Devotions

August Encourager’s Devotion – Back to School or Time for Promotion?

/ Lisa Womble / 3 Comments

We are in the eighth month of the Encourager’s Devotional Series. So, this might be a good time to ask a few questions: How are you doing in the goal to become a more encouraging person? What have you learned about the ministry of encouragement? What have you applied from what you’re learning?

August Encourager's Devotion

Do you remember how good it felt each time you graduated from one level of schooling to another? It was fun to think about all you had accomplished. And it was exciting, even if a little intimidating, to think of the new things ahead in the future. You were growing up!

It used to be (and still is in many cases) that churches had “Promotion Sunday” sometime in late August or early September to commemorate the passing of children from one level of Sunday School to the next. But for some reason, we stop thinking about being promoted after people are out of the “youth” category in the church. It’s as if simply by being an adult one no longer needs to think about advancing any further in their faith. As if advancing just comes naturally.

This is not the biblical picture, however. In Hebrews 5:11-6:12, certain Christians are told that they are still in elementary school in their spirituality. Meanwhile, in 1 Timothy 4:12, a younger person is said to have matured enough in the faith to be an example to the older Christians around him. So, “promotion” in God’s kingdom isn’t about age level, or even about how long you’ve been a Christian. It’s about how you are moving along and maturing in Christlikeness.

Hebrews 5:14 describes the maturing Christian as one who uses the meat of the Word of God. When was the last time you used the Word to check your level of progression? Have you taken texts like Romans 12, Galatians 5:22-28, or 2 Peter 1:5-11 as “report cards” and given yourself an evaluation on your spiritual progress?

Hebrews 6:1-2 also describes the “baby” Christian as one content to simply hear good lessons on “elementary” things like how to be saved, heaven and hell, and how to stay away from sin. Christianity is more than just being sure you don’t do all the bad things so you’re sure to go to heaven. It is about maturing in doing the right things, or producing fruit.

Some good questions to ask yourself regarding spiritual maturity might be:

  • Am I more concerned about being fed, or about feeding others?
  • Am I involved in the church more for what I get out of it or for what I can give to it for others?

Now, I know there must be balance. We all need to be fed, and we all benefit from being involved in the church. And the last thing I want to do is encourage any kind of legalistic, works-based religion. But somewhere along the way in our walk with the Lord, we must focus on becoming servants to others. We must become producers and not just consumers (Hebrews 6:7-8).

And that is exactly what this ministry is about. Be encouraged in your work of encouraging because …

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end.” (Hebrews 6:10,11 – NIV)

Suggestions for encouraging someone this month:

  • Perhaps you could be of assistance to a family that needs school supplies or clothing for their children as they head back to school. Or plan a school supplies drive at your church.
  • If your church does have promotion Sunday, send cards out to the children and/or to their parents.
  • Ask a Sunday School teacher if you could help throw a kick-off party in their class. Or, see if there’s some other way you could assist them.
  • Find someone who’s at the same level of spiritual maturity as yourself and see if they would like to become accountability partners with you. As accountability partners you would help each other evaluate where you are spiritually, help each other set goals for maturing, and then ask each other on a regular basis how you’re doing with your goals. Prayer for each other would also be a very important part of this relationship.
  • If you know a college student who’s going away from home, put them on your list to mail notes and packages. College students love mail and they are at a time in life when it’s very important to have connections to home and church families.

How Do You Celebrate Diversity?

/ Lisa Womble / 2 Comments

The Encourager’s Devotional Series is planned around a monthly theme with related posts every Wednesday according to this schedule:

  • Week 1 – main devotion
  • Week 2 – correlating Bible study
  • Week 3 – Bible study answer guide
  • Week 4 – monthly wrap-up with suggestions for application or any other additional material I’d like to bring in

So, what happens when we have a month with five Wednesdays? Well, I call that the “5th Wednesday Free-for-All.” Since the July Devotional theme was Freedom and Harmony (how to celebrate diversity while managing to get along), this month’s free-for-all question is …

How do you celebrate diversity?

