Grace by the Stream

You need to stop asking God to bless you!! I would offer that God will bless you when he is ready to do so and if you are doing what he wants you to do. Ask God instead that what can you to that he will bless or maybe that He will show you where you are to be so that you are in the work that He is blessing.

I did not do an exhaustive search but I can only find one reference to someone saying “God bless me” and that it came to pass. That is 1 Chronicles 4:10 in the prayer of Jabez. I don’t think it is wrong to ask but most of the references to God’s blessings refer to someone asking on your behalf (intercessory prayer) or God’s reward for right actions or as a result of His love for us.

When we ask for a blessing I think we are getting ahead of ourselves a bit. It is like we are asking God to come along side us and to bless what we are doing regardless of what it is. Now you can be doing something really good but not be in His will FOR YOU!!

How do you determine God’s will for your life? What do you do while you are seeking his will? I think the answer might be “Do something, even if it’s wrong!!” God is big enough to fix a mistake that you make and I suspect that the idea of action is better than no action in most cases. We like to say we are waiting on God when in fact, God is waiting on us. You have to be wise in your actions and not do something that you know is wrong. Wrong in the sense that it violates scripture. As long it does not violate what God has already said then I think you can listen to the inner voice as to what you WANT to do.

God placed in us wants and desires for a reason. He has blessed us already with gifts and we have learned skills that He expects us to use. Sometimes we don’t even know what we are supposed to do until we start doing it. I spent 25 years writing software and working as an engineer thinking I loved it. I guess I did but I learned in the last 4 years that it is not what I love the most. Needless to say, I was surprised. Shocked in fact would be a better term. As I look back I think God was trying to tell me something about myself that I did not know but I was not listening.

There was a time I went away on vacation. I was gone for 2 weeks and when I came back to my desk in Engineering I found a note from the Sales Manager. He wanted to see me so I walked into his office. He informed me that he was moving me to sales and that I should transfer my work to another engineer. I did not ask for this nor was I excited about the ‘opportunity’. It never occurred to me that God was directing me in a path that he has gifted me in. I was the guy that all the salesmen came to get to explain the technology stuff. I was the guy that went to Japan, Mexico, Europe and Australia on sales trips. I was able to talk easily to anyone and I guess that is what Kenny saw in me but I did not see it.

I was entrenched so well in the company that I was able to keep my engineering job by insisting my boss ‘undo’ the transfer but as I look back on it I believe God was telling me it was time to start some new training. I followed my wants and desires but in the meantime did not violate God’s word willfully.

Fast forward to a few years ago and now I understand that this was my calling and that I love it. I love working with people, not computers. I can do the other things but it was not what I really love to do. My training now is harder than it would have been 17 years ago but God is redeeming the mistake I made. He is resetting my mindset in life and that is awesome.

Did he bless me while I was making my mistake? I believe he did. He provided for me financially, for my family and he blessed me in lots of other ways so even if you are doing the wrong thing He can bless you. I struggled with other things because of the willfulness I had. I had to travel all the time. I missed seeing my boys grow up and do things that I could have been home for but I was stubborn and thought I loved what I was doing. Know that I hated the travel and I felt trapped in a lot of ways but I liked the work.

Move toward what you have presented to you even if it’s not what you are comfortable with. Move toward what you like but be sensitive to the ‘cages’ you find yourself in and examine them carefully for a way out.

Two practical things you can do. One, find some time to spend with God and ask him to reveal to you what He is blessing. I don’t mean a few minutes either. Take a mental health day and go spend it ALL with God. You will be blessed if you do. Second, write down what you hear that day and then go back and look at it at least once a week. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to do that. Don’t skip it. It can change your life.

I am going to keep coming back here too. Journal. Write down your thoughts. What you did, what you thought and how you felt. If you are ready to start I have some journals for you. Come get one but expect a call to see if you are doing it. I love accountability too.

Thanks for listening.

That last devotion was the closing of my first year as chaplain of my local chapter of Christian Motorcyclist Association. It was a great time and I loved it. The next year was a year I worked as the Vice President so there were no devotions or newsletters in 2004. I was elected in 2005, 2006 and now in 2007 as Chaplain again and I will be posting more of those devotions and newsletters. I love getting to do this and it is a real privilege to serve. I thank God for the messages and the gift he has given me in this role.

Thanks to all of my fellow members for the confidence they have placed in me. I am asking that you continue to pray for me and ask that God would give me the messages to bring and the courage to say what he gives me to say.

Thanks for listening.

