Rayni Risher

God Doesn’t Delight in Destruction

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Over the last six months I’ve been reading through the Bible in chronological order and it has been very insightful to read it in the order it was written.

As I read through the book of Ezekiel, a few verses stopped me in my tracks. God is speaking and He says:

“Do you think I take any pleasure in the death of wicked men and women? Isn’t it my pleasure that they turn around, no longer living wrong but living right—really living?…The upshot is this, Israel: I’ll judge each of you according to the way you live. So turn around! Turn your backs on your rebellious living so that sin won’t drag you down. Clean house. No more rebellions, please. Get a new heart! Get a new spirit! Why would you choose to die, Israel? I take no pleasure in anyone’s death. (Ezekiel 18: 23; 30-32)

Verse 32 clearly says that God does not take any pleasure in the death of wicked men and women.

How can this be? Because, if we’re honest, the majority of people are happy when a truly wicked person who has done horrific things dies. Or at the least we feel justice has been served.

But God is not like us. And I’m glad about that.

His thoughts and actions are often beyond our understanding. (Isaiah 55)

Make no mistake that God is just and His justice will be served. Romans 12:9 says,
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

But God doesn’t wish that anyone would perish and spend eternity away from Him. Rather He desires that the wicked would repent—change their life and receive a renewed heart.

This extreme grace that God shows to people who we think don’t “deserve” grace can feel offensive at times, can’t it?

And yet, the Bible says that God is love. (1 John 4:8) He is literally love. He lovingly created each person with good purpose. Doesn’t it make sense, then, if His people go down the wrong path that He would want them to turn around and be healed and saved? Rather than destroyed?

“God is all mercy and grace—not quick to anger, is rich in love. God is good to one and all; everything He does is suffused with grace.” Psalm 145:8-9

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” Romans 2:4

 “For God does not show favoritism.” Romans 2:11

When I really think about it I’m glad that I serve a God who is so kind and so gracious and merciful that He so desires every person to be well and to be redeemed. No matter who that person is. No matter what they have done.

I think of David who was a murderer and adulterer but he repented and God called him a man after His own heart. I think of Paul, who wrote the majority of the New Testament. Paul, who terrorized and killed Christians before God literally knocked him off of his high horse and changed his life.

God’s mercy and grace extends even to the worst person. Because for it to be true mercy and for it to be true grace it has to.

Thank You, God, that You are love. Thank You that You are so full of mercy and grace that You don’t want anyone to be destroyed, but desire everyone to repent and to be redeemed. (2 Peter 3:9)

That is good news!

 

 

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Do you ever feel like God is doing amazing things in the lives of others while your life seems so plain? It can be easy to get distracted and even feel envious of what God is doing in someone else’s life, especially when we’re waiting for God to open up a new opportunity or bring a prophetic word to pass.

While other people seem to be living out their calling with such boldness and opportunity we feel while we’re stuck in the “in-between”.

Interestingly, at one point the apostle Peter, who ended up to be a major builder of the Church, found himself to be a bit distracted, too.

After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead He appeared to the disciples and interacted with them a number of times. In John 21 we see a sweet exchange between Jesus and Peter as Jesus calls Peter back into ministry, after Peter had famously denied Him three times.

If Jesus appeared to you right now and was talking with you, even giving you direction in the ministry He has for you, you would probably be completely enthralled with what He was saying and you wouldn’t even notice anything or anyone else around you. Right?

And yet, in this passage, even in the moment of Peter interacting one-on-one with Jesus, and Jesus giving Peter direction and prophetic words about his life, Peter is distracted by one of the other disciples—John. Peter wants to know what God will do in John’s life.

“Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved (John)—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”

Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple (John) wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?” John 21:20-23

You can read the entire chapter of John 21 for the full context but the point of what Jesus is saying is that Peter needs to focus on Jesus and His calling and direction for his life, and not get distracted by what God is doing or may do in another person’s life.

Jesus tells Peter not to worry about what He has for John. “As for you, follow Me.”

Especially today with the internet and social media it can be very easy to compare our lives to others and to get discouraged and distracted; feeling “less than”. But there really is no room for comparing ourselves.

“Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” Romans 12:4-6

“That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.” Galatians 5:26

This week let us be reminded that God has created each of us as an original. Let’s focus on Jesus and our assignment from Him, not get over-focused on what everyone else is doing! That distracts us from what God has for us to do. And we don’t have time to be distracted right now. We need to be loving people and sharing the good news with them. The enemy would want us to be distracted to get us side-lined and out of the race.

