Tag: don’t give up

Out of His Mind? | Jesus’ ministry was misunderstood. What He did about it, and what you can, too.

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 “But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind.'” Mark 3:21, NKJV

Would anyone claiming closeness with the Lord today say of Him, “He is out of His mind?”

Jesus Christ was not just a world changer. He was the world changer. He had more riding on His shoulders than anyone in history ever has or ever will. Therefore, when He moved into His ministry, things didn’t look like the status quo.

Jesus did things differently. He said things differently. He treated people outside the norm. The miracles, the teachings, the casting out of demons, were in fact, very different from anyone else, causing some to say, “Never man spake like this man” (John 7:46) and leaving others amazed by His actions and power (Luke 11:14).

All of this caused a shakeup not only in the communities and towns He visited but also within His own family. At times, they didn’t know what to do.

Familiarity has a way of clouding the vision of those who are closest to you. The disciples who were called to leave everything and follow Him did so without reservation or questioning.

But those closest to Him (Vv. 21, 31) were not comfortable with the choice of the different path Jesus was now on. This ministry He was engaged in, the things He said and did, the way He acted, was out of the box they had conceived Him to be in.

But my friends, He could not be limited to their standards. He could not be shrunk to conform to make them feel more comfortable. He had a radical assignment on His life which called for radical moves.

I would say this is not the same little boy they grew up with, but it is the same one (technically). Only now, there has been a shift in His life that cannot go in reverse.

He is moving full speed ahead toward a destination they could not even fathom. And since His destination is beyond their current understanding, the path He must take and the choices He must make, they are not going to be understood either.

All of a sudden, His life looks strange to their familiar eyes. They cannot comprehend all this preaching business, and they think He is out of His mind!

To say they misunderstood who Jesus was is a gross understatement. They were not even close. They could have walked around the earth a million times and circled back, and still would have been no closer to His true identity and His true mission on earth at this time.

This is not how they were used to seeing Him. They knew Him as the carpenter’s son. They knew Him as Mary’s boy. But Jesus always knew who He was. He always knew His identity. He always knew His destiny. He always knew He was set apart for a one and only unique course in life.

His unique course was to bring salvation to the multitudes. At the beginning of His ministry, in Luke 4, we read of Jesus:

“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (Vv. 17-21)

Jesus was misunderstood early on, so much so that after making such a proclamation, some in the crowds wanted to take His life right then (Vv. 22-30).

And as our opening text here in Mark lets us know, He is misunderstood here as well.

Some accept Jesus Christ with ready and open hearts. Others, some that are even close to Him, thought He was out of His mind.

But even though Jesus did things “differently,” He did them according to the purpose for which He was called.

He could not, would not shrink down because others misunderstood His ministry. He did not give in to the familiar. He did not let discouragement win. He stayed determined to just keep doing what He was called to do, all the way to the end.

And these three things are what each of us can also do.

If the familiar is trying to box you in, “do what Jesus did: He passing through the midst of them went his way,” (Luke 4:30).  You keep on keeping on.  Jesus didn’t stand around and try to convince them to receive Him.  Life is too short for that. His time on earth would declare as some of us say today, ‘Ain’t nobody got time for that.’  We have limited time here on earth, and God needs our gifts and ministries up and running and being effective for His kingdom.” (to read more from this article, head on over to Familiarty Doesn’t Have to Breed Contempt that I previously published).

Does all of this misunderstanding discourage you? Know this: Jesus had every right to be discouraged with the way things were, but He did not give it the opportunity. Discouragement is a pit.  The more you swim in it, the deeper it takes you under.  The fact is, we do what Jesus didn’t do; we give it the opportunity.  Jesus let nothing frustrate Him from doing what He had to do.” (for more, click on Jesus Didn’t Let Discouragement Win).