Jerry Robertson
CMA Crossties Chaplain

Newsletter Article
December 2003

Every once in a while you find something that just ‘rings’ true. I found this today and am prompted to just share it this month in the newsletter instead of writing something on my own. I have been blessed this year working as the chaplain for our chapter and I pray that I have been able to pass along what God has prompted in me. I look forward to hearing from Brother Larry as we enter a new year. The article I have included comes from a devotional that I get and it just spoke to me, where I am today. I hope it speaks to you as well.

In His Grip
Jerry Robertson
Chaplain

Marketplace Meditations
by Os Hillman

Monday, December 1, 2003

Living Forward, Understanding Backward

The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.
1 Thessalonians 5:24

When I was in my 20’s, I participated in a wilderness-training course in a desert and mountain area. For our “final exam,” we were blindfolded, placed in the back of a pickup truck, and taken to a remote area. We were dropped off and told to meet back at the camp in three days. We did not know where we were. We had to determine our location with our compasses. It was a frightening experience for four young people who had learned to navigate through the use of a compass only a few days earlier. With our food and water on our backs, we began our trek. It had just snowed that morning, so the way was difficult. We walked through valleys, canyons, snow-covered hills, and forests. In all, we walked more than 60 miles in three days. There were times when we did not think we could go another foot. Exhaustion and frostbitten feet were taking their toll. However, we finally made it to our base camp successfully, and to our surprise, we were the first ones among the other patrols to make it back.

At the conclusion of our journey, we were able to stand on top of a ridge, look behind us and see the beautiful terrain that we had just scaled. The pain of what we had just endured seemed to subside. We could not believe we had actually walked through those valleys and snowcapped hills. There was a sense of accomplishment.

Life is very much like this. It is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road a bit that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life as a result. When you begin to realize some of this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn’t seem like it at the time, but He was.

Are you in the midst of a difficult journey that seems almost impossible to continue? Be assured that God is providing grace even now to equip you for that journey. There will be a time when you can say, “Wow, look at what God has done because of what I gained through that valley.” Trust Him with the outcome of where you find yourself today.

Newsletter Article
November 2003

Fear or Faith?

They really are the same thing, you know. They are both the expectation of things not seen. Which do you have? Fear? Faith? Both?

Two verses that I found show the results of fear and faith. Read these and consider them.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.

Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

The idea that fear and faith are the same thing seems wrong but it is true. The results are different but the beginning of each is the same. The result of fear is slavery. To be unable to free yourself from the bonds that hold you. God knows that we have fear and He as done the work to free us but it requires us to have faith. To accept the work of Christ is to move from fear to faith. The result of faith is for us to be commended. To live out in freedom what God has for us even if we do not see it or feel it or taste it. We know that it is real because of the results, not the tangible evidence of it.

Proverbs 3:3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

The focus on fear is broken when we take what is not seen and begin to focus on the one whom we can trust. The one who loves us and cares for us even when we don’t deserve it. Just because we don’t understand something is no reason to fear it. God understands it and He understands us. If we trust Him, He will make our paths straight. He will remove the obstacles we fear and bring us closer to Him in the process. And isn’t that what we all want? To be closer to God.

Fear will paralyze us but we can move to faith is we will simply begin to move. As we leave the place of fear it’s grip on us weakens and we begin to move toward faith. Faith is always combined with action or it is useless.

James 2:17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action , is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith ; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

So if you have fear, GET UP AND START MOVING. Stop being paralyzed by what might happen and step out in faith by finding where God is and going there to be a part of what He is making happen.

In His Grip,
Jerry Robertson
Chaplain

Devotion
November 2003

It’s not my battle.

I want to tell you a story. This is a personal experience that I believe God is using to teach me about prayer. I was at church a couple of weeks ago and I was there making coffee to serve between services. Our services start at 9:00 and 10:45 on a Sunday morning and this happened at about 9:30. I heard a woman exclaim “I can’t believe it!! We rushed to get here and now they can’t even seat us”. As I looked up and toward the voices I saw a woman and three other people. Two men and another woman. They were headed downstairs to the children’s Sunday school rooms.

I then saw one of my friends (Dave) who is an usher come out of the sanctuary and he looks upset. I asked him what was going on and he points toward the people going down the stairs and explains to me that they wanted 4 seats together and when he couldn’t find them they got upset and left. He pointed out that it was 9:30 and virtually every seat was taken. Our sanctuary is full during both services almost every Sunday. We even have a third service at 6:00 to try and make more room for visitors on Sunday mornings.

