Tag Archives: decisions

Pray, Believe, Act, April 6, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

If you keep your eyes and ears glued to the news, things seem a little hopeless right now, don’t they? The number of people infected by SARS-CoV-2 or novel coronavirus or COVID 19 or whatever name you want to call the tiny creature that is raising havoc among the population keeps growing with seemingly no end in sight.

It gets a little scary when you have kids that depend on you for food and shelter. It gets a bit scary when you know you have comorbidities that could put you at significantly higher risk for what victims describe as a horrible time if you catch it. It shakes us a little when we hear conflicting information from our city, state, and federal officials. Then there are all the anecdotal stories on Facebook and Instagram and the rest of the social media outlets. We sometimes don’t know what to believe.

Some say stay put and slow the spread so the healthcare system can keep up with the spread. Some say go back to work, so our economy doesn’t implode and drives us into a recession that makes the final outcome worse. Some say it doesn’t matter what we do because the end of the world is here, so don’t sweat it.

What are we to believe in this pandemic? What are we to do? How should we act as Christians?

The current debates between politicians, healthcare workers, economists, epidemiologists, and others remind me of what happened during Holy Week 2000 years ago in a little village called Bethany just a few miles outside of Jerusalem.

Jesus went to visit his friends Lazarus, and his sisters Mary and Martha. You’ll remember Lazarus. The guy whose corpse spent four days stinking up a tomb before Jesus raised him from the dead. Jesus and his disciples were having dinner with Lazarus and his sisters, and a crowd began to gather. John says some came to see Jesus, but some came to see Lazarus, the dead guy walking. But I want you to hear the end of that story as John describes it. It’s in chapter twelve of the story he wrote of Jesus’ life and ministry.

When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus. (John 12:9-12 NIV)

We’re in this debate about what we should do as the pandemic stretches across the country. Should we continue social separation? Should we go back to work like nothing is happening? Should we do something between the two? Should we listen to the CDC and stay home? Should we get the economy back on track before Easter? What should we do in the middle of this crisis?

I know a lot of people suffer right now. I look at the hospital census in places like New York City, San Francisco, and Detroit and see doctors having to choose between who lives and who dies because there isn’t enough equipment to take care of everyone. It was reminiscent of Italy and China just days and weeks ago.

We still have shortages, not only of vital medical equipment and supplies but of food and things those on the margins of life need for survival. How do we continue to ensure they have the necessary support when businesses close and we live in a day when so many live from paycheck to paycheck. What happens when the paychecks stop? The $1200 or $2400 that may come in the mail doesn’t go very far these days, and then what? And the small sum that is coming adds $2 trillion to our out of control national debt. That’s another $5,300 every American owes on top of the $48,000 every American already owed to pay off the mortgage Congress has given us.

The Pharisees voted to kill Jesus and Lazarus so they could keep their positions of power. The common Jews voted for Jesus so they could understand the power and authority Jesus demonstrated in his words. The Pharisees understood God as the giver of prosperity and position. Their national pride came from him. Jesus knew God as the one who calms the storm, the peacemaker, the healer, the giver of life.

I would not want to be in any of our leaders’ position today. They have no-win jobs right now. No matter what decision they make, it will be wrong for hundreds and thousands of people. Whether they choose to keep us sheltered in place or put everyone back to work, all of us will be affected in ways that are detrimental to individuals and the country. Pandemics are no-win situations; they always have been. Pandemic comes from a Greek word that means all people. It affects everyone. All of us will be touched.

So what does that mean for Christians when any decision detrimentally affects many of those around you?

First, we need to pray for our leaders. Pray for them as you have never prayed before. It doesn’t matter what side of the political spectrum you fall. It doesn’t matter who you voted for or who you like as a candidate now. No one, party, race, religion, gender, age, ethnic group, no one is exempt from what we face. The people in office must make some very tough decisions; none of us would want on our shoulders because all the decisions carry adverse outcomes. So pray for their wisdom and divine guidance.

