Trust God's Leading, Follow Right Things, See Others As People In God's Image

 

How have you been? I hope all is well. BIG prayer needs for a young relative (please pray if you see this; I've kept it anonymous to protect them so it's not online, but prayer always helps). That would have been the end (page 4), then the Lamar Hamlin play came as I proofread one last time. So, I address related things after that and tie it in at the end.

            What is a missionary’s goal? Yes, leading others to Christ is the start. But, think deeper. A good one wants to plant local churches – or at least believers - that thrive on their own, to “work themselves out of a job.” In your cases, to produce youth who have a positive impact in their world for the cause of Christ.

            A bit of reminiscing: Wooster has a Senior Independent Study requirement – you had to do I.S. to graduate. I finished 2 weeks ahead of most - #55 out of 440 or so. I got a good – A- to B-. (Excellent means you can work it into a Masters thesis if you want.) After that huge project, I still had over a month of classes. I had enough credits I took 3 (counting I.S.) my last semester, so I only had 2 and a sudden burst of free time.

High school was the same, 5 courses, not 6, as a senior, & 4 my last semester since Independent Living was just Fall. I might have many years of something, like college came after it. (I still do some wills & estates now). That’s just the analogy I sense from God. Youthquake was like I.S.. I wasn’t meant to run it till God called me home. Sal hoped we’d have a building and staff, we ran out of each. Noone regathered by mid-2021, so club was mostly in the park & activities with Becky’s group. Except for a few skate rallies it was all going to camp even before Sal died. Anyway, I share this for a few reasons.

1. Pray I keep growing into an even more dedicated prayer warrior. I want to keep doing better. Remember Jenny Evans was still improving at over 90. I want to be like her in prayer, too, not just for the Lord but to encourage you in your walks with Christ.

2. Trust God’s leading, and don’t be afraid to ask for help, even if He doesn’t give you full details. Like above with my life, there will be times God will use others, His Word, prayer, etc. to help you understand, to point you in the right direction.

3. Most importantly, know who you are following and be careful not to be led astray. A few months ago, I shared how to be a thinking person, to reason things out. That’s how we grow in discernment. We base it on God’s Word like I tested the spirits (1 John 4) in college listening to Christian radio when I had no steady church. But clear thinking also means you can tell if you’re being deceived in other ways. Like if a study saying something is good for you is backed by lots of money from the company that makes it. It could still be true, but you want to verify these things, right? You don’t want to be caught by a fast talker who switches numbers and says “I’ll give you a five for two tens.”

            You’ve seen how the powerful hope to build their own world order. Psalm 2 says the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain (empty) thing. God will have them in derision. He will make the earth His footstool. He will come back and rule, and we shall rule with him. It’s the only way Jesus’ promise that the meek shall inherit the earth can come true. So live for God and not the things of this world – avoid the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life; only God lives forever.(1 John 2:15-17)

            We can sadly see this in Israel now. Extreme Orthodox Jews are following the same path that the Pharisees - obeying only the law. Remember, the Pharisees not only twisted the law (the Torah, the 1^st 5 books of the Bible) to fit their traditions (the Talmud), they acted superior to Gentiles. God moved Paul to rebuke those who tried to say believers had to follow all the law, too. Remember, the law is a schoolmaster to make us realize our need for Christ and what He did on the cross. We can’t keep the whole law ourselves(James 2:10); that’s why we need God’s mercy and grace. It’s why salvation is by grace through faith, not of works. Yes, we still need to pray for God’s people & Jerusalem to have peace, but part of that is for Him to open their eyes to His truth, so they trust Jesus as their true Messiah.

            It’s not a certain End Times sign. Still, it makes sense that in the last days Israel *could* be just like in Jesus’ day. (There is also the Noahide laws –tradition followed by Chabad and were not given by Noah – which some may try to use to unite the world in a false religion.) Of course, they will accept the antichrist as Messiah. Then, 3.5 years into the 7-year treaty he signs, he will break it, declare war on the Jews, and the Jews will have to flee into the wilderness. They will realize Jesus is the true Messiah, the only Saviour of mankind. As Zechariah says, they’ll “look on Me whom they have pierced.(Zech. 12:10)

            We must avoid following the wrong crowd here on Earth, too, before the Lord calls us home. That means staying away from false doctrine. It also means realizing what truth is and how the devil tries to deceive us.