God has given each one of us unique personalities, gifts, talents and desires. Let’s make sure that we are focused on Jesus, following Him. And if we look to the right or the left let it be to cheer on our fellow believers as they follow Christ, too.

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The Importance of Learning to Receive

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We often hear the adage, “It’s better to give than to receive.” It’s true that it is great to give! Not only does giving, or serving, help other people in need but it helps to get our eyes off of ourselves and do something kind for someone else. It also helps to make us more like Jesus as we copy His example, and obey His command to serve others.

Jesus was the epitome of a good servant. But what if all of those people with various needs that He came in contact with had refused to let Jesus help them?

What if all of the people whom Jesus came to save, heal, set free, and give hope and joy to said to Him, No thanks…I just have a hard time receiving anything from anyone so I don’t want to accept anything from You.

What if in John 13 the disciples had refused to let Jesus wash their feet?

Think of what those people would have missed out on—God in the flesh! But I also think this refusal to accept help from someone else—to be open to receiving—would have been a huge disappointment to Jesus. After all, He came to serve.

In order to serve you need someone to receive! If there are no “receivers” there can be no servants.

We all have needs. And from time to time we all need help; like when we’re sick, feeling overwhelmed, have too many commitments on our plate, or have little kids to look after. And yet many have a difficult time asking for help or even receiving help when it’s freely offered.

Why are we so bad at receiving help?

I think it’s easy for us to feel like we should have it all together and that we shouldn’t need help from others. Needing help can make you feel weak, dependent, guilty for putting others out. But is this really how God wants us to feel about it?

When Jesus first sent out his twelve disciples to minister He said to them, “This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice.” (Matthew 10:40-42, The Message)

Why would Jesus want you to be a good receiver?

When you don’t receive well it’s easy to isolate yourself and stay stuck.

When you don’t receive well you not only miss out on a blessing, you cause the person who wants to serve to miss out on the blessing of service.

If you can’t receive from another human being, how on earth are you going to allow yourself to receive anything from God?

When you don’t receive well you’re not being like Jesus.

Wait a minute, what? What did Jesus receive?

Jesus was a servant at heart and He is our standard for serving others. And yet He also let others serve Him. He received the hospitality of staying at other people’s homes, letting others host him for dinner, cook for him, help him financially, wash His feet, and care for other needs.

Sure, being a receiver can be taken overboard, always expecting people to do everything for you. Just as serving without any healthy boundaries can burn you out quickly, causing you to neglect your own needs.

But we can find a good balance in both.

So…

-Do you receive well from others? If not, why not?

-Do you receive well from God? If not, why not?

-On the other hand, are you unable to say “no” to every request that comes your way, making you overcommitted and exhausted?

How Do You Learn to Receive?

If you have trouble receiving help from others, first repent. The Greek word for repent is metanoia. It means to change one’s mind, to have a transformative change of heart. Simply make a decision that you are going to start being more receptive. Then ask someone for help. Or say yes when someone offers to  help you. It may be uncomfortable at first but it will become easier as you do it more. The same goes for learning to say “no” to too many commitments.

It is in giving that you receive and in receiving that you give.

 

 

 

 

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Renewed Passion Makes You Soar

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Last week someone asked me what to do if you have lost sight of what you’re passionate about. That’s a universal and important question, isn’t it?

Passion for life, work, relationships and ministry is so important because it helps drive us forward with hope and excitement. So when we feel like we’ve lost sight of our passion in any area, it can be hugely discouraging and even crippling.

Regaining Passion
I best way I know to regain passion is to connect with Jesus. He is the source of life and He is the author of all the passions, desires, dreams and gifts in us. God’s the originator of every promise in His word and the creator of every wonderful plan He has for us.

Even King David, who was called the man after God’s own heart, got sidetracked, tangled in sin and discouragement. In Psalm 51:12 he says, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” David asked God to restore his joy of simply being saved. And when his joy was restored I believe his passion for life was also restored.

Remaining in Christ
For me, remaining in Christ, staying intimately connected with the source of life and passion, is the main way I stay rejuvenated and passionate. How do I stay connected? Reading the Bible daily, prayer, worship, going to church, fellowshiping with other believers, listening to sermons online. Reading testimonies of what God has done in and through other people and remembering what He has done for me. These are all a huge part of remaining encouraged and invigorated.

I’ve realized that the more I am intentional about seeking God, the more I am filled with peace, joy, passion and direction.

