Tag Archives: transformation

Time to Take Care of This Place, August 19, 2019

Today’s Podcast

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

Carole, my wife, and I ate at a Mongolian Beef restaurant last night. You know the kind of place. You go through the line putting the meat and vegetables you want into a bowl, pick out the sauce for the stir fry, watch it go on a giant circular grill that’s hot enough to singe your eyebrows if you get too close, and then enjoy what you created. That is if you put a reasonable mix of ingredients together.

We enjoyed the place and the food, but I think something was wrong with the air conditioning. We should have noticed when the host met us at the door looking like he just finished his workout at the gym. But we took a seat, got our drinks, and headed to the food line to make our selections. It didn’t take long for us to figure out all the servers also looked like they just finished a workout.

Sure they were working hard getting food on the tables, clearing those where patrons had finished, doing all the things workers in restaurants do. But these young men and women were obviously steamed, not emotionally, but because of the temperature. We began to feel the effects, too. Maybe it was the huge grill that made it hard for the A/C to keep up. Maybe they forgot to pay their electric bill. Maybe it was just broken. Whatever the reason, it was hot.

By the time dinner ended, Carole and I looked like those servers. We looked like we just finished a workout. It was hot. Well, it’s summer in San Antonio, Texas. Not a great time of year to visit our city. It’s hot. The news channels give us heat warnings this time of year reminding us it’s dangerous to work outside too long or leave children or animals in cars whether or not windows are open. This time of year, the inside of a car can reach 130 degrees in about 10 minutes. Pretty dangerous.

Remembering how hot our dinner date ended up last night, I couldn’t help but use the lectionary passage from Luke as the focus for this week’s podcast. In chapter 12, Jesus says these words:

“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

“I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens.

You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?”

Did you get those first words of the Savior? “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” That doesn’t sound much like salvation, does it? That doesn’t sound much like rescuing us from everything, does it? It sounds more like wrath and destruction. It sounds like cleansing and purging.

If you listen to Jesus’ words, that is exactly what it is. God wants to rescue his creation. He created this cosmos and declared it was good. But we corrupted it. We disobeyed and brought sin and chaos into the perfect order of his creation. God doesn’t want to leave his good creation in the chaotic mess we made. God wants to restore his good creation back to the perfect state he intended from the beginning. The question is how will he do that?

Jesus hints at that several times as he talks with his disciples and Paul tells us in his letters to the churches. Here’s the plan: all of creation awaits a renewal, a rebirth, a new heaven and new earth. Jesus tells us before the present age gives birth to a new heaven and new earth, it will go through birth pangs of earthquakes and floods and famine and wars.

I’ve been thinking a lot about those birth pangs Jesus describes over the last several years. Carole has given birth twice. I was fortunate enough to be present for both and watched her go through those birth pangs. I would have endured the pain for her, but glad I didn’t have to go through it. But I watched those labor pains get more intense with each repetition and I watched those repetitions get closer together until finally they almost fell on top of each other and her doctor gave the order to push. With that order each time, two brand new people sucked in their first gulp of fresh air and let out that wonderful sounding cry only a newborn can make.

Those two births were two of the most exciting events in my life. But as I watch the news and hear reports of earthquakes in unusual places, rains pouring into lands that haven’t flooded in 1,000 years, wildfires that seem to go unabated around the globe, famines that strike almost every country, I can’t help but think of the announcements Jesus made about the present age giving birth to a new age. An age that creates a new heaven and a new earth.

I’ve been studying lately what that new heaven and earth might be like. What I’ve discovered is that it might be very much like this earth, this cosmos, this place, but without the evil, without the pollution, without the ugliness we have caused in the beauty God gave this place in his creative act. I think God made it perfect and this globe we call earth is a poor image, but still an image of the good earth he created. I have a feeling God might not throw away the good creation he made, but rather, like the humans he says transforms, he will transform, renew, recreate this earth and make it new. I’m not sure he plans to rid us of this place as much as just taking away all the corruption we have caused and just fixing it.

You see, if God can resurrect his son and give him a physical body that is recognizable as his son, but with properties unlike those of our current body, and his son says we will one day be resurrected and have bodies like his, physical bodies with properties unlike those of our current bodies; then why can’t he transform this world and renew it, recreate it, and return us to the purpose for which he created men and women in the first place. Remember the task he gave Adam in the beginning? He said to take care of his creation.

I think when God purges the corruption of this earth with fire and recreates this place, transforms his children in resurrection by the power of his spirit, and renews his purpose for his whole creation, we will again be his stewards to tend to his good creation. We will have renewed physical bodies empowered with his spirit with purpose and talents to care for his world. He will come to be with us in this new world to commune with us as he did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in the beginning.

Is that poor theology? I don’t think so. We know Jesus is coming back. We know we will be transformed. We know we will be with him forever if we accept him as Lord of all. Why would we think we would not have work to do in the new world he creates for us. The bigger question is what should that do for us now as we think about our stewardship of this world if it will be transformed and not destroyed? Maybe we should think about how to care for it a little better in the meantime.