Second, let Christ into your life and learn more about him through experience. He is our hope, our peace, our calm in the middle of this storm. Read about his life from the authors that lived with him. Read John and Luke and Mark and Matthew again and again, and understand the resurrection power Jesus wants to share with those who believe in him. He is our hope in this crisis. If you don’t know him as your savior, you can start with a simple prayer. Acknowledge your need; believe in his power to forgive your sins; declare him as Lord and Leader of your life from this point on. Mean those words, and he will enter your heart and life. He will make you into a new person.

Third, when you can do something for someone in these crisis times, no matter how small it might seem, do it. We can be a blessing to others and show Jesus’ love for us by showing his love to others.

One day all this will be in the past. Our grandchildren and their grandchildren will remember it only as a little piece of history. What we do as God’s children will make it a tale filled with heroic and loving stories or stories filled with only pain and agony. It’s our choice in how we allow God to work through us to make the difference.

Stay safe and may God bless you.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Scriptures marked NIV are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (NIV): Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™. Used by permission of Zondervan

I can’t decide for you (Luke 10:10-16) October 25, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Chronicles 25-28

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 10:10-16
Jesus: Of course, not every town will welcome you. If you’re rejected, walk through the streets and say, “We’re leaving this town. We’ll wipe off the dust that clings to our feet in protest against you. But even so, know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” I tell you the truth, on judgment day, Sodom will have an easier time of it than the town that rejects My messengers.
It’s going to be bad for you, Chorazin! It’s going to be bad for you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works done in your streets had been done in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have been moved to turn to God and cry out in sackcloth and ashes. On judgment day, Tyre and Sidon will have an easier time of it than you. It’s going to be bad for you, too, Capernaum! Will you be celebrated to heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.
Listen, disciples: if people give you a hearing, they’re giving Me a hearing. If they reject you, they’re rejecting Me. And if they reject Me, they’re rejecting the One who sent Me. So—go now!

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Scary words again from Jesus’ lips. Just before this, we heard Him tell seventy of His disciples to travel throughout the region and tell His message to everyone who would listen. He told them and us to start at home and spread out to the surrounding areas until the whole world heard the message of salvation. Jesus gave them the bold messge that they would have the power to heal and drive out demons and do miraculous things in His names as they carried the Father’s message with them.

Now Jesus gives those He sends out this message of encouragement. It doesn’t sound like much encouragement, but it really is. It says that not everyone will listen and respond to the message of repentance that they share. That might sound discouraging to you, but after preaching God’s words for over 30 years, I find His words encouraging. I’ll tell you why.

My job is not to win people to Christ. I’m not responsible for saving anyone. I’m not responsible for changing people’s minds and turning them into Christians. My responsibility is to share the message the best way I know how and to live its message daily in my own life. My responsibility is to ensure I’m ready at any moment to give my testimony to anyone who is willing to hear it. I am not accountable for their response, but I am accountable for sharing the message to those God prompts me to receive my testimony.

There is a passage in Ezekiel Chapter 3 that I’m often reminded of when I’m prompted by God to speak to someone. God is speaking to Ezekiel and says, “If I send this message to a wicked person—“You will die”—but then you fail to warn him or help him to reconsider his wickedness so that he may not die, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. It will be your fault for not warning him. His blood will be on your hands. But if you do forewarn a wicked person and give him My message, and yet he does not change his wicked thoughts and actions, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. But you will have saved your own life by doing what I directed.”

At the judgment, I don’t want to stand before God with anyone else’s blood on my hands. I want to make it to heaven and I want to bring others with me. I want to give those around me an opportunity to meet the One who can restore them to a right relationship with God just as He did for me. I want to let others know they do not have to bow down to the tyranny of sin, but can be freed by the powerful blood shed for them on the cross one day long ago on the hill called Golgotha. I want them to know they can have the same testimony I have and millions of others have had throughout the ages. Jesus saves me from my sins. He set me free through His shed blood. He lives today in my soul. He is the Lord of my life.