Encourager’s Devotional Series – Celebrating Diversity – July Wrap-Up

/ Lisa Womble / Leave a comment

“Can you think of someone you could encourage to branch out into an area of giftedness or calling?”  That was one of the challenges I put forth in this month’s Encourager’s Devotional entitled Freedom and Harmony. One of my core values is to celebrate diversity because it is a reflection of God’s heart towards us. When I think about the fact that the Almighty God, creator of the universe, took time to fashion or “weave together” each one of us as unique individuals … I am left to declare with the psalmist, “How precious are your thoughts towards me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” (Psalm 139:13-18)

This is why I love the ministry I do with the Grip-Birkman. I use this tool to help people discover their spiritual gifts, personalities, intellectual styles, and passions, as well as their internal and occupational motivations. Though there is a difference between spiritual gifts and inborn talents, when I lead people through these assessments, I stress that both are part of God’s design. They are an indication of how God wants to use us and how he has wired us to be most effective in what we set out to do with our lives.

Not all of the work I do with such assessment tools (I use others such as the DiSC profile) is in the realm of the church. I have worked with corporations and non-profits on things like staff development and team-building. One of the more recent groups I worked with was a local branch of the Make-A-Wish foundation for their annual staff retreat. I am glad I could play a small part in helping them regroup for the wonderful service they perform.

In all of this, I have come to a firm conviction that the church defines ministry too narrowly. Scripture says that whatever we do, we should do it for the glory of God (Colossians 3:17; 23). Jesus needs people to share his love to the world in the everyday spheres of life (schools, restaurants, corporations) just as much as he needs them in the pulpit, the choir or the Sunday School room. Everywhere we go, we are ministers of the gospel.

I also have issue with the church’s restrictive definition as to what is “spiritual.” In his overwhelming creativity, God has built into each of us mechanisms by which we find rejuvenation, peace and joy. For some it is hiking, for others reading. It could be through gardening, or tinkering on cars, or … well, you fill in the blank. We should feel free to pursue these activities without guilt of “wasting time,” for by them we are refreshed and, thus, more capable of giving of ourselves to others.

I recently convinced my husband to start a sports commentary blog. I am so glad to see him doing something with this passion he has for sports. I’ve been telling him for years he should pursue this. When we’re watching games (it does not matter which sport), he is always ahead of the announcers on making calls, reeling off stats, and providing trivia. He’s a natural.

Now Scott (that’s my husband’s name, by the way) has also used his enthusiasm for athletics to coach, run Christian sport camps, and serve as a mentor. But that is a “pouring out” of himself, a withdrawal of his reserves, so to speak. This new endeavor is something that will fill up the tank for him. The other night Scott, my son and a friend were sitting around preparing for articles to post on the blog. I don’t even care that much for sports, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them chatter, and laugh, and talk smack because they were having so much fun with it.

And that brings me back to the initial question I posed, but let me rephrase it now. Can you think of someone you could encourage to branch out into an activity they do just for pleasure? Buy a set of paints for someone you know would love to learn that art. Or take a friend to an event they would find relaxing. And how about yourself? What can you do to refill your tank so that you’re refreshed and ready to “do ministry”?

Sweet Video – Embracing, Even Celebrating, Our Differences

/ Lisa Womble / Leave a comment

Love this video. And I think it goes well with this month’s Encourager’s Devotional, Freedom and Harmony

Encourager’s Devotional Series – July Bible Study Answers

/ Lisa Womble / Leave a comment

Sorry I’m late in getting out the answers to last week’s Bible study for the Encourager’s Devotional Series. I started a new job this week and it threw my schedule off. But thank the Lord for the employment.

Information

Read 1 Corinthians 12 and answer the following questions:

According to verses 4-6, what three differences should be allowed in the church?

different gifts, different ministries/services, different activities/workings

From verses 7-10 and 28-30, list some of the different gifts and functions which might be distributed throughout the church (Note: There are other lists elsewhere with additional gifts. We will look at those later in the study.):

wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation, apostles, prophets, teachers, helpers, adminstrators

What other kinds of differences are mentioned in verse 13?