Shortly after Dave and I talked, I heard a group of people coming up the stairs. As I looked I saw the four adults that had gone down a few minutes ago and about 6 children. I could tell they were still upset and one of our ushers tried to get them to stay but they would have nothing of it. The woman I heard earlier said “No, we already have our children and we are leaving”. And they did.

The service that Sunday was special because it was going to be an invitation to become a Christian for those that were drawn to Crossroads during this special series covering Genesis to Revelation. This Sunday was going to be used to explain the work of Christ on the cross and what it all means. We had over 60 people accept Christ that Sunday. That is the power of the Holy Spirit at work. But what I witnessed was the power of Satan at work.

Now I am only guessing but I can imagine what happened to the ones who left.

It is Sunday morning and they are trying to get to church on time. The kids are not cooperating. They can’t find their shoes or one of them fell in the mud and had to be changed. I don’t know for sure but I have kids and I can imagine all kinds of things that could have happened on the way to church but in spite of it all they made it. Whew, we got the kids settled and now for some time to listen to the pastor. What, no seats??!! I can’t believe it!! I am not going to stay if I can’t sit together. So they didn’t.

Now, was the problem that we were too full? I don’t think so. I think we are subject to the influence of Satan and he is good at wriggling in the cracks and crevices of our armor. A little irritation can go a long way. I wanted to do something but this was not my battle. I could pray and I did but it did not get them to stay. This was their battle and I don’t know if they won or lost. Maybe I’ll never know for sure but I will keep praying when God brings them to mind because that is all I can do for them unless God brings them into my personal battlefield.

Pray for those you do not know and for those that you meet along the way because it is sometimes all you can do. It will make a difference because that is what prayer does. It makes a difference.

Jerry Robertson
Chaplain

Newsletter Article
October 2003

Witnessing by Intimidation!!

Intimidation. one definition is : [n] the feeling of being intimidated; being made to feel afraid or timid

How many of you are intimidated by witnessing? We are all resistant to rejection and that is the primary reason for feeling intimidated when we are witnessing. What will they think of us? Can I come up with the right thing to say? There are all kinds of thoughts that we get when we start to speak out.

Now, I don’t want you to turn the tables and start to BE intimidating. I have seen where that has been done on the street corners and in the train stations and a lot of other places. You know, the ‘turn or burn’ type of witnessing. That is intimidating and I don’t think very effective at all. Americans in particular don’t submit well to that type of intimidation but I would offer to you a subtle type of intimidation that will work.

Be prepared!

1Peter 3:13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

If we are prepared to give our testimony clearly, confidently and without hesitation, who can argue against personal experience. Study the word and find out what answers it has to objections that are raised. Do your homework. God gave us a brain to be used when solving the problems that come up day to day. I have come to the opinion that there are only a few things we need to do in order to witness one-on-one with non-believers. I am going to summarize them for you.

Here are three steps to witnessing:

1. Build a relationship
Jesus did this with everyone he talked to. He invested time in the disciples. He had a meal with Zachias. He had a drink with the Samaritan woman at the well. (you know what I mean). We must invest time into those we witness to. As a member of CMA, others have gone before us to build that relationship and we benefit from it by wearing the patch that identifies us as a member. For some, we have a relationship already established with those we have never met. Use it wisely and by all means do nothing that would destroy that relationship for those that follow behind us.

2. Listen to them for a ‘way in’
Talk to them about life. Everyday things are the way to find out about folks. What type of bike they ride, how many kids they have, where they live or got to church or their favorite food. All of this can give you a connection so that you can relate to them. The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say when they are needed most if you will slow down and ask Him to provide them. Pray, even while you are talking to them. Ask others to pray for you as you go out to the rallies, meetings and rides that can put us with those we need to talk with.

3. Bring them to a point of decision.
Tell them what Jesus has done for you. Tell about your old life and your new life. About forgiveness. How God forgave you and how you forgave others in gratitude. Freedom. That is the message we have. Freedom from sin, bondage, enslavement to the things of this world. If we have nothing to lose here on earth (and we don’t) then how can we be intimidated by anything on this earth. Try to answer their questions if they have them but most of all, bring them to a point of decision. Ask the question. What are you going to do with Jesus? He died for you and asks that you surrender to Him so you can enjoy the eternal life He died to protect. Ask the question and then shut up. Wait for the answer because if you keep talking they have a way out. You have to put them face to face with Christ and let Him do the rest.

