HillThread ~ Supporting Missions

Job 22:21-26
“Submit to God and be at peace with him;
in this way prosperity will come to you.
Accept instruction from his mouth
and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:
If you remove wickedness far from your tent
and give up your lust for money
and throw your precious gold into the river bottom,
then the Almighty will be your gold,
the choicest silver for you.
Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty
and will lift up your face to God.”

In surrender, you begin to really live the life God intended: “Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35).

You are set free, liberated from self-preoccupation: “But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!” (Romans 6:16-18).

God is able to use you in great ways.

Why did God choose Mary, of all women, to be the mother of Jesus? It was because she was totally surrendered to God. When the angel explained God’s improbable plan, she humbly responded, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said” (Luke 1:38).

Nothing is more powerful than a surrendered life in the hands of God.

Psalm 37:7
“Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for him.”

Surrendering your life means:

Following God’s lead without knowing where he’s sending you;
Waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come;
Expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide;
Trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances.
You know you’re surrendered to God when you rely on God to work things out instead of trying to manipulate others, force your agenda, and control the situation. You let go and let God work. You don’t have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder, you trust more.

You also know you’re surrendered when you don’t react to criticism and rush to defend yourself. Surrendered hearts show up best in relationships. You are not self-serving, you don’t edge others out, and you don’t demand your rights. The most difficult thing for many people to surrender is their money. Many have thought, “I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday.”

Retirement is not the goal of a surrender life, because it competes with God for the primary attention of our lives. I know that sounds crazy, believe me. But nowhere in the Gospel can you read about Jesus and His retirement plan. His retirement plan was to be with God in heaven, but while He was on earth, His only concern was doing God’s will. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money,” (Matthew 6:24) and “Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Here is an example of just how concerned with money we are as a culture, even if we don’t think we are. Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love, prayed with his wife to ask God what they should do with all of the money he made from his book sales. The message they received from God was clear and simple, give it all to the Isaiah 58 fund ( a non-profit dedicated to the poor internationally, particularly in human trafficking). But as Francis will tell you, many people told him that this decision wasn’t smart, and that he should at least save some of it for an emergency. We are always concerned with creating safety, security, and comfort for ourselves . . . but the Bible teaches us to trust in God and that our security is in heaven.

The supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus. The night before his crucifixion Jesus surrendered himself to God’s plan. He prayed, “Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine” (Mark 14:36). Jesus surrendered himself to God’s will. He prayed, “God, if it is in your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that’s what I want, too.”

Genuine surrender says, “Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another’s life, please don’t take it away!” This level of maturity doesn’t come easy. In Jesus’ case, he agonized so much over God’s plan that he sweated drops of blood. Surrender is hard work. In our case, it requires intense warfare against our self-centered nature.

1 Samuel 17:32-37
“David said to Saul, ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.’ Saul replied, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you.’”

David found King Saul’s hefty reward for Goliath’s defeat interesting—in fact, he asked to have it repeated twice (vv. 26, 30). Money, freedom, and a pretty girl would make almost any teenage boy take notice! However, though David was young, he was not foolhardy. The reward was a nice perk, but it wasn’t the young shepherd’s motivation.

David’s reason for standing against Goliath was to serve the Lord. The boy openly expressed his disdain for the giant: “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam. 17:26). Challenging the chosen nation, Israel, was the same as defying the Lord Himself. David was prepared to defend Yahweh’s holy name and His people, even against this fearsome warrior. A right and holy motive gives a person confidence to obey God, even if doing so defies human wisdom.

It is possible for believers to seek victory over life’s Goliaths with wrong motives. A lot of reasons that sound good are actually selfish. I’m tired of being in this mess. Or Lord, I can’t run away, so You’ll have to remove this problem. Some people try to bargain their way out of tight spots: If I had more money, then I’d give more to the church. Those promises are rarely fulfilled.

The right motive for facing a problem is a desire to follow, serve, and honor God, no matter what. Life’s Goliaths do not just tax our comfort or wellbeing; these challenges can impede our obedient walk with the Lord. He will give victory to those who stand strong in His name.

John 6:8-9
“Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. ‘There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?’”.