  • Jew and Greek (for our cultural setting, we could expand that to “different ethnicities”)
  • slave and free (for our cultural setting, we could say different social circles, different economic circumstances, etc.)

Who decides which members are bestowed various gifts and where each member “fits” among us? (vv. 11, 18)   Holy Spirit, God

What familiar image of the church is used in this chapter? The body of Christ

Romans 12:4, which also speaks of the body of Christ, says the members of the body do not all have the same function.

What different gifts are listed in Romans 12:6-8?

prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation (same Greek word for “encourage”), giving, leading, mercy

Additional thoughts: Notice that verse 8 lists encouraging as a special gift that is given only to some people. Does this mean that only those with the gift of encouragement should strive to be encouragers? To think on this question, consider that serving, giving of finances or material things, and showing mercy are also listed as special gifts. Yet, when Paul is taking up a special offering to help one particular group of Christians (2 Corinthians 8–9), he speaks to the need for all church members to give generously. In 2 Corinthians 9:5-7 he even addresses the fact that some of us might have to overcome our reluctance in this area and not give grudgingly. (In other words, we may not have that gift, so it might not come as easily to us.) We could find similar passages to show that we are all expected to be merciful, to serve, and to encourage one another. So, if we are all supposed to encourage one another, how do you think it might be different for someone who has the gift of encouragement?

In 1 Timothy 4:14 and 2 Timothy 1:6 Paul tells Timothy not to neglect the gift that is in him. Even more than that, he tells him to “fan the flame” of his gift. We all should make the development of our gifts an intentional focus of our lives.

These texts may bring up the question of whether or not the gifts are only given by “the laying on of hands” from a minister/church leader. The simple answer to that question is that the New Testament does not show this as a pattern. Paul is simply describing here how it happened with Timothy.

1 Corinthians 8 and 10:23-33 present an issue which some Christians thought was a sin while others did not. What is the disputable issue?

eating meat which had been used in idol worship

What was Paul’s conclusion on the matter in 8:8 and 10:31?  Continue reading →

An Article to Share for Bereaved Parents Awareness Month

/ Lisa Womble / Leave a comment

In the January Bible Study for the Encourager’s Devotional Series, I shared several articles on how to (and NOT to) help people who are suffering with depression, grief or other life altering issues. With July being Bereaved Parents Awareness Month, I’m linking below to another great article on what you should (and should NEVER) say to a grieving parent.

I know when my sister lost her son, she found this to be true:
“People are sometimes tempted to list their own periods of grief — the death of their grandmother or a beloved family pet — as a way to sympathize, but those are not equivalent losses …”

And when I lost my sister, I finally came to see the truth of this statement (though I cannot fathom how much more true it was for her): “To try to explain to people that this is the kind of loss that transforms you into a different person, that you will never be the same person you were before this happened, is almost impossible.”

http://www.today.com/parents/child-loss-what-you-should-should-not-say-parents-t30596

Encourager’s Devotional Series – July Bible Study

/ Lisa Womble / 1 Comment

This Bible study corresponds with the July devotional in the Encourager’s Devotional Series. Answers to the study will be posted next Wednesday.

Information

Read 1 Corinthians 12 and answer the following questions:

According to verses 4-6, what three differences should be allowed in the church?

From verses 7-10 and 28-30, list some of the different gifts and functions which might be distributed throughout the church. (Note: There are other lists elsewhere with additional gifts. We will look at those later in the study.)

What other kinds of differences are mentioned in verse 13?

Who decides which members are bestowed various gifts and where each member “fits” among us? (vv. 11, 18)

What familiar image of the church is used in this chapter? The ________ of __________

Romans 12:4, which also speaks of the body of Christ, says the members of the body do not all have the same ______________________.

What different gifts are listed in Romans 12:6-8?

