulfilling the distinct calling He has predestined and pre-ordained you to?

I believe, if we were to be totally honest with ourselves, nearly all of us would answer no to at least one of these questions.  Many would answer no to most of them.  If that is the case, what are we doing about it?  Are we addressing these issues?  Don’t get me wrong… God isn’t asking for perfection in any of these areas… Nor were His people who eventually entered the Promised Land ever perfect.  However, that being said, are we where God wants us to be, with whom God wants us to be with, doing what God wants us to do, being who God wants us to be?  If the answer is “no”, or “I don’t know”, to any of those questions, we are not living in the “Promised Land”.

How do we find it?

So how do we find this “Promised Land” that God prepared beforehand, that we might walk in it?

First we need to recognize that God is a communicator.  He is not a God who asks us to speculate, but a God who reveals.  He reveals His will to us through His Word (Ps 119:105), through creation (Rom 1:19-20), though pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11-12), though the church (Acts 13:1-3), and through His Spirit (Rom 8:26-27).  God wants to reveal his will to us.  He doesn’t want us to speculate about His plans for us.  He wants us to know.  Are we utilizing all the avenues He has made available to speak to us.  If we do, He will answer us…

“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.” -Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV)

Second, we need to be surrendering our bodies to Him, holy and acceptable, and turn away from all worldly influences. This means we can’t be practicing any known sin and expect to discover God’s will for our life. This also means we can’t look to the world or unbelieving friends for advice on the direction of our life.  However, if we do surrender our bodies and turn away from worldly influences, we will come to know God’s will as good, acceptable, and perfect.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” -Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

Third, we need to commit…  It’s one thing to be flexible and available to anything God “might” call us to when we’re in our twenties.  Its quite another thing to not be committed to any specific direction in our life when we are forty and have been a Christian for twenty years.  At some point being flexible and available is no longer a virtue, but a vice that keeps us from committing to God’s specific will.  Once God has revealed His will to us, He expects us to put our foot down and plant ourselves there.  He’s not a casually God who asks us for a tacit participation in any of these areas.  He’s a covenantal God who requires an all-in commitment to His will.  If we are ever going to see any of God’s will established in our life, it is going to require commitment.

“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” –Proverbs 16:3 (ESV)

So I ask you again, where are you going?  Perhaps you’ve been wandering around in the wilderness in a certain area of your life and have no idea where it will lead.  Let me remind you that God has a plan.  Our churches see this need and will be addressing it.  This summer we will be spending considerable time discussing the Holy Spirit, His work, and His role in our lives.  May we take advantage of this time that we might discern God’s will for our lives.   Let us make a concerted effort to hear what He will communicate to us, to submit our bodies holy and acceptable to Him, to turn away from all worldly influences, and to fully commit ourselves to what He has prepared for us.  Perhaps then we too will be standing on Mt. Nebo, ready to enter the glory of the Promised Land.