I continue to marvel at the people Jesus pursued.  The twelve would have gone completely unnoticed in the “Who’s Who” of Israel.  Their names would have evaporated from history within a generation or two even in their own tribe and family.  They were ordinary or even less than ordinary fishermen.  How many times had Peter gone fishing without catching anything until Jesus told him where to throw the nets? Others had been tax collectors or political zealots who were known to be assassins from time to time.  In Luke 19 we have another moment when Jesus pursues the unknown and even the hated.

This is a familiar story but still reminds us of something important. Luke recalls that as Jesus entered Jericho, crowds began to gather to see the miracle worker from Galilee. In the midst of that crowd was man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.  The text states that because he was a short man he climbed a tree so that he could get a glimpse of this controversial Rabbi who had come to his town.

We also need to remind ourselves that tax collectors worked for Rome and since Zaccheaus was wealthy, he had made his money by extorting taxes from his own people.  He was not paid a salary but lived off whatever revenue he took in above the amount that was owed to Rome. He was seen as a collaborator with the enemy and a willing part of the Roman machine that oppressed Israel. We’re told that as Jesus walked through the city, he reached the spot where the diminutive tax collector was sitting in the tree and stopped just for this enemy of Israel.  Remarkably, Jesus called him by name and told him that they would have supper together that evening.

The text says, “All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”  One of the astonishing things about Jesus was that he pursued and apparently preferred the hated, the down-and-outs, the impoverished, and the slandered over the rich and the religious. Not only that but he did not care that his reputation as a holy man took a lot of hits because of the company he kept. Remarkably, the time has come in America where our reputations will take hits because we choose to keep company with Jesus.  I also have to ask myself the question, “How could a perfect, sinless man be so comfortable in the company of prostitutes, tax collectors, drunkards, and the like?

How often have we heard sermons about a Holy God’s inability to tolerate sin?  How often have we been convinced that God despises sin and turns away from those whose lives are stained with the stuff of sin?  And yet Jesus sought out the very people whose lives totally missed the mark and tended to turn away from the religious instead.  In Jesus we see a God who is drawn to the rejected, who loves the unlovable, who truly does befriend the friendless, and who chooses the low-achievers for his team.  Jesus never left a person where he found him but he found them and loved them before they became great people none-the-less.

I still find that we, as God’s people, struggle with the notion that God doesn’t love us all that much or that God can’t use us for significant things because of our terrible pasts, our struggling presents, or our doubtful futures.  And yet we are the very ones Christ pursued.  We are the ones he went home with.  We are the ones he took from unremarkable careers or hated positions and made them leaders in the kingdom of God.  We are the ones he welcomed as they followed him from place to place – a former prostitute with a highly demonic past and nameless disciples who left jobs or, perhaps, were unemployed and had nothing better to do. And yet those and others like them were sent out to preach, heal, and deliver as representatives of the King of Kings.

God wants to do great things through us and yet we feel so unworthy and so incapable. When the Holy Spirit whispers to us about our destiny or opens doors for significant ministry roles how often do we turn those spiritual opportunities down because we don’t have the experience, the spiritual pedigree, or a faith that moves mountains.  Who among the twelve, or the seventy, or the crowds that followed Jesus from town to town had any of that to begin with?

My point is this.  As we follow Jesus through the gospels, we find him pursuing, loving, and spending time with ordinary people who often had huge issues. We find him hanging around former fishermen who seem very slow on the spiritual uptake. We find him hanging out with broken people who are desperately trying to figure out life – divorced people, selfish people, sick people, greedy people, working stiffs, and beggars.  He wasn’t offended.  He didn’t turn away. On the contrary, he embraced those people and made them his friends and even his confidants.  The truth is that Jesus not only loves you but he also likes you.

I think of us as old furniture full of nicks and scrapes and sweat rings where uncle Charlie always put his ice tea glass.  Jesus, as an artisan and restorer of fine furniture, is not annoyed by the nicks or scratches because each one tells a story.  If it’s broken, he will fix it but he loves to bring the pieces back to life, to give them beauty again, and to make then useful without erasing the very things that mark their history.  No craftsman wants to hang around the new, shiny pieces straight from the factory.  They are boring. They have no “character,” no “story,” so to speak.

