"Write this letter to the angel of the church in
We are creatures of comfort. Creatures of convenience. Creatures of habit. It is not always a conscious thing. It just is a trait that is commonly human to prefer to avoid change. Especially drastic or major changes. Sometimes God has to forcibly close a door in our lives in order to get us to walk through the next one He has for us. Realize today that God always has another level for us to go to but too often we are the unwilling partner. We get comfortable where we are at in our salvation and stagnate. We may think we are busy in our Christianity because we frequently confuse our service in a local church with our walk with God. We confuse our Mary with our Martha.
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to
This is such a "theology rich" story but for the purposes of this writing, Mary represents our walk with God. She sits at His feet hanging on every Word. When we are at home studying the Word of God or put His precepts into action in our lives we are feeding our Mary. Martha on the other hand represents our service to the body of Christ. When we serve in ministries or help out on a missions trip for example, we are feeding our Martha. Both are needed. We should not be lacking either side. It is Mary however that has chosen the better thing according to Jesus. Too often we sacrifice our Mary upon the altar of Martha. We need to be vigilant that one is not sacrificed for the other.
Because God always has that next level for us to go to if we are willing. Sometimes however, we simply do not handle success very well. The Apostle Paul was very successful in his ministry. Paul had a successful first missionary journey. He could have stopped then but God had two more for him and then onto
And yes, how we handle failure is also critical for moving onto the next level in Christ. Lessons should be learned in failure. It is not a wasted experience. Nothing in life ever should be. There is always something more to learn. There are two primary dangers within failures that prevent us from moving on. One is we simply do not like being burned. No one wants to fail. No one wants to feel that they have failed. The best way to avoid that feeling again is to simply stop trying. That may sound silly but how many Christians do we see in church that are virtually just pew-sitters? How many Christians walk with absolutely no power of Christ in their lives? They got their fire insurance policy from hell and are now singing kumbya with the choir until Jesus comes back. The second consideration however is that we listen to quickly to the whispering of the enemy after we have failed. We can talk ourselves out of the next level God has for us by simply believing the lies of the devil. It is a spiritual war beloved. I know that sometimes we turn our heads from this side of our faith but we do so at our own peril. The enemy has a field day with the children of God because they are being entertained instead of being armed. Being unarmed for war does not mean you avoid the casualties.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. -- 2Corinthians 10: 3-5 (NIV)
There is the truth of the Word of God and there are the lies of the enemy. They are diametrically opposed. While it may seem easy, you have to remember that the devil doesn't play nice. He knows what buttons to push on us to get us to more easily accept his lies. He knows how to mix just enough truth with some leaven to get us to accept the lies. This is happening every day with false doctrines that sound good to the ears but at their heart they are heresy. Is God love? Absolutely but not without His wrathful side! Is God grace? Absolutely but that does not mean we should ignore sin! Paul warned Timothy that in the end days, which we are clearly living in, Christians would gather around them teachers to tickle their ears. In other words -- tell them what they want to hear instead of the whole Gospel. Do not be deceived beloved. Whether it is success or failure -- God still has another level for you to go to. Even when it seems like an entire chapter of your life is closing -- God is still writing the next chapter. Even when people are being removed from your life -- God is making new divine connections for you. As the key verse today states -- what He opens no man can close and what He closes, no one can open.
I write this today with my office in boxes and a 13 year chapter of my life coming to a close. I do not know exactly what God is doing but I know He is doing something. I know that because His Word promises me that He is working all things together for my good. He is working them. I do not know where this writing finds you today. Maybe you are facing a major shift in your life too -- a God shift. If so, do not fight against the tide. When someone drowns due to riptide the usual problem is that they struggle against the tide and panic. They soon find themselves upside down and out of strength. The trick for surviving is to go with the tide. It always comes back up. It is the same way with us in life. Fighting against the tide will do nothing but wear us out. Remember, if it is God closing the door -- no man can open it anyway. Go with the tide and see what the next door is that He will open. He will never let you down.
Rev. Anthony
