Are you able to see God as the God of increase and not decrease?
Consider the patterns of the Bible. Consider how much God loves for things to grow and flourish:
The Biblical story begins chaotic darkness.
It ends in ordered, permanent Light.
The history of man begins in a garden with two people. It ends in a city with countless thousands.
The New Testament Church begins with a handful in an upper room.
By the end of Acts the church has reached the ends of the earth.
The faith we profess began with a homeless man . . .and is now the most widely professed faith in the world.
The examples could go on and on. Throughout the Bible, we find stories of God growing His creation. Whether it is Abraham starting late with one son and receiving a promise of thousands, or the disciples catching nothing before meeting Jesus and a slew of fish afterward. God is a god of increase, not decrease.
That increase is continuing today. If you search your soul, can you sense that He wants to increase the brightness of your life? When is the last time you asked God to show you a crescendo of greatness in your life?
Ask Him for more out of life. Trust that He will grant you more than you can imagine.
Believe in a God of increase.
Pastors – Here is a classic Puritan prayer for you today. The language is dated, but the content is timeless.
Read it. Pray it. Then, step in front of your people and preach as if it were your last sermon. We love you guys!
“My Master
I am desired to preach today,
but go weak and needy to my task;
Yet I long that people might be edified with divine truth, that an honest testimony might be borne for thee;
Give me assistance in preaching and prayer, with heart uplifted for grace and unction.
Present to my view things pertinent to my subject, with fullness of matter and clarity of thought, proper expressions, fluency, fervency, a feeling sense of the things I preach, and grace to apply them to people’s consciences.
Keep me conscious all the while of my defects, and let me not gloat in pride over my performance.
Help me to offer a testimony for thyself, and to leave sinners inexcusable in neglecting thy mercy.
Give me freedom to open the sorrows of thy people, and to set before them comforting considerations.
Attend with power the truth preached, and awaken the attention of my slothful audience.
May thy people be refreshed, melted, convicted, comforted, and help me to use the strongest arguments drawn from Christ’s incarnation and sufferings, that men might be made holy.
I myself need thy support, comfort, strength, holiness, that I might be a pure channel of thy grace, and be able to do something for thee;
Give me then refreshment among thy people, and help me not to treat excellent matter in a defective way, or bear a broken testimony to so worthy a redeemer, or be harsh in treating of Christ’s death, its design and end, from lack of warmth and fervency.
And keep me in tune with thee as I do this work.
Amen”
Taken from Arthur Bennett, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions (The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975)
My reading from the One Year Bible this morning concluded with this verse:
“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5)”
Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty. (Proverbs 21:5)
It immediately brought to mind those of us who are starting back with school, routine, and work as lazy summer days wind down.
Whether you’re like my 5 year old Kindergartener or like me coming off my summer vacation, it’s time to get back to work.
That’s when I thought of today’s illustration.
I cannot take credit for this illustration. It’s an old one, repeated many times. But there’s a reason it keeps getting repeated. Maybe you’ve heard it, maybe not. In any event, I hope it helps you smile, and maybe even helps your message this week.
- William
A young woman brings home her fiancée to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother tells her father to find out more about the future son-in-law. The father invites the young man into his study. “So what are your plans?” the father asks the young man.
“I am a Bible scholar,” he replies.
“A Bible scholar. Hmm,” the father says. “That’s commendable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in as she’s accustomed to?”
“I will study,” the young man replies, “and God will provide for us.”
“Are you planning on buying her an engagement ring; – preferably a nice one?” asks the father.
“I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man replies, “and God will provide for us.”
“And children?” asks the father. “How will you support my grandchildren?”
“Don’t worry, sir, God will provide,” the scholar answered.
The conversation goes on and on like this, and each time the father questions, the answer is that God will provide.
Just before bed, the mother asks, “How did it go, honey?”
The father answers, “He has no job and no plans, but the good news is he thinks I’m God.”
Is life tragic? Or is it comic?
In Shakespeare’s dramas, there were two main types of plays: the tragedy and the comedy. There really wasn’t much middle ground. Either the story was tragic, or comic.
The tragedy’s plot line was simple: things started bad and went to worse. Example: a play starts with “something rotten in Denmark,” and ends with everyone dead in the final scene.
The comedy is a bit different than what we think of in 21st century America. In our world, a classic comedy would be Animal House. But a truly classic comedy would be something like Much Ado About Nothing. Our comedies involve lots of drinking, very little clothing, and lazy use of language. In a more sophisticated day, comedy was understood as a plotline where there was initial tension and then resolution. In other words, things started off mildly bad and turned out good.
The key to watching one of Shakespeare’s plays was paying attention to Act 3. During Act III, right in the middle of the story, there was a turning point that determined whether you were watching a tragedy or a comedy. [1]
If the turning point was went South, then you knew that the play would certainly end badly, probably with several incestuous revelations and suicides (no, Shakespeare was not from Alabama).
For the comedy, just the opposite was true. In Act III, when the crucial moment arrived, tension was resolved. From that point on, the audience could rest assured that all would be well in the end.
The technical term for this moment is the crux of the play. It comes from a Latin word from which “crucial” is drawn. There’s another English word that is drawn from crux:
cross.
All of history is a drama. There will be a tension between good and evil. We’ll all be wondering whether the end of the story will be despairing or hopeful; – tragic or comic.
And all of history hinges on the cross.
When Christ died at Calvary, the crux was revealed. The cross was the turning point that changed everything. Before that moment, all was undecided, hazy, and the future was uncertain.
Because of the cross, history is actually more secure for us. And even better than in a Shakespearean play. It’s better because we’re not just an audience; – we are the actors.
Of course, the key to living in this drama of life is remembering Act 3, and believing it is the turning point. Without it, the future is uncertain. Without it, calm is impossible. But because of the crux of Calvary, death has lost its sting.
[1] My learning on drama and theology comes straight from one of my favorite professors, Dr. Ralph C. Wood, who now teaches at Baylor University. His book,
The Comedy of Redemption, explains these principles with more depth and knowledge than I have here. I thank Ralph for permission to cite his invaluable work.
Maybe you’ve heard of motivational speaker and spiritualist Wayne Dyer. While I certainly don’t agree with everything he says, I was caught off guard by some of his words,
“It’s impossible to feel lonely if you like the person you’re alone with.”
Of course, he’s speaking of self esteem and motivation. But Mr. Dyer doesn’t know how much of a Christian statement he has made. The truth is, if we’re left with only ourselves, we’ll always feel dissatisfaction and loneliness. When we’re finished running our rat race, we’re left looking into the mirror with an all too empty feeling.
Pascal called it the “God shaped hole” in our heart that can only be filled by Him.
That’s what makes the Gospel so wonderful. It’s the message of a God who came to be with us even when we didn’t deserve company, and even in our lonely estate. Because we live on this side of Easter, we live in and age when “God Himself will dwell among us.” And realizing that presence eradicates loneliness.
Here’s my stab at a rework of Mr. Dyer’s words,
“It’s impossible to feel lonely if you realize that the God you’re alone with likes you.”
That’s motivation. That’s Good News. And that’s worth pursuing.
He promises that if you will draw near to Him, He will draw near to you with the good news that you need never feel lonely again.
