Author: Ken Crawford

Church Transitions and Conflict Solutions

At the right time…

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
— James 4:14-15

“If the Lord wills!” Do you do short-term and long-range planning? I do. But my planning always has an invisible asterisk: “If Lord, this is your will and timing, please help me complete these plans.” I don’t know about you, but God has shown me time and again that if I am open to him, his timing is always better than my planning. Does that mean I quit planning? Nope. I plan with prayer, asking for wisdom and the Holy Spirit to help me find God’s timing to know and do his will in his timing (James 1:5-6; Ephesians 5:15-18). Life is too short not to plan. Life is too important not to plan with prayer and seek to be led by the Holy Spirit!

Not my will, Father, but yours be done… this day and all the days of my life that follow. I want to walk in your will and follow your timing. In Jesus’ holy name, I ask this. Amen.

Our days fade quickly…

Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
— Psalm 144:4

Time is so precious — time with our families, children, parents, friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ. How do you invest your time? Where do you invest it? You know, our time is really more valuable than the money we invest. Once the present time and its opportunities are gone, they can’t be reclaimed. So as you begin each day, ask God that you will be able to “know the time,” to see it for what it is, and to use it for its greatest good. Time passes quickly, and like the shadows of early evening, it’s not long before it is absorbed into the gathering darkness of night.

Eternal God, please give me the wisdom to use the time given me today to do what is best, right, good, and profitable. I want to invest my time in what is truly enduring and redemptive. Please help me use my time to influence and bless all those with whom I interact so that they are brought closer to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

It is a matter of balance…

Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. — Amos 5:15

While we rightfully teach our children that we must not hate others, we also must teach them to loathe injustice, evil, prejudice, and the mistreatment of the vulnerable — the foreigner, widow, fatherless, and poor, as God defined them in the Torah. Amos reminded Israel that God demands justice to be administered fairly for both rich and poor, residents and foreigners, those in families as well as those left alone. Israel’s repeated refusals of God’s commands in these areas brought destruction upon their land despite their apparent affluence, military might, and political power in Amos’ day.

Holy God, I know you are furious at the injustice in so many lands and are enraged at the ethnic hatred setting our world ablaze. Please make your people, your Church, a place of justice, equity, compassion, love, racial healing, and hope. Please begin in my heart and with my hands to build this better world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

The New Life

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. — Colossians 2:6

“New and improved!” That’s the strategic marketing tag to re-introduce an older product that has fallen out of public perception. Make a few changes, freshen the packaging, and re-market the old product as something new and improved. The apostle Paul wanted the Colossians to know that Jesus does not need to be updated or add some spiritually new ingredient. Instead, they needed to follow him as Lord, just as they did when they first became Christians. That is our need, too! Our lives need to be rooted and nurtured in Christ Jesus as Lord, full of thankfulness for God’s incredible gift of grace in his Son. And we must realize Jesus is more than any additive-laden, updated, or new religious fad could ever be!

Loving Father and Almighty God, thank you for the gift of your grace given to me in Jesus Christ. Forgive me when I get fascinated by what is flashy and new or wanderlust hits, and I desire something fresh and novel. Please make my walk with Jesus fresh each day. Strengthen my appreciation that his lordship in my life will help me face the difficult circumstances along the way and greet the exciting new opportunities each day with joy, strength, hope, and power. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Something that never changes.

But you must remain faithful
to the things you have been taught.
You know they are true,
for you know you can trust
those who taught you.
You have been taught
the holy Scriptures from childhood,
and they have given you the wisdom
to receive the salvation that comes
by trusting in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is inspired by God
and is useful to teach us what is true
and to make us realize
what is wrong in our lives.
It corrects us when we are wrong
and teaches us to do what is right.
God uses it to prepare and equip
his people to do every good work.  
2 Timothy 3:14-17 NLT

I love Paul’s challenge to Timothy to be faithful to what he had been taught and to remember why he could trust what he had been taught. Paul reminded Timothy that Scripture can make us wise, give us faith, correct us, teach us, prepare us, and equip us in two important ways: First, through a Spirit-filled mentor or parent, and second, through the Scriptures themselves, which he describes as holy and inspired (God-breathed or Spirit-inspired). The Scriptures’ power lies in the words the Spirit inspired and the people who show the transforming influence of the Spirit at work in their lives. Why wouldn’t we be eager to let the “sword of the Spirit” (God’s word, Ephesians 6:17) be at work in our lives?

