When Jesus came to his home town of Nazareth, people were skeptical and used derogatory and scarcity language to attempt to define him (Mark 6:3): “Isn’t this Mary’s son?” With this statement, they were subtly calling him a “momma’s baby – papa’s maybe” child. They assumed Mary had been creepin’ on Joseph and they really didn’t know who the father was. Subtly they were calling Jesus a “bastard child,” an illegitimate son. “He’s just a carpenter.”  They were using scarcity language to define, undervalue and minimize the Son of God.

Like people attempted to define who Jesus was with derogatory and scarcity language, they will attempt to define you and undervalue you with that same kind of language:

You are “just” a _______________________________ (fill in the blank)

He is greater than your past.

He greater than what has happened to you.

He is greater than labels and incomplete definitions.

He is greater than the foreclosure, greater than the addiction, greater than the abortion, greater than the divorce, greater than the abusive home, greater than your absent parents, greater than the layoff, greater than a rejection letter, greater than your failure, greater than the ridicule for being smart or not being so smart. God is greater than what has happened to you.

God is greater than your skin color, greater than your hair texture, greater than your facial features and your body composition. He is greater than your education or lack of education. Greater than your family and greater than the fact you didn’t have a family. He is greater than the labels that others put on you.

Let this next sentence wash over your heart. You are more than “just.” If you are a believer in and follower of Jesus, then you are:

forgiven

chosen

adopted

treasured

loved

special

included

on His mind all the time

People will always try and define you with scarcity language, and if we are not careful, we will begin to believe what they say. However, remember that you are more than “just.” You are who God says you are. You are a treasured child of the King.

in what ways have people attempted to define you, using scarcity language? How did you respond? How will knowing you are more than “just” help you respond differently?

Popularity: 21% [?]

If you are a parent, you have had to discipline your children for their disobedient behavior, disrespectful tones, and damaging words. If you are anything like me, it breaks your heart to discipline your children (Space does not permit me to talk about all the ways we can discipline our children). Why do we go through such pain? We discipline our children, not because we get some sick satisfaction out of it or because we love seeing them miserable. We discipline them because we love them and desire to see them grow up into godly and healthy children.  It should not surprise us, then, that our heavenly Father, through a number of methods, gives us loving and corrective training that leads to maturity and responsibility on the part of us who experience it (Hebrews 12:5ff. ).

Our Father disciplines us because he loves us (Proverbs 3:11). Discipline is painful and not very fun. Though he can use them and sometimes does, God does not always use illness, financial reversal, disasters or calamity to discipline or punish his children. How, then, does God discipline his children? I believe the most preferred method of discipline our Father uses is his Word. Our Father, through the Holy Spirit, uses his word to teach us how to live for Christ. We don’t always get it right, however. We’re stubborn and rebellious children, aren’t we? We fail God in so many ways on so many days.

It is during these times when God uses a message from the platform, a teaching in small group, a passage from our devotion time with God, or a gentle rebuke from a friend reminding us of God’s truths, to convict us so we can set things right in our lives. Paul says that the Bible is useful for teaching, conviction of sin, setting things right in our lives and discipline in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).  If we hear his word and respond to the sharp prick of his word with repentance, then we share in God’s holiness, bear fruit of right living and look more and more like Jesus. (Hebrews 12:7ff). If we don’t respond to his word favorably, then God might have to resort to using other methods of discipline (I will discuss other methods God uses in my next few posts). Even then, he sometimes delays his discipline to give us a chance to turn from our sin and run to him.  Lord, thank you for your grace! Next time: How God uses the knowledge of his grace to discipline us.

In what areas have you sensed God’s loving and corrective training (discipline) with his word in recent days? How have you responded to his correction?  What have you learned?

Popularity: 11% [?]

My ten year old son asked us if he could have friends over. We usually say yes. But, this time we said no and reminded him that he had not been responsible in the small every day, normal things:

cleaning up his room
separating the recycling
picking up his clothes
helping with other household chores
going to bed on time

Because Micah had been irresponsible in smaller things, what made him think that we could and would trust him to be responsible in greater things. When he showed greater responsibility in smaller things, then we would be more apt to give him greater responsibility in bigger things. I think we miss opportunities of greater things because we cannot be trusted with the smaller things.  

However, sometimes I think God gives us greater responsibility, not because we are deserving or even because we are the most responsible people he could have chosen. Sometimes I think he gives us greater responsibility simply because he is a gracious Father and desires to bless us. But, I think he also gives us greater responsibility to expose our inability to handle the greater responsibility without him and to move us to break ourselves on his unconditional grace, creating the habit of humility.

I am readmitting today that, without God, not only can I not do the greater things, but I can do nothing. His help is not just nice, but it is absolutely necessary.

What assignments have you been given? How responsible are you in carrying out those assignments? What do you need to do to be more dependent on God in carrying out those assignments?