Don’t avoid the Master and don’t hide the scratches and the dings of life.  He is quite comfortable with those and will gently make them into something beautiful. Enjoy the day.  Be real with Jesus and remember – he really does like to hang out with you…just the way you are.  Be blessed.

In the book of Nehemiah we find one of Satan’s most subtle and effective strategies for hindering the work of God on the earth. In 586 B.C. the southern Kingdom of Judah fell to Babylon and all but a few were scattered throughout the Babylonian Empire as slaves and servants of the state. The temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed and for the most part remained a pile of rubble for seventy years. After seventy years of captivity, God allowed some of the Jews to return and to begin to rebuild.  Zerubbabel led the first return and rebuilt the temple while the city wall remained in disrepair.  Ezra was sent later by God to call the people in Judea to faithfulness and, finally, Nehemiah was allowed by the king he served to return to rebuild the city wall.  There was, of course, great opposition to the rebuilding of Jerusalem by their traditional enemies who lived in the area – the Samaritans, Ammonites, and Arabs.

Although God had ordained the rebuilding of the temple, the city, and the wall of Jerusalem, the enemy pushed back against the completion of God’s vision for the city.  We see the first part of Satan’s strategy in Chapter 4.  As the building began in earnest, the enemies of the Jews began with ridicule.  The first strategy was to criticize the vision that God had given Nehemiah and that he had brought to the people in Jerusalem.  In effect, they declared that Nehemiah’s vision would fail, that it was foolish, and that the Jews had neither the resources nor the skills to finish. For those with a minimum vision or minimum faith, such ridicule is debilitating. Yet, Nehemiah knew that the vision he held in his heart was from God and believed God for the materials and the skill.  The work moved ahead.

The next bit of Satan’s strategy unfolded when conflict broke out among the Jews themselves. Some felt that they were sacrificing much more than others. Discontent and comparison is always an effective strategy of the enemy because it divides God’s people. It also takes leaders away from the primary vision of the kingdom while they settle disputes.  Nehemiah settled the issue with wisdom but the detour cost them time.

Satan’s next move was to have the leaders of Israel’s enemies invite Nehemiah to a summit to discuss what was going on in the region. Nehemiah instinctively sensed that he would likely meet with “an unfortunate accident” on the way to the summit but, more than that, he knew it was another distraction from the enemy.  His response was one that we should remember. “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”  His enemies invited him to attend the summit four times and he refused each time.  Undoubtedly the national news agencies painted him as a man who did not want peace or as a polarizing man who would not compromise for the sake of the region. I’m sure he was criticized and encouraged even by some of his own people not to turn down these noble offers to speak about peace.  Yet God had not sent him to compromise with the enemy but to finish the work he had been given as soon as possible.

Next came the accusations that Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem with a plan to rebel against the king who has sent him there.  If Satan can’t pull you away from the work God has given you, he will work to discredit you and your motives. For those of us who aren’t sure of our motives or who care too much for the opinions of men, those attacks can be very distracting and discouraging.  His response to the accusations was simple. “Nothing like what you are saying is happening.”  Because Nehemiah was building a kingdom for God rather than himself and because he had acted with integrity throughout the project, he was able to dismiss the charges and move ahead.

Finally, he was told that men were coming to kill him and he should simply run away to save himself. The possibility was certainly there that assassins were on the way, but his response was revealing. “Should a man like me run away? … I will not go … He (the messenger) was hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me.”

Nehemiah understood the nature of leadership.  He also understood that if God gave him a vision to complete, then no man could stop him unless unbelief or unrighteousness on the part of Nehemiah entered the picture. The text then says that the work was completed and that when all their enemies heard of its completion, they were afraid.

Each of us has a call on our life by God. He has created us for good works which he has prepared in advance for us to complete (Eph.2:10). Satan’s most frequently used strategies are not direct opposition to what we are doing but distraction and discouragement. On a national scale, those who stand up for biblical values and righteousness are often encouraged by the people closest to them to compromise with the opposition. If they will not, then their vision is ridiculed, their motives are questioned, and their careers are threatened. Sound familiar?

