There are times in each of our lives when we compare ourselves with others. Jesus talks about this attitude in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Most of the story is about the younger son, who took his inheritance and wasted it all.

When the younger son came home, his father welcomed him with open arms and threw a huge party. The older son heard about the party and was furious. He thought it was unfair that his father was so generous with someone the elder son judged as undeserving (see Luke 15:29-30, NIV).

The older brother wanted his father to be fair. But his father, like any father, was more than fair; he was loving.

When we come in the name of the Lord--not in our own names--people who reject us are rejecting the peace of the kingdom. Our hearts should weep over this.

God extends to the world His hand of mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation through the cross of Jesus Christ. If people refuse His gift, eventually judgment and condemnation will come upon them (see Luke 10:16).

When we are sent by God, we become Christ's voice, hands and feet. We are His ambassadors, His representatives. This is why we must be filled with His praises, His peace, His wisdom and His strength.

Wherever you go, speak the very words of God. Speak as if God Himself were speaking through you. As you develop a deeply intimate relationship with the Lord, His Word will flow out from your relationship with Him to the world.

It's not just the words you speak that will turn people to the Lord. It will be the power of the Holy Spirit that flows from your innermost being through your words that will bring life to others.

Is there no one divinely empowered to fell the Goliaths of our age? Perhaps we need only look in our bathroom mirrors. If you believe in Jesus and are desperate for God, you qualify as one of God's elect.

We have erroneously held that God's chosen will never be assaulted by the adversary and driven to desperate day-and-night prayer. But desperation is often the very crucible in which God's elect are forged.

Jesus portrays this characteristic metaphorically in the parable of the widow who petitioned a hardened judge for "legal protection" (Luke 18:3, NASB). Although the judge was initially unwilling, by her "continually coming" (v. 5) the widow gained what was legally hers.

It is possible that this widow may have represented the church in a desperate prayer for protection against her adversary. We need the "legal protection" that a national revival provides; but it will not come without unceasing prayer.

It's our turn to pray. We are the widow who cannot give herself a reason for failure. God will answer our cry if we position ourselves at His throne. Certainly, He will grant us legal protection in our cities and our nation.

Sometimes, in order to trust God, we must be reminded who He is, what He's capable of doing, what He's done in the past, and what He's currently doing on our behalf.

One of the greatest problems in our generation is the diminishment of our perspective of God—we have lost the biblical perspective of His majestic greatness. We read of His greatness in Genesis, His majesty in Exodus and His miraculous power in the Acts of the Apostles, but we fail to see Him the "same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb. 13:8, NKJV).

To understand the sovereignty of God is to acknowledge that nothing began with us—and it probably won't end with us. We are simply a part of the successive, progressive work of God, and by His greatness we occupy a moment of time in a generation.

We live in Him. We move in Him. We breathe in Him. And we do His will as long as He gives us life.

When our mission is complete, and our time is over, He raises up another generation and continues to do what He has been doing from the foundation of the world. Nothing stops God in His eternal purpose.

Nations rise and fall and are reborn under the banner of a new hope. A church grows and is celebrated, then dies a terrible death because of a split or moral failure in the leadership. But these things don't stop the work of the kingdom of God.

The eternal purpose of God is greater than a nation, a church or a generation. But sometimes it is hard to see God's greatness because our image blocks the Son. The key is not in making God larger, but in making ourselves smaller in our own eyes.

 

I have often wondered, Why do we see much more rheumatoid arthritis occurring in women than in men? I began to pay close attention to the studies showing that men are usually able to express their anger, whereas women tend to hold it in and become depressed. I recalled the scripture, "A broken spirit drieth the bones" (Prov. 17:22, KJV).

Could it be that a "broken spirit" in some women is causing rheumatoid arthritis? Is it causing the joints and bones to be inflamed and weakened?

Often people with problems are made to feel sub-Christian. We view them as an inconvenience because they require more time than we want to give.

Talking with them about anything other than the weather might get us entangled in their struggles, so we pass a few pleasantries and quickly find our seats. We rush out after the sermon, more concerned with the football game on television than the person next to us in the pew whose life is shattered.

How can we say, "I love God" when our interaction with the needy is governed by such self-serving, don't-disrupt-my-routine snobbery?

Have we deceived ourselves about the love of God? "Dear friends," pleads John, "since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11, NIV).

So, how does one actually love another? Ask yourself: "Am I the sort of Christian with whom someone would feel comfortable sharing? Or am I intimidating?

"Does my demeanor say, 'Yes, I want to help; Yes, I care?' Or do I communicate, 'Stay away; you're a disgrace?'"

Then ask God to make you a minister of His compassion and acceptance. Allow Him to use your life to heal the brokenhearted.