Friends, as Jesus did, we must Just Keep Doing! Once I wrote in 3 Things to Remember When Rising Above the Accusers of Your Anointing:

“Anybody who has done anything significant for His Kingdom gets talked about and attacked (see Daniel 6:4-5 and Acts 23:28-29).  Our job as individuals is to rise above the naysayers and accusers and do what God says; to be about our heavenly Father’s business no matter what. 

SO REMEMBER, if you are walking in the will of God, just keep these three things in mind when your anointing is under attack:

    1. JUST because you’re anointed doesn’t mean you won’t be attacked.
    2. KEEP their possible motives in perspective.  Often, the problem isn’t you.
    3. DOING what God anointed you to do is what matters most, regardless of the accusers.

Therefore, it all boils down to one sure-fire way to rise above the accusers of your anointing:

JUST KEEP DOING!

And that is how I concluded that message and how I will conclude this one as well.

Don’t give in to the misunderstanding of the ministry. Just do what God has called you to do.

It’s never about how people see you. It’s all about how God sees you!

Bonus Tip: When in doubt, talk to a trusted adviser, pastor, leader, or friend. Someone genuinely interested in your spiritual well-being, growth, and work for the Lord.

Blessings~

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Do Your Best | Motivation Monday

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“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” Colossians 3:23

In Matthew 25 there is the parable of the talents. Some were productive and some were not. The ones who were, the master blessed with even more. The one that wasn’t lost everything.

We only get out of this life what we put into it. “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully,” (2 Corinthians 9:6). I believe this principle can apply to every area of our lives.

Too many are looking for blessings without putting their best foot forward. Thomas Edison said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

God honors the persistence and diligence of those who work to put their best foot forward: “For the labourer is worthy of his hire” (Luke 10:7). He rewards those that do their best. Whether in the parable of the talents or in Colossians 3:23, when we do our best, heartily, and bountifully, we can look forward to reaping the best.

If you don’t like what you have been reaping, check to see what you have been sowing. Have we been half-stepping or given it our all, “as for the Lord?”

Life can be overwhelming sometimes. Ask God to help you with your daily schedule and the work you must do and DO YOUR BEST TODAY! Don’t let your talents go to waste!

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Be Patient | Words to Live By

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When it doesn’t go your way… be patient.

When it doesn’t fall into place as you imagined… be patient.

When it doesn’t seem fair… be patient.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Everything that is not like God will fade away, but you who endure to the end and remain patiently in hope, will see the reward of your perseverance. “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.” James 5:7

Stay Covered in Christ

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Baptized in Christ,
our sins submerged,
the garments changed,
the new man emerged.

The old life I leave
in the dust of the past,
having put on Christ,
I am free at last.

Dear Heart, remain
in the grip of His grace.
Stay covered in Christ,
bethinking eternity’s gates.
©Word for Life Says

” For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Galatians 3:27

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Coming to Jesus with all our wrongs and trusting Him to heal and forgive is a walk of faith: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,” (Ephesians 2:8).  Now, that one has received that gift of God; that gift of salvation, they are now “the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” Galatians 3:26. 

When Jesus transforms lives with His saving blood, we are renewed, changed, and adopted into the family of God.  The old garments of self and sin have been shed and put off, and having “put on Christ,” a new life arises.  A great exchange takes place when in Jesus we place our faith, and it is in Him, we want to stay covered. Now, let us press forward and not lessen the steps of righteousness in our lives. Let’s continue onwards and upwards, through struggles and toil, for at the end of life and the things we see, eternity’s gates are waiting for you and me.

Text Free Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay

“Only One Option”

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Life gives us two options: stop where we are now and walk away, or keep moving forward until your destination is reached.

Giving up is not an option.  At least, that’s what most self-help motivational gurus say.  On this subject, I must agree.  The steadfastness and commitment of our Christian journey is more than obtaining worldly goals, success, and the like.  It’s a continual press onward and upward toward the kingdom of God, and in that, we want to take others along for this wonderful spiritual pilgrimage.