I can’t make the decision whether you will accept my words as true. I can’t make the decision whether you will ask Jesus to forgive you of your past. I can’t decide for you if Jesus will be the Lord of your life and your reason for living. I wish I could. But it’s not a decision I can make. Each of us must decide for ourselves. We must come to the conclusion personally that we want Jesus to reign in our life and them let Him do so. No one can do that for you except you. But it is a decision you will never regret if you decide to let Him rule your life. He is God, after all.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Will you do what the Father says? (Matthew 21:27-32) May 17, 2016

Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Samuel 15-19

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 21:27-32
Jesus: Then neither will I tell you about the authority under which I am working. But I will tell you a story, and you can tell Me what you make of it: There was a man who had two sons. He said to his first son,
Father: Go and work in the vineyard today.
First Son: No, I will not.
But later the first son changed his mind and went. Then the father went to his second son.
Father: Go and work in the vineyard today.
Second Son: Of course, Father.
But then he did not go. So which of the sons did what the father wanted?
Chief Priests and Elders (answering at once): The first.
Jesus: I tell you this: the tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God ahead of you. John came to show you the straight path, the path to righteousness. You did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. Even as you saw the prostitutes and the tax collectors forgiven and washed clean, finding their footing on the straight path to righteousness, still you did not change your ways and believe.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

The chief priests and elders got pretty frosted at Jesus’ story, because they knew He meant for the second son to represent them. They knew what they were supposed to do, but failed to do it. They carried on the rituals, but didn’t extend God’s love. They knew the Talmud and the Law, but didn’t live what they preached to the crowd that assembled to learn from them. The elders and chief priests understood the standards, but didn’t live up to them.

But the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the down and out that Jesus ministered to on the hillsides, those people came back to the synagogues filled with joy. They came giving their tithes and offerings joyfully. They came praising God for the transformation in their lives because of the forgiveness they experienced when they came with a truly contrite, repentant heart.

Okay, so Jesus got the attention of the chief priests and elders. That was then. It’s 2,000 years later. What does that have to do with us? He was talking about those leaders that were about to crucify Him, right? He doesn’t mean us, does He? Well, perhaps it’s time to take inventory.

Do we really worship Him when we go into our churches or do we just go through a routine every week and say we do? Do we let anything take the place of our worship of God or take the place of our service to Him? Do we sully His name by calling ourselves Christians and then acting like everyone else instead of acting like Jesus? Do we take time to talk with God on a regular basis without asking Him for something, but just talking to Him as you would your father or a friend?

How about honoring our parents? Do we give them the respect they deserve? Do we slander others and so destroy their reputation without real cause? Do our eyes wander lustfully to someone other than our spouses? Do we take home pens and paper from work or use the office resources for our personal projects? Do we cheat at solitaire? Do we try to keep up with the neighbor when then get a new car, new shutters on the house, new plants in the yard, or anything that looks interesting that we want?

Those are just the common ten commandments God tells all of us to keep, you know. He gives each of us personal commands and convictions to keep us protected from the temptations Satan throws in our path. But do we listen to Him? Do we do what He tells us to do or do we take matters into our own hands and think we know whats best and make our own decisions without consulting Him.

See, Jesus looked into our future and the story He told the chief priests and elders that day hits all of us between the eyes if we’re not careful. What God wants from us is our obedience. When we love Him we will do just that, obey. When we don’t trust Him and love Him, we hold on to parts of ourself and think we can live our lives better without Him. We try to hide parts of our lives from Him. (An impossible thing to do, by the way.) We try to maintain lordship over every aspect of our lives.

But really we can control very little of what happens to us day to day. So little of life is under our direct control. We think we have power over things, but we really don’t. How much do you really control your health, for instance? You can eat right, sleep right, exercise, do everything the medical world tells you to do. Then you step into the street and get hit by a bus. You just can’t control everything.

What we can do, though, is decide to obey God. We can do what the Father asks us to do. He will give us the ability to do it. All we need to do is make up our mind to live for Him, ask for His empowerment, and do what He says. He will help us. He promises. He always makes a way of escape from the temptations of life. Our problem is we usually don’t look for the exit signs He has glaring in front of us. We just stick around for the show instead of running away as fast as we can.

So will you be like the first son or the second son in the story? Will you do what the Father says or not?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.