Notice that verse 8 lists encouraging as a special gift that is given only to some people. Does this mean that only those with the gift of encouragement should strive to be encouragers? To think on this question, consider that serving, giving of finances or material things, and showing mercy are also listed as special gifts. Yet, when Paul is taking up a special offering to help one particular group of Christians (2 Corinthians 8–9), he speaks to the need for all church members to give generously. In 2 Corinthians 9:5-7 he even addresses the fact that some of us might have to overcome our reluctance in this area and not give grudgingly. (In other words, we may not have that gift, so it might not come as easily to us.) We could find similar passages to show that we are all expected to be merciful, to serve, and to encourage one another. So, if we are all supposed to encourage one another, how do you think it might be different for someone who has the gift of encouragement?

1 Corinthians 8 and 10:23-33 present an issue which some Christians thought was a sin while others did not. What is the disputable issue?

What was Paul’s conclusion on the matter in 8:8 and 10:31? Continue reading →

Freedom and Harmony – July Encourager’s Devotion

/ Lisa Womble / 5 Comments
Norman Rockwell's "America"

Norman Rockwell’s America

Image Source

Many people see Christianity as legalistic and perceive the church as a place where conformity is required and individuality is stifled. And, unfortunately, many Christians help perpetuate those notions by being judgmental and intolerant towards those who think or do things differently. But Paul’s letters paint quite a contrasting picture of church life. They are full of the idea that Christ brings us liberty.

In Christ, we are free to “work out our own salvation” (Philippians 2:12), to set our own standards in many things and not be bound by rules and traditions of men (1 Corinthians 8, 10:29; Galatians 1-6). And we are not only free to be different in personality and life-focus, but also encouraged to find our own unique part in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12).

Whenever we allow this kind of freedom within a group of people, the challenge will be to make sure there is still unity. We see this in our nation. We declare “freedom for all,” but then realize that means we have to find a way to coexist with people who have very different opinions and lifestyles from our own. How do we promote diversity without ending up in civil war? How do we make sure people can exercise their own rights without trampling on the rights of others? And how do we ensure people understand that rights and freedoms come with responsibility?

As I was considering this same problem for the Church, I thought of the word “harmony.” The word is often used interchangeably with “unity” in Scripture. What this word illustrates to me is that we can sing different parts, but still be in the same choir, singing the same song. The song we sing is what unites Christians of different backgrounds, different gifts, different opinions. We sing the song of the redeemed, the song of a people loved by God and learning to love others through God. When we sing this song together, suddenly our differences don’t matter so much; we’re not as concerned about imposing rules on each other as we are encouraging each other (Colossians 2:1-3:17).

All this is not to say we have a casual attitude about these things. Since Christ died to set us free from sin, we must be careful not to let our liberty be an excuse to go back into sin (Galatians 5:13). That’s why Paul, after saying we are free to “work out our own salvation,” also reminds us that we must do that “with fear and trembling.” When we are deciding what is “lawful” for us in our own personal walk of faith, we must be careful that it does not hinder our own spiritual growth, or that of others (1 Corinthians 8:9, 10:23-33; Romans 14). But if our key concerns are love for Christ and love for others (remember, those two greatest commanments?) we can experience both freedom and harmony in the church.

“May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 15:5,6, RSV)

As part of the ongoing Encourager’s Devotional Series, I offer these challenges and suggestions for this month:

  • I challenge you to think about how often you discourage others by voicing disapproval over their being different or doing something different than you would. Even if you are not saying it directly to that person, you could be helping to create an atmosphere where “difference” or “change” is unacceptable. Besides, you never know if/when something might actually get back to someone (a very discouraging thing). If it’s not a serious doctrinal or sin issue, can you be content to let others be different and guard your words? And even if it is an issue you deem to be contrary to Scripture, will you consider being silent on it for one week until we look at this issue further in the Bible study that will be posted next Wednesday? It seems to be a real challenge in this age of social media to restrain from posting our every thought as soon as it comes to us. But for the sake of harmony, I think we would all be wise to push away from the keyboard every now and then and let the Holy Spirit guide us in how to better handle the issues we are bombarded with daily.
  • Can you think of someone very different from yourself that you could encourage? What about someone who ministers in a way you never could (and maybe wouldn’t even want to). Can you show appreciation for their work? Or perhaps there is someone you seem to always be at odds with. Surely, there is something praiseworthy in them you could highlight (Philippians 4:8).
  • The featured image for this post is Norman Rockwell’s painting entitled America. Rockwell’s parents encouraged him to develop his talent for drawing. I have read that he actually tried very hard in his younger years to be like all the other children and develop himself in the area of sports. But he just wasn’t athletic. His parents encouraged his uniqueness and empowered him to pursue what God had gifted him to do. They even supported him in quitting high school early to pursue training in the arts – now, that’s different! Can you think of someone you could encourage to branch out into an area of giftedness or calling?                       