Whenever you have a need, acknowledge your faith by planting a seed. In other words, take your focus off your need and look at ways you can provide for the needs of others, planting a seed in their lives. This isn’t easy. It goes against our nature; it’s totally illogical. If I’m out of money, I’m probably going to think, “I can’t give away any money.” Or if I’m out of time, I’m probably going to think, “Why should I spend more time on something else?” Or if I don’t have any energy in a relationship, I’m probably going to think, “How can I give more energy away?”

Yet, God says this is exactly what demonstrates faith: when you have a need, you plant a seed. You can see this principle imbedded in our blood. When you give away blood, you get more blood. You don’t end up with less blood; you end up with as much blood or more than you had before.

God often works through this harvest principle: when you have a need, you give; and what you give away, God replenishes. Faith is like a seed, so it has to be planted, or deposited. Remember the story of the little boy who had five loaves and two fish? He gives them away, and God uses them to feed 5,000 people. Jesus takes what the boy gives; He breaks it, He blesses it, and He uses it.

That’s what God does in our lives. He takes us, He breaks us, He blesses us, and He uses us. He multiplied a little into a lot because it was planted as a seed.

Romans 6:13
“Do not present your body to sin as an instrument for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your body to God as an instrument for righteousness.”

The heart of worship is surrender. But surrender is an unpopular word, disliked almost as much as the word submission. In our society, it implies weakness, and no one wants to be seen as weak.

Surrender evokes the unpleasant images of admitting defeat in battle, forfeiting a game, or yielding to a stronger opponent. The word is almost always used in a negative context. Captured criminals surrender to the authorities.

In our competitive world we’re taught to never quit trying, never give up, and never give in – so we don’t hear much about surrendering. If winning is everything, surrendering is unthinkable.

Yet, the Bible teaches us that rather than trying to win, succeed, overcome, and conquer, we should instead yield, submit, obey, and surrender to an almighty God who has already overcome the world. And by surrendering to God, we enter into the heart of worship. This is true worship: bringing pleasure to God as we give ourselves completely to Him.

Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience. You say “Yes, Lord” to whatever He asks of you. In fact, “No, Lord” is a contradiction. You can’t claim Jesus as your Lord when you refuse to obey Him. Think about that for a second. To call Jesus Lord is to submit yourself to His authority. So there is no room for “no”. Peter modeled surrender when, after a night of failed fishing, Jesus told him to try again: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Surrendered people obey God’s word, even when they can’t see the sense of it in their current situation.

Surrender isn’t waving a white flag in a Saturday morning cartoon. It’s saying to Jesus that you will follow Him wherever He leads, it’s obedience to God’s Word . . . surrender is offering your life as a living sacrifice to the One who died for you and was raised!

Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

The Apostle Paul teaches that we are to work as though we are “working for the Lord and not for people.” He’s saying that no job is too small: no job is too menial: no job is too insignificant when you have the right motive and perspective. We should think, I’m doing it for God; I’m doing this job as if I’m doing it for the Lord.

Now, how do I know if I’m doing my work for the Lord? Two characteristics will show up in your attitude -

Excellence — If I’m doing my work for the Lord, and not just for the boss, then I’ll do it with excellence. That means I will do the best I can because I’m not doing it for anyone’s approval except God’s.

Enthusiasm – And, I do my work with enthusiasm. I work for God; therefore, I do it with a cheerful attitude. “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” (Romans 12:11, NLT)

When you work with all your heart, motivated by the love of Christ, your work will be transformed into an act of worship for God. This may not happen over night. It may take time, patience, prayer, reliance on God’s power, and more prayer, and a little bit of struggle here and there. But if we will rely on God, He will definitely change out hearts.

John 20:15-16
“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned and said to him in Aramaic, Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).”

Can you imagine how the followers of Jesus felt when they knew He had conquered death? Everything He had said was now validated as truth! His victory over death confirmed their heart conviction that Jesus truly is the Messiah. Their hope was set firm in Him who rose from the grave; it was set in Him who came to save the world.