But what about you?  What great thing have you imagined doing for God that you have set on the back burner for months or years because of distractions – busyness doing good things but not the thing God has prompted you to do. What about discouragement – the fear that you do not have enough skill or resources to complete the vision, questions about your motives, or fear of losing something if you step out? How many great projects still sit in the garage of the kingdom of God that have not been rolled out because the enemy has used these strategies of distraction and discouragement against us?

Maybe it’s time to take the vision or the dream back out the box, dust it off, and get on with what God has called you to do. For many of us unbelief has kept us in check – either unbelief that the dream and desire was truly from God or that he will not resource us and protect us while we do his will.  Pray about it. Recommit. Recognize the strategies of the enemy and get back to building the wall. If your vision were unimportant, Satan would never have stood in the way.

One of my favorite movies of all time is the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire.  The movie is based on a true story that revolves around two British athletes competing in the 1924 Olympics and is a great study of spiritual motivations.  One of them, Eric Liddell, was a Scottish runner who had a tremendous faith and was destined to die in the mission field in China some years later.  His sister was also a very committed believer who thought that her brother should give up his “foolishness” of running track and get on with the Lord’s work in the mission field. In the movie, she asked him why he ran and he gave a riveting reply.  He said simply, “God made me fast.  And when I run I feel his pleasure.” Liddell believed that if God gave you a talent then you must use it because with every God-given talent there is a divine purpose.

In that one compact statement Liddell offered a profound theology for spiritual gifts in the Christian life. Paul dedicated three chapters to spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14.  He mentions them in other letters as well but in this section he gives us a theological grasp of the “charismata” or gifts and their purpose. Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts (capacities or talents) to each believer and each is given to build up the body of Christ.  These are not given randomly by the Spirit but strategically based on the destiny you have been assigned in Christ.  The Psalmist tells us that God was involved in crafting us from the womb.  There he created our inner being and ordained all of our days before one of them came to pass (Ps.139).  In the New Testament, Paul tells us that we are “God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph.2:10).

If we connect those texts, we discover that God has established a destiny for each of us that he calls “good works which he prepared in advance.” He has intentionally crafted you with talents, temperament, and spiritual gifts designed to perfectly match that destiny.  We are each born with a personality or temperament unique to our calling.  We all have talents or abilities in the natural realm that can be used for God’s purposes like Eric Liddell’s ability to run.  Once an individual has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, he receives the Holy Spirit and the Spirit then gives that believer a spiritual gift or gifts that completes his equipping so ta the can fulfill his destiny.

God equips you with gifts and ordains opportunities for you through which you can make an impact for the kingdom of God.  These gifts are typically granted in seed form and must be nurtured and developed to accomplish all that God has ordained for you.  Each time you encounter your ordained opportunities, you have the freedom to step into that opportunity or turn it down.  You can bear fruit or remain barren.

We are told that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work within each of us. Much of the power will be expressed through our spiritual gifts. The question most often asked at this point is, “How do I know what my spiritual gifts are?”  Eric Liddell gave us two great indicators.  What are you good at and do you feel God’s pleasure as you do it?  Another facet of feeling God’s pleasure is simply being aware of any desires for spiritual gifts that he has deposited in your heart.

Paul tells us that we are to “eagerly desire” spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:1).  It stands to reason that the Holy Spirit will create a hunger or desire in your heart for gifts that you have been destined to receive.  As the hunger rises, you will begin to think about that gift.  You will begin to ask God for that gift.   You will begin to read about the gift you desire and search out others who have that gift.  You will ask them to help you understand the gift, develop it, and even how to receive it.  Then you will begin to receive opportunities to use that gift and in doing so you will develop that capacity so that it bears fruit.  Then as you use it, you will experience a profound sense of fulfillment – God’s pleasure.

There are all kinds of spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and Romans 12 and a few other places in the N.T.  There are many spiritual gifts not even listed in scripture.  Some spiritual gifts have been deposited in you and you eventually notice that something has developed in you that is bearing fruit in the kingdom of God. Others will come as you hunger after them and ask God for a specific gift. Some come through impartation and the laying on of hands by someone who already possesses the gift.  As we eagerly desire gifts, God is willing to give.