            This gets back to Missions. Our job is to make Disciples who make Disciples, so they follow and lead well. Even if you haven’t started a Christian club at your school, you can. I’m always here for advice. Covid hit before I ever thought to ask if McKinley had one. But any school must allow one if they have other kinds of clubs. It must just be started and led by students. And, you might be heavily involved in one. If so, great! I’d love to know so I can pray for you more specifically and for it.

Missions also means that – as you build disciples - you watch and pray for leadership. God’s Word says to pray for our leaders – meaning anyone in authority - so we’ll have peaceful lines. Part of that is praying church (andclub) leaders are Godly people who teach sound doctrine & draw others to Christ. Part is praying secular leaders let us share the Gospel and be Godly influences. Even here, there are Godly ones. The Bible says there were followers of Jesus in Caesar’s house once, for instance.

We must be careful, though, and pray things that are meant for good aren’t used for evil. Because, some are in this world.

This may sound like an odd question, but what would you say to a cyborg? (Half person, half machine) Many good things can come from computers. They can help people communicate who couldn't otherwise. This is a Godly thing. We can praise the Lord that He loves us so much. But, who programs the machines that do that?

It’s like guide dogs. Training a dog to help blind people is wonderful. But we can train dogs to do bad things also. We can train dogs to attack people. In fact, there is a Columbo mystery where the famous detective figured out how someone had commanded the dogs to attack in order to commit murder.

The Internet, AI (artificial intelligence), cyber-tech, and other things can all be used for good or evil. Anything that can be implanted can be shut down via computer by whoever puts it in. So, the person who has a chip implanted to help them talk can find it switched off. This isn't just because they don't pay the bill. It can be because someone doesn't want them saying anything. (Of course, there are hackers, too.)

This is another example of how everything is going so fast. My great uncle Tom, in his 90s, felt like he was in Buck Rogers’ world. You may think you’re in a sci-fi world compared to when you were younger. The technology is here now for the Mark of the Beast, if not quite for worldwide production. I’ve said before it's about control and worship. It will be in the right hand or forehead, and taking it will mean swearing allegiance to the Antichrist and his system. This means they'll be swearing allegiance to the devil. Whatever he promises – and it could even be living forever on Earth – it’ll be a lie. Therefore, I've said many times, look at the Bible. There are specific things that show what it is and what it does. And, even if it’s just a promise of being able to buy and sell in a dying world, it’s how the devil will control people. There is a bad spirit now in the world, but it is just the spirit of antichrist. The real one hasn’t appeared yet. But, that is how he’ll rule during the Tribulation.

Still, while the devil can only possess the lost, demonic oppression can happen to saved people if they’re not careful. That’s why I shared how such things flee at the name of Jesus. (The Jan. 1^st message at Canton Baptist shares how and why God’s Word does this.) Worship songs also cause the devil to flee if you worship God in them. Sander’s wife Brenda knew a case where an evil spirit left as someone softly played “Something About That Name,” and the person became calm & helpful.

I hope you’re in a Gospel-preaching, Bible believing church or fellowship of some kind.

Here are leadership questionnaire questions. Have you been part of leading someone to Christ? Do you have a favorite or a life verse? (It can change, of course) What has God shown you in the last year that stands out the most? Have you used the Matt. 18 principle to work through things with someone?

You can always call or e-mail with questions, and even this isn’t goodbye, of course. I didn’t add a sappy “graduation speech” 😊 I enjoy following and watching young people grow up and accomplish things. Courtney Stevens is doing well, growing in the Lord and as a mom, for instance. It’s great to pray and encourage people, not just as a missionary, but as a friend, a brother in Christ. I almost never post on Facebook except to share something encouraging – I did share if we’d had souls won to Christ – or give a funny reply.  I hate the nastiness some use. But, while I can see why you’d stay off entirely, if you wanted to friend me as an adult you could. There was a time it helped that I didn’t know how things were going anyway; I needed God to help me grow my faith. Now, He has.  So, trust God’s leading.  It’s mostly just for family & keeping up with old friends, and I think it is for most.

