from Lenae, GEMS training manager

God is Greater Still 

The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1 John 4:4b

Mark Twain was quoted as saying that “History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” There certainly is rhyme and rhythm to Israelite history. The first time their toes touched the border of the Promised Land, they backed down in fear. The spies reported that the Israelites were like grasshoppers in comparison to the giants of the land. Ten of the twelve recommended retreat rather than attack, and the people agreed, rebelling against the Lord.

Forty years later it’s round two. The next generation now has their toes on the tip of the border, but nothing has changed in the enemy camp. Moses said, the nations are still “greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky” (Deuteronomy 9:2).  This wasn’t new news. They had heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?”  

Moses assured this generation like he did the one that preceded them, “The LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you” (Deuteronomy 9:3).

God will do what He promised to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He will do what He said He will do, not because of their righteousness, but because of His greatness. Would they trust Him?

No matter what our toes are lined up to today, the enemy will always be too much for us. The enemy is always bigger, stronger, and more powerful then our weak wills and feeble hands. So stop focusing on the enemy and look up to your Great God! Will you trust Him?

* Are you fearful and frustrated? God is greater still.

* Are doctors’ reports too much to bear? God is greater still.

* Are you weary of whiney toddlers and troubled teens? God is greater still.

* Are you trapped in the lie that you’ll never change or be free from this destructive life pattern? God is greater still.

Maybe you can’t feel that truth in your soul today. That’s OK. You don’t need to feel it. God’s not a feeling; He’s a fact. With His help, choose to trust that His greatness is enough to point your toe in the right direction and His grace is sufficient to get you to the day’s end.

He>i: What feels too great for you to handle today? God is greater still. Will you trust Him?

God’s heart and mind are greater than ours. All that is asked of us is trust.

Henri Nouwen

from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager

 

At the Table

Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.

Luke 22:24

The disciples are at the table with Jesus. They drank from the cup and ate the bread with thanks. Unknown to them at the time, they were the original participants of the Lord’s Supper. While the taste of wine and bread is still on their tongues they’re disputing at the table as to which of them was considered to be greatest.

While Jesus’ mind is fixed on the suffering at hand, they’re stuck on status. While Jesus is focused on the cross, they’re wrapped up in their own concerns. They’ve missed the meaning of the shared supper.

Disputes around the table are not uncommon whether in the upper room, the church, or our own kitchen tables. How different mealtimes and life would be if we’d stop jockeying for positions of honor at the table and ask, “Who am I? That You would love me so gently? Who am I? That You would recognize my name? Who am I? That You would speak to me so softly? Conversation with the love Most High . . . who am I?” (“Who am I?” words and music by Nathan and Christy Nockels.)

At the table, Jesus teaches what it means to be truly great. He said, “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:27). Christ exemplified Kingdom service before the meal by bowing low and washing their feet. He demonstrated true greatness after the meal when He willingly offered His life.

Opportunities abound at the table to point people to God’s greatness:

• Begin and end each meal with thanks to God for the gift of His daily bread.

• Invite needy and broken guests to your table who cannot repay your favor.

• Share God Sightings. Have each person tell one way they’re seeing God at work in their lives or in this world.

• Show genuine interest in others. Laugh until it hurts, celebrate, share honestly, and ask thoughtful questions.

•  Serve wholeheartedly in meal preparation and clean up as if serving the Lord, not to impress your guests.

• Have more hunger and thirst for righteousness then what’s on your plate.

He>i: How can you use tonight’s meal to point others to God’s greatness?

What’s becoming clearer and clearer to me is that the most sacred moments, the ones in which I feel God’s presence most profoundly, when I feel the goodness of the world most arrestingly, take place at the table.

Shauna Niequist