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.

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.

Can a leopard change his spots? (Acts 9:10-16), May 7, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
How hard is it to believe someone can change their ways? Particularly someone who has been a really bad character?
Scripture
1. Acts 9:10-16
2. The Lord: Ananias.

Ananias: Here I am, Lord.

The Lord: Get up and go to Straight Boulevard. Go to the house of Judas, and inquire about a man from Tarsus, Saul by name. He is praying to Me at this very instant. He has had a vision—a vision of a man by your name who will come, lay hands on him, and heal his eyesight.

Ananias: Lord, I know whom You’re talking about. I’ve heard rumors about this fellow. He’s an evil man and has caused great harm for Your special people in Jerusalem. I’ve heard that he has been authorized by the religious authorities to come here and chain everyone who associates with Your name.

The Lord: Yes, but you must go! I have chosen him to be My instrument to bring My name far and wide—to outsiders, to kings, and to the people of Israel as well. I have much to show him, including how much he must suffer for My name.

Devotional
1. It’s really hard to put your trust in someone who has lost your trust, isn’t it?
  1. Convicts difficulty in getting jobs
  2. Embezzlers never trusted
  3. Those who have wronged you never brought into the inner circle or even into friendships
  4. Always afraid they will repeat their actions and you’ll get hurt again
2. Jesus comes to Ananias and tells him to reach out to Saul of Tarsus
  1. Ananias knows Saul’s reputation
  2. Knows he has authority to arrest followers and knows their destination after arrest
  3. Ananias knows Saul cannot be trusted because of his previous actions
  4. Jesus says go and teach him
  5. What do you do?
3. You do what Jesus tells you to do!
  1. Might be hard for us to believe people can change but..
  2. Think about the change he made in you
  3. If he can change you, can’t he change the one you don’t want to trust?
  4. Can’t He transform the redeemed?
  5. That’s what He told Ananias and that’s what He tells us
4. So you’ve been burned by someone who says they are born again and they proved they were not by their actions
  1. Some things to think about
  2. God doesn’t expect us to put someone back into their place of greatest temptation, that would be foolish for them and us
    1. Don’t send alcoholics into a bar
    2. Don’t give embezzlers positions as treasurer
    3. Don’t put temptations in front of those who you know succumb to those temptations
    4. But use their skills
  3. Still, befriend, encourage, teach, help as new members of God’s kingdom
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

God changes people (Mark 6:1-13), October 30, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Mark 6:1-13

Set – Job 21; Mark 6

Go! – Job 21; Mark 5-6

Mark 6:1-13
¹ Jesus went back into His own hometown where He had grown up, and His disciples followed Him there. ² When the Sabbath came, He went into the synagogue in Nazareth and began to teach as He had done elsewhere, and many of those who heard Him were astonished.
Those in the Synagogue: Where did He gain this wisdom? And what are all these stories we’ve been hearing about the signs and healings He’s performed? Where did He get that kind of power? ³ Isn’t this Jesus, the little boy we used to see in Joseph’s carpenter shop? Didn’t He grow up to be a carpenter just like His father? Isn’t He the son of Mary over there and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, Simon, and their sisters? Who does He think He is?
And when they had thought about it that way, they became indignant and closed themselves to His message.
Jesus (seeing this): ⁴ A prophet can find honor anywhere except in his hometown, among his own people, and in his own household.
⁵ He could not do any of His great works among them except with a few of the sick, whom He healed by laying His hands upon them. ⁶ He was amazed by the stubbornness of their unbelief.
Jesus went out among the villages teaching, ⁷ and He called the twelve to Him and began to send them out in pairs. He gave them authority over unclean spirits ⁸ and instructed them to take nothing with them but a staff: no money, no bread, no bag, ⁹ nothing but the sandals on their feet and the coat on their back.
Jesus: ¹⁰ When you go into a house, stay there until it is time for you to leave that town. ¹¹ And if someone will not accept you and your message, when you leave, shake off the dust of that place from your feet as a judgment against it. On the day of judgment, that city will wish for the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah.
¹² And so His disciples went out into the countryside, preaching the changed life as Jesus had taught them, ¹³ casting out unclean spirits and anointing the sick with oil to heal them.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Do you ever think back about some of your childhood friends and wonder about the change in their lives? Perhaps you see their face on a television newscast and think, “I remember him! I never thought he would do something like that, he was such a nice guy.” Or, “How did he ever make it to the top of his industry? When I knew him he was the laziest guy in the class.”

Maybe you remember someone you went to high school or college with and never thought they would amount to much because they were the worst student, biggest cut up, most ill behaved student you could imagine. But people change, and I change them even more. Take a look at Paul. He was in the business of finding, capturing, and killing Christians because he thought they were damaging the “true” faith of the Jewish people. But then Paul met Me on his trip to Damascus and I changed him completely. Paul suffered tremendously as a result of his change. The people he formerly worked for tried their best to kill him because of the message I gave him to spread to the world.