In Acts 13, Barnabas and Paul set out on their first missionary journey.  People, including leaders of cities, were responding positively to the message of the gospel they were teaching (see Acts 13:12).  But as the apostle Paul will learn, while there may be some successes along the way, there will also be some hard times and adversities; in opposition to the positive responses, there will also be some negative ones.

After leaving the area of Paphos, Paul and Barnabas traveled by boat to Perga in Pamphylia and from there into Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:13-14).  Searching out the local synagogue, Paul went in and expounded to the Jews present about their national history that led up to the revealing of the crucifixion and resurrection of the Savior (Acts 13:16-41).

But, when the Gentiles begged to hear the same words of encouragement about the Savior, the Jews in attendance became envious and started contending against the work and the teaching of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:42-45).  After this adversarial encounter, Paul stated it was necessary for them [the Jews] to hear of this good news first, and then he proceeded to tell them that now they would focus their ministry on delivering the message to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46-48).

Although the Gentiles were glad about what they heard, and the gospel spread throughout the region (Acts 13:49), the opposition against these missionaries was just getting started.  Troublemakers stirred up prominent men and women of society who persecuted Paul and Barnabas and kicked them out of the region (Acts 13:50).  Nevertheless, this did not stop their joy or the delivering of the message.  Shaking the dust off their feet against this city, they moved on to the next teaching/preaching opportunity which is found in the city of Iconium (Acts 13:51-14:1).

But there, too, we see that the unbelieving Jews caused problems for the missionaries.  Standing their ground in the Word, and continuing to preach His message, Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly for the gospel’s sake until the residents of the city became so divided that violence was sought against them.  Upon finding this out, they fled to Lystra and Derbe and began to preach the gospel there (Acts 14:2-7).

It should not surprise the Christian that such division is found wherever the gospel is preached.  Even Jesus stated, “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division,” (Luke 12:51).  While some are looking forward to what the truth of the Word of our Lord holds, others do not.  Therefore, wherever progress and footings are made to plant the Word of God into souls, there will always be attempts to stop that from happening.  The job of the Christian is to not give up regardless of the troubles, adversities, trials, and tribulations one faces.  The gospel message must still go out.  There are still souls that need to hear of His saving grace, and as carriers of such a treasure, we must through faith strive through it all to deliver this eternal life-saving message to this broken world.

The troubles we may encounter in any ministry work are not to be a surprise (1 Peter 4:12), rather, it is to be expected (John 16:33). We were never promised the absence of struggles. But what we are told is, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12), and “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9). 

God told Joshua in the Old Testament, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9), and while it is one verse we like to quote often, wearing that faith hat and putting it into practice can sometimes escape us when the struggles are before us.

Nonetheless, the ministry and the message are too important not to push through and push forward, and like the apostle Paul stated in Philippians, we too must declare, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (3:14). 

So, you see, there is really only one option. The choice between the two is always ours, but to continue to be and do all God has called you to be, and do, only one viable option is on the table: Don’t Give Up! If the road were always easy and popular everybody would walk it (Matthew 7:13, 14). But everybody in this world out there needs us to continue moving this message forward, even if they don’t realize it.

Paul, through all of his missionary journeys, would continue the press in carrying the gospel to many nations and people. In the process, he would suffer much ( read the rest of Acts 14 and 2 Corinthians 11:23-33). But for him, giving up was not an option. Neither should it be for us. We may never be called upon to experience and endure some of the trials he and many others have faced, but that doesn’t mean that we will be without adversity. May the courage and dedication of our Lord, and the testimony of these witnesses encourage us to carry on. 

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” Hebrews 3:1-3

The struggle may seem hard at times but Jesus promised, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved,” (Matthew 24:13).

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Despair will try to rob you…

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Despair will try to rob you of everything God has for you. Don’t give up. Rather, place your hope in God who is able to turn any situation around and give you peace in the midst of the storm. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” – Psalm 43:5, NIV

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