Tentmakers

Acts 18:1-3 NLT
(1) Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
(2) There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome.
(3) Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was.

We, being children of God are called to be tentmakers as Paul was for several reasons. First because we are to work for a living, being idle brings about selfishness, laziness, and a judgmental attitude but there is more to it than that.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 NLT
(10) Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: "Those unwilling to work will not get to eat."
(11) Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people's business.
(12) We command such people and urge them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and work to earn their own living.

Many pre-Christians today know of someone who refers to themselves as being a “Christian” and the one that acts the least like Christ is usually the one set as the standard by which all other followers of Christ are judged. People do not go to church because they are afraid of being judged or they see the church building as a place that harbors hypocrites. Whatever the reason it’s no wonder the world builds up a defense whenever someone mentions the Bible. The true followers of Christ know this is a snare from the enemy of God so people will turn from the truth and we know that the truth will break their chains of bondage which they so desperately want to be rid of but the question is what do we do about it? Paul used tent making not only to support himself but also to spread the Good News of the Gospel. Though many rejected Jesus as the Christ whom they had not seen they could not reject or deny the change that had taken place in Paul’s life, who was Saul. It was the power of his testimony bearing witness to the change in his life that attracted others to Christ Jesus, even though initially they would have rejected Jesus because of what others had said about him.

All who follow Christ Jesus faithfully are tentmakers in one way or another and we know that we are not to beat pre-Christians over the head with the Bible hoping to see them submit but instead it is by working with them as we make a living, allowing them to watch us live out what it means to be a follower of Christ Jesus, and to offer our testimony as God’s Holy Spirit leads us. As tentmakers we come alongside them and show them the way rather than simply telling them the way. This is the meaning of true leadership, just as those who have gone before us and taught us right from wrong so are we to show the way to others who have not yet believed.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 NLT
(13) As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

If I am to be Your ambassador

Lord if I am to be Your ambassador please remove this complacency within me. Cause me to be filled with anticipation for the moving of Your Holy Spirit; cause me to come alive and awake my soul. Help me to be aware of Your moving through preparation and study of Your Word, let not my heart grow faint or weary but wholly trust in You. Burn within me Your desires so that I might please You in all I do and say and forgive me when I fall short. I believe You have prepared this path I am on just for me and as I walk it blessings abound but there is more to it than simply being blessed, for You have created purpose in each step I take. I do not know Your plans, only that You said to go. As you prepared Your disciples for the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two so do You now prepare Your people if they will seek Your face. We know that all these things must happen for Your purpose through us to be complete so that we may prepare for the return of Your Son Jesus the Christ.

Acts 2:17-21 NLT
(17) 'In the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
(18) In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on My servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy.
(19) And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
(20) The sun will become dark, and the moon will turn blood red before that great and glorious day of the LORD arrives.
(21) But everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.'

Help me not to be easily beset by the desires of my flesh but strengthen my spirit so my feet may step on solid ground. Help me to live for You with consistency so my faith may grow and ultimately become who You’ve purposed for me to be. As always Lord thank You for Your mercy and grace, for I am nothing without Your love.

Stepping on the Water

Matthew 14:28-30 NLT
(28) Then Peter called to Him, "Lord, if it's really You, tell me to come to You, walking on the water."
(29) "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
(30) But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted.

How many times I’ve been in this situation with enough faith to step out on the unknown but then finding myself in trouble and calling to Jesus for help? If I can train my eyes to remain on where I want to go (Jesus) and not on the places I don’t want to go (fear) how much better my life would be. 

Those who know about riding motorcycles, as I do, know this unhealthy fear of looking at where you don’t want to go is called “target fixation” and it leads to trouble every time. Go to YouTube and type in the key words “motorcycle target fixation” and watch videos of crashes where for no apparent reason the rider just doesn’t make it out of trouble without serious injury to themselves and their bikes. It happens mostly in curves where the rider sees a tree or parked car on the outside of the curve that they don’t want to hit but do just that instead of simply leaning more to make it through the curve. In the same way we go through life looking at what causes fear instead of keeping our eyes on where we want to go! The Bible gives us another example where the Israelites were complaining about God’s provisions after bringing them out of Egypt, where they lived as slaves.

Numbers 21:4-8 NLT
(4) Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey,
(5) and they began to speak against God and Moses. "Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?" they complained. "There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!"
(6) So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.
(7) Then the people came to Moses and cried out, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take away the snakes." So Moses prayed for the people.
(8) Then the LORD told him, "Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!"

It was the act of looking away from their fears that saved them; to be obedient to God’s instructions, realizing they can’t do both ~ follow God’s leading and allow your heart to be filled with fear. A side note the Israelites being led out of bondage in Egypt and being brought to this place where they had to look at an image of a poisonous snake on a pole represents Jesus taking our ugly sin and being lifted up for all to see and if we allow our hearts to be set on Him we would be saved and the bondage of our sin would be broken. 

What happened to the Israelites and Peter and to every other person who learns what it means to follow their hearts in spite of the fear that surrounds them still happens today with us. So don’t become fixated on fear but step out of the boat in faith, not blind faith but a faith in the One Good Shepherd who leads His sheep and keep your eyes on Him. Jesus tells us this…

John 10:27 NLT
(27) My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

The Gates of Jericho

Has the Lord promised you something but access to it seems unsurmountable? Like Peter stepping out of the boat and starting to sink because doubt began to rush in so too have I missed out on God’s perfect plan because my eyes were in the wrong place. That’s what I love about this story of Joshua and the Israelites; though the walls revealed no cracks no one complained or doubted their purpose, only obedience was shown and victory revealed. 