Others run from Me and the change is not pretty. Everyone has some good in them because I made you and everything I make is good. But people can turn from Me and like rotting meat begin to decay and spoil and smell. You may not see the decay physically, but you’ll see it in behavior, character, and relationship. You’ll see their life begin to fall apart spiritually and spiral into certain destruction until they turn again to Me.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe the transformation that some have had. That’s what happened with the people in Nazareth. Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t this the guy we went to school with every day? Isn’t this the kid we played with growing up? How can He be the Messiah? He grew up with us. He can’t be the Messiah, He went grew up in the same place we did, he just can’t be the Messiah. We know what His brothers and sisters are like. Surely, He’s the same. He can’t be the Messiah.

Well, I was and I am. Sometimes you just need to open you eyes and recognize I can transform lives. Maybe you need to go through the transformation yourself to realize just how much I can change a person. If you think I can’t change someone completely, try Me. Let Me change you and you’ll find that no one is too hard for Me to give a complete makeover from the inside out.

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.

Have the mind-set of Christ (Philippians 2:1-18), June 12, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Philippians 2:1-18
Set – 1 Kings 12; Philippians 2
Go! – 1 Kings 12; 2 Chronicles 10-11; Philippians 2

Philippians 2:1-18
¹ If you find any comfort from being in the Anointed, if His love brings you some encouragement, if you experience true companionship with the Spirit, if His tenderness and mercy fill your heart; then, brothers and sisters, ² here is one thing that would complete my joy—come together as one in mind and spirit and purpose, sharing in the same love. ³ Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. ⁴ Get beyond yourselves and protecting your own interests; be sincere, and secure your neighbors’ interests first.

⁵ In other words, adopt the mind-set of Jesus the Anointed. Live with His attitude in your hearts. Remember:

⁶ Though He was in the form of God,
He chose not to cling to equality with God;
⁷ But He poured Himself out to fill a vessel brand new;
a servant in form
and a man indeed.
The very likeness of humanity,
⁸ He humbled Himself,
obedient to death—
a merciless death on the cross!
⁹ So God raised Him up to the highest place
and gave Him the name above all.
¹⁰ So when His name is called,
every knee will bow,
in heaven, on earth, and below.
¹¹ And every tongue will confess
“Jesus, the Anointed One, is Lord,”
to the glory of God our Father!

¹² So now, my beloved, obey as you have always done, not only when I am with you, but even more so when I can’t be. Continue to work out your salvation, with great fear and trembling, ¹³ because God is energizing you so that you will desire and do what always pleases Him.

¹⁴ Do all things without complaining or bickering with each other, ¹⁵ so you will be found innocent and blameless; you are God’s children called to live without a single stain on your reputations among this perverted and crooked generation. Shine like stars across the land. ¹⁶ Cling to the word of life so that on the day of judgment when the Anointed One returns I may have reason to rejoice, because it will be plain that I didn’t turn from His mission nor did I work in vain. ¹⁷ Even if my lifeblood is to be poured out like wine as a sacrifice of your faith, I have great reason to celebrate with all of you. ¹⁸ And for the same reason, you can be glad and celebrate with me.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

It might seem I’m always talking to you about selfishness, but that’s the essence of sin, the opposite of perfect love. My love in you thinks about other’s interests ahead of your own. It doesn’t mean you ignore your own needs, but it meets their needs before your wants. It looks after your brothers and sisters. It demonstrates the kind of love I demonstrated toward you.

Paul puts it in terms of having the mindset of Christ – Me incarnate. When I came to you in the flesh, I showed you how to love. I showed you what love really means. It means putting others ahead of yourself even if it means dying. I let you put Me on a cross to show you how much I love you. I died to pay the penalty for your sins to demonstrate My love for you.

When you demonstrate love as a church, as a fellowship of believers, My spirit will guide you into directions that unify you toward goals that build My kingdom. When your selfish desires are replaced by My desires and you seek My kingdom instead of your interests, you’ll find yourself empowered to do My work in extraordinary ways.

So how do you get rid of those selfish motives, those selfish desires? Let Me take control. Die to self and let Me reign in your life. Fill your mind and soul with Me. Be mindful of what you let come into your life and spend time with Me. Spend time in My word and pray. Talk with Me about your day, your interests, your troubles, your desires. I will take them and give you other things to think about.

I will replace your troubles and your burdens with other burdens. I will replace your burdens with interests in others. I will give you tasks in My priorities instead of yours. I will begin to help you see others the way I see them and help you focus less on yourself and more on others. I will help you love.

Let Me help you adopt My mind-set. Let Me transform you by renewing your mind. Let Me make you over again by giving Me charge over your life. It’s easy to do. Just say yes to Me.

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.