Spiritual gifts bear fruit in the spiritual realm.  That realm is eternal so the fruit is eternal.  Some gifts are given for one season of your life and other gifts show up during different seasons.  These spiritual gifts are talents that have been entrusted to you for your destiny.  The “parable of the talents” teaches us that if we are faithful to develop and use these gifts in whatever “good work” God sets before us, God will grant us greater gifts and greater opportunities later.

There is power in these gifts. Not just the gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, etc. but in all the gifts.  Exercise the ones you already have faithfully while you pray and wait for other gifts you also desire. Make sure your motive for the gift is not power or notoriety for you, but rather a desire to be effective in the kingdom of God.

Don’t be afraid to step out as you develop new gifts. Like everything, it takes time and experience to excel in your gifts.  In one form or another, God made us all fast.  And when we run, we will feel his pleasure.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Pet. 2:9-10)

We are continuing to look at who we are in Christ and using Peter’s text above as a launching pad.  The Psalmist declares, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. “ Another way of expressing that thought is, “a man lives up (or down) to his view of himself.”  Knowing who you are matters.

Peter says by the inspiration of the Spirit that we are a holy nation.  Those who are in Christ make up a nation whose primary quality is holiness. Holiness comes from the Greek word hagios and is the word from which “saints” or “holy ones” comes in the New Testament.  Although it carries the idea of moral purity it also speaks of something set apart for service unto God.  God has always longed for a people he could call his own who had a heart for him.  He used the same language as he was calling Israel out of Egypt.

Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” (Ex.19:5-6)

God communicated his heart for his people with the phrase, “treasured possession.” What we discover from the Old Testament is that a covenant based on law rather than grace is not sufficient to establish the kind of relationship God has always longed for.  God always knew that.  He just wanted us to know that. And so, he called you and me and every Jewish believer into that relationship through a covenant of grace based on the blood of Jesus.

What he wants each of us to know is that we are holy in his eyes. We have been chosen out of the world and set apart for a very special relationship with the Father.  He wants you to know that in his mind, you are very separate from the people of the world who have not accepted Jesus.  It’s not that God doesn’t love those individuals but he chose you and you responded to his call so that you are in a unique relationship with the Father by covenant.  You are his treasured possession. You are viewed by the Father as his personal and very special treasure.  Treasure is interesting.  We seek it, value it, and protect it.  That is what God has done for you.  But we also put treasure on display.   That is also what God does with you.

God’s word says that you are the light of the world. You are a city set on a hill.  You are the salt of the earth. You are a star shining in a dark sky. You are the apple of God’s eye.  We don’t always want to be put on display because we are not sure we want to be seen or inspected by the world.  But…that’s who you are. That’s why we have been encouraged to live a life worthy of the calling we have received.  We are to reflect the Father’s glory to those who see us and he will enable us to do so if that is our heart’s desire.

Let me be a little transparent with you.  I used to think that we, as believers, were loves and treasured as a group rather than as individuals.  I saw myself as just a face in the crowd like fans at an NFL football game when the head coach stepped to the microphone and said, “We love you guys!” Well, I never received that personally and I often thought God loved me in the same way… as a fairly anonymous face in the nation or the church that he loved.  But, a verse in Hebrews 12 changed my mind.

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. (Heb.12:22-23).

In this verse I discovered that “firstborn” is plural.  It could be interpreted “the church of the first born ones.” What the Lord showed me was that each of us has the standing of being a firstborn to the Father. In a sense, each one of us is his favorite.  He knows us, delights in us, and plans great things for us, as any Jewish father would do for his firstborn son.  That’s why we are told that we are co-heirs with Christ. We are not a face in the crowd but we are each a well-worn photo in our Father’s billfold that has been shown to others time after time.  In Isaiah 49, Jehovah tells Zion, his people, that they are “inscribed on the palms of his hands” and that he “delights in his people” (Ps.149:4).

So, then, this is who you are.  You are holy and set apart from the entire world in a covenant relationship with a heavenly Father who views you as his treasured possession.  You are loved as a firstborn son by one who writes your name on the palms of his hands.  You are pursued, valued, protected and often put on display because he delights in you.  You wonder how he could delight in you?  Because he sees the end from the beginning and knows who you will be when he has finished crafting you for you are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus (Eph.2:10). So rejoice today because your Father in heaven is rejoicing over you.