There was no doubt about who was doing the work, have you ever shouted a wall of stone down to the ground? And there was no doubt about abilities, again because the Israelites knew who was orchestrating this victory. Why does doubt always surround selfishness? The enemy of God is cunning and even if you believe God can do all things if he can get you to question why God would do anything for you, knowing who you are and what you’ve done, then he has won the battle.

One of the key insights to the walls of Jericho coming down was when Joshua told the people everything in Jericho must be destroyed!

Joshua 6:18 NLT
(18) "Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel.

I believe faith is hindered when we try to hold onto things that do not honor God and when His Holy Spirit instructs us to come to Him with open hands and an open heart that is exactly what is required of us in order to follow His leading. Sadly, when our faith seems to be in vein we turn from God and never truly discover why we missed the mark. 

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT
(9) "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
(10) But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."

So Lord I ask that you search my heart and reveal any wicked ways so that I may come to You and be made clean. May Your Holy Spirit lead and guide me and may You give me strength to step out of the boat. Keep my eyes upon you as the walls before me sometimes seem unsurmountable and if I am blind let it be to the limits of this earthly kingdom, not Yours.

The Lord's Return

James 5:7-8 NLT
(7) Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.
(8) You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

Do you look forward to the returning of the Lord? Is your heart heavy for a place it has not been before? These things point to a life set apart for God’s purpose. Though action is required to prove you are who you claim to be it is the heart that reveals the motive behind the actions. Just as the farmer must plant the fields with his own hands so must you be busy about the Lord’s work and like the farmer who looks forward to the harvest so do those who love God look forward to His return.

So set aside those things that so easily beset you and I pray that God gives you a clearer vision of those things which hold true value, those things that are eternal instead of the temporary. Be glad when trials come your way because we know through these things God will cause us to be the person we are meant to be. In the same way be carefully aware of becoming someone in a position of being served rather than serving others.

James 5:5 NLT
(5) You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter.

God’s righteousness cannot be taken lightly. The Webster dictionary explains righteousness this way, “acting in accord with divine or moral law: free from guilt or sin.” There is only one free from guilt or sin, for we have all fallen short of the glory of God but because of what Jesus has done for us we may also be declared righteous.

Romans 3:23-24 NLT
(23) For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.
(24) Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Not only must we believe in Him, who He is, and what He has done but we must also have hearts that are turned towards Him and love Him and if we say that we love Him then our hands and feet will be busy about His work until the Lord’s return.

If You Are Wise

James 3:13 NLT
(13) If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.

There are many today who speak of wisdom as if it is theirs to wield, cutting through ignorance and revealing those who are unable to use it or manipulate it as they do but is that true wisdom? The Creator of life has provided evidence so that each one may know which path is right. Jesus provided the answer in Matthew chapter seven, if we will listen and are hungry for truth. 

Matthew 7:15-17 NLT
(15) Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.
(16) You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
(17) A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.

Sometimes, as strange as it may seem, it is difficult to tell fruit good to consume from fruit that is rotten on the inside. There are many things done in the name of charity but if you dig a little deeper you see they are done out of selfish reasons. Certainly the Pharisees and the religious leaders in Jesus’ day gave to the poor but what was in their hearts at the time of their giving? Was it for the purpose of the eternal or the temporary? Who did this act prosper? Was compassion involved or was it a show used to manipulate those who might be watching? Jesus further explains…

Matthew 6:2 NLT
(2) When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.

You see true wisdom begins with a healthy fear of the awesome God we serve! So in this way when we give to the poor among us we do it because of our reverence and love of the Lord not because we want to be recognized for doing what is right.

Psalms 111:10 NLT
(10) Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey His commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise Him forever!

As a result we grow in understanding and our eyes and ears are opened to things we did not know even existed before, it is then and only then you will be received as a wise person because that is the way the Great Architect of all time has designed it. Not only that but you must live out what has been revealed to you and there lies the battle field. Learning how to listen to the moving of God’s Holy Spirit and reading His Word so that you recognize the character of God becomes enticing and compelling, therefore the deep things of God calls to things even deeper but applying it to one’s own life keeps us in check and well-grounded with the frailty of being human and reminds us of the vast greatness of our God and Savior, yes this is the beginning of true wisdom.

Where is Home...

If home is where the heart is then the question must be asked where is my heart. This world with all its urgencies and headlines seems to take control even without my permission but You O Lord are ever present and in You do I find my refuge! I only need to think of whom You’ve been to me in times of need and it doesn’t take long before the things that have surrounded me fade away into the shadows. Lord it’s been too long, for even if a single day goes by without meeting you I know my heart cries out in the silence of my own desperation. Though my flesh chases after ideals and regulations in order to show it’s worth my soul knows nothing counts unless You’re in it. Please don’t leave me in the mess I’ve made. In the hand of my God is the key that unlocks every door to my heart and You have the ability to melt this heart of stone as if it were wax in the heat of the noonday sun. Lord, open my eyes that I may see the ways within that cause this separation between us and give me the strength to overcome, for You are my home; You are the foundation on which I stand and under Your wing do I find peace from the storm. When the skies darken all I need is one reminder of who You are, for you gently lift my chin and when our eyes meet there is nothing else, You are my all in all. Lord I long for the day I see you with my own eyes and this wonderful faith is replaced with sight but until that day comes I will faithfully run this race and all that entails, for You are the Lord of the Dance and Your presence causes me to overflow with joy. Who but You O Lord knows me inside and out, it doesn’t matter who else knows my story as long as I can walk hand in hand with You! Thank You for undeserved mercy, thank You for unconditional love, and thank You for the purpose You have placed inside this heart O Lord, for in You is my only place of rest.