Refocus

Numbers 6:24-26 • The Blessing

by Jodi Van Rhee - The Adventure Church (theadventure.church)

John chapter 1 verse 4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” That word, life, is translated from the Greek word, zoe, which the New Testament uses to describe the kind of life God has. It’s not the word, bios, which is used for biological life. It’s not simply the kind of life produced by your heart beating in your chest and your blood pumping through your veins. This verse tells us the kind of life Jesus has to offer is something altogether different – a life of another kind – and that this life is what truly lights a person up.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the word, nightlife. It describes a nighttime party atmosphere where folks are drinking, dancing, enjoying music, and other entertainments. And for many people, it also describes an aspiration, a highlight, something they look forward to. It’s even one of the measures used to rank the livability of cities. Our culture will say a city is a good place to live because it has great nightlife.

But seriously? Are we willing to settle for that - nightlife? Is lubricating your inhibitions with alcohol or some other intoxicant and moving your body to the beat of the music in the dim light of a club enough for you? Artificial life under artificial lights?

Not me. Not when the Lord is offering zoe – a life that’s incomparably higher, greater, and deeper in every way. Life that’s spiritual, eternal, substantial, fulfilling, exhilarating and so much more than words can describe.

Let’s reject cheap knockoffs and choose to settle for nothing less than the real thing – zoe. The life we were made for. The life Jesus said would light us up.

Psalm 23:1 • Challenge #1

by Matt Kladnik - Lead pastor, Vintage Faith Foursquare Church in Culver City, CA (Vffchurch.com)

I love the Psalms. I think every person should have their own personal Psalm. Out of 150, there is one for you. I am sure of this. Honestly...

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." – Psalm 91:1

The Psalms are like one big medicine cabinet. I know. This is crude and simplistic; nevertheless, whatever ails your life, you can most likely find the answer from God’s Word in the Psalms. For me personally:

• Psalm 18…brought my freedom from bondage

• Psalm 27…called me into His extravagant presence

• Psalm 91…heard His heart for me during stage 4 cancer

• Psalm 107…encouraged my family through some tough decisions

• Psalm 149…caused me to worship in warfare in the Spirit.

You get the idea.

As we “Safer at Home,” may I encourage you to start reading through the Psalms—just a few a day. Allow the Lord to speak directly to Your heart and underline the words, verses, or phrases that touch you. Yes, read straight through them.

Then, return to the beginning and savor each chapter slowly. You will find hope, safety, comfort, joy, strength, and peace.

Tell me. Who doesn’t need any of those things right now? Take the psalms everywhere you go. And think of them as a spiritual prescription. Open each morning with some psalms chased by a strong cup of coffee and spending time with Jesus. Then, take a dose before bedtime with a refreshing drink of Holy Spirit living water. I can guarantee you, your sleep will be sweeter

And most important of all, find the Psalm Jesus is giving just for you.

Check it out guys, the sun is rising. And that reminds me of John chapter 1 verse 5 where it says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” Now that word, comprehend, doesn’t mean, understand, like the darkness doesn’t understand the light. It means it can’t lay hold of it, can’t grasp it, can’t extinguish it.

You know, the darkness that enshrouded this spot that I’m standing on just minutes ago is giving way to the light. There’s not a thing it can do about it. The light wins every time. Jesus, the Bible clearly says, is the Light of the World. And wherever He is, darkness can’t remain.

Now I’ve been alive for over 60 years, and I don’t recall a time in those many years that seemed as dark as these days I’m living in right now, that you’re living in right now. It seems like the news is bad everywhere. The natural world seems to be falling apart. The political world is in chaos. There’s violence on every hand, terrorism, wars, and on and on. And not just in the larger world, but in our small world, our micro-world, your world. Things can seem pretty dark at times, can’t they? And you can despair. You can start to wonder, “Where’s the hope?”

But we have this amazing promise. Yes, sir! “The darkness did not comprehend it” – can’t do anything about the light of Jesus.

Dear one, let Him shine today in your corner of the world. Let His light be on display in your life – what you say, what you do, how you move through this world. And watch what happens. Watch what happens. The Son is rising!

Does it seem like we are in a waiting game period right now?

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” - Isaiah 40:31

Yes, we are all waiting for the throes of this horrible health pandemic to be over. However, let’s not waste our waiting. Instead, let’s cause our waiting to count for something more

The old Hebrew word for “wait” in the verse above that I just read is, qavah, means to wait for, to look for eagerly, to expect and to hope. It also means to be bound up with something or someone, or to be collected.

What if every time we met alone with the Lord, we came with this goal in mind? As we wait on Him, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to draw us into deeper communion with the One Who Loves Us Beyond Reason. As we choose to become still and genuinely know that He is God, let’s bask in His presence and Word to satisfy and complete us. Yes, He really can do this. And from the overflow of His presence, our thoughts will be collected with His thoughts and His heart. Our waiting on Him will be good not only for us, but for those around us, guaranteed.

I want to do this kind of waiting.

Jesus invites each of us to come have a meal with Him, a banquet that promises to over-satisfy us with His goodness, kindness, mercy, courage, with Holy Spirit fire, compassion, and His love. Everything else will fall into place when we come. We will know what to do next, and for when our staying at home time is finally over, we will have a fresh vision for our lives and how to accomplish His purposes. Many of life’s questions are answered when we wait and are held tightly by Jesus.

Yes, let’s make this type of waiting become a way of life.