The Beauty and Imperfection of the Bride of Christ

/ Lisa Womble / Leave a comment

To wrap up this month’s Encourager’s Devotional thoughts on The Wedding Checklist, I thought I’d share a few poems I’ve written as I’ve reflected on the beauty and imperfection of the Bride of Christ. Be encouraged. Though we struggle to be what we should be, our Lord continues to sanctify us and bring us closer to His image.

We can rejoice in the fact that our Bridegroom is a loving one, who not only asks us to prepare but promises to help make us ready!

We can rejoice in the fact that our Bridegroom is a loving one, who not only asks us to prepare but promises to help make us ready!

Who Are We

We are now, we are then

We are growing, we are faltering

We are grieving, we rejoice

We disagree, we have one voice

Full and empty, frail and strong

Stuck in the past, and moving on

Marching in, storming out

Full of faith, full of doubt

More than we know, less than we can be

Spirit wrapped in humanity

Anticipating someday, but afraid to die

Hoping to walk on water, but afraid to even try

Wanting to draw near, but straying too far

Longing for the day we will be

Who We Are

 

Encourager’s Devotional Series – June Bible Study Answer Guide

/ Lisa Womble / Leave a comment

Here are the answers to the June Bible study for the Encourager’s Devotional Series. If you have not already read the devotion for June, you may want to do that before proceeding with the study as it explains the connection between “the city” and “the bride.”

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Read Isaiah 62. What are some of the characteristics of the city before the Lord “saves” it or “establishes” it? Hint: In addition to other statements, look at what the city is called.

forsaken, desolate, foreigners eating and drinking from the labors of the city inhabitants

What will the characteristics be after the Lord establishes it?

His delight, sought out, married, a praise in the earth, holy, redeemed

What promises does the Lord make to the city?

Salvation comes! And your reward comes with it.

Read Revelation 21. What will it be like for the Bride, the inhabitants of the Holy City?

no tears, no death, no pain, God’s presence and glory

When Paul speaks on the marriage relationship in Ephesians 5:22-33, he says in verse 32, “This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the church” (all Scripture references are NIV)

From verse 26, what does Christ use to cleanse us?

Baptism (“washing with water”) and the Word

Read John 17:6-21. Use verses 14, 16, and 18 to fill in the blanks. The world hates us. We are not of the world, but we have been sent into the world.

Verses 20-21 explain one reason we are sent into the world. What is it?

that the world may believe that Jesus was sent by God

According to James 1:27, we are also sent into the world to take care of other people. But while we are ministering to the world, we are warned to stay “unspotted by the world.”

In 2 Corinthians 11:2-4, what does Paul say we must guard against if we want to be a “pure virgin” when we are presented to our “one husband, to Christ”?

false gospels

Read 2 Peter 2:12-3:18. What kind of people are described as “blots and blemishes”?

blasphemers, creatures of instinct (like animals), adultrous hearts, seducers, deceivers, greedy, people who use empty and boastful words, slaves of depravity, scoffers, lawless

Note, from 2:1, that these people are not people outside of the church, they are “among us.” Yet from Revelation 21:2,27 we see that the Bride, at the final presentation, will be “beautifully adorned” and that nothing unclean, and no one who does what is abominable or lies will ever enter the city. What does this say for those people who are “spots and blemishes” on the Bride right now?  Continue reading →