Wherever you are or end up, I hope you are a Godly example and point people toward Jesus, while being a safe person. The Dec. 18 CBT message is great for advice on that. It’s one that people can go to with problems and be edified in the Lord without feeling attacked. It means you’re only tough if needed, like when one of the readers of these devotionals warned a friend, then when that didn’t work she told that friend’s dad what that friend was doing was very dangerous. Pray that friend will start to follow God closely.

There’s no service to transfer a church to local leaders. Still, I do feel the Lord telling me you’ll soon be ready to keep growing on your own in Christ. We all need Godly friends and fellowship to survive. And, you’re either in a Godly church and/or youth group or you’ll grow somehow anyway. Like a Godly parent gives their children wings, a good missionary gives his or her younger brothers and sisters in Christ wings, so they can go forth and be the best examples of Jesus they can be and do great for Him in this lost world, making a difference for Jesus. And, follow and make use of those who edify one another in Christ, stand for His Truth, and share your own stories of love, peace, salvation, etc. so others will follow.

            I had a big prayer request and general thoughts here to close things out. Then came the Damar Hamlin injury.

We think more often about others as human beings with families and lives with a need like what I shared. Some can pray with more insight for her & her family and friends. Yet, we can all generally sense the needs with God’s help, even if it’s a kid who is very young praying something very simple.

With Hamlin, it’s different. We don’t think about even a chance of knee injuries, let alone his condition. Our fandom interferes. We think of uniforms. Thoughts of the shortness of life don’t cross your mind on the field, let alone in the stands.

Players learn sportsmanship - it’s the right way to treat others. Godly coaches, like they tryto have at places like Ohio Tiger Alliance, weave football and life lessons about important things - integrity, respect, self-discipline, etc. It’s why proper adults can pray with and console each other though they were running into each other at full speed minutes earlier. But even they don’t expect it. And fans get too caught up in wanting their team to win. Even though, as the song goes, “If they don’t win it’s a shame.” Not a tragedy.

Each shows the importance of souls. God made us all in His image. He says to see others that way & to love and help them. Society ignores that. It’s not just only seeing uniforms. We forget to respect and care for others.

When we are Christlike, we might still encounter opposition due to others’ anxiety. Even if we tell them Jesus loves and forgives them, they can find it hard to forgive themselves. Some things weigh very heavily on people. Certain things mean kids can get poor opinions of themselves that can be hard to bounce back from without help.

Helping each other up on a playing field is easy - players get the sense of being a band of brothers and sisters, all part of a fun group learning about life and chasing a dream (living it in the pros). Yet it’s also a stepping stone to a better life. No pro plays into his 60s; not even Tom Brady. 😊 If you don’t make the pros, you can get into management, like Legacy talked about once. Staying with the athlete analogy, an incident like this can be used by God to give you a dream of sports medicine, physical therapy, etc. Any of you boys or girls can; don’t worry about poverty, if God wants you to be a doctor or physical therapist or anything, He’ll make a way. Plenty of pros would love to share how to pursue that dream.

A relationship with Christ is so important to get and give that. But we must apply it.

Whatever the situation, we should see each person as God does – souls in need. It’s easy to have ideas created by a uniform, by where someone is from, by handicaps like Aspergers that can prevent one from knowing how to interact, etc.. Our wicked world increasingly sees people as numbers. Or team names. Or some other label.

But, if we see them in God’s image, we can love & help and make a difference. We’re all people loved by God. Then, we can help them move the focus onto what God says and how He wants each of us to know Him personally as Saviour. Some people have trouble receiving our witness because they presume they’re going to be condemned & not loved. Yes, we tell the truth in love, but it takes a while for some people to realize we’re safe and will listen and help them through a crisis. And, especially, that they can take their need to the cross and let Jesus forgive, save, and cleanse them. The Bible says to bring every thought into obedience of our Lord. So, we need to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. It’s hard for anyone to know just what to say, whichever type of situation someone is facing. Every person is different, so we need Godly wisdom.

It all boils down to the Holy Spirit working in us, letting others see God has a better plan than any of us. We let God take control. He works things perfectly, for His glory and to lovingly draw others to Him. We humans, though, make choices without always know the outcome, like if we collide with each other. 😊 He gives us free will, but also lets us pray, so He can guide, protect, whatever we need. And when we yield ourselves to His will, use us to help others.