Jesus promises that we, too, will be resurrected and given new bodies. Physical death could not hold Him, nor will it overpower us. Because He overcame the grave, His followers have the same kind of life He has—eternal and indestructible, strength and power that comes from God Almighty alone.

May you be blessed today as your celebrate Christ’s Resurrection. Never forget what Jesus has done for you.

During the time between the death of Jesus and His glorious resurrection, there was a hint of uncertainty among some believers. “Was He really the Messiah,” some thought. “What do we do now that our leader is gone,” others wondered. Some even thought about going back to their old jobs. In that moment, they didn’t know the end of the story. But PRAISE God we know what the outcome is!

We don’t have to wonder if the words Jesus spoke were true, we KNOW they are true. God’s Word is truth! As you prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our savior tomorrow, spend time in prayer and in God’s Word today. Read the accounts of Jesus’ death and burial and resurrection beginning in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18.

Spend time in prayer, thankinf and praising God for allowing His Son to the the one and only atoning sacrifice for our sins. Today, this Bible study isn’t about what I can write or what scripture I can offer. Today, let this time be between you and God, who loves you so much that He died on a cross for your salvation.

Paul had a different life (and a different name: Saul) before he encountered Jesus. Saul was out to shut down the message of Jesus, and he had the approval of the highest ranking Jewish leaders in the city. He had heard about all of the teachings, all of the miracles and stories, all of the sacrifice and resurrection, all of the devotion of Christ’s followers, and Saul’s mission was to kill the message in it’s tracks, to stop the spread of the name Jesus from reaching any new hearts.

Acts 8:1-3 – “Saul approved of their killing him [Stephen had just been stoned to death]. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.”

But then his experience with the Son of God changed his life course forever. His encounter with Jesus on the way to capture more believers would leave him with a new life (and a new name: Paul) He became a new creation in Jesus, which he would later write about in his letters to fellow believers (2 Corinthians 5, John 3:3, Romans 6:4, Galatians 6:15).

Acts 9:22 – “Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.”

Saul was on his way to Demascus to arrest and kill Christians. But his encounter with Jesus changed his life. He entered Demascus preaching the name of Jesus, and proving that Jesus is the Messiah. And because of this, he was now targeted for death by the Jewish leaders that he once worked for.

There is a difference between information and encounter. Some people can rattle off all the facts and information about Jesus, what He has done, and what He has promised. But have you had an encounter with the Son of God? Have you met Jesus? Have you called on His name? Have you said to Him, “Lord, I don’t want my life anymore, I want to follow you and live my life wherever you want me to go and however you want my to live.”

When we encounter Jesus, our lives will never be the same. WE WILL BE FOREVER CHANGED, AND WE WILL CARRY HIS NAME WHEREVER WE GO.

2 Samuel 7:22
“How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.”

Psalm 9:7-10
“The LORD reigns forever;
he has established his throne for judgment.
He will judge the world in righteousness;
he will govern the peoples with justice.
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name will trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

How much do you trust God? Before answering, consider these scenarios. Do you really trust the Lord when everything seems out of control and He appears absent? . . . when He’s called you to move in a certain direction that seems illogical and risky? . . . when painful circumstances continue, making you wonder if the Lord really cares?

We all have times of doubt when our expectations of God are dashed by the reality of our situation. Many of us want to trust Him more but aren’t sure how to do so.

David reveals that the key lies in knowing the Lord (v. 10). Distance in our relationship with Him results in a lack of faith, but those who are intimately acquainted with Christ find it easier to trust Him wholeheartedly.

Whenever you are tempted to doubt, remember these three essential truths about the Lord:

• He is completely sovereign (Ps. 103:19). God has everything in His control even when we can’t perceive it.

• He is infinitely wise (Rom. 11:33-36). The Lord knows every side of the situation (inside and out) and every event (past, present, and future).

• He loves perfectly (Ex. 34:6). Without exception, He always chooses what is best for us, even if it’s not easy.

We grow in faith, not by trying harder to believe but, rather, by pursuing the Lord. This involves doing all we can to get to know Him—in particular, spending time in His Word and talking to Him in prayer. Then our trust in Him will grow as we learn that He never forsakes those who seek Him.