Weekly devotionals from Pastor Mike Fabarez Senior Pastor at Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo, CA and host of daily Focal Point Radio broadcast.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Passing It On
The Bible has much to
say about our responsibility to pass on our spiritual gains to those who will
be here when we are gone. This is more than a parent’s responsibility to teach
their kids the Bible. It is much broader and much deeper than simply
communicating biblical data to children. In Scripture, the call usually comes
from those who never had kids. It is, more fully, an urgent exhortation that
has younger non-familial adults in view. By “spiritual gains” I mean the kind
of sage counsel and practical insight that comes from successfully implementing
and applying the truths of God’s word. If the goal was simply “passing on
truth,” we could just hand out Bibles, but the objective of spiritual
reproduction is to functionally train and instruct those younger in Christ to
know how to do what God has said. Paul shows the breath of this task when he
wrote, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me –
put it into practice” (Phil.4:9). To his spiritual protégé Paul writes, “You
know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love,
endurance, persecutions and sufferings… continue in what you have learned”
(2Tim.3:10, 14). It won’t happen without being intentional. You and I must
purpose to “pass on” our spiritual gains. At whatever stage we may be in the
Christian life, we must meet with younger Christians, talk with younger
Christians and share our insight with younger Christians. We must purpose to
train others up in truth who will advance the cause of Christ for years after
we have finished our work and gone on to be with the Lord.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Weakness
As sinful and fallen people we hate the feeling of weakness. On the other hand, we love feelings of strength, dominance, control, power and independence. But the reality is, that as creatures of the One who “gives all men life, breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25) all of our perceived experiences of strength and power are derived and not autonomous. As Nebuchadnezzar poignantly learned, God “does what he pleases with the powers of heaven” (Daniel 4:35). The truth is we have and are nothing without the active and gracious involvement of God, for he “sustains all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). He freely chooses to “bring one down and exalt another” (Psalms 75:7). In other words, we are all inherently weak! We have no independent power or intrinsic strength. And in the normal course of life we periodically get a taste of that reality. There are times when we painfully feel the reality of our weakness. The Bible says it is then when we are prepared to experience the transcendent strength of our God. For when we recognize and ask the true source of power, then he “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29). As Paul learned in his episodes of palpable weakness, “when I am weak, I am strong” for God grants strength to those who trust him for it (2 Corinthians 12:10). So let’s get honest and be willing to “boast all the more gladly about [our] weakness so that Christ’s power may rest on [us]” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
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