Almighty God, thank you
for speaking to us in words.
As I place myself under the guidance
of the words of Scripture,
dear Father, I pray that the Holy Spirit
uses them to form me into a person
who is increasingly more
like Jesus each day.
In the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray.
Amen.

Setting Goals

But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control.
Against such things
there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

Sometimes we misunderstand “fruit of the Spirit” because we say “fruits of the Spirit.” This difference seems like such a small thing, but, unfortunately, this small thing can lead us to a dangerously false conclusion. The fruit of the Spirit involves all nine of these qualities. We can’t excuse a lack of growth in one area or another as simply not having all the fruits of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is working to create the character of Jesus in us (2 Corinthians 3:18; see also Galatians 4:19). He wants to see us growing in each area; we should not excuse ourselves from any one of these qualities of Jesus. I don’t know about you, but there are several areas in which I need to grow — but I believe the Spirit is making progress in them. Let’s keep encouraging each other to let the Spirit lead us to become more and more like Jesus in every way!

O precious Father, God Most High,
thank you for your patience,
grace, and forgiveness.
I want the Holy Spirit
to lead me and empower me
to grow in every way,
but especially so that I can be
more and more like Jesus in love,
joy, peace, forbearance,
kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness,
and self-control.
Thank you for hearing my prayer
offered in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Submission…

And do not bring sorrow
to God’s Holy Spirit
by the way you live.
Remember,
he has identified you as his own,
guaranteeing that you will be
saved on the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:30 NLT

Some other translations say “do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” Two truths scream to be heard. First, the way we live matters deeply to the Spirit! Second, we can actually oppose and wound the Spirit of God who lives in us. As Galatians 5:13-21 reminds us, feeding the fleshly, sinful side of ourselves puts us at war with the Spirit of God. Things like telling lies to each other, acting out our anger, stealing, sharing unwholesome talk among ourselves, living with rage and brawling, and slander are all activities that bring the Holy Spirit sorrow (Ephesians 4:25-32). Living under the influence of the Spirit empowers us to go beyond these bad qualities as we are conformed to be more and more like Jesus  2 Corinthians 3:18 and Galatians 5:22-26).

Father God,
I confess that I sometimes
ignore the impulse of the
Holy Spirit inside of me
and act in ways that are
inconsistent and hurtful to you.
I want to be like Jesus —
more and more under the
influence and control
of your Holy Spirit.
Please open my eyes to your will,
your presence, and your character
as the Spirit leads me.
In Jesus’ name, I pray.
Amen.

What Did You Say?

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:5-6

Jesus warned us that we would have to answer to God for every idle word we share with others (Matthew 12:36-37). In our time when social media echoes with mean-spirited, ugly, and divisive words, we must hear the Lord’s warning about choosing our words carefully. Paul challenged us to be even more vigilant about what we say and how we say it. The apostle emphasized how significant our influence is on those who don’t know Christ. We want to seize every opportunity to open the hearts of unbelievers to Jesus. When we are around those who are not Christians, we must show kindness, demonstrate care, and exercise control in the way we use our speech. The eternal destiny of those around may be resting on our conversations with them. Let’s season our speech with care. Let’s take advantage of every opportunity we have to open the hearts of others to grace of Jesus!

Holy and Righteous God, I know we break your heart when we, your people, wound and drive unbelievers away with thoughtless and insensitive talk and unkind posts on social media. Please help me, O God, as I seek to display a winsome attitude with all people, but especially toward those who do not yet know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Use my life and my words to open people’s hearts to Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.