Also, having a vision or revelation from God for what He’s called you to do, what you’re working toward–having goals–is so important. A few months ago God gave me a huge new passion for a specific type of ministry and showed me several goals to work toward with it. Because of that I have had so much new passion and excitement as I’m working, knowing that God is leading me. If you don’t have a vision of what God wants you to work toward—in life, relationships, job, ministry, etc.- ask God to give you vision! Proverbs 29:18 says that without vision the people perish.

Waiting While We Wait
In April we talked a lot about waiting on God and I am reminded that I need to wait while I wait. What does that mean? While we are waiting for a promise or dream or healing or renewed passion—or whatever it is we are waiting for—it’s so important to spend time “waiting” on God. Seeking Him. Being still before Him. Or we could call it waiting with God.

In Hebrew the word “Qavah” means “wait”. And we see this word in a well-known verse in Isaiah 40:31.

“Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying, “God has lost track of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?
God doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall. But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.”

Qavah is a verb, which means that waiting is an action. Waiting on God is an active pursuit. And qavah also has some other interesting definitions:

To twist, stretch, bind together; the tension of enduring. Endure, remain, to expect.

Other Bible translations translate qavah as “trust” or “hope” in place of “wait”. And yet when we wait on God doesn’t He fill us with trust and hope? And while we’re waiting He’s stretching us spiritually, and binding us beautifully to Himself as we surrender to Him.  It can be difficult but we have to endure in that waiting to reap the treasure He has for us from the experience.

A Couple Other Thoughts
I think God always wants us to feel passion toward Him and with what He gives us to do. But sometimes I believe God lets our passion wane for certain things because He’s moving us on to something new. (I’m not talking about covenant relationships you’re in, i.e. your marriage). But there may be other areas or interests that God will lead you away from and will give you fresh passion for the new thing He’s preparing for you.

Or it may even be that you need to take a step back, for a time, from the thing you’ve lost passion for and let God renew that passion.

Another possibility could be that your expectations haven’t been met because God has another plan, but your loss of passion comes from disappointment. Ask God if that’s what has tanked your passion.

Part of that discerning comes from waiting on Him and sensing His loving guidance in every area of life.

So today, whatever it is you’re waiting on, remember to wait with the Author of Life and ask Him to renew your passion. He will. He really will.

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While You Wait, Remember to Live

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If God has given you a promise, a deep desire, a dream…don’t let anyone laugh at it or kill it.

That includes you!

When we’re waiting for something to come to pass it’s easy to start second guessing our own dream. Is this really from God? Am I just full of it? Did I make that up?

When I’m asking myself those questions I know I need to continually surrender that dream, that hope, that desire to God and let Him work in His timing.

If He’s given you a promise it will come to pass.

And just as I was reminded from Jeremiah 29 recently, God is specific in His timing.

In Jeremiah 29 God has the prophet send a letter to the Israelites who were exiles in Babylon. The Israelites were there of their own doing, from failing to change their lives after many warnings from God. And they would remain in exile for 70 years. God tells them that up front.

All the Israelites wanted was to go back to their homeland. But for 70 years they would be waiting to return.

Waiting.

And yet in the midst of their waiting God doesn’t tell them to just sit around and mope, lost in a dream of the future.

No, He tells them to live their lives!

“This is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, to all the exiles I’ve taken from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and make yourselves at home. Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country. Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you’ll thrive in that country and not waste away. Make yourselves at home there and work for the country’s welfare.” (Jeremiah 29: 4-7, MSG)

God also reminds them that He has a specific timing in bringing them back to the place they long to return to.

“As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29: 10-11, MSG)

So, while the Israelites are waiting for that specific word of God to take place they are also living in the present.

Getting married. Building homes. Raising kids. Working. Worshiping God.

Sometimes when God plants a dream in our hearts, or gives us a specific promise of what is to come, we can get tired in waiting for it to come to pass. But be encouraged today that God knows the desires of your heart.

And even better, He knows the plans He has for you.

They’re good plans. Plans of hope and a future. Also know that when God wants to open a door He’ll do it in the best possible timing. Though the completion of the promise lingers…wait for it.

Like Sarah and Abraham had to wait for God’s promised child. Like Joseph had to wait for the prophetic dream God gave him to be proved true. Like Ruth had to wait for a new husband and a new life.

They all lived in the “now” as they waited. And they surely weren’t disappointed.

That seed that God has planted may seem dead and buried in the ground. But often when you least expect it, He’ll bring it bursting through the dirt with a little green sprout at just the right time. 

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