Most of all, don’t be intimidated. Be the ‘intimidator’ by being prepared and not backing down when the point of decision comes. Do it because you love them and they won’t feel intimidated at all and neither will you.

In His Grip,

Jerry Robertson
Chaplain

Devotion
October 2003

HEY, I LOVE YOU!!!

Heb 10:24 “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.” NLT

Outbursts!??! I was reading this the other morning and I was surprised to see the word outburst in this verse. I wanted to go back to the ‘original Greek’ but I discovered he is dead so I had to do some research on my own.

Outburst –
n 1: an unrestrained expression of emotion [syn: effusion, gush]
2: a sudden violent happening; “an outburst of heavy rain”; “a
burst of lightning” [syn: burst, flare-up]
3: a sudden violent disturbance [syn: tumultuous disturbance]

I think that this gives us a whole new perspective on what we are to encourage one another to do. I believe that an outburst does not come naturally to all of us. That is why we need encouragement to do it. I looked in the New Language Translation for other references to ‘outburst’ and found it in 4 other places.

1. Lev 19:24 – In the fourth year the entire crop will be dedicated to the Lord as an outburst of praise.
2. Je 20:8 – Whenever I speak the words come out in a violent outburst. “Violence and destruction” I shout. So these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke.
3. 2Co 12:20 – Outbursts of anger.
4. Ga 5:20 – Outbursts of anger.

Not all outbursts are good but it is apparent to me that they can be planned. A whole crop to be dedicated to the Lord required some planning and commitment. To tend an entire crop knowing that it is to be sacrificed to the Lord. Could you do that? Work for an entire year and then give the salary to God?

And to make an outburst can be embarrassing. Look at Jeremiah. He was compelled to speak what God gave him to say and it humiliated him but he could not stop. Even his friends were laughing at him and looking for ways to trip him up.

Let’s talk about the bad outbursts for a minute. Paul was writing to the churches in Cornith and Galatia and he was upset with them. Verse 20 of 2Corinthians says “For I am afraid that when I come to visit you I won’t like what I find , and then you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfishness, backstabbing , gossip, conceit and disorderly behavior.”

Verse 19-21 of Galatians 5 says “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results; sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

That is pretty severe, isn’t it? I have been doing some looking and while I don’t want to get into a deep discussion about these verses, it looks like to me we are talking about rewards in heaven, not our salvation. We can discuss this at one of our bible study nights if anyone wants to but not tonight.

Now, back to the ‘good’ outbursts. I think it bears repeating. “Heb 10:24 “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.” NLT. We should all strive to think of ways we can encourage one another. To show each other how to love fully and to do good deeds with passion.

Let’s keep meeting together and encourage one another and warn each other as we see the day approaching.

Jerry Robertson
Chaplain

Devotion
September 2003

Our life in Christ!!!

A new life. We are tentative in our new life because we don’t know the rules yet. We have great excitement but we are scared (sometimes) to tell what we have discovered. It is new to us and we don’t understand all that we know. To know and to understand are really two different things. I know a lot of words in Spanish but I don’t understand the ebb and flow of the language when it is spoken by a native speaker. The joy of waterskiing. I remember watching others do it for a long time before I actually got up on the skis myself. The joy of it all. Skiing long enough to actually dry out before letting go of the rope and sliding back into the water.

Singing. That is one thing I love to do. I am not a solo singer but I love to sing. A choir is my favorite or a small group of a few voices that love to sing. We start out softly because we are not sure of ourselves. Will we be on key? Is my pitch right? How about the tempo? Too fast? Too slow? We practice and we get some help from someone who can coach us. As we progress we begin to surprise ourselves and as we get really comfortable in the work we begin to surprise others. That is what this life in Christ is like.

Watch and listen to this video clip and see the new singer as a new believer. See him start out softly and as he practices he gets better. But the only way to get better is to sing. To sing even when we don’t feel like singing. To sing in front of others. To forget the others are even there and to just sing for the pure joy of it. Even if we are not great at first it gets better until it is a beautiful thing to behold.

……………………. Video plays here………………………….

This was a video clip from Sister Act 2. It ran about 5 minutes and I would recommend it to anyone interested in seeing the whole picture (no pun intended). Go rent the movie and on a DVD it is scene that ends with Whoopie saying “and now we’re a choir”.

Heb 11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated– 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40 God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Our life in Christ is just like this. Now get out there and practice. Tell everyone how much fun it is to live for Christ and to learn from Him. He is our teacher, coach and leader. He is our life.

Oh, happy day!!!!

Jerry Robertson
Chaplain CMA Crossties